Journal of Discourses Volume 8
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8
Journal of Discourses,
Volume 8
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / John
Taylor, February 19, 1860
John Taylor, February 19, 1860
MAN.
Remarks by Elder John Taylor, made in the Tabernacle.
Great Salt Lake City, February 19, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt
1
I am always pleased to hear brother Joseph Young speak, because,
as the Indian says, "he talks good talk;" and I always like to
hear people talk good talk, and things that are calculated to
make one feel pleasant and comfortable.
1
A passage of Scripture which he quoted attracted my attention. It
is one of the sayings of David--"What is man, that thou art
mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"
1
In one point of view, man appears very poor, weak, and imbecile,
and very insignificant: in another point of view, he appears
wise, intelligent, strong, honourable, and exalted. It is just in
the way that you look at a man that you are led to form your
opinions concerning him. In one respect, he appears as is were,
as the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast
into the oven. He is changeable in his opinions, in his thoughts,
reflections, and actions. He is idle, vain, and visionary,
without being governed by any correct principle. He comes into
existence, as it were, like a butterfly, flutters around for a
little while, dies, and is no more. In another point of view, we
look at him as emanating from the Gods--as a God in embryo--as an
eternal being who had an existence before he came here, and who
will exist after his mortal remains are mingled and associated
with dust, from whence he came, and from whence he will be
resurrected and partake of that happiness for which he is
destined, or receive the reward of his evil deeds, according to
circumstances.
2
If we look at the position of man as he has been and as he is,
what is he, whether we regard the most powerful and mighty, or
the most humble,--whether as emperors, warriors, statesmen,
philosophers, as rich or poor, we find he has passed away, and to
us is sleeping in oblivion. Where are some of those great and
mighty men that made the earth tremble--at whose nod and beck,
and at the crook of whose finger nations quaked with fear? They
have returned to dust, and ashes and worms prey upon their
systems. They have wanted away, and many of the great and
honourable are as much despised since they died as they were
honoured while they lived and were in the possession of their
earthly glory. What is man?
2
In some points of view, the human race are feeble indeed. They
are feeble in their bodies, minds, and spirits, and need some
sustaining influence to uphold them both in body and mind before
they can occupy their true position in society, whether in
relation to this world, or in relation to the world which is to
come. For instance, a man may study for years, and perhaps some
faint affliction of his body will overturn his intellect; he
loses his senses, his reason is fled, and he becomes a raving
maniac. We are indeed poor creatures. Think what a number of
infirmities the human system is subject to, until finally death
closes its mortal career, and it is laid among the silent dead.
2
Let us ask what the nations of the earth have accomplished for
the last six or seven thousand years. What great work have they
achieved? What have the greatest warriors and statesmen that have
existed from the beginning done? What good have they accomplished
for the world? What boon have they handed down to posterity, and
how much better are we off because they lived, because they moved
upon the earth, and because they possessed a certain power upon
it? They have accomplished a solemn nothing. Where are those
mighty conquerors and bright geniuses now? Where are some of the
mightiest men? and what has become of the nations and cities
where they flourished? It has become a matter of doubt where even
the foundations of Babylon and Nineveh were laid. Egypt, it is
true, has preserved some of its ancient monuments, kings, and
princes unto the present day. What are those men? Loathsome
mummies. What are they doing with them? The great Potiphars,
Ptolemies, and Pharaohs are now being used for fuel to make steam
to drive railway cars.
2
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man,
that thou rememberest him?
2
What is man, surely, when we look at him in this point of view?
And what are those ancient nations? What intelligence have they
communicated to the men of future ages? What real good have they
done them?
2
A great many of the ancients nations were idolators. They
worshipped dogs, cats, crocodiles, serpents, and every kind of
thing that came within the range of their imagination.
2
They could not get any idea of the true God, andy more than they
Christian world can at the present time, without revelation, nor
any knowledge of the reason of their being on the earth, what
they came into the world for, and what they were designed to
accomplish. If we look at the world in this point of view, it
presents a sorry spectacle.
3
We talk sometimes about the great works of artists, painters,
sculptors, &c.. But what have those smart geniuses accomplished
of real practical good to the world? What do their records show?
Their works may be seen in many of the capitals of the nations of
Europe. What are they? So many representations of war,
destruction, and death. If you examine some of the galleries of
art in France, the history of that country can be traced from the
third century to the present time. You find in those galleries
splendid specimens of art; and what are they? Here is a
representation of a battle fought; there, the representation of
death and destruction; and yonder is a splendid picture
representing the march of a victorious army, destroying an
unfortunate and vanquished people, and treading down the dead and
dying. The history of those nations is marked in blood and tears.
3
How much better is the world now, in any point of view, than in
former days? What blessings have the great men of former ages
handed down to posterity? Were they all collected, they would
appear in little room. It is true there has been some little
knowledge of chemistry and astronomy developed. And I question
very much whether the people now know more about astronomy than
Abraham and Joseph of old did, after all their problems and
calculations, and all the intelligence of the schools in relation
to this branch of science.
3
It is true we have obtained a little knowledge of the power of
steam and electricity, and have been able to use magnetism and
many other such principle which possess some utility at the
present time to the human family. But how much better off is the
world of mankind now than they were four or five thousand years
ago? I do not know. If anybody else does, I should like them to
tell me. Tell me how much more union there is now than then, how
much more happiness there is now than formerly, how much more
conversant the world is now with correct principles than the
world was in what is called the dark ages, and how much better
principles they are governed by than they were thousands of years
ago. They then had their republics, their monarchies, and their
despotisms. There is as much of the spirit of war in existence
now as in any previous age of the world.
3
Witness the present position of Europe and China; witness the
position of Mexico, Central America, and the United States of
America at the present time; witness the bitter hatred that
exists between the North and South in the bosoms of the
Representatives in the halls of the nation at Washington, which
is manifested when in the Senate chamber.
3
How much better, then, are we in the present age than the people
of other ages? and what is man in reality, with all his boasted
intelligence and knowledge? He is a poor, weak worm of the earth.
3
Look at him in a social capacity. Are we much better off now
socially than the people were several thousand years ago, with
all the teachings of our philosophers and moralists, and with all
the essays there have been written, combined with all the
influence of the Priesthood of the present day? Men are paid in
our age for doing a great deal, and they ought to accomplish, at
least something. As I told a Catholic priest once in France, when
speaking of the position of France--I said, "There are some fifty
thousand Catholic priests in France: and if Catholicism does not
produce an influence in this nation, it ought to; for there is
enough money paid to sustain men to do good among the people."
3
When we contemplate all these things, how weak and inefficient
and poor and feeble and contemptible man appears!--how little he
has accomplished for the benefit of his fellow-man, or for
succeeding generations!
3
"What is man, that thou are mindful of him?"
4
What is he? Let us look again and view him in another aspect.
Why, he is an eternal being, and possesses within him a principle
that is destined to exist "while life and thought and being last,
or immortality endures." What is he? He had his being in the
eternal worlds; he existed before he came here. He is not only
the Son of man, but he is the Son of God also. He is a God in
embryo, and possesses within him a spark of that eternal flame
which was struck from the blaze of God's eternal fire in the
eternal world, and is placed here upon the earth that he may
possess true intelligence, true light, true knowledge,--that he
may know himself-- that he may know God--that he may know
something about what he was before he came here--that he may know
something about what he is destined to enjoy in the eternal
worlds--that he may be fully acquainted with his origin, with his
present existence, and with his future destiny,--that he may know
something about the strength and weakness of human nature--that
he may understand the Divine law, and learn to conquer his
passions, and bring into subjection every principle that is at
variance with the law of God,--that he may understand his true
relationship to God; and finally, that he may learn how to
subdue, to conquer, subject all wrong, seek after, obtain, and
possess every true, holy, virtuous, and heavenly principle; and
as he is only a sojourner, that he may fulfil the measure of his
creation, help himself and family, be a benefit to the present
and future generations, and go back to God, having accomplished
the work he came here to perform.
4
And if ever there was a time on the earth, since this world
rolled into existence, that man was placed in a most important
position, it is at this time. If ever there was people under the
face of the heavens that enjoyed great privileges, and ought to
be acquainted with eternal principles, this is the people.
4
In ages and generations that are past, men could not accomplish
much. They came into the world--they lived--they died--they had
their Prophets once in a while, and slight manifestations from
God. Those Prophets, when wrapped in prophetic vision--when their
minds were illuminated with Divine truth, looked through the dark
vista of future ages, and contemplated a time when iniquity
should no longer triumph, when the powers of darkness should be
brought under subjection to the kingdom of God, which should be
established in the latter day, and the government of God be
maintained, and his holy Priesthood hold universal rule, where
there should be a re-organization of light, truth, intelligence,
rule, and government pertaining to things that are, to things
that were, and to things that are to come. The Prophets in former
times had their minds lit up from time to time. They got simply a
glimpse of the things that it is our privilege as a people to
enjoy.
4
God has gathered us from among all the nations of the earth. He
has called us together by the light of his truth--by the light of
his Spirit--by the light of his Gospel of peace. He has gathered
us together into one fold; he has given us revelation; he has
given us a knowledge of ourselves, and a slight knowledge of
himself, so far as we have lived up to our privileges, and so far
as we have cultivated the light of the Spirit he has given to us.
He has given us a knowledge of our weakness and of our strength
and of our imperfections. We are permitted to derive from God all
the powers of the Priesthood. The light of truth has been
developed, and many things pertaining to the future.
5
If we will only be faithful, he will lead us on from light to
light, from truth to truth, from intelligence to intelligence,
until we shall know and see and comprehend God, whom to know is
life everlasting. He has planted within us, through the
principles of eternal truth, the germs of everlasting life; so
that Death, which has been a terror to all nations for
generations past, which has caused men to quail, and through
which the Jews all their life long were subject to bondage, has
lost its terrors on the minds of men who live their religion, who
walk according to the laws of the holy Priesthood, and cultivate
the Spirit of God. That grim messenger has lost his formidable
appearance, and people feel easy and comfortable under any
circumstances; that is, those who do right, fear god, work
righteousness, and keep his commandments. They know they have
within them that principle of eternal life which shall live after
this mortal tabernacle shall crumble in the dust.
5
To them, if it is peace, it is all right; if it is war, it is all
right; if it is sickness, it is all right; if it is health; it is
all right; for it is all eternal life to the man that is in
possession of that principle.
5
What is man? He is an immortal being. He is a part of the Deity.
He is the son of God, and God is his Father; and he has come here
to work out his salvation and accomplish the thing he came into
existence for. We have come here to build up the kingdom of God,
to establish correct principles, to teach the world
righteousness, and to make millions of the human family
happy--even all who will listen to the principles of eternal
truth. We are here to introduce correct doctrine, to introduce
correct morals, to introduce correct philosophy, to introduce
correct government, and to teach men how to live and how to
die--how to be happy in this world and in the world which is to
come, and to lay the foundation for eternal lives in the eternal
worlds.
5
What is man? A god, even the son of God, possessing noble
aspirations, holy feelings, that may be governed by virtuous
principles, possessing elevated ideas, wishing to realize
everything that God has destined to submit to all his laws, to
endure every kind of privation and affliction and suffering, as
seeing Him that is invisible, looking for a city that hath
foundations, whose builder and maker is God,--feeling to live for
that purpose, and that alone.
5
This is what man is, if he lives the religion of heaven, and
performs faithfully those things God has appointed him to do,
that he may increase from intelligence to intelligence, and go on
with that eternal progression, not only in this world, but in
worlds without end.
6
What are we? Do we expect to immortalize our fame by demolishing
cities, wasting countries, and destroying their inhabitants? No.
Do we expect to have our name perpetuated by being embalmed and
laid by, as the Egyptians were after they died? No. Do we expect
to perpetuate fame by building cities and monuments? No. What
then? We expect to perpetuate our fame and our name by living
propagating correct principles--by the establishment of correct
laws--by the building up of the kingdom of God--by imbibing and
receiving light and intelligence from the living God--by living
in the enjoyment of all the blessings that God has in reserve for
his Saints--by driving back the dark cloud of error and
superstitions that has overspread the moral horizon of the
world--by establishing a nucleus of truth, intelligence, light,
morality, philosophy, religion, government, and everything else
that is calculated to promote and exalt the human family in time
and in all eternity; and then, like some of the ancient
patriarchs--like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and many of the
ancient Saints, enter into the New Jerusalem, and there live with
our posterity, our friends, and relations; and then pass on by
the eternal laws of progression to associate with the Gods,
worlds without end, in all intelligence and perfection, and in
promoting the happiness of all beings pertaining to this world
and the world that is to come. There is something of man when you
look at him in a proper point of view.
6
How much we shall accomplish in this thing I do not know. Some us
very little, I fear.
6
Some of us are learning to swear almost as good as some of the
Gentiles. Some of us are learning to get drunk almost as good as
they can. I do not think that will benefit us very much. Some of
us are learning to cheat and defraud our neighbors, and some are
learning to steal. There is nothing smart about all this. A
negro, a Hottentot, or an Indian can do that. There is nothing in
these practices that bespeaks an intelligent mind, or that would
recommend a person the estimation of a good man, angels, or God.
There is nothing Godlike in them.
6
It is for us to do right and cultivate correct principles, and
seek to be elevated in the scale of human existence in time, that
we may be prepared for an eternal exaltation in the eternal
worlds.
6
I pray that God may enlighten our minds, guide our feet in the
way of truth, and save us in his kingdom, in the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, March 4, 1860
Brigham Young, March 4, 1860
TRUE CIVILIZATION.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 4, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
6
In detailing the different grades of people, of which we have
known but little, and in discoursing upon their character and
habits, I think that Captain Gibson, in his lecture, has been
both amusing, instructive, and interesting.
6
When Captain Gibson first came to this city, he proposed
addressing the people, and wished to know whether the subject
possessed sufficient interest to warrant an audience. I think he
is now well satisfied that he can have all the hearers he wishes.
6
The religion embraced by the Latter-day Saints, if only slightly
understood, prompts them to search diligently after knowledge.
There is no other people in existence more eager to see, hear,
learn, and understand truth.
7
In a quotation read by Captain Gibson I noticed the word
civilization; and I wish to know whether there is a person
present who understands the term as i do. What is meant by
"civilization?" We readily answer, "The state of being
civilized,"--refinement of manners, in contradistinction to the
grossness of savage life. According to my definition of the word,
there is not a strictly and fully civilized community now upon
the earth. Is there murder by wholesale to be found in a strictly
civilized community? Will a community of civilized nations rise
up one against another, nation against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom, using against each other every destructive
invention that can be brought to bear in their wars?
7
When will they be civilized? When the Lord shall judge among the
nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their
swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks;
when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither learn
war any more. When the world is in a state of true civilization,
man will have ceased to contend against his fellow-man, either as
individuals, parties, communities, sects, or nations. This state
of civilization will be brought about by the holy Priesthood of
the Son of God; and men, with full purpose of heart, will seek
unto Him who is pure and holy, even our Great Creator--our Father
and God; and he will give them a law that is pure--a government
and plan of society possessed by holy beings in heaven. Then
there will be no more war, no more bloodshed, no more evil
speaking and evil doing; but all will be contented to follow in
the path of truth, which alone is calculated to exalt and dignify
the whole man, mentally and physically, in all his operations,
labours, and purposes. Short of this, mankind cannot be said to
be truly civilized.
7
God forbid that modern civilization should make that simple,
unsophisticated people, whom Captain Gibson has portrayed
to-night, as are the Christian nations of Europe and America! God
forbid that such a civilization should ever be introduced among
them! But bestow upon them the principles of eternal truth; teach
them how to live so as to do honour to their existence; teach
them how to preserve themselves--how to preserve their
companions, their associates, friends, and relatives; teach them
how to preserve themselves as communities and nations, and how to
secure and preserve to every person his equal and legal rights,
seeking to preserve them in the truth, in light, in intelligence,
in honour, and in every principle and act calculated to make a
happy, Godlike, heavenly, social community. These are my views of
civilization.
7
I shall be very happy when I can know that the people of the East
Indian Archipelago, and the people on every island continent,
both the high and the low, the ignorant and the intelligent, have
received the words of eternal life, and have had bestowed upon
them the power of the eternal Priesthood of the Son of God, by
which they may become truly civilized.
7
I am trying to civilize myself. Are you trying to do the same. If
we have succeeded in this, then we have control over our words
and over our actions, and also, so far as our influence goes,
over our associates. If we are civilized ourselves, we shall be
partially prepared to receive the things that our Father and God
has in store for all such as prepare themselves to become
recipients of his choice gifts--for enlightenment, for
intelligence, for glory, for power, and for every qualification
he wishes to bestow upon his children here upon the earth, to
prepare them to dwell in mansions of eternal light.
8
It is written that the greatest gift God can bestow upon man is
the gift of eternal life. The greatest attainment that we can
reach is to preserve our identity to an eternal duration in the
midst of the heavenly hosts. We have the words of eternal life
given to us through the Gospel, which, if we obey, will secure
unto us that precious gift. The greatest blessing that can be
bestowed on the children of men is power to civilize themselves
after the order of the civilization of the heavens--to prepare
themselves to dwell with heavenly beings who are capable of
enduring the presence of the Gods.
8
It has been supposed by many writers that there is a regular
gradation from the vegetable kingdom to the highest intelligence
that has been bestowed upon man, gradually rising from one degree
of intelligence to another. We learn that great intelligence has
been bestowed upon certain persons among the children of men. We
discern degrees of intelligence in our own society. There are
also degrees of intelligence in a national capacity. There are
degrees of intelligence in one family: you see its variations in
communities, and you may mark its gradations from the highest and
most refined intelligence of man down to the brute creation.
8
God has given this great variety of intelligence. He has also
given this great variety of forms--that eternal variety which we
see upon this earth, not only among human beings, but in every
class of all the creations of God; and they are all designed to
be preserved to all eternity. None of them were made to be
destroyed, except those that do not abide the law given them.
8
The earth will abide its creation, and will be counted worthy of
receiving the blessings designed for it, and will ultimately roll
back into the presence of God who formed it and established its
mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms. These will all be
retained upon the earth, come forth in the resurrection, and
abide for ever and for ever.
8
Who will be destroyed? Those who have the words of eternal life
offered to them and reject those words. They will remain
uncivilized and in their heathenish darkness. There are others
who will become civilized, purified, and prepared to dwell to all
eternity in the kingdoms God has prepared for them.
8
The last time I spoke to you here I told you that I found my
religion just as sweet to me in my private capacity, in my secret
meditations upon my bed, and in my closet, in my office, or with
my family, as it is when I am in this stand. I love it as
well--esteem it as highly; it is as precious to my understanding,
and it invigorates, buoys up, strengthens, and fills every power
of my capacity with unspeakable joy, just as much at home as it
does here. I hope this is the case with you all. If you live your
religion, it is as dear to you when you are out of this
Tabernacle as when you are here. Live your religion, walk humbly
before your God, and secure to yourselves eternal life. That it
what I desire; it is what I pray for.
8
The kingdom of God will roll, and no power can stop the work that
the Almighty has commenced. Kings, rulers, governors, presidents,
peoples, and all the armies of hell joined with them will never
be able to impede the steady, onward, accelerated progress of
this glorious latter-day work. If we should deny the faith of the
holy Gospel, and go out of this Church, still it will roll on the
same. This kingdom will stand for ever. This religion will abide
the day of the coming of the Lord Jesus, and will prepare us to
meet him in peace.
8
Live your religion, walk uprightly, deal justly, love mercy,
eschew evil of every kind, and sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts, and purify and sanctify your affections with the
principle of eternal life, that Jesus may fulfil his own
words--that he, by his Spirit, may be in you a well of water
springing up to everlasting life.
9
The world is before us, eternity is before us, and an
inexhaustible foundation of intelligence for us to obtain. Every
man, and more particularly immediate associates who are with me
daily, know how I regret the ignorance of this people--how it
floods my heart with sorrow to see so many Elders of Israel who
wish everybody to come to their standard and be measured by their
measure. Every man must be just so long, to fit their iron
bedstead, or be cut off to the right length: if too short, he
must be stretched, to fill the requirement.
9
If they see an erring brother or sister, whose course does not
comport with their particular ideas of things, they conclude at
once that he or she cannot be a Saint, and withdraw their
fellowship, concluding that, if they are in the path of truth,
others must have precisely their weight and dimensions.
9
The ignorance I see, in this particular, among this great people
is lamentable. Let us not narrow ourselves up; for the world,
with all its variety of useful information and its rich hoard of
hidden treasure, is before us; and eternity, with all its
sparkling intelligence, lofty aspirations, and unspeakable
glories, is before us, and ready to aid us in the scale of
advancement and every useful improvement.
9
See that your children are properly educated in the rudiments of
their mother tongue, and then let them proceed to higher branches
of learning; let them become more informed in every department of
true and useful learning than their fathers are. When they have
become well acquainted with their language, let them study other
languages, and make themselves fully acquainted with the manners,
customs, laws, governments, and literature of other nations,
peoples, and tongues. Let them also learn all the truth
pertaining to the arts and sciences, and how to apply the same to
their temporal wants. Let them study things that are upon the
earth, that are in the earth, and that are in the heavens.
9
There are hundreds in this community who are more eager to become
rich in the perishable things of this world than to adorn their
minds with the power of self-government, and with a knowledge of
things as they were, as they are, and as they are to come. I will
say to such, Get rich in gold and silver, in houses and lands, in
goods and chattels, in flocks and herds, until you possess all
you can possibly gain; but let me caution you not to get one
cent, unless you get it honestly. And when you have amassed your
millions, never allow yourselves to possess one dollar with the
belief that you are capable of disposing of it judiciously
without wisdom from our God. In all things inquire of the Lord,
that you may wisely direct your earthly substance, as well as the
energies of your minds, to the building up of his kingdom and the
consummation of his purposes pertaining to this world and our
salvation.
9
We are not yet half civilized, though we are more civilized than
any nation upon the earth. Our neighbours say we are barbarians,
sunk in heathenish ignorance. I will acknowledge my lack of
memory to retain scientific phrases, and the names of places, and
of men who have figured in the history of the world. With these
exceptions, I am not a whit behind them as to a knowledge of
things as they are, though I confess that my knowledge is
limited. If they understand the Hebrew language, I understand its
roots, and how it originated. If they understand the Greek
tongue, I know whence it came, and how it was introduced among
men.
10
I know the cause of the various languages and customs among the
people, and the reason of the variation in our appearance, and
the difference in the intelligence given to the children of men;
and after all, I feel very ignorant, when I scan the wide field
there is for improvement; and I know that this community are
ignorant, and are not what they should be. I also know that if
the enemies of truth will let us alone, as barbarous as we are,
we will soon show them the most peaceable, right-loving, and
law-abiding community in the wide world. We will show them the
most civil community--a community farther advanced in the arts of
refinement than any other upon the earth. We will show them men
and women are the most profound in learning, and mechanics the
most expert and ingenious. We will show them men endowed with the
most brilliant natural talent and the most wisdom that can be
found in the world. We will do this, if they will cease driving
us from our homes, and robbing up of our homesteads to the music
of the rifle and cannon, and the horrible oaths and fiendish
hilarity of civilized mobs who mock at our sufferings, and laugh
to scorn our sorrows. If they will not let us alone, we will take
the musket and the sword in one hand, the trowel and the hammer
in the other, and build up the Zion of our God; and they cannot
prevent it.
10
I am very thankful for the knowledge I received from Captain
Gibson's book, from the little I have conversed with him, and
from the lectures I have heard him deliver. I shall not cease
learning while I live, nor when I arrive in the spirit-world; but
shall there learn with greater facility; and when I again receive
my body, I shall learn a thousand times more in a thousand times
less time; and then I do not mean to cease learning, but shall
still continue my researches.
10
Let us be patient with one another. I do not altogether look at
things as you do. My judgment is not in all things like yours,
nor yours like mine. When you judge a man or woman, judge the
intentions of the heart. It is not by words, particularly, nor by
actions, that men will be judged in the great day of the Lord;
but, in connection with words and actions, the sentiments and
intentions of the heart will be taken, and by these will men be
judged.
10
There are men in this community who make blunders; but they would
not do an intentional wrong. They are weak; they do not fully
understand themselves, and are sometimes overtaken in fault. Am I
to condemn them? No; but to take them by the hand, and lift them
up, and instruct them,--give them a little intelligence as they
can receive it. If they can receive but a little, give them only
a little, exercising patience with them.
10
Ye mighty men of God, make sure the path for your own feet to
walk to eternal life, and take as many with you as you can. Take
them as they are, understand them as they are, and deal with them
as they are; look at them as God looks at them, and then you can
judge them as he would judge them.
10
May the Lord bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, March 5, 1860
Brigham Young, March 5, 1860
HINTS TO FAULTFINDERS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 5, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt
11
I rejoice in the privilege of speaking to you this morning, and
hope I shall have your prayers and faith, in connection with my
own, that my remarks may be beneficial to those who hear.
11
Brother Spencer, in his remarks, indicated that there are some
fault-finders here--some who take exceptions to the acts and
doings of the Saints, especially to those of their leaders. Some
of these persons profess to be Saints, some have been cut off
from the Church, and some have never been in the Church.
11
I have no part with such men, neither have I any contention or
argument with them. I am sent to preach the Gospel of life and
salvation. If men are not pleased with my ways, they have as good
a right to dislike them as I have to dislike theirs. If they do
not believe in my advice, teachings, and counsel, they are at
perfect liberty to disbelieve them and I will not find one word
of fault with them for so doing. They have full liberty to think
and say what they please with regard to my acts; but, as I have
often said, they must keep their "hands off." The slander and
lying of tongues set in motion by wicked hearts I have always
met, and they do not affect my character before my God, nor in
the eyes of just men.
11
Take the evildoers in this community, those who have once tasted
of the good word of God, who have received the Spirit of truth,
and then turned again to the allurements of the enemy, have
forsaken their God in their feelings, and connected themselves
with those who are not in the Church; they know my character, and
have much more confidence in me than I have in them. They believe
what I say to be the truth; but they deceive, and I know it. I
tell the truth; and, so far as I have power, I always act the
truth; but they are disposed to refuse and neglect the truth, and
to prefer error and falsehood instead.
12
I have very little to say to men who are dissatisfied with my
course, or with the course of my brethren. Some have wished me to
explain why we built an adobie wall around city. Are there any
Saints who stumble at such things? Oh, slow of heart to
understand and believe. I build walls, dig ditches, make bridges,
and do a great amount and variety of labour that is of but little
consequence only to provide ways and means for sustaining and
preserving the destitute. I annually expend hundreds and
thousands of dollars almost solely to furnish employment to those
in want of labour. Why? I have potatoes, flour, beef, and other
articles of food, which I wish my brethren to have; and it is
better for them to labour for those articles, so far as they are
able and have opportunity, than to have them given to them. They
work, and I deal out provisions, often when the work does not
profit me.
12
I say to all grunters, grumblers, whiners, hypocrites, and
sycophants, who snivel, crouch, and crawl around the most
contemptible of all creatures for a slight favour, Should it
enter my mind to dig down the Twin Peaks, and I set men to work
to do so, it is none of your business, neither is it the business
of all earth and hell, provided I pay the labourers their wages.
I am not to be called in question as to what I do with my funds,
whether I build high walls, garden walls or city walls; and if I
please, it is my right to pull down my walls tomorrow. If any one
wishes to apostatize upon such grounds, the quicker he does so
the better; and if he wishes to leave the Territory, but is too
poor to do so, I will assist him to go. We are much better off
without such characters.
12
I preach to the people and reason with them with regard to the
dealings of God with the children of men. Many have apostatized
because we were driven by our enemies from Missouri,
notwithstanding they were taught that we never should be driven,
if the people would sanctify themselves, and all the subsequent
schooling was necessary to prepare the Latter-day Saints to
receive the blessings of the Almighty. We are not prepared to
receive his choicest gifts, unless we also have experience to
know what to do with them. How many years have the Saints been
taught upon these principles, to give them an understanding of
the dealings of the Lord with the children of men?
12
When a man begins to find fault, inquiring in regard to this,
that, and the other, saying, "Does this or that look as though
the Lord dictated it?" you may know that that person has more or
less of the spirit of apostasy. Every man in this kingdom, or
upon the face of the earth, who is seeking with all his heart to
save himself, has as much to do as he can conveniently attend to,
without calling in question that which does not belong to him. If
he succeeds in saving himself, it has well occupied his time and
attention. See to it that you are right yourselves; see that sins
and folly do not manifest themselves with the rising sun. I
repeat that it is as much as any one can well do to take care of
himself by performing every duty that pertains to his temporal
and eternal welfare.
12
Suppose that in this community there are ten beggars who beg from
door to door for something to eat, and that nine of them are
impostors who beg to escape work, and with an evil heart practise
imposition upon the generous and sympathetic, and that only one
of the ten who visit your doors is worthy of your bounty; which
is best, to give food to the ten, to make sure of helping the
truly needy one, or to repulse the ten because you do not know
which is the worthy one? You will all say, Administer charitable
gifts to the ten, rather than turn away the only truly worthy and
truly needy person among them. If you do this, it will make no
difference in your blessings, whether you administer to worthy or
unworthy persons, inasmuch as you give alms with a single eye to
assist the truly needy.
13
Again: Suppose that you are required to do ten pieces of work,
but of the ten only one is necessary for the promotion of the
kingdom of God; which had you better do--perform the ten pieces
of labour, to be sure of doing the right piece, or neglect the
whole ten because you do not know which the right one is? Had you
not better do the whole ten pieces, that you may be sure of
performing that which the Lord does really require at your hands?
13
First, believe in the Lord God Almighty, in his Son Jesus Christ,
and in his Prophets that he sent in days of old; then believe in
Joseph Smith, and do the works of the Father, before you question
what I dictate to this people.
13
The Lord says, by one of the ancient prophets, "Wherefore the
Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near with their mouth,
and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their hearts
far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precepts
of men; therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work
among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; for the
wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of
their prudent men shall be hid. From the time that it goeth forth
it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass over, by
day and by night; and it shall be a vexation only to understand
the report."
13
The sound of the Gospel of life and salvation, to gather the
house of Israel and redeem the children of men, is a terror to
all nations. The fulfilment of this prophecy is plainly manifest,
as is also that of revelations given in our day in connection
with the great latter-day work; and yet all modern Christian
communities disbelieve in new revelation. Are they hunted and
cast out? No: they are received in the first society of the land
as gentlemen. They are associates for Presidents and
governors--for the chief rulers of the nation, who receive them
with all the courtesy and generous kindness of which they are
capable. But let men come, as Peter, James, and John, with words
of eternal truth in their mouths, and they are despised and
looked upon with withering scorn, as I and others of my brethren
have been, and as Joseph Smith was, who was slain by the hands of
wicked men.
13
Why do men hate me? Why do they hate you? Why did they have
Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ, and his ancient Apostles? Jesus they
nailed to a cross, and Peter they crucified with his head
downwards. John the Evangelist they banished to one of the
islands of the Mediterranean, to be a slave in the lead mines,
and tried to destroy him by putting him into a cauldron of
boiling oil. Had he declared that Jesus and Moses were impostors,
and that revelations from heaven were a humbug, would they have
treated him as they did? They would not, but would have hailed
him as one of their bosom friends. Hatred and persecution have
been the lot of every man that ever lived upon the earth holding
the oracles of the kingdom of heaven to deliver to the children
of men. Wicked men, Satan, and all the powers of hell hate and
are at war with every holy principle that God wishes to place in
the possession of his children. That is the true reason of the
hatred and persecution meted out to us.
14
If people will believe the Gospel, and live by the principles
thereof, they will be saved. They will not be fault-finders, they
will not be discontented, they will not be workers of iniquity,
they will not seek to falsify and change the truth into a lie,
nor a lie into the truth; they will not seek to make white black,
and black white. The Spirit of God has no place in persons who do
such things. What have I to do with them? I am willing to preach
the Gospel to all, and to seek the eternal good of all people. I
have examined myself very closely; I have been trying to learn
myself, to govern myself, and purify my own heart. The worst evil
I can imagine or wish to come upon the enemies of truth is, that
they be obliged to live by holy principles, and to deal by their
fellow-creatures as they would wish to be dealt by. This is the
worst wish I can possibly wish upon my worst enemies who thirst
for my life. There is no question but what this would be a great
punishment to them. I would not wish them to be punished any
more, nor to suffer any more. But I also could wish them to
forsake the evil influence within them which they constantly
yield to, and partake of good and holy influences, that they may
rejoice in the truth.
14
I shall see the day when every son and daughter of Adam will bow
the knee, and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, that Saviour of the world,--that to him we owe our
lives, and through him to the Father, for every blessing we
enjoy. They will acknowledge his right to rule and govern, King
of nations, as he does King of Saints. This they must do,
notwithstanding all their hatred. Can people receive this? Yes,
every son and daughter of Adam can; though I once in a while meet
with an individual who says that he cannot believe in religion of
any kind. I will venture to say that there are men in this Church
who would tell you so, were you to converse with them privately.
They will tell you that they cannot in the least degree
comprehend angels, spirits, God, and the kingdoms and thrones of
the eternal worlds, nor anything of that character.
14
What do I say to such persons? Live that moral religion you
believe in; for they believe in the same moral religion that you
and I do. Let them deal justly with their fellow-men, be
truthful, honest, and charitable, full of good works to the day
of their death, and I will insure them that the kingdom of God is
theirs. And when their spirits leave their bodies, their eyes
will be opened to see those heavenly and eternal realities which
they could not comprehend while in the flesh. Now, I do not admit
that good, active, bright, intelligent hearts and brains, or, in
other words, good spirits put in mortal tabernacles are quite so
ignorant as some imagine, although they may feel that they are,
and may think that they cannot conceive of anything but what they
hear with their ears, see with their eyes, &c. This is a mistake:
they can see and understand more, but they do not know how to
classify it. Let this be who will correctly live an external
religion are entitled to a degree of salvation.
15
Man is a mystery to himself. You see some who at once believe the
truth when they hear the Gospel of salvation declared by the
servants of God. Truth fastens upon their understandings, they
yield to it at once and openly acknowledge it, and yet they live
for years and years without receiving a love of that truth. Is
not this a great mystery? It partially is. In their outward faith
and lives they believe the Gospel was true. How many are there of
this class, year by year, who will say, "We never knew the truth
of 'Mormonism?'" I will relate an incident by way of
illustration. A brother now here and working for us had a brother
in Nauvoo, in the days of Joseph, who was sent to England on a
mission. He went and preached to his brother that is now here,
and bore testimony to him that he knew Joseph Smith to be a
Prophet of God, that the New Testament is true, that the Book of
Mormon is true, that the Book of Doctrine and Covenants contains
true revelations from God, that God has sent an angel from heaven
revealing the everlasting Priesthood, and had bestowed the Holy
Ghost upon his servants, which he would give to all who believed
in their words. Thus he preached to his brother and to the
people, and returned to his house in Nauvoo. In a few years his
brother came to Nauvoo, and the brother previously there began to
tell him that "Mormonism" was not true, and that if Joseph Smith
was ever a Prophet, he must have been a fallen Prophet. His
brother than asked about the Book of Mormon. "Why," said he, "I
do not think it is true, though I do not really know." "How about
the Bible?" "I do not know much about it; but I think you had
better stop here: here are houses and lands unoccupied, for the
Mormons have gone west, and left their gardens, farms, and the
furniture in their houses, and you can make money here." "But is
not 'Mormonism' true?" "I do not think it is, for the Mormons are
now clearing out to go into the wilderness." "But," said his
brother, "That has nothing to do with it. It is no matter where
they go. Is the doctrine you preached to me in England true?"
"Well, I do not hardly think it is." Finally he said, "It is not
true." "Well," said the young man, "I will ask you a single
question: Did you tell the truth when you came to England to
preach the Gospel? or did you lie then, and now tell the truth?
You either lied then or now, and I want you to tell me which time
you lied." He did not reply. "Now brother, I have a few words to
say to you: You came to England and preached the Gospel, and told
me not to trust in man, but to seek unto the Lord my God, in the
name of Jesus Christ, and receive a witness for myself and know
for myself that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, that the Book
of Mormon is true, and that God has set to his hand to gather the
house of Israel and build up Zion. You said, Do not rely upon my
word; for if you believe and embrace the Gospel, you have the
promise of receiving the Holy Ghost. Now, I have to say to you
that I did not merely take your word, for I did not consider I
was under any obligation to believe and embrace what you called
the Gospel, unless the Lord revealed it to me. You were to me a
fingerboard to point the right way: I walked in it, and received
a testimony that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet, that the Book of
Mormon is true, and that this work is the work of the Almighty.
You have apostatized. I am going to the camp of the Saints, and
you may go where you please." He left his brother, and is here in
good standing with us. That illustrates a principle I wished to
have you understand.
16
I recollect that while on my way to Ohio, to see brother Joseph
the first time, I took dinner with a Mr. Gillmore--I think a
Methodist priest. He began to tell me the character of Joseph
Smith, what he had been guilty of, how long he had been a
money-digger, how long a horse-jockey, and how many horses he had
stolen; and his statement made Joseph to be some seventy or
eighty years of age. I said to him, "Joseph Smith I never saw. He
says that he has received revelations from God, and declared that
an angel visited him. He has declared that he found plates, and
other witnesses have seen and handled them, from which the Book
of Mormon was translated. I know nothing about these witnesses,
neither do I care. I went to my Father in heaven and asked him
with regard to the truth of the doctrines taught by Joseph Smith,
and I know they will save all that will hearken to them, and that
those who do not will miss salvation in the celestial kingdom of
God; and though Joseph Smith should steal horses every day, or
gamble every night, or deny his Saviour from the crowing of the
cock in the morning until sunset in the evening, I know that the
doctrine he preaches is the power of God to my salvation, if I
live it. I did not make him a revelator; I have no business to
dictate him. I never called him in question, even in my feelings,
for an act of his, except once. I did not like his policy in a
matter, and a feeling came into my heart that would have led to
complain; but it was much shorter lived than Jonah's gourd, for
it did not last half a minute.
16
Much of Joseph's policy in temporal things was different from my
ideas of the way to manage them. He did the best he could, and I
do the best I can. Joseph's hands were continually tied. Who
dared to trust him with their money? Very few. He had to defend
lawsuit upon lawsuit. He passed through forty-seven lawsuits, and
in the most of them I was with him. He was obliged to employ
lawyers, and devise ways and means to shield himself from
oppression. He had to struggle through poverty and distress,
being driven from pillar to post. I wondered many a time that he
could endure what he did. The Lord gave him strength in all these
afflictions.
16
The worst wish I have for such characters is that they had been
obliged to tell Joseph Smith the truth when they came to him.
Then they would have said, "Joseph, we have been laying our plans
to get you into a lawsuit, and we want you to employ us, that we
may receive a fat fee from you for defending your case." Or,
"there is an election coming off, and we take this course to turn
your vote." Bennett told the truth once when he said, "There is
not much to be made in political traffic with the 'Mormons.'" It
never did any of them any good. We are not to be bought or sold.
16
I will now make a few more remarks upon belief and disbelief,
understanding and not understanding. I am satisfied that persons
are sometimes not so ignorant as they think they are. Faith is an
eternal principle; belief is an admission of the fact. Faith, to
us, if the gift of God; belief is inherent in the children of
men, and is the foundation for the reception of faith. The
principle of love within us is an attribute of the Deity, and it
is placed within us to be dispensed independently according to
our own will. Hatred is another attribute inherent in our
organization. These and other inherent principles were planted in
man when he was organized in the spirit, and when the spirit took
the body they were not destroyed. Belief and unbelief are
independent in man, the same as other attributes. Men can
acknowledge or reject, turn to the right or to the left, rise up
or remain seated: you can say that the Lord and his Gospel are
not worthy of your notice, or you can bow to them. When the
Elders went into your neighbourhoods to preach the Gospel, you
had the privilege of believing or disbelieving. You believed it;
your neighbours disbelieve it. It is free and at your own option
to dispose of at your pleasure. Could not your neighbours have
believed the truth as well as you? Yes.
17
Now, follow out this idea to the last days in which we live, the
time spoken of by the Prophets, and by the Saviour, and his
ancient Apostles, when the unbelief and hardness of the hearts of
the children of men would cause them to be overcome by the power
of Satan, to yield themselves to be servants to that wicked one.
God has borne and foreborne with them, until he has begun to send
them strong delusions, as he long foretold that he would, that
they might believe a lie and be damned, for they have pleasure in
unrighteousness, and have pleasure in truthfulness, nor in the
salvation of the Lord Jesus. They have pleasure in rioting,
fighting, warring, killing, contentions, and every crime that can
be enumerated. What will become of their belief? Will it not
perish? Yes. When you believe the principles of the Gospel and
attain unto faith, which is a gift of God, he adds more faith,
adding faith to faith. He bestows faith upon his creatures as a
gift; but his creatures inherently possess the privilege of
believing the Gospel to be true or false. Is the belief they
possess, to believe a lie expressly that they may be damned,
faith? No. You may say it is a portion of faith. It is immaterial
to me what you call it. It is the belief, the ability, the power
of God has organized in the organization of man, and which he can
do with as he pleases. If he uses it to believe a lie that he may
be damned, both himself and his belief will perish and fall, to
rise no more, while God will bestow faith on those who believe
the truth.
17
Forsake the Spirit of the Lord--the Holy Ghost--the influence
that comes from above, and partake of an earthly, dark,
unbelieving influence or spirit, and your faith is gone; you have
no faith. Is there a person who can possess faith without belief?
No. Can men possess belief without faith? Yes, every son and
daughter of Adam. Belief is an inherent principle in the organism
of man to lay the foundation for faith.
17
I will sum it up again: Faith is an eternal principle--one of the
attributes of the Deity by which the worlds are and were created.
Belief is the admission of either truth or falsehood.
17
It has been stated that I teach the doctrine that the Gods
continue to increase in all their attributes to all eternity.
Have you ever heard me teach such a doctrine? I have taught
doctrine; but have I called in question any of the Gods? It has
been stated that God our Father comprehends eternity, from
eternity to eternity, all there is, all there was, all there ever
can be about eternity, in and through it. When a person
undertakes to establish such a doctrine, what does he do? He
gives bounds to that eternity which he at the same time admits to
be boundless. Admit such doctrine, and eternity flees away like
the shadow of morning; and that is as much as I ever teach about
it. Do I say that heavenly beings improve? I am not yet there; I
do not know.
18
Understand eternity? There is not and never was a man in finite
flesh who understands it. Enoch has been referred to in this
matter. How many of the Gods and kingdoms he saw when the vision
of his mind was opened, matters not. If he had seen more than he
could have enumerated throughout his long life, and more than all
the men on earth could multiply from the time his vision opened
until now, he would not have attained to the comprehension of
eternity. How much Enoch saw, how many worlds he saw, has nothing
to do with the case. This is a matter that wise men know nothing
about. I do not know, though I know as much about it as any man
in this house or in this generation. I can comprehend, by the
words of eternal life, that there is an eternity before me. Has
it bounds? Whether it has or not, neither we nor any other finite
beings can comprehend it.
18
I will leave this subject, because I am not capable of
understanding it. You leave it, and do not contend about things
that are beyond our reach--that are too great for you to know at
present. And when you go into the spirit world you will not
understand it; and when you have lived in the spirit world until
you again receive your bodies, you still cannot understand it;
but you can continue to learn more and more about it, in the same
manner as we learn here. I can teach many things about the future
existence of man; but it is more directly our business to pay
attention to those duties that more immediately concern us while
we are here.
18
Brother Spencer says that we can tell a little about God the
Father by his handiwork. It is very little. What does the world
know? A wicked man may pray from this time to all eternity, and
he will not be able to discern the print of his footsteps. It
takes a spiritually-minded wise man to discern the hand of God in
all things, and to be ready to acknowledge it, to discern that he
rules among the armies of heaven, and that he is dictating,
ruling, managing, and turning the hearts of the people on the
earth to the right and to the left. He grants this and takes away
that at his pleasure, but the people do not know it; they cannot
discern it. One may here say, "What am I to do? If God dictates
and guides the hearts of the people, they cease then to be
responsible?" He gives to all men their agency to act, reserving
to himself the right to control the results of their acts. The
Lord does not dictate to do wrong; but when men are disposed to
do wrong, he brings out the results in accordance with his own
pleasure. You may plant and water, but can you make a kernel of
grain or a spear of grass? This is not in the power of man to do;
but God in his providences produces this. Let the Lord send an
angel through this valley to cause certain properties in the air
and water to depart, and your grain-crops fall, or your fruit is
cut off. He says to you, "Go and do a piece of work." You do it,
and by means of this he cause your enemies to stumble. Say that
you are tilling the soil, and the Lord says to an angel, Do thus
and so. What do you receive for your labour? Perhaps fifty,
sixty, or a hundred bushels of wheat to an acre, when another
year, perhaps, in the same place with like labour, you do not
receive more than five, ten or fifteen bushels. Do you know the
cause of this? No. No man can know, unless he enjoys the
revelations of the Almighty. I make these remarks that you may
understand that our Father controls the results of our acts at
his own pleasure, and we cannot prevent it. Man can produce and
control his own acts, but he has no control over their results.
God causes even the wrath of man to praise him, to resound to his
glory and the salvation of his children.
19
Israel were slaves in Egypt four hundred years; they were treated
harshly and cruelly, and their children were slain. Then the Lord
took them out from Egypt to wander in the wilderness forty years,
travelling about as far as from here to Nauvoo--a distance that
we can travel and back again in a season. This was to produce a
result. They could not understand why they wandered thus in the
wilderness; but God knew. They could not understand why he said
to Jacob that they should wander in a strange land four hundred
years; but the result was for the salvation of the children of
men. God had promised to save that seed; but their wickedness
would not let him save them without giving them the punishment
they received. God took them into the spirit-world and raised up
their children to do a better work. If the Lord has promised to
save a son of a man or woman that is full of faith--has promised
that he shall come into his kingdom, though that son be froward
and disposed to be wicked, yet he will receive his punishment in
the flesh. Now, on the other hand, do not become Universalists
and say that every man and woman receives punishment only in this
world, for that is not true.
19
There are a number of things that I might speak about; but I have
spoken long enough.
19
God bless you! Amen.
19
THE HOLY PRIESTHOOD--JUDGMENT--SEPARATION OF SPIRIT AND BODY.
A Discourse by Elder Orson Hyde, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 25, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Orson
Hyde, March 25, 1860
Orson Hyde, March 25, 1860
Brethren and sisters, it has fallen to my lot to make a few
remarks to you this morning. Were my own feelings gratified, I
should be a hearer on this occasion, and not a speaker; but I am
willing to contribute my mite to increase, if possible, the
current of intelligence, and to increase the comfort and
happiness of the Saints of God.
20
We, brethren and sisters, are occupying a very important
position. Perhaps we don not all realize it; and I may also add
that very likely I do not realize the importance of the position
that I occupy as an individual identified with the body of the
people.
20
There were some few reflections passing through my mind this
morning, while contemplating the scenes that are before us. There
are two things that are for us to consider--the truth and
certainty that God has verily spoken to us from on high, or that
he has not. One or the other of these statements is certainly
true. We profess that he has spoken to us from heaven, and
revealed unto us his mind and will touching our duties and the
course of life that we should pursue in order to build up his
kingdom and spread the light of truth throughout the world.
20
Now, if he really has spoken to us--if he really has give to us
the holy Priesthood, which is the power that rules in heaven, and
the prayers of all Christendom are, "Thy kingdom come, thy will
be done on earth as it is in heaven,"--if these prayers be heard
and answered, the same power that rules in the heavens must
eventually rule on earth. Then, if the Priesthood has been given
to us, as we claim it has, we are occupying a very important
position in the world. What is this Priesthood? What is this
power that is conferred upon us in the holy Priesthood? What
particular power do you give when you send a man to some other
land to transact business in your name? You give him a power of
attorney, authorizing him to transact in your name the business
that you wish to be performed; and in that letter of appointment
would be conveyed all your power, your authority, and ability to
transact that business, even as effectually as if you yourself
were present to perform it with your own hand.
20
It is an agency, then, though it may be said that the Priesthood,
which is authority from God to act in his name, differs from that
authority which is given to man to transact business for his
fellows. I am willing to admit that there is a difference so far
as the business for which they are delegated is concerned; for
one temporal, the other is spiritual; the one is earthly, the
other heavenly. But let me ask, Where is the man who is
authorized to go forth and act in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ? If I obey my own will--my inclination or burning desire
to go and preach what I believe to be the Gospel, that does not
authorize me to go in the name of the Lord. If I, by my own act
and deed, have authorized my friend to go in my name, to give
receipts and acquittances, to sign conveyances for me or in my
behalf, and under my own signature he has received that
authority, he then has authority in himself; that is, the
authority in me is transferred to him to go and transact business
in my name. Am I then bound by what he does? Yes, to all intents
and purposes. Am I bound by the act of any individual authorized
by another person, yet not authorized by me? No, I am not. Is the
transaction of any other than my legally appointed attorney valid
to me in law? No, it is not: it is worth nothing.
20
Well, then, if this people have the holy Priesthood--if it has
been conferred upon us, and we actually do exercise under that
Priesthood, and according to the instructions that are given us
from on high, is or is not the Almighty bound to respond to and
to own our deeds and acts? Is he not bound upon the principles of
law, even that are common among men and well known to us? Most
certainly he is. Did you ever know a gentleman or agent delegated
by an individual to go forth to do business in the name of that
person, and yet deny that he had any line of communication with
the principal or party for whom he was agent? That would be a
contradiction of the position he occupied. If he claims to have
authority and power to transact business, the inference is
legitimate and conclusive that he has had a correspondence with
the principal by whom he is employed. But what do the world at
large tell us? Why, that God has not spoken from the
heavens--that he has given no revelation--that he has not made
known his will to man for the last seventeen or eighteen
centuries. Admitting the truth of this statement, where, then, is
their authority to act in that name? Their denial of any
correspondence--of any communication between the King of kings,
is clear and conclusive that they themselves testify, by these
statements, they have no such authority as they pretend to
exercise.
20
To act in the name of another, then, without having the requisite
authority, what does it amount to in law? Does it amount to
forgery to use a name without authority? Yes, even the name of
any man in business transactions.
21
If it is not forgery, what else would you call it? What would you
lawyers term it? And if it be forgery, what is the penalty? Is it
not a fine? Is it not imprisonment? And does it not deprive a man
of citizenship and liberty? Most assuredly it does. Well, then,
to commit forgery against man is but a trifling offence to the
committing of forgery against the King of kings and Lord of
lords, by the use of his name when we are not authorized. Hence
we are told that no man shall take the name of the Lord his God
in vain, "for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh
his name in vain."
21
If I am not legally appointed to act as a minister of Jesus, am I
not taking his name in vain? Judge ye what I say. It is may
opinion that when the vail is rent, there will be a page
disclosed that will astonish the world; for the holy Priesthood
has been given unto us--that is, authority to act in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ; and a voice from heaven has declared that
at that name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. If we
are authorized by that personage, and he has given us a right to
use his name, then our heavenly Father is bound to fulfil and to
honour our acts and doings, when we proceed according to the
letter of instructions that he has given to us. Judge ye. My
declaration, however, may not be sufficient; therefore I will
refer you to the declaration of the Son of God, which bears
directly on the point of the issue. What is it? "Whatsoever ye
shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye
shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. xviii.
18.) Hear it, ye people! Hear it, ye that mock at the authority
of God, and remember that I have declared and borne testimony
that the kingdom of God has come nigh unto you.
21
Again: If this Priesthood has been committed unto us, and I will
take the responsibility of saying, in the name that I have named
before you that this authority has been conferred and placed upon
us by messengers from the courts of glory; and this is as strong
a testimony as I am capable of bearing on this point. I know it,
and I am an eye-witness before you, and so are my brethren who
surround me on this Stand; and it is written that the testimony
of two or three is good, and by it shall every word be
established. The testimony of two in a court of justice will hang
a man, or take away his liberty.
21
Now, we, in the sacredness of that name, bear testimony unto you
that the Priesthood has been given to man, and we do it with
assurance that God will respond to the deeds done in his name,
and by the authority of that Priesthood which he has given; and
remember that he has said unto his servants who are clothed with
his power, as he said unto those whom he called when his Son
ministered amongst men, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven."
22
The Priesthood that does not possess this power I would give no
more for than I would for a power issued and given from any
irresponsible source. There is no power in it to back it up or to
respond to its petitions. We do not ask for such a
Priesthood--one that would lead us to commit forgery and to use
that name in vain of which I have been speaking; I say we do not
ask for any information or power from such a source. Such a
Priesthood would subject me to a penalty that I would not like to
incur; neither would any man that has any knowledge, or that
knows his right hand from his left. But, O the ignorance and
blindness of this generation! They know not the right hand from
the left in the things of God, with all their boasted wisdom and
skill, and all their inventions. They are wise in many things
that pertain to this world, and they possess some knowledge of
the sciences; but when they come to the policy of the King of
kings and Lord of lords, they know little or nothing about it.
22
We say, again, that we are occupying an important position. Take
it on the other hand, and let us see how we stand. If God has
spoken to us and given to us the holy Priesthood, then this is
the only door that enters into the celestial kingdom, that
entitles us to dominions, principalities, and powers: it is the
only door and key by which mankind can obtain an entrance into
life everlasting.
22
The world is arrayed against us. They have long sought an action
against the people of God, and what are they doing? Now, says the
Almighty, I have given unto power to save all mankind that
believe and repent. Oh, but says the world, that is
blasphemy!--that is taking the laurels of the Saviour and twining
them around your own brow! Do you assume such responsibility as
that? It is the very height of folly and wretchedness. This is
what our accusers say: but let us look at this matter a little.
Did not the Saviour say, when speaking to the Jews, "If the salt
has lost its savour, then it has no power to save, and is good
for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men"?
And, says the Prophet--"Saviours shall come up on Mount Zion to
judge the Mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's."
Did not our Saviour say, "He that heareth you heareth me?" Then
if we have this authority, this Priesthood, this agency to act in
that name--the name and power and Priesthood of the Saviour, are
we not entitled to a fulfilment of the promise--"Lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the world"? What more can you
ask?--what more can you desire?
22
This is the virtue of that Priesthood that the Saviour has
conferred upon us by the powers that are centered on high, and
this I know to be true. Although it is bestowed upon a people
that is everywhere spoken against, yet I feel to say in my heart,
God be thanked that he has conferred this honour upon us! We
ought to be willing to endure the hardness of the world as good
soldiers.
22
Don't you know that the world are seeking to ensnare and kill
their only saviours? If they kill us, they are damned. Hear it!
Ensnare us, and you shall be ensnared. Throw stumblingblocks in
our way, and stumblingblocks shall be thrown in yours. I speak by
authority. I know the source whence the authority came.
23
I am here reminded of a little anecdote--a little circumstance
that will serve to illustrate what I would wish to say. I do not
know that I shall get it exactly right, but I shall be able to
get the principle. Once, in Nauvoo, brother Joseph Smith had a
dream. It was about the time of his troubles, just before his
martyrdom. He dreamed that certain characters had dug a pit, and
bound his arms with a view of pushing him into it. Well, there he
was, with his hands bound fast, and all ready for being pushed
into the pit. But when his enemies made a stride at him, they
happened to miss him and fell in themselves. Then, when they
could not get out themselves, they cried to Joseph, saying, "Help
us out of the pit!" But he said, "I cannot do it, for you have
bound me."
23
That is the position of the world. They desire to destroy their
only real benefactors; and when they get into trouble, so that
they cannot save themselves, they will cry to the servants of God
for deliverance; but the reply will be--"You have bound us, you
have crushed us, and have rendered it impossible for us to save
you." Then the cries of the wicked will ascend up to heaven; and
finally, when they are brought before the judgment-seat, it will
be said unto them, "Depart from me, ye cursed; for I was naked,
and ye clothed me not; I was thirst, and ye gave no drink."
23
Well, then, inasmuch as the salvation of the world is to a great
extent dependent upon our integrity and the faithful performance
of our duties in this Priesthood, do you not see that we are
required to work not only for our own salvation, but for the
welfare and salvation of others? Now, if we respect mankind, we
will not waste any of our valuable time, but go right forward;
and although men may meet us with their rifles, with their
cannon, and engines of death, yet the day will come when they
will thank God that there was integrity in us and a disposition
to save, because they will find that their salvation has depended
upon us. And were we to turn back and fly from the track, they
would curse us for having done so; for they will see that, if
they gain any favour at all, it will be owing to our faithful
adherence to the cause with which we have been entrusted.
23
Brethren and sisters, there are many things that pass through my
mind when I reflect upon the magnitude of the work in which we
are engaged; but I feel as though I had said just about enough at
this time.
23
[Blessed the sacrament cup.]
23
Brother Young says he wishes me to go ahead and speak as I feel
led by the Spirit. But when I arose I did not anticipate speaking
but a few minutes; and hence, I keyed my voice too high for a
lengthy speech. Though willing to speak, I have to confess that I
feel my voice giving way. In my remarks so far, I have not
touched on the thing that was in my mind when I commenced to
address you; therefore these are only preliminaries. Still I felt
that I wanted to apprise the Saints and all concerned of the
authority under which the servants of God act.
23
Among the Jews, the Scribes and Pharisees would teach the people
in this way--"Now, if this is to be, then the inference is
so-and-so; and if this proposition be true, then the conclusion
is certain." But when Jesus spoke to the people and taught them,
he made no vain propositions and drew no milk-and-water
conclusions: but he spoke and it was done; and the contrast was
so great between the teachings of the Jewish Rabbies and the
teachings of the Saviour, that they could not but notice it.
"Why," said they, "he speaks as one having authority, and not as
the Scribes." He, having this Priesthood, and having communion
with God, our heavenly Father, manifested the wisdom of the
heavens; and this difference is manifested and felt in this
generation when the servants of God proclaim to the inhabitants
of the earth that God has spoken, and that he again reveals his
will to man.
24
I am not now speaking of those who may have this Priesthood in
form only, and who go and get drunk as some have done: I am not
speaking of those who have committed whoredom in the land; for
they will all go to hell together, if they repent not. I want to
draw the line of distinction between them and those who call upon
God day and night for instruction to mark out their course. They
are the ones who have the favour of Heaven, who are filled with
his Spirit, and whose words are quick and powerful, and whose
testimony causes the wicked to fear and tremble. We speak that
which we do know, and testify to that which we have seen. "What
do you know?" says the inquirer. I know that the Gospel which we
have received is the truth of God, and I know that it will rule
the world, and I know that every man, kingdom, and people that
opposes it will be broken to shivers. I do not care whether the
opposition arises in the Church or out of it, I know that he that
raises his puny arm against this work will be broken of his power
and finally destroyed, if he does not cease his hostilities. I
care not whether it be the judge upon the bench, or commanders of
armies, the consequence will be as I have told you.
24
God has spoken, and I know it, because I have heard his voice,
and know the voice of the Good Shepherd, and am thankful that I
have felt his power. Do I know that he has given this authority
to use his name? Yes, gentlemen, I know it; and not only so, but
I know that there are heavenly messengers that are now near me,
as near as brothers Watt and Long, who are taking notes as
faithfully as they are, and more so. The natural eye cannot see
them, but they are here, and by our acts and our words shall we
be judged. Yes, and these messengers transmit our words and our
acts up on high, which are registered there in books; and
by-and-by, when the dead, small and great, shall stand before
God, these are the books that will be opened, and the dead will
be judged out of the things that are written in the books. Then
let us be careful what we do and what we say. The sacred writings
on earth contain the law, but the records above contain the
facts.
24
There is no corner so remote, no place so secret, none so
secluded or dark that the angel of God is not there taking notes.
What does the poet say? "Angels above us are silent notes
taking." And I suppose they are daily transcribed and posted; and
when they get through with their labour pertaining to us, their
notes will all appear in the great ledger, in which the accounts
and balance-sheet will be fully shown up; and by our keeping a
faithful watch, it is hoped there may be a favourable record kept
there.
24
There was a text of Scripture occurred to my mind after I came
here this morning, but I do not know whether I can preach
anything about it or not. When I arose to address you, my mind
was led off in another direction. The text is this--"He that
liveth and believeth in me shall never die." This is a peculiar
saying especially when we take it in connection with the words
used in the morn of creation--"Dust thou art, and unto dust thou
shalt return." This is a pretty hard saying, especially for those
who do not believe. Let us come at it by an approach more gentle
and moderate, and not come abruptly all at once; for it appears
too strong language for us to receive without modification.
25
It is said that all things are possible with God. Now, we will
come down a little nearer to the point. The Scriptures say, "All
things are possible to them that believe." If all things are
possible, don't you see that there is a great deal depending upon
our faith? Whether we can really get over the saying, "He that
liveth and believeth in me shall never die," without stretching
it out and putting any other interpretation upon it, may be
difficult; but I do not feel it safe to put any different
interpretation upon the Scriptures than that which is manifest
upon the face of them. Abraham and the Prophets are dead, or at
least some of them: I cannot say that they all were when Jesus
uttered this language; but now, said Jesus to the Jews, "Before
Abraham was, I am." "Why," said they, "you are not yet fifty
years old." No; he was only about thirty-one or thirty-two. "How
is this shown?" says one. If I could really discover the
principle that I could escape death, that would carry me over the
gulf without dying, I should rejoice, for I hate to die; I hate
to be laid in the ground to wither and perish.
25
Well, there is a principle of life. The Gospel is life, and the
Saviour is life; for says he, "I am the light and the life of the
world." It is now as it was of old--the people keep putting off
every good thing: they of old put them off just as we now put off
things to the future. "Why," said Martha speaking of her brother,
"I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last
day." But said Jesus unto her, "I am the resurrection and the
life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he
live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
25
Here is another thing with regard to the judgment. I know that a
great many are postponing it, and thinking that the day of
judgment is a long way off, and that it will not come in our day;
but what says the Saviour? "Now is the judgment of this world;
now shall the prince of this world be cast out." Then you need
not look away off through the dark vista of unborn generations;
for whom the servants of God shall judge, or, in other words,
what they shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Then the
wicked are at once bound up, and the judgment is truly gone
forth; but the secrets thereof shall not be known until the books
are opened and a fair balance-sheet is exhibited. "Yes," said
Martha, "I know he shall rise again in the resurrection at the
last day." But, said Jesus, "Did I not tell you that if you would
believe, you should see the glory of God, and that he that liveth
and believeth in me shall never die?" "But," says on, this moral
tabernacle that is at present the tabernacle of the spirit shall
not go to dust?" I do not say that. But I do not know that I can
explain it any better than to say, I am clothed with my garments;
but, suppose I should go into the other room and lay off some of
them, should I not be the same creature that passed off into that
room? Did I die in making the transition? No. And if you were to
look into the other apartment, you would see Orson Hyde all
alive, but his old clothes left and abandoned.
25
Brother Taylor said, the other day, that it was right to gather
truth from every source. If the Devil has got truth, then it is
right to secure it. [President Brigham Young: "What truth he has
he has stolen."] We have a right to gather up truth just on the
same principle that the United States gather up property that is
marked U. S. You know when they go through the land and find
anything with U. S. on it, they take it. So likewise, when we
find any truth with U, S, US on, we claim it as our own. It
belongs to US. [Laughter.]
26
With regard to the operation of death, I do not know that I will
exactly endorse the principle, but I will take up what Andrew
Jackson Davis says. It is rather singular, and I don't think it
is very far from the truth. When the article I alluded to was
first published, it took such hold upon me that I immediately
published it in the Guardian. It was something like this: He
stood by and saw a person depart this life; and as the spirit was
leaving the body, (you know death is nothing more than a
separation of the body and spirit,)--and while this was going on,
Mr. Davis was in a state of clairvoyance, watching this
individual depart. As the pulses became weakened and ceased to
beat, he saw the spirit gradually emerging from the body; and as
it drew itself out, the tabernacle became more deathly, until
finally the perfect image of the man arose from the ashes of
mortality, and there was nothing left but a lifeless corpse. But
there was the living form born from that old body standing
apparently free and untrammelled.
26
This is from a Spiritualist. I do not know that I have ever
spoken of it before; but it came to my mind, and I thought I
would present it; for I am in a good place not to be corrected,
if wrong.
26
If that live image did come out as he represented, that is the
part that shall never die; and whether it passes out in that
particular form, matters not; we know that it does escape and
lives for ever. Here, then, you see it passes from a mortal
tenement, from that carcass, or flesh and bones, something
similar, perhaps, to the butterfly being born from its coarser
tenement;--not that I wished to advocate anything like
transmigration; but as the butterfly sallies out of the cocoon,
leaving it to be manufactured into fabrics, and free-and-easy she
moves in another element, basking among the flowers of earth, so
the spirit emerges from the body, to regale itself in a more
congenial clime.
26
Many of you are accustomed to put corn into the earth, and
perhaps those who do not plant corn, sow wheat; and you know
there is a germ in every perfect kernel; and when it shoots out,
or sprouts, we call that good, because it has the power of life.
It continues to grow, and forms a new stock; but if you take one
kernel that has not the living germ within it, it dries up and
dies, just like that poor ungodly sinner that has not the germ of
eternal life within him. He dies, body and spirit; but that man's
spirit, who has the principle of life abounding in him, passes
out of the body at the time appointed, just as I would pass out
of this room, leaving my old clothes behind me. I am not prepared
to say that this is the perfection of the principle; but I know
there is some way for the spirit to emerge from the body and
enter into an advance sphere of action.
26
I believe I have said enough. I only wish to add, Let us live our
religion; and if we cannot comprehend all that we wish, and
financier our way all through, let us trust in Christ. God bless
you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, March 25, 1860
Brigham Young, March 25, 1860
DEATH--RESURRECTION, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 25, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
27
I will make a few remarks upon the portion of Scripture quoted by
brother Hyde in the discourse he has just delivered as
follows:--"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the
life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he
live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
27
In all such sayings, and in every part and portion of the
revelations of God as given to the children of men, or to any
individual in heaven or on earth, to properly understand them, a
man needs the Spirit by which they were given--the Spirit that
reveals such matters to the understanding, and makes them
familiar to the mind.
27
In the Scripture above quoted, the death spoken of is a death
that the intelligent being undergoes, and never recovers from: it
is an eternal death. For the body to decay, like a kernel of
wheat that is cast into the ground, is not considered a death.
Brother Hyde observed--"If the germ of corn is not good, it all
dies." That is true: but if it is good, the corn does not die; it
is placed in the ground to yield an increase. It is commonly
termed death to have the spirit and body separated; but literally
that is not death only to those who are sons of perdition.
27
This earth is brought together and organized from native elements
as we now behold it, our tabernacles included. The matter of
which all animate and inanimate existence is formed is from all
eternity, and it must remain to all eternity, without beginning
and without end. There are certain portions of this native
element that will be refined and prepared to enter into the
celestial kingdom--into the celestial family of the celestial
world. If the spirit honours the body and the body honours the
spirit while they are here united, the particles of matter that
compose the mortal tabernacle will be resurrected and brought
forth to immortality and eternal life; but it cannot be brought
forth and made immortal, except it undergoes a change, for "dust
thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." What for? to prepare
the body to be made immortal and fitted to dwell in the presence
of the Gods.
28
The death that Jesus referred to had no reference to these bodies
going into the grave. He is the life and the light. He is the
resurrection; he is the power; and "if you believe in me," says
Jesus, "you shall live for ever--you shall be prepared to dwell
with me in my Father's kingdom." If the question had then been
asked him, "Will not this body be placed in the grave and return
to its mother earth?" his answer would have been, "Yes, for
otherwise you cannot be prepared for that eternal life of which I
have been speaking--to live for ever." Had the question been
asked the Saviour, when he uttered those words, "Do you say that
the decree that the Lord gave to Adam is now removed?" he would
have told them, "No;" for they could not be quickened, made
immortal, and prepared for life everlasting, without going
through these ordeals.
28
What can you know, except by its opposite? Who could number the
days, if there were no nights to divide the day from the night?
Angels could not enjoy the blessings of light eternal, were there
no darkness. All that are exalted and all that will be exalted
upon this principle. If I do not taste the pangs of death in my
mortal body, I never shall know the enjoyment of eternal life. If
I do not know pain, I cannot enjoy ease. If I am not acquainted
with the dark, the gloomy, the sorrowful, I cannot enjoy the
light, the joyous, the felicitous that are ordained for man. No
person, either in heaven or upon earth, can enjoy and understand
these things upon any other principle.
28
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection:
on such the second death hath no power." The death that is spoken
of here is the death that is opposite to the eternal life the
Saviour spoke of. If you dishonour that body--transgress the
natural laws pertaining to it, you are not worthy, in your
sphere, to possess this body in the immortal state. What will
become of it? It will return to its native element. That is the
death that never dies. That is endless death. In this Jesus had
no allusion to the changing or putting off this mortality.
28
The very particles that compose our bodies will be brought forth
in the morning of the resurrection, and our spirits will then
have tabernacles to be clothed with, as they have now, only they
will be immortal tabernacles--spiritual tabernacles.
28
When death is spoken of as in the words quoted, it is spoken of
as death in reality. In many places in the Scriptures, the
separation of the body and spirit is called death; but that is
not death in the strict sense of the term; that is only a change.
We are naturally inclined to cling to our mother earth; our
bodies love to live here, to see, to hear, to breathe, and to
enjoy themselves, because we are of the earth, earthy. But
probably, in most cases, the change from mortal to immortality is
no greater, comparatively speaking, than when a child emerges
into this world. We shall suffer no more in putting off this
flesh and leaving the spirit houseless than the child, in its
capacity, does in its first efforts to breathe the breath of this
mortal life.
29
After the spirit leaves the body, it remains without a tabernacle
in the spirit-world until the Lord, by his law that he has
ordained, brings to pass the resurrection of the dead. When the
angel who holds the keys of the resurrection shall sound his
trumpet, then the peculiar fundamental particles that organized
our bodies here, if we do honour to them, though they be
deposited in the depths of the sea, and though one particle in
the north, another in the south, another in the east, and another
in the west, will be brought together again in the twinkling of
an eye, and our spirits will take possession of them. We shall
then be prepared to dwell with the Father and the Son, and we
never can be prepared to dwell with them until then. Spirits,
when they leave their bodies, do not dwell with the Father and
the Son, but live in the spirit-world, where there are places
prepared for them. Those who do honour to their tabernacles, who
love and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, must put off this
mortality, or they cannot put on immortality. This body must be
changed, else it cannot be prepared to dwell in the glory of the
Father. To me all these things are plain and easy. All we want is
to understand the very subject Jesus was talking about, the
nature of our organizations, the world we occupy, the laws by
which we are, and by which we continue to exist.
29
Brother Hyde says, "Take the world, and what do they know
pertaining to the things of God?" Do they know their right hands
from their left, figuratively speaking? No. All that brother Hyde
has said concerning our important position is true. It is beyond
the power of man to fully unfold it, though a portion has been
beautifully portrayed, and it seems that the people should see
things that are so plain. Were it possible for the nations to
gain power to destroy this kingdom on the earth, by so doing they
would seal their eternal damnation. That is as true as it is that
Jesus died for the sins of the world; as true as it is that there
is a heaven, a God, and that the world exists, and the children
of men dwell upon it.
29
When the wicked seek to destroy this kingdom, I can endure it
tolerably well; but when I see those who profess to be Latter-day
Saints taking a course to destroy themselves, and to prove
themselves children of folly, children of darkness, it is a great
source of grief and regret to me.
29
All mankind have the principles of eternal life implanted within
them. Much has been taught in regard to this and to the agency of
the children of men. God has organized the spirit and placed it
in a tabernacle--has given it certain capacity and certain laws,
and it is as independent in its sphere of action as are the
angels and the Gods in the heavenly worlds. It is for us to act
upon that intelligence that is ours in every sense of the word;
and if we do honour to our tabernacles and to the spirits God has
given us, we have the promise of eternal life, which is the gift
of God. This promise is made to every son and daughter of Adam,
if they obey the conditions laid down; and their names have been
written in the Lamb's book of life from the beginning, before we
came into the world, and they will remain there to all eternity,
unless we blot them out through a wicked course.
29
Try to understand the position you occupy, and then you will
understand the sayings of the Apostles and Prophets. Thanks be to
the Lord our God for the understanding he has already give us,
for the spirit of revelation he has bestowed upon us, and for the
holy Priesthood and the keys thereof, by which the heavens are
opened, and by which men are enabled to understand things as they
are. God be thanked for the intelligence there is with this
people.
29
A week from next Friday it will be thirty years since this Church
was organized with six members. The kingdom of God has thirty
years growth on the earth, and does it not seem that we should be
far advanced in the things of God? It does. At a glance we should
know and understand many things that some are still in more or
less dubiety about. One Elder will say that he knows nothing
about God. "I believe in the Father and the Son, and in the
revelations given through Joseph Smith; but to really say that I
positively know anything of the true character of God, our Father
in heaven, I do not know that I can." A few moments' reflection
and the Spirit upon the vision of the mind, and that same Elder
would say that he does know. Such statements arise from a want of
the vision of the mind being opened to see things as they are for
a few minutes.
30
The whole Scriptures plainly teach us that we are the children of
that God who framed the world. Let us look round and see whether
we can find a father and son in this congregation. Do we see one
an elephant, and the other a hen? No. Does a father that looks
like a human being have a son like an ape, going on all fours?
No; the son looks like his father. There is an endless variety of
distinction in the few features that compose the human face, yet
children have in their countenances and general expression of
figure and temperament a greater or less likeness of their
parents. You do not see brutes spring from human beings. Every
species is true to its kind. The children of men are featured
alike and walk erect.
30
The Bible clearly teaches us that we are the children of the very
Being who framed this earth and peopled it. Such teachings may be
found in hundreds of places in the Scriptures, and yet we do not
know anything about our Father! Is it not astonishing? I
frequently think that truly the things of God are spiritually
discerned, when man, in his reflections, thought, words, and
acts, as a finite being, knows nothing of God. But when he
meditates and acts from the intelligences of the spirit God has
placed within him, the visions of eternity are opened to him;
heaven and eternity are before him.
30
Brother Hyde compared the departure of the spirit from the body
to going into another room, and referred to a statement made by
Andrew Jackson Davis. He placed himself in a clairvoyant state
beside the bed of a sick person and observed the spirit of the
lady leave her body. He saw the spirit ascend from the head of
the mortal tenement--saw it walk out into the open air in company
with another spirit that came to escort her away. They appeared
to him to ascend an inclined plane, and continued to walk away
until they were out of his sight. Do you not believe that your
spirit will be in existence after it leaves the body? I care not
whether it goes out from the head or from some other portion. Mr.
Davis says that, after the spirit was fully out of the body, he
saw as it were an umbilical cord that yet retained the spirit to
the body; and that when that was separated, the spirit was free,
and the body was consigned to dissolution. Whether this be true
or not, it is as certain that the spirit leaves the body, it
dwells in the spirit-world until the body is raised up by the
power of God; and when it is raised up, do you not think that we
shall look like our Father? If any of us could now see the God we
are striving to serve--if we could see our Father who dwells in
the heavens, we should learn that we are as well acquainted with
him as we are with our earthly father; and he would be as
familiar to us in the expression of his countenance, and we
should be ready to embrace him and fall upon his neck and kiss
him, if we had the privilege. And still we, unless the vision of
the Spirit is opened to us, know nothing about God. You know much
about him, if you did but realize it. And there is no other one
item that will so much astound you, when your eyes are opened in
eternity, as to think that you were so stupid in the body.
30
Be very careful that you do not so conduct yourselves that when
your bodies die, you will not receive them in an immortal state.
Be careful that your lives are such that you be not deprived
entirely to these bodies which have borne so much affliction and
pain. There is a great design in the formation of the body.
31
The people cannot comprehend the deep mystery of the design of
the Almighty in bringing so many people into this human world,
shall I say? This is a world of pain, of darkness, sorrow,
affliction, and death. The Almighty has his objects and plans all
laid, and we are to pass through all these afflictions and to
endure all that he calls us to endure, to give us knowledge,
wisdom, and experience; for we cannot receive them upon any other
principle. His design is to exalt the human family, and to bring
them back to the presence of the Father and the Son. The heir of
the family died to take away our sins. He has suffered, that we
may live. He has offered himself up for the sins of the world.
Why? Because he is the heir of the family. The Father and the Son
are now doing all they can to save his children, and all the
heavenly hosts are exerting their powers to accomplish the same
great end. "But, says the Father, "do not infringe on the agency
of mankind; for my children, to be brought into my presence to
enjoy with me the fulness of my glory, must pass through the same
ordeals I have passed through. They cannot inherit eternal life
upon any other principle."
31
How far does our agency extend? There are certain bounds to it.
What we have witnessed in thirty years' experience teaches us
that man can appoint, but God can disappoint. Man can load his
gun to shoot his neighbour, but he cannot make the ball hit him,
if the Lord Almighty sees fit to turn it away. He can draw the
sword to hew down his fellow-man; but, instead of that, he may
fall upon it himself. Paul says, "I have planted, Apollos
watered, but God gave the increase. So, then, neither is he that
planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth
the increase." You may plead with the people and beseech them to
embrace the truth; but, unless God touches the heart, your
labours are vain. The Lord will bring about the results, and
mankind cannot prevent it. The wicked may design an evil against
the righteous, and he cause it to result in good. That is making
the wrath of man praise him. He has not granted to man to bring
out the result of his works, but he has given him the ability to
work as he pleases--to go here or there--to do this or that--to
obey the Gospel or disobey it. He has not committed the keys of
the results of the acts of the nations of the earth to any man of
the earth; but that power he retains to himself.
31
I can discern the hand of the Lord in preserving and leading this
people. A great many do not discern this, because they have not
eyes to see, nor ears to hear; for, if they had, they would
discern the footprints of the Almighty and hear his voice, and
would understand that he leads this people by the right hand of
his wisdom and power, and that no power can prevent it. Anoint
your eyes and pour oil in your ears, and pray that your hearts
may be softened and your minds quickened to understand.
31
God will overrule the acts of the children of men in this kingdom
as well as among the nations. After the children of Israel had
travelled thirty years in the wilderness, they thought that they
had prospered tolerably well, though they were still travelling.
In their travels they crossed their tracks many times, whereas
we, in our travels, have done so but a few times. How many times
we may have to do so, I do not know.
31
Strive to prepare your hearts as fully as possible to enjoy a
great portion of the Spirit of the Lord at our Conference; strive
to enjoy that Spirit above all things. Let us prepare our hearts
to receive the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion.
31
May the Lord God of Israel bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, April 5, 1860
Brigham Young, April 5, 1860
ADVANCEMENT IN KNOWLEDGE, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 5, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
32
I have been happy in hearing the brethren bear their testimonies
to-day, and I have a word of consolation and comfort for you.
32
I hope to live to see the day when the Lord will bring again Zion
in its fulness, when the watchmen will see eye to eye. This
period of time is very desirable to every good and faithful
person, and I hope to see it before I lay down this tabernacle to
rest.
32
I can say to the brethren, I do not think that I have ever heard
a more satisfactory testimony from them than I have to-day. An
observation made by brother George Halliday is true--that if a
person suffers his feelings to rise above the natural level of
capacity, they will sink in the same ratio. He wished us not to
consider him an enthusiast. I do not know that I have heard a
person to-day that I thought to be enthusiastic. A firm,
unchangeable course of righteousness through life is what secures
to a person true intelligence. The brethren to-day have advanced
a great many ideas which are true, manifesting an interesting and
instructive variety. I am highly gratified with the remarks I
have heard.
33
We have very scanty ideas concerning the great plan called the
plan of salvation--the system of doctrine, ideas, and practices
that pertain to all the intelligence that exists in eternity.
Very small, minute, and abstract ideas and principles are given
to the children of men in relation to it, because they can bear
but little--a little here and a little there, as it is written by
the Prophet, "line upon line, and precept upon precept." If you
can receive one line to-day, it may prepare you to receive
another to-morrow pertaining to the things of God. I am very
happy and rejoice much, because I believe that I am now looking
upon men and women who are steadily increasing in knowledge, firm
in their integrity, truthful, and lovers of virtue in their
hearts; though some, as has been observed, give way to
temptation, are overcome by the enemy, and are led away. This we
expect. As many as will be faithful to their calling, and
manifest their faith by their good works, will find that they
belong to the elect; and every one that forsakes his covenants
and his God, and turns away from the holy commandments delivered
to him, will find that he belongs to that class who are
reprobates. God has given us ability to do good or evil.
According to certain principles inherent in the organization of
the people, they can believe the truth, or disbelieve it and
believe a lie. They can falsify, or cling to the truth. They can
continue to do good, or forsake it and commence to do evil. Every
man is capable of doing either good or evil: he has his own
choice, and will be judged by his works. We will see the time
when it will be said to us, as written in the New Testament, "Out
of thine own mouth will I judge thee." I partly judged a man who
spoke here to-day from his own mouth. I have not much to say
about him. Let God be his judge, and yours, and mine. If you wish
to receive and enjoy the favour of our heavenly Father, do his
will. If you wish the fellowship of his Saints, hurt not the wine
and the oil, nor seek to destroy them, as many do. The man I have
alluded to has sought diligently to destroy the oil and the
wine--to destroy the virtue, truth, and holiness of this Gospel.
He who lifts his heel against the Lord and against his anointed
will find himself a poor pusillanimous, weak instrument in the
hands of the Devil to accomplish his designs.
33
It is thirty years to-morrow since Joseph Smith organized this
Church with six members. What is it now? Almost every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people that would receive the Gospel have
had the privilege; it has been proffered to them, and thousands
and hundreds of thousands have been baptized into the Church; and
the Lord will call his own out of this people, and will prepare
the Zion that is spoken of for them to dwell in. If we wish to
enjoy the Spirit of Zion, we must live for it. Our religion is
not merely theory; it is a practical religion, to bring present
enjoyment to every heart.
33
A brother on my right told you his experience, that there is no
necessity for taking any man's word for the truth of your
religion; for it is the privilege of all to have the testimony of
Jesus--to have the Spirit of prophecy. I have no greater
privilege to enjoy the Spirit of prophecy than you have. I have
no better right to the Holy Ghost than you. If you will live as
you are taught, you will walk in darkness no more, but walk in
the light of life. I pray that we may constantly do this: it is
my continual prayer. I pray for all whom I ought to pray for, and
as I ought to pray for them. Captain Gibson says that he would
pray for everybody in heaven, earth, and hell. I love to see men
manifest that good feeling; but I will insure that, if I was in
heaven when Satan rebelled, I prayed that Satan might be cast
out. Cast out the dogs and wolves that will feed on the sheep.
Cast all bitterness out of your own hearts--all anger, wrath,
strife, covetousness, and lust, and sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts, that you may enjoy the Holy Ghost, and have that Spirit
to be your constant companion day by day, to lead you into all
truth, and then you will have good doctrine, good feelings, good
wives, good children, a good community; and, finally, you will be
Saints in the fullest sense of the word, but not yet. I believe
we shall be Saints, through the grace of God.
33
I feel to bless you, to praise you, my brethren, although we are
continually afflicted with more or less foul, mean, low,
grovelling, contemptible spirits in our midst. I do not mention
names; but I know where some are now sitting in this house. The
Latter-day Saints are improving. To-morrow the Church is thirty
years old. We have enjoyed ourselves to-day; to-morrow let us
have much more enjoyment than we have had to-day. The
constitution of man is such as to be liable to be driven to
extremes. He may be compared to a bark on the ocean, tossed
to-and-fro by the influences around. Keep your eye on the compass
and steer straight-forward, and you cannot sail too fast; but if
you get among the breakers and rocks, your bark may upset. Keep
your bark straight for the port, and there is no danger of your
having too much of the Holy Ghost.
34
I have hardly heard an incorrect idea advanced to-day, and I
consider myself a judge in these things. I judge Israel in their
doctrines and conduct, and know whether they are right or wrong.
I can say, to my joy and satisfaction, we are improving. I know
that I am, when I compare my present power of mind to scope in
truth and my power of discrimination with what I possessed
twenty, ten, or five years ago. I am almost astonished at myself,
and to see the improvement there is in the people. But we are yet
children, although we are almost as old as was Jesus when he
began to preach. It is our privilege to continue to grow, and the
Lord will protect his people and save Israel, and all hell cannot
help it.
34
May the Lord God of Israel bless every one of you and his humble
servant who is speaking to you. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, April 6, 1860
Brigham Young, April 6, 1860
UNIVERSAL SALVATION
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt
34
Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending a meeting here, which,
to me, was filled with riches--with treasures of good. To-day we
have met in the capacity of a General Conference--the
Thirty-first Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Thirty years ago to-day, the Church was
organized with six members. And we will occupy this day in
serving the Lord by instructing and encouraging each other, and
by testifying of the things the Lord has revealed to us.
34
Some may suppose that I have the business of the Conference
prearranged, but such is not the case. I seldom take thought for
to-morrow upon such subjects. When morning comes, I try and be
prepared for the business the Lord manifests should be done. I
came here in that mind this morning, and knew no more about the
manner in which this Conference will be conducted, with regard to
its details, than you do, until I came here. Since I came into
the house, my feelings and the circumstances have prompted me to
say that we will hear further testimony from the brethren.
Yesterday, several in the body of the house had the privilege of
speaking; and this forenoon I wish to have the Twelve, the
Seventies, and the High Priests give us five or ten minutes'
sermons from the stand.
35
I can testify to you, as I have to many congregations of Saints
and sinners, that the Lord has revealed his will from the
heavens, bestowed the holy Priesthood upon the children of men,
and made us the happy partakers thereof. Most, if not all,
assembled here this morning have felt the Divine influence of the
Holy Ghost shed forth in their hearts; it has awakened them out
of their sleep and out of their ignorance, and begun to teach
them eternal things. This work is true. The Lord has bestowed the
holy Priesthood upon the children of men, by which alone they can
be prepared to enter into the celestial kingdom of our God.
35
How many Gods there are, and how many places there are in their
kingdoms, is not for me to say; but I can say this, which is a
source of much comfort, consolation, and gratification to me:
Behold the goodness, the long-suffering, the kindness, and the
strong parental feeling of our Father and God in preparing the
way and providing the means to save the children of men,--not
alone the Latter-day Saints--not those alone who have the
privilege of the first principles of the celestial law, but to
save all. It is a universal salvation--a universal redemption. Do
not conclude that I am a Universalist, as the term is generally
understood, although that doctrine is true in part, like the
doctrines or professions of all professing Christians. As was
stated yesterday, by one of those who spoke, when he was a
Methodist, he enjoyed a portion of the Spirit of the Lord.
Hundreds of those now present have had a like experience in a
greater or less degree, before they joined this Church. Then,
when we inquire who will be saved, I answer, All will be saved,
as Jesus said, when speaking to the Apostles, except the sons of
perdition. They will be saved through the atonement and their own
good works, according to the law that is given to them. Will the
heathen be saved? Yes, so far as they have lived according to the
best light and intelligence they had; but not in the celestial
kingdom. Who will not be saved? Those who have received the
truth, or had the privilege of receiving it, and then rejected
it. They are the only ones who will become the sons of perdition,
go into everlasting punishment, and become angels to the Devil.
35
The Priesthood of the Lord has again bestowed upon those who will
receive it, is for the express purpose of preparing them to
become proficient in the principles pertaining to the law of the
celestial kingdom. If we obey this law, preserve it inviolate,
live according to it, we shall be prepared to enjoy the blessings
of a celestial kingdom. Will any others? Yes, thousands and
millions of the inhabitants of the earth who would have received
and obeyed the law that we preach, if they had had the privilege.
When the Lord shall bring again Zion, and the watchmen shall see
eye to eye, and Zion shall be established, saviours will come
upon Mount Zion and save all the sons and daughters of Adam that
are capable of being saved, by administering for them. Is not
this pleasing? Is it not gratifying? Is it not a consoling
feeling and influence upon the mind of every intelligent being?
Our former views were that the majority of the inhabitants of the
earth would not be saved in any kind of kingdom of glory, but
would inherit a kingdom of damnation. Jesus said, "In my Father's
house are many mansions. If it were no so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am ye may be also."
In other words, "I go to prepare a place for you who have
received and obeyed the celestial law, which I have committed to
you." The celestial is the highest of all. The telestial and
terrestrial are also spoken of; and how many more kingdoms of
glory there are is not for me to say. I do not know that they are
not innumerable. This is source of great joy to me.
36
One of the brethren, yesterday, felt so rejected, under like
reflections, that he said he could pray for the devils in hell,
if it would do any good. It is not for us to pray for them,
because they have become the sons of perdition. You may pray for
your persecutors--for those who hate you, and revile you, and
speak all manner of evil of you, if they do it ignorantly; but if
they do it understandingly, justice must take its course in
regard to them; and except they repent, they will become the sons
of perdition. This is my testimony.
36
The vision given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon is the
greatest vision I ever knew given to the children of men,
incorporating more in a few pages than any other revelation I
have any knowledge of. "This is the Gospel--the glad tidings
which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us," state
Joseph and Sidney, "that he came into the world, and to be
crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and
to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all
unrighteousness; that through him all might be saved whom the
Father had put into his power and made by him, who glorifies the
Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons
of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him;
wherefore he saves all except them: they shall go away into
everlasting punishment."
36
Will the Methodists be saved? Yes. Will other sects? Yes. I think
you could not now find an Elder in this Church who would rise up
in a congregation and tell you that John Wesley is weltering in
hell. Have the Elders ever preached such a doctrine? Yes, some of
them have preached that all the Reformers, from the days of
Christ and the Apostles until Joseph Smith received the
Priesthood, must be damned. I do not think that you could now
hear such doctrine from any of them.
36
There is a chance for those who have lived and for those who now
live. The Gospel has come. Truth and light and righteousness are
sent forth into the world, and those who receive them will be
saved in the celestial kingdom of God. And many of those who,
through ignorance, through tradition, superstition, and the
erroneous precepts of the fathers, do not receive them, will yet
inherit a good and glorious kingdom, and will enjoy more and
receive more than ever entered into the heart of man to conceive,
unless he has had a revelation.
36
My heart is comforted. I behold the people of God, that they have
been hunted, cast out, driven from the face of men. The powers of
earth and hell have striven to destroy this kingdom from the
earth. The wicked have succeeded in doing so in former ages; but
this kingdom they cannot destroy, because it is the last
dispensation--because it is the fulness of times. It is the
dispensation of all dispensations, and will excel in magnificence
and glory every dispensation that has ever been committed to the
children of men upon this earth. The Lord will bring again Zion,
redeem his Israel, plant his standard upon the earth, and
establish the laws of his kingdom, and those laws of his kingdom,
and those laws will prevail. No law can issue from man or from
any body of men to govern and control in eternal things;
consequently, those laws must come from heaven to govern and
control both Saint and sinner, believer and unbeliever, and every
character upon the earth; and they will be issued according to
the capacity, knowledge, and mode of life of the people to whom
they are promulgated.
36
I will now call upon the brethren in the stand to speak, and let
you have our testimony, strength, and faith, as we have received
yours yesterday.
36
God bless you! Amen.
37
PERSONAL REMINISCENCES, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
37
I feel very well satisfied with our thirty-first anniversary. The
brethren testify to the goodness of our God, and we have had much
excellent instruction.
37
There is one principle I wish to urge upon the Saints in a way
that it may remain with them--that is, to understand men and
women as they are, and not understand them as you are. You see
the variety of mind, disposition, judgment, and talent, and
variety in explaining and communicating thought. There is an
endless variety, and I wish you to understand men and women as
they are, and not to judge your brother, your sister, your
family, or any one, only from the intention. When you know the
intention of the act performed, you will then know how to judge
the act.
37
Some may wish to know whether my religion is as good to me now as
it was twenty-eight years ago. It is far better. Twenty-eight
years ago last February I went to Canada after my brother Joseph.
He was a very spiritual minded man. You have heard him say to-day
that he did not laugh for a period of two years. I did not know
of his smiling during some four or five years. I well remember
him calling upon me, after he had been away preaching more than
two years. Would he sit and chat with me? No, because of his
serious reflections. I knew that he was solemn and praying all
the time. I had more confidence in his judgment and discretion,
and in the manifestations of God to him, that I had in myself,
though I then believed the Book of Mormon to be true. Previous to
this I had thoroughly examined the Book of Mormon. In about eight
days it will be twenty-eight years since I was baptized. I
brought brother Joseph home from Canada, and told him what I had
experienced of the power of God, and what I had observed of the
folly and nonsense so prevalent in the Christian world.
38
You have heard the brethren state their experience before they
received this Gospel. I was not disposed to attach myself to any
Church, nor to make a profession of religion, though brought up
from my youth amid those flaming, fiery revivals so customary
with the Methodists, until I was twenty-three years of age, when
I joined the Methodists. Priests had urged me to pray before I
was eight years old. On this subject I had but one prevailing
feeling in my mind--Lord, preserve me until I am old enough to
have sound judgment, and a discreet mind ripened upon a good
solid foundation of common sense. I patiently waited until I was
twenty-three years old. I do not know that I had ever committed
any crime, except it were in giving way to anger, and that I had
not done more than two or three times. I never stole, lied,
gambled, got drunk, or disobeyed my parents. I used to go to
meetings--as well acquainted with the Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, New Lights, Baptists, Freewill Baptists, Wesleyan
and Reformed Methodists,--lived from my youth where I was
acquainted with the Quakers as well as the other denominations,
and was more or less acquainted with almost every other religious
ism.
38
Upon the first opportunity I read the Book of Mormon, and then
sought to become acquainted with the people who professed to
believe it. Brother Pulsipher said that he watched to see if he
could find fault with the Elder who preached the Gospel to him. I
did not take that course, but I watched to see whether good
common sense was manifest; and if they had that, I wanted them to
present it in accordance with the Scriptures.
38
When "Mormonism" came, I was not under the necessity of hunting
Scripture arguments to contradict them, for I had all my life
been more or less familiar with the Scriptures. And I do not
remember that I ever saw a day when I attacked a sectarian priest
with the Bible, for I was well satisfied that they were in water
too deep for them to fathom. I understood the Scriptures
tolerably well, and my whole mind and reflections were to seek
for every particle or truth with regard to doctrine.
38
I always admired morality, and never saw a day in which I did not
respect a good, moral, sensible man far more than I could respect
a wicked man. I embrace the Gospel. I then had not the
Priesthood, but my mind was susceptible of the Spirit of Truth,
and that truth I imparted to my brother Joseph. He caught its
influence, came home with me, and was baptized. I was not
baptized on hearing the first sermon, nor the second, nor during
the first year of my acquaintance with this work. I waited two
years and a few days after this Church was organized before I
embraced the Gospel by baptism.
38
Up to that time that "Mormonism" came to me, I did earnestly
pray, if there was a God, (and I believed there was,) "Lord God,
thou who gavest the Scriptures, who spake to Abraham, and
revealed thyself to Moses and the ancients, keep my feet that
they may not be entangled in the snares of folly." So far as the
spirit went, its application and enjoyment were all right with
me; but with regard to doctrine, I did not then see any that
altogether suited me. I said, Let me pray about this matter, the
Gospel, and feel right about it, before I embrace it. I could not
more honestly and earnestly have prepared myself to go into
eternity than I did to come into this Church; and when I had
ripened everything in my mind, I drank it in, and not till then.
From that day to this, it is all right with me. I am more and
more encouraged, because I can see that hand of the Lord more
clearly and distinctly than I did no longer than two years ago.
38
As I frequently tell you, we can rise up, sit down, go here or
there, act in this or that way, trade here or there; but we
cannot bring out the results of our acts. God does that. I can
see the results which he brings to pass by his handiwork. I can
discern his footsteps among the people, and his going forth among
the nations. His footprints are clearly discovered by his
faithful Saints.
39
Brother John Young says there are some complainers. Who cares for
that? I have nothing to do with them at present. Some are afraid
there will be a good many apostates. That we expect, for many
receive the truth who do not receive the love of it. Do not be
afraid, but take fresh courage and persevere. Some inquire, "Is
this community going to be destroyed by thieves? No. But they
have their agency, and their course affords us an excellent
opportunity to see the operation of the benign influences of
so-called "civilization." Do you suppose that I am now looking
upon thieves? No: they do not come to meeting.
39
Those who are right are more than those who are against us. More
will prove faithful than will apostatize. A certain class of this
people will go into the celestial kingdom, while others cannot
enter there, because they cannot abide a celestial law; but they
will attain to as good a kingdom as they desire and live for.
39
Do not worry. All is right, for God reigns. Trust in him, keep
your hearts clean, and faithfully observe your prayers, that,
should the angel Gabriel appear in this stand, you could calmly
meet his gaze, and say "All is right me, Gabriel." That you may
be able to look an angel in the eye and say, "All is right," you
require a clean heart. How many of this congregation could do
this? How many could look at an angel and say, "What is wanting?
I am ready." If you can do this, you can enjoy the spirit of the
Gospel and be Saints. This is the bread of eternal life.
39
I bless you all in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, April 8, 1860
Brigham Young, April 8, 1860
EDUCATION--TESTIMONY--MIRACULOUS SIGNS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 8, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt
39
Pertaining to the school that brother Hyde has been mentioning,
we shall devote the large building on the east side of Union
Square to school purposes. Tuition will be free, and the school
will begin to-morrow morning, with Orson Pratt, jun., and James
Cobb, teachers, under the supervision of Orson Pratt, sen. The
Union Academy is designed exclusively for boys and young men. So
soon as we have a suitable building, we intend to open an Academy
for females, in which they will be taught the common branches of
English education, music, and probably some of the modern
languages.
39
We wish those who attend the Union Academy to qualify themselves
to be useful to themselves and this community as speedily as
possible. We shall urge the study of mathematics, and more
particularly their practical application, that as many as have a
taste and aptness may become familiar with surveying, which they
can fit themselves for in a very short time. There are but few
here who are practical surveyors, and we wish that number
increased.
40
One of the teachers will probably attend to rudiments of
education, though we prefer to have scholars tolerably well
advanced in arithmetic, writing, reading, and grammar. Still it
may be requisite at the start to admit some in the elementary
branches.
40
I give it as my opinion that you may go to any part of the United
States or the world, where parents are not obliged by law to send
their children to school, and you will find more schools in the
midst of this people, notwithstanding their poverty, their
drivings, sufferings, and persecutions, and more persons that can
read and write, in proportion to our population, than in any
other place on this earth. You may select any community of the
same number, and in this particular we will favourably compare
with the best of them, and I think we are ahead of them. But this
furnishes us no reason for keeping children from school.
40
There are many who are anxious to teach school, if the people
will encourage them. The people have the privilege of sending
their children to school, for there are plenty of teachers and
plenty of rooms in every town and neighbourhood. However, it is
often the case that, when they have sent their children one or
two quarters, they neglect paying the teacher.
40
Some say they are not able to send their children to school. In
such a case, I think I would rise in the morning, wash myself,
take a little composition, and try, if possible, to muster
strength enough to send my children to school, and pay their
tuition like a man. When you have done this, if you are still
unable, apply to some of your neighbours to assist you.
40
Men able to ride in their carriages, and not able or unwilling to
pay their children's tuition, ought, I think, to have a little
composition, or catnip tea; and then perhaps, they will be able
to send their children to school! I know such persons are weak
and feeble; but the disease is in the brain and heart--not in the
bones, flesh, and blood. Send your children to school.
40
As I have before remarked, there will be no charge for tuition in
the Union Academy, and we shall learn whether the young men will
go to school and qualify themselves for doing business and
becoming useful in this world. Compare those who had their
education before they came here with the boy who were born and
brought up in this Church in the midst of our being driven, and I
will furnish you ten grey-headed men who cannot reckon up the
simplest account in figures, where you can find one of our boys
fifteen years that cannot. That is the difference between this
people, with all the ignorance alleged against them pertaining to
the learning of the day, and the professed learned world. I want
them still to advance and increase.
40
We should be a people of profound learning pertaining to the
things of the world. We should be familiar with the various
languages, for we wish to send to the different nations and to
the islands of the sea. We wish Missionaries who may go to France
to be able to speak the French language fluently, and those who
may go to Germany, Italy, Spain, and so on to all nations, to be
familiar with the languages of those nations.
41
We also wish them to understand the geography, habits, customs,
and laws of nations and kingdoms, whether they be barbarians or
civilized. This is recommended in the revelations given to us. In
them we are taught to study the best books, that we may become as
well acquainted with the geography of the world as we are with
our gardens, and as familiar with the people--so far at least as
they are portrayed in print--as we are with our families and
neighbours. I will now make a few remarks upon testimony. I have
heard a great many Elders in this Church, and people who were
professing Christians before this work was revealed, testifying
of the things of God. Men rise up here and say they do know that
this is the work of God, that Joseph was a Prophet, that the Book
of Mormon is true, that the revelations through Joseph Smith are
true, that this is the last dispensation and the fulness of
times, wherein God has set to his hand to gather Israel for the
last time, and redeem and build up Zion on this land. How do they
know this? Persons know and will continue to know and understand
many things by the manifestations of the Spirit, that through the
organization of the tabernacle it is impossible otherwise to
convey. Much of the most important information is alone derived
through the power and testimony of the Holy Ghost in the speaker,
revealing itself to the understanding and spirit of the hearer.
This is the only way you can convey a knowledge of the invisible
things of God. By way of illustration, though a meagre one,
suppose that a man may discern in his mind how the principle of
perpetual motion can made to operate, but cannot explain it to
his neighbors.
41
Reflect for a moment upon the sensitive faculty implanted within
us. We know when we touch anything with our hands. When we
discern an object with our eyes, we know that we see. How do we
know? By a principle common to all intelligent beings--by the
sensations God has placed within us. Were it not for this, the
eye could not see, nor sensation be communicated by touch. Were
it not for the intelligent principle God has placed within us, we
could neither feel, see, hear, taste, nor smell.
41
It is recorded that some have eyes to see, and see not; ears to
hear, and hear not; hearts have they, but they understand not.
You who are spiritually--minded, who have the visions of your
minds opened--have studied yourselves, your organizations, the
power by which you have been organized, and the influences that
act upon you, can understand that the power that has given you
physical sensation is the power of the same God that gives you
understanding of the truth. The latter power is inward. My inward
eyes see, my inward hands handle, my inward taste tastes of the
word of God. The Apostle used this language. He spoke of tasting
the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. Do you
taste? Yes, by the sensations God has planted within you.
Thousands and thousands know, by their inward and invisible
sensations, things that have been, things that are, and things
that are in the future, as well s they know the colour of a piece
of cloth by means of their outward or physical vision. When this
inner light is taken from them, they become darker than they were
before, they cannot understand, and turn away from the things of
God.
42
With regard to evidence, testimony, the acquirements of the
children of men pertaining to the invisible things of God, who is
it that requires a miracle done? Brother Hyde says that when he
has been out preaching, this Priest and that Deacon would say,
"If you are the servant of God, work a miracle." I have had the
same required of me a great many times; but if I had the power of
the Gods, I would not work for them a miracle. Why? Because it
would only be to gratify a hellish, worldly, corrupt, devilish
disposition on the part of the one requiring it. Have we not an
example? Yes,--one expressly for the benefit of the Saints who
were to follow in the footsteps of the Redeemer and pursue the
path he walked in. The Devil taketh him up into an exceeding high
mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the
glory of them, and saith unto him, "All things will I give thee,
if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Then the Devil taketh him
up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the
temple, and saith unto him, "If thou be the Son of God, cast
thyself down; for it written, He shall give his angels charge
concerning thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest
at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." In other words,
If you are the Son of God, work a miracle. All this world is
under my control, and I will give it to you, if you will obey me
and cast yourself down, that I may go and be a preacher and
testify that you are the Son of God. Jesus would not do anything
of the kind.
42
"Then," said the Devil, "make bread of these stones, that we may
have a testimony that you are the Christ; and I will go and tell
the people of it." The Saviour said unto him, "Get thee hence,
Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve." Then the Devil leaveth him, and
behold, angels came and ministered unto him. He would not
accommodate the feelings of the person that wished to tempt the
Lord his God.
42
At another time Jesus exclaimed--"An evil and an adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall be no sign given
to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three
days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of
Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
42
In all my preachings and teachings, my faith to-day is the same
as ever, according to the light I have had from time to time. If
I had the power to turn the Mississippi directly to the opposite
course it is now running, and make it empty into the Hudson's
Bay, instead of in the Gulf of Mexico, I would not do it with a
view to convince the people of the truth of the work of God.
42
The Gospel plan is so devised, that a miracle to make people
believe would only be a condemnation to them. When you hear
people tell what they have seen--that they have seen great and
powerful miracles wrought, and they could not help believing,
remember that "devils believe and tremble," because they cannot
help it. When the voice of the Good Shepherd is heard, the honest
in heart believe and receive it. It is good to taste with the
inward taste, to see with the inward eyes, and to enjoy with the
sensations of the ever-living spirit. No person, unless he is an
adulterer, a fornicator, covetous, or an idolator, will ever
require a miracle; in other words, no good, honest person ever
will.
42
If this is the work of God, let us understand its beauty and
glory. I do not say that all are like myself; but from the day I
commenced preaching the Gospel to this present moment, I never
had a feeling in my heart to occupy much time in preaching hell
to the people, or in telling them much about being damned. There
are the kingdoms and worlds which God has prepared, and which are
waiting for the just. There are more beauty, glory, excellency,
knowledge, power, and heavenly things that I have time to talk
about, without spending my time in talking about the hells
prepared for the damned I have not time to talk much about them.
43
We have heaven, eternal life, eternal existence before us. Behold
the sea of faces before me this morning, every one of whom God
has organized to dwell eternally in his presence. Is not this a
theme that is worth the attention all the human family? We are
alive. When shall we die? Never. Says our Saviour, "Whosoever
believeth in me shall never die." Shall we put on this mortality?
Yes, we will lay down these bodies in the grave. What for? That
the dust, our mother earth, that composes the house of the
spirit, may be purified by passing through this ordeal, and be
prepared to be called up and united with the intelligent heavenly
body that God has prepared. This is nothing but a change. It is
not the dissolution of the creature; it is merely putting off the
flesh that pertains to this world.
43
The particles of this earth that now compose this body will be
re-arranged, and the spirit will be clothed with an immortal
tabernacle. Let the spirit reign predominant over the flesh, and
bring into subjection the whole man, every feeling and every
desire of his heart, and let him be devoted wholly, body and
spirit, to the end for which he has been created. When the flesh
is brought into subjection, it is made worthy through that means.
43
So live every morning, noon, and evening, every moment, as to
enjoy the Holy Ghost continually. Do no deprive yourselves of
this privilege, brethren and sisters; then you can see, hear, and
understand, and know things that are of God, the visible and
invisible, in heaven and on earth,--things past, present, and to
come. No power can deprive you of this privilege, and God will
bless you, and we will bask in his presence with our Elder
Brother, and with all the sons and daughters of Adam who have
been redeemed from the four quarters of the earth, to live for
ever.
43
What a pleasing thought!--what an entrancing idea it would be, if
we had the privilege of making a selection of one of the most
beautiful locations on this earth, where we could have our
grounds, gardens, and walks laid out after the most enchanting
and beautiful order, with every variety of trees, with fountains
of water, and everything to make us happy and confortable, with
our carriages to ride in, &c., &c., and then live ten thousand
millions of years upon that beautiful possession! Still that
period of time would ultimately come to an end; and when the last
moment had come, the possession ceases to be worth a groat, for
it is not eternal. Boundless wealth and the most beautiful
possessions cannot give pleasure and happiness of that exquisite
and heavenly nature that is not in itself eternal.
43
I expect to see the streets paved with gold, and our common
utensils made of the precious metals that the wicked now worship.
There is no ornament, no beauty, no excellency, nothing that you
can imagine that is great, grand, and useful on earth, but what
is typical of the immortal and eternal riches that are in store
for all those who overcome.
43
Excuse me if I speak loud. Were I to speak as I feel, I should
speak like a Methodist for a little while, and cry,
"Hallelujah!--praise ye the Lord." Let his praise ring aloud
through the heavens, and swell in anthems throughout the earth.
Praise the name of our God, who, in the fulness of his mercy,
hath provided a great salvation and eternal life for all the
Saints, without money and without price.
43
I do not hate any man on earth or in hell. The worst wish I have
for the wicked is that they may be obliged to live according to
good and wholesome laws.
43
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Orson
Pratt, April 8, 1860
Orson Pratt, April 8, 1860
TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT, &c.
A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 8, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long
44
Having been requested, this afternoon, to address the
congregation, I cheerfully do so, praying with all my heart that
the Lord may grant unto me his Holy Spirit, that whatever I may
say, whether much or little, may be dictated by that Spirit that
proceed from heaven, and then it will be right.
44
We read in the New Testament that the Apostles and righteous men
in days of old preached the Gospel by the power of the Holy Ghost
sent down from heaven. I do not know of any way by which the
Gospel of Jesus Christ can be proclaimed with any beneficial
effect, except in this manner.
44
We can arise before a congregation of the Saints and make use of
the Gospel in our own words. We can say to the people, Repent. We
can call upon them to believe. We can tell them concerning
baptism, show them the nature of it, and the causes for which it
was instituted. We may tell them concerning the Holy Ghost, and
preach many things in the wisdom and language of man, and yet all
this would not be acceptable in the sight of Heaven, unless we
were dictated by the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. Our words
would have no effect upon the hearts of the people; they would
not be edified; the speaker would not be edified; no good,
perhaps, would be accomplished.
45
The world, during the last seventeen centuries and upwards, have
been engaged in preaching what they termed the Gospel; they have
been engaged in preaching many principles that are true; they
have preached many of the first principles, such as faith and
repentance; they have preached the ordinances and institutions of
heaven; they have reasoned with the people; they have portrayed
many great and glorious truths before the people; they have
called upon them to receive those truths, and yet they have
taught without authority--without that Spirit that giveth
utterance,--taught without being called of God; and hence their
teachings have not accomplished that which an inspired man's
would have accomplished, when sent of God. So it is in reading
the revelations of heaven. We may take up the Bible, the Book of
Mormon, and the Book of Covenants, and commit them to memory--at
least the subject matter therein, and we may suppose that we
understand the doctrine of salvation, and conclude from our
diligent study that we have become altogether acquainted with the
prophecies and revelations; and yet, after all these things,
without the gift of revelation directly to ourselves, or the gift
of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven to rest upon us as
speakers and hearers, we cannot expect to be materially
benefited.
45
We may learn many things from the Book of Mormon. We may learn
how this great western hemisphere was first peopled--how God
brought the people from the Tower of Babel and established them
upon North America. We may be informed of their history, of their
numerous Prophets, concerning their wickedness and downfall. We
may learn these things naturally as natural men, whether in or
out of the Church, without the gift and power of the Holy Ghost
and authority communicated from heaven resting upon us.
45
We cannot render ourselves any material service, or the world
either, unless we have this power and authority: hence the
propriety of that passage of Scripture recorded in the 2nd
chapter of Paul's 1st Epistle to the Corinthians--"For what man
knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in
him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God." All our exertions, our reading, our meditations, and our
endeavours to obtain the truth, without we obtain it lawfully,
and not as natural men and women, will prove, in a measure,
unavailing, though it may serve in some degree to remove
darkness, to manifest what has been done, or what is to be done.
45
I am well pleased with the remarks that have been made upon this
stand, more especially in relation to some few of the testimonies
that I have heard, particularly bearing upon this matter. We were
told by individuals upon this stand that they knew this work to
be true. We were told by brother Watt that he knew this to be the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. How do you know it? Just the same as the
congregation know it. If the congregation have the gift and power
of God to unfold the revelations of heaven to themselves, then
they can comprehend how it is that the speakers know it is true.
Though we may not be masters of language to communicate to
others, we can appeal to their senses upon this subject. Do you
know the things of God? If this question were asked, the whole
congregation, with few exceptions, would lift up their voices
with one heart and one mind, and say, We know these things to be
true. How do you know them? You know them by the manifestations
of the Spirit to your own hearts. You don't know them by having
seen with the natural eye, or by having discerned them with the
natural understanding. You don't know them because you have seen
the sick healed, or the blind receive their sight. You don't know
them because you have seen the lame made to walk, or laid your
hands upon the sick and seen them raised to perfect soundness,
but because God has made them manifest to your hearts. Light has
shone from heaven upon your understandings. You have tasted of
that light by the spiritual sensations, or the spiritual
faculties of your mind. You have understood and feasted upon the
light that has come from heaven; and by this you know that the
principles you have received are true. Do we understand clearly
and properly that which is contained in the various revelations
that God has given through his ancient as well as through his
modern Prophets? Do we understand them in their true light? If we
do, it is because we have received manifestations to ourselves,
by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost.
46
What are Prophets for? What are revelators for? They are to
reveal the truths of heaven for the benefit of the people. They
bear testimony to the inhabitants of the earth, as you have heard
declared from this stand, that the Lord has spoken and opened
communications with men upon the earth, through the legitimate
channel of his Priesthood. They also declare that men have been
called by revelation from God, and sent forth with authority to
baptize for the remission of sins. You hear this testimony which
is calculated to increase your confidence and your faith in the
principles of life.
47
The word of God which is planted in your hearts begins to grow,
to produce joy, light, and happiness; your mind begins to
understand; you begin to receive revelation, and to receive those
communications from the heavens that cause you to enjoy those
blessings that you have heard spoken of by the servants of God.
This makes all the Latter-day Saints witnesses; and thus we have
a cloud of witnesses--a great army that can witness the truths of
heaven as they have been revealed in these last days. This Spirit
of revelation gives the Latter-day Saints boldness in their
testimony.
47
What would have been our progress, brethren and sisters, if we
had gone forth to the nations to publish these truths without the
power of the Holy Ghost accompanying us? Could we have borne up
under the power of persecution that has been heaped upon us?
Could we have stood forth before the people and borne testimony
as natural men to the great truths revealed from heaven? No, we
could not. We should have shrunk from the task. It would have
appeared too great for us to perform. The powers of darkness
would have been able to crush us before them, without the gift of
the Holy Ghost. The Lord foreknew this, and consequently he never
designed that the great principles of his Gospel should be
published to the nations, only by the gift and power of the Holy
Ghost sent down from heaven.
47
There are many revelations that were given to the ancient
servants of God that we never can comprehend without further
revelation, and perhaps some of them we shall never understand in
this state of probation. One thing is certain--that we cannot
comprehend them, unless God shall give more revelation and
manifest many things in their fulness which have heretofore only
been revealed in part.
47
Many things that were unveiled to the ancient Prophets have
become very much corrupted by men who have formed systems to suit
their own darkened minds. The revelations of John, now so
obscure, so dark, and so intricate, that scarcely a person can
comprehend the great things that are pointed out to take place in
the last days, will be unfolded. Now there is scarcely a man
living that can discern the meaning of the Apostle.
47
When this revelation was given to him, it was plain and simple,
and easy to be understood by men; and all people possessed of the
Spirit of the living God could understand it, so far as it was
not sealed up. Some portions of it the Lord designed that they
should not comprehend in that day. For instance, what the seven
thunders uttered, and several other things that are mentioned, no
man understands, and will not until the proper time shall come.
Since the days of John, it has been changed and altered by men
who did not possess the Spirit of revelation, and from them it
has been handed down to us in its present imperfect form, and we
never shall understand it until God reveals it unto his servants
the Prophets in the last days. Then the things written in that
book will be plain, and we shall understand them.
47
So it is with regard to many revelations contained in the New
Testament. The 24th chapter of Matthew, for instance, the sayings
of Jesus to his disciples have undergone the same change in
translation and in alterations by corrupt men. It is true, the
Lord has given us information and bestowed upon us great favour
by new revelation, and the Spirit bears witness that they are
from heaven. We know them to be such. We comprehend them, we
discern them, and say that God designed to reveal them to his
servant Joseph. There are many who can comprehend those things
and realize that they are from some superior source than the
natural mind of man.
47
I might name some few things which may be found in the 24th
chapter of Matthew, that are much plainer and much more simple as
they were revealed to the Prophet Joseph in the new
translation,--so much so that it would almost satisfy even a
natural-minded person that there has been a superior wisdom
manifest in this new translation. In speaking of the signs of the
coming of the Son of Man, and of the preaching of the Gospel to
all the world, the new translation reads as follows:--"Again
shall this Gospel of the kingdom be preached in all the world for
a witness, and then shall the end come." Now, the word "again"
makes the thing all plain. It is as much as to say, You shall go
forth, you shall preach to the people and declare my testimony
among the nations of the earth; and after this there shall arise
many false Christs and false prophets. Then shall follow many
judgments and tribulations upon the face of the earth. And after
the world has been in darkness for centuries, again shall this
Gospel of the kingdom be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come. What end? I
answer, The end of the wicked world--the destruction of the
wicked from the face of our globe.
47
In another passage to be found in that same revelation, the 24th
chapter of Matthew, Jesus says, in speaking of his second coming,
"As the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth
unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall the coming
of the Son of Man be." Now, how much plainer is this to the
natural understanding! and how much plainer is this than the old
translation as rendered by the wisdom of man! How does the old
translation read? It reads, "For as the lightning cometh out of
the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming
of the Son of Man be."
47
The lightning is more visible and more frequent in some parts of
the earth that others; and when it does appear, it is only
visible for a few scores of miles at once, and is not visible in
all parts; and consequently, this was not a proper figure to
convey the idea. How much plainer is the rendering--"As the light
of the morning cometh out of the east and shineth unto the west,
and covereth the whole earth, so shall the coming of the Son of
Man be."
47
How did this Latter-day Work commence? It did not commence all at
once. On the 6th day of April, 1830, as it was justly observed by
one of the speakers, there were not enough members to from the
Church; but it came forth like the dim twilight of the morning,
the darkness beginning by slow degrees to flee away as the light
slowly advanced. It is grown brighter and brighter from that time
unto the present.
48
Like the light of the sun, the light of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ will cover the whole earth; it will speak from land to
land and from kingdom to kingdom, until it deluges the whole
earth with the brilliancy of its light and the glory of his
power. The testimonies of the servants of God, as well as the
testimonies of his power, exhibiting his wrath and his sore
displeasure, will go forth as has been proclaimed from this
stand. And instead of the testimonies of the servants of God
being smothered up by the persecution of our enemies, and the
light being hidden under a bushel in some obscure corner, the
decree of Heaven is that the light shall go forth, shining more
and more glorious in the midst of the nations; and it will
penetrate the darkest corners of the earth--it will visit the
islands of the sea, until it has searched out every creature
under heaven. There is no ear but shall hear, and no heart but
shall be penetrated by the truths that shall be sent forth in
this last dispensation.
48
Missionaries have been called. If they go and magnify their
callings, they will filled with the testimony that has been so
freely manifested during our Conference; they will be filled with
the Holy Ghost, and be able to bear testimony of the truths of
the Gospel. It may be apparently in weakness. They may consider
it so themselves. Their language may be feeble, their words
feebly uttered, their sentences broker; but, after all, it will
be the power of God unto this generation.
48
If you Missionaries will seek for the testimony of the Holy Ghost
to go with you--if you will seek diligently for the power of God
to accompany you, you need not be afraid of the nations; for your
testimony will condemn the people who reject it, and it will save
all those who receive it.
48
I look forward to the progress of this work through the Saints
that are abroad and the Elders that are abroad and the Elders
that are ordained on Foreign Missions, as well as by those
Missionaries that are sent forth to their assistance. I look for
this work to progress, and I cannot get anything else into my
heart. I do not look for this people to be eternally assailed by
their enemies, nor do I look for the Elders to be continually
asleep; but I expect that they will bear a faithful testimony
among the people of every nation where they are sent. And this
testimony will be increased: it cannot be otherwise. That
prophecy of Nephi recorded in the Book of Mormon must be
fulfilled; the servants of God must be armed with righteousness,
and with the power of the Almighty, and with great glory among
that nations, wherever the Church is organized. It will be such a
display as will excite the people against the Saints, or they
would not, according to prophecy, gather together the armies of
the wicked from among all nations to fight the people of the Most
High. This must take place. The wicked must be gathered against
the Saints. It is as it was stated by brother Hyde this forenoon
about the dream. That dream had reference to foreign
persecutions.
48
One thing is certain--that every nation under the heaven will
array itself against the kingdom of God. Inasmuch as some
individuals among the nations receive it, they will muster their
forces and try to destroy the Saints of the living God. To
prepare for this, we must increase in the Spirit of God as our
enemies increase in the spirit of darkness against us, and by the
power of God proclaim in their ears a testimony that will
overcome the wicked. There is no possibility of the wicked
triumphing over this Latter-day Kingdom. There may be many who
will have to fall--many who will have to suffer materially; but
when we get to the home of the Saints of the living God, the
wicked will cease from troubling us.
49
I look forward to a day that is not far distant, with great
rejoicing; and that is a day when we shall all be engaged, as we
are this afternoon, in partaking of the sacrament--the symbols of
bread and wine, or in other words, the symbols of the body and
blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I look forward with
joyful anticipation to that glorious time. I look around upon
this assembly, and when I see them partaking of this holy
ordinance, and consider what Jesus has done by his sufferings,
then I look forward to the time when he shall be in our midst,
and we partake of these symbols in his presence.
49
Will not this be a joyful time? Who can but rejoice in a scenery
of this description! Suppose you were expecting that this was to
take place next Sabbath-day, who are pure in heart? Who are ready
for such an event? What would be your feelings? Would you sorrow
and mourn? Would it not be one of the most joyful messages to
your ears that ever saluted them, to suppose that the time was so
near at hand when you should partake of bread and wine with the
ancient Apostles, and meet with the Saviour and all the Saints of
former days--those that lived before the flood and those that
have lived since the flood,--to think that all this is to be made
manifest to man--that we are to look upon the face of our
Redeemer and be crowned with glory as he is--would not this be
joyful tidings?
49
Although this is not going to take place next Sabbath, yet we
know one thing--that in many of the revelations given to this
Church, the Lord has closed by saying--"Behold I come quickly,
and my reward is with me, to give unto every man according to his
works." There are many revelations of this kind, and these words
are true and faithful, for the Lord does not speak in vain; but
he has thrown this out as an encouragement to those that fear him
and keep his law.
49
The day is at hand, the morning has broken, the sun of the Gospel
has arisen in the eastern horizon, and is beginning to shine with
a degree of splendour. The time is near--how near, no man
knoweth: the day and the hour when the Son of Man shall come is a
secret. In a revelation given to this Church, it is said that no
man shall know until he comes; therefore we cannot expect to know
the day nor the hour; but we know it is near at hand, and what a
consolation it is. There may be men that will know within a
year--that will have revelation to say within one or two years
when the Lord shall appear. I do not know that there is anything
against this.
49
But the great question is, brethren and sisters, Are we
ready?--are we perfect enough for this day? Are we honest enough?
and are we filled with integrity enough to be ready for the
Saviour and his holy angels? Is there a sufficiency of union?
Have we that firmness in our minds that we can stand in their
presence--that we can look them in the eye and say that all is
right? If we are pure, when we see a pure and holy being, clothed
with all the glory of the heavens, surrounded with light that far
outshines the sun at noonday, so much so that his eye discerns
all things and pierces the inmost recesses of the heart,--when we
can look him in the face, a thrill of joy will run through our
bodies, and we shall be happy.
50
I tell you, brethren and sisters, this would be one of the most
glorious periods that we could possibly imagine: it would be one
of the most joyful there is in the future. We know that men upon
the earth have been so clothed with the glory and power of God
that the people could not look upon their countenances; and why
was this? It was because the people were wicked. When Moses had
been upon the mountain, standing in the presence of God, being in
his presence forty days receiving the tables of stone, and came
down to teach the people, they could not endure his presence.
Why? Because that glory that was manifested could not be endured
by the wicked. But in this instance, the Lord permitted it to be
manifested for a while. And when the people looked upon the
countenance of Moses, they perceived that there were rays of
light emanating from him--that he looked different from what he
formerly did--that he was clothed upon with something which they
had not been accustomed to see, and they fled afar off. Moses,
therefore, was under the necessity of taking a vail and putting
it over his face, for they could not endure it. They fled from
the presence of a mortal man when he was clothed upon with glory,
or with a reflection of the glory of God; therefore the only way
was for him to cover his face, and then converse with the
children of Israel.
50
Now, if a mortal being is permitted to have this power, how much
greater will be the terror to the wicked when immortal beings
shall appear--beings who have not simply been with the Lord forty
days, but who have been with him thousands of years, who were
redeemed before the flood and after the flood, and who have been
in the presence of god more or less ever since,--who have beheld
his countenance, who have been seated upon thrones, swaying a
sceptre of power, (as Abraham,) and reigning over millions of
individuals,--when they, as well as the redeemed of all nations
and generations, shall make their appearance, and when they shall
not attempt to put a vail over their faces as Moses did, but
permit all the glory that they have accumulated for so many years
to be visible to the human family! That will be a day of terror,
astonishment, and dismay unto all the wicked.
50
At times when I reflect upon this subject, I try to portray
before my mind the various revelations that God has given
concerning this matter. There is one in particular which says,
"Angels shall be sent forth to sound the trump of God, crying, Lo
and behold! the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." That
will be a great time, independent of that of which I have been
speaking, when Jesus shall come in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory. Before that time, angels are to be sent
forth to sound the trumpet, so that all the ends of the earth are
to hear it, and all people are to be forewarned that the time of
the coming of the bridegroom is at hand--that the time of the
coming of the great Being has arrived. Then, when those angels
have sounded, another great and terrible thing is to take place.
50
I simply mention these things to show how one thing after another
is to precede the coming of the Lord.
50
After the angels have sounded this in the ears of all living, we
are informed that there will be a great sign in the heavens. It
is not to be limited so that some few only of the human family
can see it; but it said, "All people shall see it together!" At
least, it is to be like our sun seen over one entire side of the
glove, and then passing immediately round to the other, or else
it will encircle the whole earth at the same time. But the
bridegroom does not come then. These are only the preceding
events to let the Latter-day Saints and the pure in heart know
that these are the times that they may trim up their lamps and
prepare for the triumphant appearing of their Lord.
51
After those angels that I have alluded to have flown through the
heavens, this sign is made manifest; and what next? Seven angels
are appointed to give their signs and testimonies to the truth of
this proclamation of the Gospel, the Latter-day Saints having
previously given theirs. Thus we have the former angels sounding
their trumpets, then the great sign, and then come the seven
angels. The first proclaims that great Babylon is about to fall,
and her influence to be destroyed. He proclaims that all who
remain in Babylon are bound in bundles are their bands made
strong, so that no man can unloose them, and that they are
therefore prepared for the burning.
51
After all nations have heard the proclamation, there will be
silence in the heavens, and I do not know but on the earth too;
for the people will doubtless be overpowered with astonishment to
see an angel, the sound of whose trump shall pierce the ears of
all living. After this, I say, there will be silence in heaven
for half-an-hour.
51
Then, after the wicked begin to recover and get a little
strength, behold and lo! the curtain of heaven will be unfolded
as a scroll that is rolled up. You know how our great maps are
rolled out to expose their contents to the people; and the Lord
has said the heavens shall be unfolded as a scroll that is rolled
up in unfolded. What will be seen when this takes place? Our
Saviour, our Redeemer, will unveil his face. That Being who was
born in Bethlehem--that being who has saved the world by offering
his own life, how will he appear? Will he come as a common man?
or how will he make his appearance? He will appear as a being
whose splendour and glory will cause the sun to hide his face
with shame.
51
The sun is a very glorious body; and when you look upon it, so
great is the light, that you can scarcely see surrounding
objects; but the light of the sun is nothing to be compared with
the glory of that personage who shall appear when the heavens
shall be unveiled, or unfolded like a scroll. The light of the
sun will dwindle away, and he shall hide his face with shame. Who
will be with Jesus when he appears? The decree has gone forth,
saying, Mine Apostles who were with me in Jerusalem shall be
clothed in glory and be with me. The brightness of their
countenance will shine forth with all that refulgence and fulness
of splendour that shall surround the Son of Man when he appears.
There will be all those personages to whom he alludes. There will
be all the former-day Saints, Enoch and his city, with all the
greatness and splendour that surround them: there will be
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as they sit upon their thrones,
together with all the persons that have been redeemed and brought
near unto the presence of God. All will be unfolded and unveiled,
and all this will be for the wicked to look upon, as well as the
righteous; for the wicked will not as yet have been destroyed.
When this takes place, there will be Latter-day Saints living
upon the earth, and they will ascend and mingle themselves with
that vast throng; for they will be filled with anxiety to g where
the Saints of the Church of the Firstborn are, and the Church of
the Firstborn will feel an anxiety to come and meet with the
Saints on earth, and this will bring the general assembly of the
redeemed into one; and thus will be fulfilled the saying of Paul,
"that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven
and which are on earth, even in him."
52
About the same time that the Latter-day Saints are quickened,
(not immortalized,) there will be Saints that have slumbered and
slept for ages, and they are to be quickened and taken up into
the heavens. Now the wicked are to see all these things; and if
power of language could be given to them, what would they say?
They would turn to the rocks and the mountains, and say, O
mountains and rocks, fall upon us and hide us from the presence
of Him that sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
And I have no doubt but they will have the power to say it. But
they must endure the sight. After which, they must be consumed
according to that which is spoken, and the heathen nations must
be redeemed, and the way be prepared for the Lord to dwell upon
the earth. The mortal Saints will then be transfigured and
sanctified, but not immortalized. They will be prepared for the
millennial reign. The tables will then be spread, and the
Latter-day and Former-day Saints will be together to partake of
the sacrament just as it is this afternoon, only more perfectly
prepared.
52
This is my object in thus portraying these things before you this
afternoon, for as often as we do this we show forth the Lord's
death till he come. When that time comes, he will partake of the
fruit of the vine with us; and with him will be Moroni, Mormon,
and Lehi, and all the inhabitants of this vast American continent
who have been saved through the Gospel. There will be Enoch's
city, the Former-day Saints, and the vast throng of resurrected
Saints to sit down and partake of the supper of the great
Bridegroom, and he will administer in the midst of his brethren.
52
I hope and pray that I may be prepared to be one of that joyful
throng to be assembled there with a pure heart, and one that is
upright before God. I also hope that my brethren will be with me,
and that we shall have the privilege of celebrating the marriage
supper of the Lamb, for that will be a happy day.
52
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, April 25, 1860
Brigham Young, April 25, 1860
INSTRUCTIONS TO MISSIONARIES.
Delivered by President Brigham Young, in the Historian's Office,
Great Salt Lake City, April 25, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
52
I believe that you already understand all that is necessary for
your safe guidance through the perils and temptations that await
the Elders and Saints of the last days. None of you can be said
to have heard the Gospel last Sabbath, been baptized on Monday
last, ordained Tuesday, and on Wednesday sent forth to preach,
were many of the first Elders. On the contrary, I think you have
been pretty well schooled.
52
But the inquiry arises in my mind, Do the Elders realize the
importance of their missions? Do they realize that in their
administration they carry with them the keys of life and death,
not pertaining to this life alone, but to this in connection with
all the life there is? It is necessary that you should fully
realize this in your calling as Elders in the Church of Jesus
Christ. The thousands and tens of thousands of incidents that
make up the sum of human lives, whether for good or evil, depend
on a momentary watchfulness and care.
53
If an Elder, in preaching the Gospel, does not feel that he has
the power to preach life and salvation, and to legally administer
the ordinances, and that, too, by the power of God, he will not
fill his mission to his own credit, nor to the good of the
people, and the advancement and honour of the kingdom of God.
From all I can read, from all I can gather from the revelations
from God to man, and from the revelations of the Spirit to me, no
man can successfully preach the Gospel and be owned, blessed, and
acknowledged by the heavens, unless he preaches by the power of
God through direct revelation. Not but that, in a great many
instances, a man may not be manifestly under the immediate and
powerful influences and direction of revelation to dictate him
all the time in his meditations and reasonings, and yet can
advance many good ideas that he has gathered by means of his
natural reasoning. But to magnify and make honourable the calling
of an Elder in this Church, I cannot conceive, in my
understanding, any other true principle by which it can be done,
only when perfectly controlled by the Spirit of the Lord.
53
When men enjoy the spirit of their missions and realize their
calling and standing before the Lord and the people, it
constitutes the happiest portions of their lives. If our minds
can reach forth to eternal things, can conceive the glory,
honour, and benefit arising from the plan of salvation Jesus has
purchased, and can grasp the gifts, blessings, powers,
privileges, light, intelligence, and fulness of the eternities
that are to come, these God has bestowed upon us to offer to the
people. If they will receive it, they can have all the Lord has
purchased for them. If they reject you, they also reject the Son;
and if they reject the Son, they reject the Father and heaven and
heavenly things, and seal their own condemnation. If the brethren
can reach forth unto these things, so as to see and properly
understand them, they can magnify their calling; and this is the
only way in which they can.
53
Many of you have been in the world and met with opposition; and
when the Scriptures have been honestly adhered to as the
standard, you have successfully met all that can be brought
against the plan of salvation. That is all very well, and is
pleasing to such as have a philosophical turn of mind. Their
modes of thinking and reasoning call for solutions of what
appears to them mysterious and problematic; and those solutions
to be satisfactory to them, must accord with certain theories.
But let one go forth who is careful to logically prove all he
says by numerous quotations from the revelations, and let another
travel with him who can say, by the power of the Holy Ghost, Thus
saith the Lord, and tell what the people should believe--what
they should do--how they should live, and teach them to yield to
the principles of salvation,--though he may not be capable of
producing a single logical argument--though he may tremble under
a sense of his weakness, cleaving to the Lord for strength, as
such men generally do, you will invariably find that the man who
testifies by the power of the Holy Ghost will convince and gather
many more of the honest and upright than will the merely logical
reasoner.
54
Debate and argument have not that saving effect that has
testifying to the truth as the Lord reveals it to the Elder by
the Spirit. I think you will all agree with me in this; at least,
such is my experience. I do not wish to be understood as throwing
a straw in the way of the Elders' storing their minds with all
the arguments they can gather to urge in defence of their
religion, no do I wish to hinder them in the least from learning
all they can with regard to religions and governments. The more
knowledge the Elders have the better.
54
It is well to perfectly understand the religious and governmental
theories of the world; it is satisfactory: yet, in preaching the
Gospel, an Elder who prides himself in using good sound arguments
and logic is not so apt to lean upon the Lord for his Spirit as
are those who are not so particularly gifted in reasoning. It is
our duty, so far as we can, to gain knowledge and information
pertaining to human life and the organization of the kingdoms,
thrones, empires, and republics of the earth,--to become well
acquainted with their religions, laws, manners of administration,
pursuits of life, manufacturers, agriculture, arts, manners and
customs, &c.: but when we are possessed of all this knowledge, we
need the power of God to teach the truths of the holy Gospel. I
wish you to bear this truth in your memories and put it in
practice.
54
By your own experience you know that "Mormonism," if not true, is
worse than nothing; and if true, its value is beyond our
computation. In your travelling and preaching, you will meet with
many who will oppose the Gospel, and by them your names will be
cast out as evil. Pertaining to this, I will make but one
requirement of you--that, when you are spoken everywhere against,
as were Jesus and his disciples, for the sake of the kingdom, for
the sake of the people, for the sake of our Redeemer, for the
sake of our heavenly Father, and the heavenly hosts, and for your
own sakes, you so live that there never can truthfully be an evil
word spoken against you. Never, through committing evil, lay the
foundation for a person to truthfully speak evil of you. If you
pursue this course, you will be justified before God, Jesus,
angels, and your brethren. You can then testify to the truth, and
teach it in all plainness, simplicity, and honesty, and be able
to bid defiance to the world.
54
In your travelling you will have to trust in the Lord. I do not
know whether you have means sufficient to enable you to go
directly to your fields of labour. Probably some of you have, and
some have not. Strive to be full of the Holy Ghost, and the
necessary means will come to you, often in a way you cannot
comprehend, and you will be expedited in your journeyings and
perform your missions. And furthermore, if you will not drop one
thread in the garments of your characters, from the time you
leave here, I am not in the least doubtful in my mind--I have not
a shade of hesitancy in my feelings in promising that each of you
will accomplish a mission that will please our Father in heaven
and every good person on the earth and in heaven, and live to
return to this place. Have faith to live, and do just as you
should do; and do not imagine that you can go to the right or to
the left, or do this, that, or the other wrong with impunity,
thinking that it will be well enough in the end. Do that alone
which you know to be right and which you ought to do. When you
come to that which you do not know to be right, let it alone and
trust in the Lord, and you will live.
54
Some of our Elders have died while on missions. I have nothing to
say against them, for all must die sooner or later. But there is
no necessity for laying down our bodies until we are full of
years. If you only have faith, and every moment live according to
the faith of the Gospel, and keep your gaze, thoughts, and acts
heavenward, I have no hesitancy in saying that you will live to
perform your missions.
55
You have received your blessings, and I say amen to them, and to
much more. In this my faith resembles Father Smith's, when he was
asked by myself and one or two others for a patriarchal blessing.
He said to us, "Sit down, and write every good thing you can
think of in heaven and on earth, and I will sign my name to them,
and they will be your patriarchal blessings. If you only live for
them, they shall all come upon you, and more." Live for the
blessings you desire, and you will obtain them, if you do not
suffer selfishness, pride, or the least alienation from the path
of true virtue and holiness to creep into your hearts.
55
When you reach your fields of labour, do the best you can; and
when the enemy comes along and tells you that you are somebody,
say, "Mr. Devil, it is none of your business. What I have spoken
is what the Lord gave to me. I have presented it to the people,
and that is all I have to do with it." If you cannot preach as
nicely and smoothly as you wish, and a feeling rises that you
cannot preach at all--that you had better return home, tell Satan
to get behind you--that he has no power to dictate whether you
preach a word or not, for you are in the Lord's service. So live
that the Spirit of the Lord can instruct your minds at all times,
and you can then defy the Devil and all his emissaries. If you
have nothing from the Lord to present to the people, be as
willing to be silent as you would to preach what might be termed
a splendid discourse.
55
A short time ago I made a few remarks concerning the Elders who
have been on missions, and I will now say to you, Do not come
from your missions leaving behind you people whom you have
oppressed, from whom you have begged their money. I would work my
way there and back again, or beg from strangers, before I would
take one dime from the Saints, unless they of their own freewill
and accord wished to make me presents, and were able to do so
without distressing themselves. True, I have seen the time, and
go have many of my brethren, when my heart has ached to see men
and women go without food day after day for the sake of feeding
me, when I could feed myself; but any other course would not
satisfy them. Under such circumstances you must humour the people
and yield to their feelings. But do not go to preach this Gospel
for the purpose of becoming rich. If the Lord has anything for
you, he will give it to you; and he has not, tell them that you
can provide your own living when you reach home, if the Lord will
bless you. You may say, "We may bless the people until doomsday,
and still they will find fault with us." Can they justly do so?
If they cannot, their fault-finding cannot harm you.
56
Some of our Missionaries, after an absence of two or three years,
return with their eyes cast down: their countenances are fallen.
I wish you to take such a course that you can come home with your
heads up. Keep yourselves clean, from the crowns of your heads to
the soles of your feet; be pure in heart,--otherwise you will
return bowed down in spirit and with a fallen countenance, and
will feel as though you never could rise again. When the Quorum
of the Twelve was first organized, Joseph said that the Elders of
Israel, and particularly the Twelve Apostles, would receive more
temptations, be more buffetted, and have greater difficulty to
escape the evil thrown in their way by females than by any other
means. This is one of Satan's most powerful auxiliaries with
which to weaken the influence of the ministers of Christ, and
bring them down from their high position and calling into
darkness, shame, and disgrace. You will have to guard more
strictly against that than against any other evil that may beset
you. Make up your minds not to yield, for one moment, to the
subtle insinuations of the animal propensities of your natures
while you are absent of the Lord's errands. Rather, suffer your
heads to be taken from your shoulders than to sacrifice your
honour, violate your covenants, and forfeit the sacred trust
reposed in you.
56
When you arrive in Liverpool, you will find brothers Amasa Lyman
and Charles C. Rich, two of the Twelve, and you will be under
their direction and supervision. Some of you will again visit
your parents and friends in your native lands. This, no doubt,
will be very agreeable; but do not sit down in your ancestral
homes with a purpose to stay there, but let your missions be
first and foremost to preach the Gospel of life and salvation to
the people, and gather them to the place appointed. I do not
think there was worse said about the Saviour and his disciples in
ancient days than has been said about the people of Utah in
modern times. Take no notice of this, but attend to the business
about which you have been sent. Tell this generation the truth,
and pass along. Many will tell you that your religion is all
error. Reply that you will make an exchange with them of ten
errors for one truth. Do no contend or argue much, but pass along
peaceably and preach the first principles of the Gospel--faith in
God and in his Son Jesus Christ, and teach the people to repent
of their sins and be baptised for the remission of them, and they
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of
the hands of the Elders. It is often the case that some wish to
preach about things of which they have little or no knowledge.
Let alone that which you do not know or most assuredly believe to
be true--doctrines which you do not perfectly understand, and
strive to be honest. If you do not understand a doctrine or a
portion of Scripture, when information is asked of you, say that
the Lord has not revealed that to you, or that he has not opened
your understanding to grasp it, and that you do not feel safe in
giving an interpretation until he does.
56
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, May 20, 1860
Brigham Young, May 20, 1860
PRIVILEGES OF THE SABBATH--DUTY OF LIVING OUR
RELIGION--HUMAN LONGEVITY, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, May 20, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt
57
I am happy for the privilege of meeting with the Saints. I
delight in seeing their faces, and am very fond of their society.
57
I have much experience in the various habits, feelings, customs,
manners, and conditions of mankind; and I have felt, for many
years, as though I would be perfectly satisfied to associate with
those who live in peace--with those who believe in God the Father
and in his Son Jesus--to live with those who believe in the Holy
Ghost which the Lord has bestowed upon the children of men--with
those who adhere to all the principles in the Gospel, and live
according to it day by day. Such society would be perfectly
satisfactory to me. It would satisfy every feeling, every
desire,--in fact, my whole soul, without ever associating with
another wicked person on the earth.
57
I have not the least desire, nor have I had for years, to mingle
with a person who takes the name of God in vain, who in the least
betrays his covenants, who wavers or falters in his integrity
with his God or with his fellow-man; but I am most perfectly
satisfied to associate with those whose hearts are filled with
peace, with praise and adoration to our God, and whose lives are
full of good works. Their voices to me are like sweet music. I
have not the least desire to mingle with or look upon the faces
of those who hate God and his cause.
57
I rejoice in the privilege of meeting with the Saints, in hearing
them speak, and in enjoying the influence that is within and
around them. That influence opens to my understanding the true
position of those who are endeavouring to serve their God. I do
not require to hear them speak to enable me to know their
feelings. Is it not also your experience that, when you meet
persons in the streets, in your houses, in your offices, or in
your workshops, more or less of an influence attends them which
conveys more than words can? By this the Father knows his
children, Jesus knows his brethren, and the angels are acquainted
with those who delight to associate with them and with those who
hate them. This knowledge is obtained through that invisible
influence which attends intelligent beings, and betrays the
atmosphere in which they delight to live. Can you comprehend that
I understand their condition when I meet with Saints? I am
satisfied all is right: my soul is comforted.
58
You do not see me here every Sabbath. Perhaps some of you wonder
why. I will tell you in a very few words. If I had my own choice,
and could have my own dictation with regard to physical and
mental labour, I would set apart, for the express benefit of man,
at least one-seventh part of the time for rest. There are but
very few Sabbaths that I have ever kept in strictly resting from
my labours--permitting both body and mind to rest. Perhaps
assembling here on the Sabbath is a rest to many, though it is
not very much of a rest. To those who have been labouring all the
week to the utmost extent of their strength, it may be somewhat
of a rest to sit on these hard benches; but when I come here I
have a constant labour on my mind. This congregation, the Saints
throughout the world, and the world of mankind in general are
before me. I think for them all. I would like to take one-seventh
part of the time to rest; but I do not often have this privilege.
If I had my own mind, I would devote the time for meetings like
this within the measure of the six days, and on the seventh, rest
from all my labours, for the express purpose of renewing the
mental and physical powers of man. They require it, as the Lord
well knew; hence he established a day of rest. The natural
tendency of the physical powers of man is to decay; and to
preserve them as long as possible, they need this retirement from
labour--this rest--this ease. I very seldom enjoy this privilege.
58
Our customs are more or less like the customs of our fathers, and
their influence is often stronger upon us than any law. There is
not a law of God, nor a law of any nation that exercises so
strong an influence upon us as do our traditions at times, to
bind us to certain customs, habits, and ceremonies: consequently,
to carry out the old traditions, we observe this day of rest as
we now do. Father went to meeting on the seventh day, and the
priests and all good people go to meeting on that day. It has
been the custom from time immemorial. Some men and women walk
miles to attend meetings; some men walk as many as ten miles,
hold two or three meetings, walk back, and are in their workshops
by five o'clock on Monday morning. Custom binds us to this, and
here we are to-day in compliance with its force.
58
Brother Hyde spoke of a revelation which he tried to find in the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants. That revelation was reserved at
that time the compilation for that book was made by Oliver
Cowdery and others, in Kirtland. It was not wisdom to publish it
to the world, and it remained in the private escritoire. Brother
Joseph had that revelation concerning this nation at a time when
the brethren were reflecting and reasoning with regard to African
slavery on this continent, and the slavery of the children of men
throughout the world. There are other revelations, besides this
one, not yet published to the world. In the due time of the Lord,
the Saints and the world will be privileged with the revelations
that are due to them. They now have many more than they are
worthy of, for they do not observe them. The Gentile nations have
had more of the revelations of God than is their just due. And I
will say, as I have before said, if guilt before my God and my
brethren rests upon me in the least, it is in this one
thing--that I have revealed too much concerning God and his
kingdom, and the designs of our Father in heaven. Of, u skirts
are stained in the least with wrong, it is because I have been
too free in telling what God is, how he lives, the nature of his
providences and designs in creating the world, in bringing forth
the human family on the earth, his designs concerning them, &c.
If I had, like Paul, said--"But if any man be ignorant, let him
be ignorant," perhaps it would have been better for the people.
59
You may ask whether this is reasonable. I can prove it to be so
in a few sentences. There are men upon whom God has bestowed
gifts and graces, and women who are endowed with strong mental
ability, and yet they cannot receive the truth; and then the
truth condemns them: it leaves them in darkness. When they cannot
receive every truth, let it be ever so important or unimportant
to them, their neglect to grasp in their faith the truth God
reveals for their benefit weakens them, comparatively, from the
crowns of their heads to the soles of their feet, and the enemy
may have the advantage over them in an hour when they think not.
To please our Father in heaven, and do his will in all things, to
walk up faithfully in the discharge of every duty preparatory to
being crowned in his kingdom, when a truth is presented to an
intelligent person he ought to grasp it and receive it in his
faith. There are revelations, wisdom, knowledge, and
understanding yet to be proclaimed, and whether they will please
the world, or not, is immaterial to me. I shall not pledge myself
upon a single point.
59
I wish to impress upon the minds of the Saints the importance of
so living that they will always know the voice of the Good
Shepherd. When they hear the voice of the Spirit of
inspiration--the power of God, through any person, let the
feelings and sensibilities of every one who professes to know
anything of the things of God, be in a state to know and discern
between that which is of God and that which is not. I have
exhorted the brethren, all the day long, in this way. My whole
study is employed and my whole soul is drawn out to induce this
people to live their religion. How often has it been taught that
if you depend entirely upon the voice, judgment, and sagacity of
those appointed to lead you, and neglect to enjoy the Spirit for
yourselves, how easily you may be led into error, and finally be
cast off to the left hand? Is it desirable to lead you astray?
No; it would not be momentary satisfaction to a Saint of God--to
a servant of God--to one who sees things as they are, to be the
means of betraying and deceiving the whole human family and
leading them astray where he pleased. For any man who understands
the things of God to have power to lead the human family astray
at his will and pleasure is calculated to destroy: it is ruin, it
is waste, and will finally lead to disorganization. But a true
servant of God takes more pleasure in saving the meanest capacity
organized in human form upon the face of the earth than a wicked
person can in leading hosts astray. Let a Prophet of God, an
Apostle, or any servant of the Lord Jesus have the privilege of
bringing the very smallest degree of organized intelligence up
higher and higher until it is capable of receiving the
intelligence of angels, and it will give more consolation and
happiness than to lead all the posterity of Adam into a wrong
path.
60
Brethren and sisters, I have a few words to say to you with
regard to our present position as connected with future events,
future prospects, future kingdoms, glories, and existence, and
the rise, spread, glory, and power of the kingdom of God upon the
face of the earth. You know that I am a to-day person in my
preaching and exhortations. They are for the time we now live
in--not particularly for the millennium, for the resurrection,
for the eternities yet to come; for if we can live this day as we
ought to live, we shall be prepared for to-morrow, and so on for
the next day; and when the eternities come, we shall be prepared
to enjoy them. You are constantly taught to live your religion
for today. Can you not live it for one hour? Begin at a small
point: can you not live to the Lord for one minute? Yes. Then can
we not multiply that by sixty and make an hour, and live that
hour to the Lord? Yes; and then for a day, a week, a month, and a
year? Then, when the year is past, it has been spent most
satisfactorily.
60
We may so live our religion every moment, and so watch our own
conduct as to not suffer ourselves in the least to do anything
that would infringe upon a good conscience that is formed and
regulated by the Priesthood of God, and in all our acts to not
permit ourselves to do one act that next year or a few years
hence will wound the heart and bring shame and confusion over the
countenance; but let every day be filled with acts that will be
in our reflections a source of joy and consolation. This we can
do. You are taught, both by ancient and modern prophecies, that
the Lord is going to bring again Zion--is going to build up his
kingdom on the earth, and reign King of nations as he does King
of Saints. With all this so plainly portrayed in both ancient and
modern revelations, we learn, when we look over the history of
the children of men, how they have apostatized, have deserted
their colours, (the flag God gave them for their standard), and
have hewn to themselves cisterns that can hold no water. They
have wandered after strange gods, and the world has faltered and
failed from generation to generation, not only in their mental
faculties and pertaining to the things of God, but also in their
physical existence.
60
How far back shall we have to search before we find a people that
attained to the longevity for which the body of man is framed? If
we could meet here Sabbath after Sabbath for a hundred years to
come, would it not be a glorious privilege? What parent would not
rejoice in seeing his children and his children's children grow
up to manhood, while he still lived on the earth to direct their
minds and mark out the path for them to walk in, and lead out
before them in righteousness and holiness, inspiring them to
continually pursue the way of obedience to the will of their God?
Would not this be more pleasing than laying down the body in an
early grave? Would it not be consoling to a good man to live long
on the earth in the full enjoyment of all his mental and physical
faculties, filled with experience and judgment to direct the
steps of youth, and to see his children, his grandchildren, and
great grandchildren, and still continue from year to year and
from generation to generation, until he is six, seven, eight, or
nine hundred years old? "But no," says a father or mother; "I
probably shall not live until I see my children grown up. I will
direct them as well as I can while I live." It is seldom that men
in our day can count more than three generations of our
offspring, and be all the time guiding them in the path which
leads back to our heavenly Father--to our heavenly home, guiding
our rising generations by our examples, good judgment, and the
superior counsel and experience we have gained in the things of
God--of heaven and earth; would not this be consoling to every
good person?
61
You read in the Bible, "There shall be no more thence an infant
of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the
child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner, being an
hundred years old, shall be accursed. And they shall build houses
and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the
fruit of them. They shall not build and another inhabit; they
shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree are
the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work
of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth
for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord,
and their offspring with them."
61
The human family has again to return to this state--not you and I
as individuals. Mankind have degenerated; they have lost the
physical and mental power they once possessed. In many points
pertaining to mechanism, men have in modern times been instructed
by revelation to them, and this mechanical knowledge causes them
to almost boast against their Creator, and to set themselves up
as competitors with the Lord Almighty, notwithstanding they have
produced nothing but what has been revealed to them. In the
knowledge of astronomical and other philosophical truths, which
our modern great men are searching after and pride themselves in,
they are but babes, compared with the ancient fathers. Do the
wise men of modern ages understand the laws which govern the
worlds that are, that were, and that are to come? They cannot
fathom this matter. They have grown weaker when they ought to
have grown stronger and wiser. We look forward to a day when we
must begin to approximate towards the life that is eternal--the
life that will endure. You may ask, "Do we wish to live in the
flesh always?" No; only so long as we can endure the sufferings,
hardships, toils, labours, pains, and afflictions that are in
this world, and make every day benefit ourselves and our
posterity, and our acts redound to our own exaltation and to the
increase of the kingdom of our Father who placed us here.
61
Some of our old traditions teach us that a man guilty of
atrocious and murderous acts may savingly repent when on the
scaffold; and upon his execution will hear the expression--"Bless
God! he has gone to heaven, to be crowned in glory, through the
all--redeeming merits of Christ the Lord." This is all nonsense.
Such a character never will see heaven. Some will pray, "O that I
had passed through the vail on the night of my conversion!" This
proves the false ideas and vain notions entertained by the
Christian world. They have no good sense pertaining to God and
godliness.
61
This is a world in which we are to prove ourselves. The lifetime
of man is a day of trial, wherein we may prove to God, in our
darkness, in our weakness, and where the enemy reigns, that we
are our Father's friends, and that we receive light from him and
are worthy to be leaders of our children--to become lords of
lords, and kings of kings,--to have perfect dominion over that
portion of our families that will be crowned in the celestial
kingdom with glory, immortality, land eternal lives. If we are
crowned to become lords of lords and king of kings, it will be to
rule and reign over our own posterity pertaining to this
flesh--these tabernacles--this commencement in our finite state
or being. When I reign king of kings and lord of lords over my
children, it will be when my first, second, third, fourth, and so
on, son rises up and counts thousands and millions of his
posterity, and is king over them; then I am a king of these
kings. Our Father, who is Lord of all, will reign a King of kings
and Lord of lords over all his children.
62
Mothers really and verily have very great influence, from the
commencement, in forming the leading temperaments and feelings of
their offspring. I have not time, neither do I here wish to fully
explain this subject. When a father is abusive in any way--is a
drunkard, a swearer, &c., if the mother is humble and looks to
her God, beyond her earthly lord, as it is her right under such
circumstances, the influence that would otherwise operate upon
her has little or no power to affect her offspring. If she
secretly prays and lifts her desires to her Father in heaven,
beyond her miserable, drinking, swearing husband, the sacred,
peaceful, trusting, happifying influence she enjoys, when thus
living near to her God, produces its impression upon the earthly
tabernacle--upon the course in life of her prospective offspring.
62
The father should be full of kindness, and endeavour to happify
and cheer the mother, that her heart may be comforted and her
affections unimpaired in her earthly protector, that her love for
God and righteousness may vibrate throughout her whole being,
that she may bear and bring forth offspring impressed and endowed
with all the qualities necessary to a being designed to reign
king of kings and lord of lords.
62
But few women have a realizing sense of the immortal, invisible,
and powerful influence they exert in their sphere. A mother may
inquire, "What is to be done?" Break off, by faith, and in the
name of Jesus Christ, from every false principle, from every
hurtful practice, and overcome every appetite that tends to
injure and destroy the tabernacle you bear. Take a course that
will produce life, that children may be born full of life and
vigour.
62
And during the period of nursing, let the mother be faithful and
prayerful, that her infant may enjoy a powerful, Godlike, and
happy influence. Do mothers so act? or do they prefer to run here
and there, and to desire this and fret for that, to gratify their
appetites?
62
Look to it, mothers, that you desire only that which will most
promote the health and life of your offspring; and ask the
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, to enable you to resist
every depraved appetite; and let fathers be full of the power of
God, to lead, guide, direct, and influence mothers, that they may
have no desires but those which are prompted by the influence of
the Almighty. I make these few remarks upon life, that you may
know how we ought to begin to conduct ourselves relative to the
rising generation, that the days of the children of men may begin
to return to them.
62
It is the business, duty, and power of the eternal Priesthood to
commence laying the foundation to bring back the days, years, and
intelligence that have been lost through transgression. I intend
to pursue this course as long as I possibly can. I have a desire
to live on this earth until I am one hundred and thirty-five
years old; and I may conclude to ask the privilege to live until
I am one hundred and fifty. I intend to live as long as I can;
and, through the grace of God, I trust that I shall not commit an
act that will annoy my feelings when I meet my Saviour. I pray
for this every day and every moment.
62
At times I may to many of the brethren appear to be severe. I
sometimes chasten them; but it is because I wish them to so live
that the power of God, like a flame of fire, will dwell within
them and be round about them. These are my feelings and desires.
I wish to see this people take a course to bring back the days,
years, and intelligence that have been lost through
transgression. This cannot be performed in a day. Zion will not
be redeemed and built up in a day. Israel will not be brought
back to the fold of Christ and redeemed in a day.
63
If you fully knew things as they are, you would understand that
the "peculiar institution," as it is called,--that doctrine which
is so obnoxious to our beloved Christian brethren--for a man to
have more than one wife--is one of the greatest blessings
bestowed upon man. If the Elders of Israel, who enjoy this
privilege, understood it as it is in the bosom of eternity, they
would not trifle with and abuse it, and treat the blessings of
the Lord lightly, as is too often the case. How often am I called
upon to hear tales of sorrow which are like bitterness to my
soul--like drinking a cup of wormwood. I hate this. God hates it.
He does not hate to have us multiply, increase, and replenish
;the earth; but he hates for us to live in sin and wickedness,
after all the privilege bestowed up on us,--to live in the
neglect of the great duties which devolve upon us,
notwithstanding the state of weakness and darkness in which the
human family lives. Burst that vail of darkness from your eyes,
that you may see things as they are.
63
Many professing to be Saints seem to have no knowledge, no light,
to see anything beyond a dollar, or a pleasant time, a
comfortable house, a fine farm, &c., &c. O fools, and slow of
heart to understand the purposes of God and his handiwork among
the people. Let me present a few ideas in regard to the things
you enjoy. Suppose we say that the time is coming when you will
possess this house, that garden, the other farm, and own such and
such possessions, and have no more headache, tooth-ache,
inflammation of the eyes, back-ache, rheumatism, pain, sorrow,
and death, would you not consider that you were greatly
blessed--that you enjoyed a blessing worthy of the eternal world?
Suppose it possible that you have the privilege of securing to
yourselves eternal life--to live and enjoy these blessings for
ever; you will say this is the greatest blessing that can be
bestowed upon you, to live for ever and enjoy the society of
wives, children, and children's children, to a thousand
generations, and for ever; also the society of brethren, sisters,
neighbours, and associates, and to possess all you can ask for to
make you happy and comfortable. What blessing is equal to this?
What blessing is equal to the continuation of life--to the
continuation of our organizations?
63
The Lord has blessed us with the ability to enjoy an eternal life
with the Gods, and this is pronounced the greatest gift of God.
The gift of eternal life, without a posterity, to become an
angel, is one of the greatest gifts bestowed; yet the Lord has
bestowed on us the privilege of becoming fathers of lives. What
is a father of lives, as mentioned in the Scriptures? A man who
has a posterity to an eternal continuance. That is the blessing
Abraham received, and it perfectly satisfied his soul. He
obtained the promise that he should be the father of lives. In
comparison with this, what did Abraham care about machinery,
railroads, and other great mechanical productions? We have the
privilege of becoming fathers of lives to all eternity, and of
existing in the presence of God. Is not this worthy of our living
in righteousness and complete obedience to the commandments of
God? Then away with all little meannesses, and deal out kindness
to all. Chasten, where chastening will answer best; but try
persuasion before you try the rod.
64
If the days of man are to begin to return, we must cease all
extravagant living. When men live to the age of a tree, their
food will be fruit. Mothers, to produce offspring full of life
and days, must cease drinking liquor, tea, and coffee, that their
systems may be free from bad effects. If every woman in this
Church will now cease drinking tea, coffee, liquor, and all other
powerful stimulants, and live upon vegetables, &c., not many
generations will pass away before the days of man will again
return. But it will take generations to entirely eradicate the
influences of deleterious substances. This must be done before we
can attain our paradisiacal state, for the Lord will bring again
Zion to its paradisiacal state.
64
May God grant that we may see and enjoy it. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, June 3, 1860
Brigham Young, June 3, 1860
CONFIDENCE AND INFLUENCE OF THE SAINTS--KNOWLEDGE, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, a.m., June 3, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
64
I am thankful for the privilege of standing before you, and feel
desirous to enjoy the Spirit of intelligence, that when I speak
to the Saints I may be a comfort to them, and strengthen them,
and so dictate and guide their minds that they may receive
strength and consolation in the faith of the Gospel, and in the
hope of eternal life.
64
One reason why I have not of late addressed you oftener is
because I wish other brethren to have an equal opportunity to
speak to the people. I often regret when we call upon the Elders
to speak in this Tabernacle, to hear them say that they have been
in the Church ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, or more years,
and have not before had the privilege of speaking to the Saints,
in their large assemblies, apparently casting a reflection upon
me or upon my brethren because we have not invited them to
preach. We would be glad to have all such persons preach. Let us
know who you are, for it creates a feeling of regret for any of
the brethren to intimate that they have been neglected.
65
Some who have lost the confidence and influence of the Saints,
may expect that confidence and influence to be restored to them
by me and my brethren. I have always told the brethren, in our
private conversations, that that is impossible: it is a work we
cannot accomplish. I might call upon a person who had stolen your
cattle or your horses, and taken them to the camp and sold them,
or who had stolen your fencing or other property, to address you
from this stand; but would that restore confidence? No. We might
call a man into this stand who has been in the habit of getting
drunk and appearing intoxicated in the streets; but would that
cause the people to have confidence in him? No. If I and my
Counsellors should strive with our might to support and recommend
him, that would not give him the influence he wishes, but would
disgrace the man of God who undertook it. If the Elders wish to
exhibit their talents before the Saints and the world, let them
make themselves acquainted with all the principles they desire to
represent in speaking and administering to the Saints. And if
those who have lost their influence, through disreputable
proceedings, wish to regain it, instead of expecting to regain it
at once by being called into this stand, go to the private
prayer-meeting and there humbly pray God to bless you and your
brethren. When you imagine that you are neglected and do not have
the privilege of exhibiting your talent--I speak of those who
have been in the habit of doing wrong, and thereby have lost
confidence--pursue a course that will convince your brethren that
you have reformed. Go to your neighbours' houses and tell them
you have appointed a meeting in your house. Call the brethren
together, and pray with them and for them; and let them see, by
the power of the spirit of the holy Gospel, that you have
repented of all your evils--that you will refrain from
sinning--that you will not again be caught, as heretofore,
transgressing the law of God, the grace of God assisting you.
65
If you can make as good a beginning as did an old lady, you will
do well. She went to a school-house, and, on her return, called
at a neighbour's who inquired where she had been. She replied, "I
have been to meeting." "Has there been a meeting?" "Oh, yes, and
a glorious one, too." "Dear me, we did not hear of it. Were there
many there?" "No, there were not many." "Who was there?" "Why,
the Lord was there, and I was there, and had a blessed good
meeting." If you cannot get any person to meet with you, be sure
and have the Lord meet with you, and you will soon gain
confidence in yourselves and have influence with your brethren.
65
No man can gain influence in this kingdom, and maintain himself
in it, or magnify his calling, without the power of God being
with him. Persons must so live that they can enjoy the light of
the Holy Spirit, or they will have no confidence in themselves,
in their religion, or in their God, and will sooner or later turn
from the faith. They are in sorrow, and leave in search of
something that will satisfy their minds. Hundreds have been to
Camp Floyd, to the States, and to their native foreign lands, to
find that comfort and consolation they have lost. They need not
go out of their own houses to accomplish this, for the Lord is
near them--the Gospel is at their doors--life and salvation are
with them, if they will only repent of their sins, return to the
Lord with all their sins, return to the Lord with all their
hearts, and humble themselves until they get the Spirit: they
will then learn that they have the treasure hunted for in
California, in Carson Valley, and the world over,--the riches of
eternal life.
66
You who feel that you are in the least slighted, begin to have
your meetings; and if there is no person to pray with you in your
own houses, pray by yourselves until the Lord meets with you and
you enjoy the light of the Holy Spirit. Then, if you wish to,
call in your neighbours and pray with them and for them. There is
no law against doing good. You have all the privilege you can ask
for, to perform all the good you have any talent to perform. When
a man complains that his talent is not appreciated by his
brethren, he is lacking one important piece of information more
important to him than to any other--a knowledge of himself. This
would do him more good than all his great talents without it.
When he knows his own ability--can understand himself, he can
properly employ every talent he has. Without that, he cannot do
so. Those who seek for wisdom, for knowledge, and eternal life,
understand the exhortation just delivered by brother George
Halliday. So far as I heard, it was very sweet--very good.
Without the light of the Spirit of Christ, no person can truly
enjoy life. I thought brother Halliday very correctly portrayed
the feelings of some, when alluding to certain wives becoming as
skillful and noted, and a little more so in their own estimation,
than were their husbands. I am not in the least fearful that any
one will gain too much knowledge of God, and through that
knowledge undertake to dictate me. If you know the Spirit of God,
have the power of revelation, and know the mind of the Lord from
day to day, I am not afraid of your disagreeing with me. Do not
have any fears of knowing too much, lest you should feel to rise
up and dictate me, as wives, in many cases, do their husbands.
66
You examine from the beginning to this day, and continue to watch
in the future, and where you find a man who wishes to steady the
ark of God, without being called to do so, you will find a dark
spot in him. The man full of light and intelligence discerns that
God steadies his own ark, dictates his own affairs, guides his
people, controls his kingdom, governs nations, and holds the
hearts of all living in his hands, and turns them hither and
thither at his pleasure, not infringing upon their agency. There
is not the least danger of disagreeing with persons enjoying the
Holy Spirit.
66
With regard to those who leave us, brother Kimball's comparing it
to removing disease from the body is true. Every individual,
every family, and every portion of the community that desire to
leave this kingdom, the quicker they go the better for us. The
sooner such branches are severed, the healthier will be the tree;
its roots and stock will become more powerful, and it will spread
its branches to the nethermost parts of the earth. Dead branches
tend to make the tree sickly, if they are permitted to remain.
Let them be cut off, that the healthy branches may drink more
strength and vigour from the roots of the tree, and the foliage
of the whole tree be beautiful.
66
Do not have the least fears in regard to this Church and kingdom.
Some Elders, and perhaps some presiding Elders, entertain a
fearful looking for the time when they shall be driven again.
Brother Kimball has told you that we shall not be. We shall not,
unless we are disposed to. The Lord has led this people from the
beginning. From the day that Joseph obtained the plates, and
previous to that time, the Lord dictated him. He directed him day
by day and hour by hour. He led this people in different parts of
the United States, and the finger of scorn has been pointed at
them. Officers of the Government of the United States have lifted
their heel against them, and this people have been driven from
town to town, from county to county, and from State to State. The
Lord has his design in this. You may ask what his design is. You
all know that the Saints must be made pure, to enter into the
celestial kingdom. It is recorded that Jesus was made perfect
through suffering. If he was made perfect through suffering, why
should we imagine for one moment that we can be prepared to enter
into the kingdom of rest with him and the Father, without passing
through similar ordeals?
67
The iniquity of the evil-doer must be made manifest, and those
who hate the kingdom of God on the earth must have the privilege
of filling up the cup of their iniquity. The Lord has led the
people through scenes of sorrow and affliction; but what have we
passed through here during the two last years? Nothing,
comparatively speaking. I can say that I do not consider that I
have ever suffered anything for this kingdom--nothing in the
least. I have never sacrificed anything, without it be the evil
propensities that are sown in our nature, springing from the seed
that was sown at the fall. May that be termed a sacrifice? I will
not call it so. What do we possess on this earth? Do we even own
our bodies? Had we the power to produce them? Is the intelligence
in these bodies our own? Did we organize and implant it? No human
being has had power to organize his own existence. Then there is
a greater than we. Are we our own in our bodies? Are we our own
in our spirits? We are not our own. We belong to our
progenitors--to our Father and our God.
67
We say that we have lost an ox, a cow, or a horse; or, "I left my
farm, my house, and have sacrificed a great deal for this work."
This is a mistake. You had nothing to lose. Not one particle of
all that comprises this vast creation of God is our own.
Everything we have has been bestowed upon us for our action, to
see what we would do with it--whether we would use it for eternal
death and degradation, until we cease operating in this
existence. We have nothing to sacrifice: then let us not talk
about sacrificing.
67
The Lord has led the people carefully along, and dictate
according to his pleasure. Brother Heber says we have been going
from place to place, until, finally, we have come into these
valleys in the mountains. Why? Because we were obliged to. The
Lord has had his eye on this spot from the beginning--upon this
part of the land of Joseph. Read the history contained in the
Book of Mormon, and ask yourselves whether God has ever suffered
a king to reign on this land. Will he ever? No. This is the land
that was given to Joseph--the son so well beloved by his father
Jacob; and no king will ever reign upon it but the King, the
Lord. Could that book have been brought forth and published to
the world under any other government but the Government of the
United States? No. He has governed and controlled the settling of
this continent. He led our fathers from Europe to this land, and
prepared the way to break the yoke that bound them, and inspired
the guaranteed freedom in our Government, though that guarantee
is too often disregarded. He could bring forth his work, and has
prepared a people to receive and commence his kingdom. Could this
be done anywhere else? No. He has known, from the beginning of
creation, that this is the land whereon to build this Zion. He
knows how to commence his work and how to finish it, and he will
finish it where he commenced it.
67
How our faith would stretch out and grasp the heavenly land where
our father Adam dwelt in his paradisiacal state! That land is on
this continent. Here is where Adam lived. Do you not think the
Lord has had his eye upon it? Yes. He is the King of all the
earth, and has reigned supreme according to his own goodwill and
pleasure, and makes the wrath of man praise him. He has had his
eye upon his work, and has led this people from place to place,
until he has led them into the chambers of the mountains--into
the holy hill of God; and they will reign upon Mount Zion.
68
Many have looked upon our trip south as a great stumblingblock,
because we left our houses and possessions. I am willing to see
my houses in ashes, and be stripped of every description of
property, if it is necessary to the advancement of the kingdom of
God. That move was made for an express purpose: it had and will
have the desired effect, and will accomplish all the lord
designed. We have prayed that the wicked may be confused, broken,
and scattered. Are they not broken and scattered? And are we not
here? We are, and we will stay until we go away. And should the
Lord require it, we will make this region as clean and desolate
as it was when we found it. Do not murmur or complain about this,
that, or the other.
68
I now wish to ask the strong-minded men--the talented men (we say
nothing about strong-minded women). How many of you have had
wisdom enough to procure and lay up for yourselves produce enough
to last until harvest? You may call this a small matter. How many
of you have wheat or flour to last you a year? If you are without
bread, how much wisdom can you boast, and of what real utility
are your talents, if you cannot procure for yourselves and save
against a day of scarcity those substances designed to sustain
your natural lives? You wish to come here and preach to the
people, when you have not knowledge to sustain yourselves
temporally, to say nothing of a spiritual salvation. You cannot
save yourselves, a wife, and a child from starvation, unless some
one takes you by the hand and leads you; and yet you want to make
us believe that you are almighty big men. I exhort the brethren
to seek unto the Lord for wisdom. If you cannot provide for your
natural lives, how can you expect to have wisdom to obtain
eternal lives? God has give you your existence--your body and
spirit, and has blest you with ability, and thereby laid the
foundation of all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and all
glory and eternal lives. If you have not attained ability to
provide for your natural wants, and for a wife and a few
children, what have you to do with heavenly things?
68
You know how to raise wheat and corn, how to build a house or a
barn, how to raise a horse, a cow, or a sheep, and how to
manufacture wool, because you have had practice in those labours
from your youth up; but you do not all know how to preserve such
things to yourselves and make yourselves comfortable. Instead of
trying to find out how God is made, or how angels are made, I
wish you would try to learn how to sustain yourselves in your
present existence, and at the same time learn the things of
God--the things that await you, that you may begin to prepare to
dwell to all eternity,--not merely to dwell to-day, to-morrow,
this week, next week, and next year but how to secure salvation
in your present organization. If you cannot do this, you must be
perfectly submissive in the hands of the Lord, and learn wisdom.
This is the first thing for you to learn.
69
We are to build up and establish Zion, gather the house of
Israel, and redeem the nations of the earth. This people have
this work to do, whether we live to see it or not. This is all in
our hands. I hope to live to see Zion redeemed and built up. I
desire to see the time when Jerusalem shall be established, and
the Jews gathered,--when the law shall go forth from Zion to
govern the people, that all may rejoice in the truth--that the
poor may rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. If we do not know how
to preserve ourselves in our present organization and existence,
how can we prepare for an eternity? We must learn this first: it
is an every-day experience. Ye men of Israel, go to with all your
might, and seek to know how to sustain yourselves, that you may
live long on the earth, to glorify our Father in heaven, and
build up his kingdom on the earth.
69
We are legal heirs to all the kingdoms there are in the heavens
for the faithful, if we but prove ourselves faithful, if we but
prove ourselves faithful. We are all the elect, if we will only
keep the commandments of God and work righteousness. If we turn
away from the holy commandments of the Lord, we shall be
accounted as reprobates. What of Joseph Smith's family? What of
his boys? I have prayed from the beginning for sister Emma for
the whole family. There is not a man in this Church that has
entertained better feelings towards them. Joseph said to me, "God
will take care of my children when I am taken." They are in the
hands of God, and when they make their appearance before this
people, full of his power, there are none but what will
say--"Amen! we are ready to receive you."
69
The brethren testify that brother Brigham is brother Joseph's
legal successor. You never heard me say so. I say that I am a
good hand to keep the dogs and wolves out of the flock. I do not
care a groat who rises up. I do not think anything about being
Joseph's successor. That is nothing that concerns me. I never
asked yet, or had a feeling as to what kind of a great man, O
Lord, are you going to make me? But, Father, what do you require
of me, and what can I do to promote your kingdom on the earth,
and save myself as to whose successor I am. I do not know but
that I am one of those great men that brother Parley preached
about in Nauvoo, after Sidney Rigdon preached his great sermon in
which he strove to make it appear that he was one of those great
men of whom the Prophet wrote. Parley rose up and said, "I am one
of those great men the Apostles never wrote about." I may be one
of those men the Prophets never knew or wrote about--one that is
hardly worthy the notice of the Lord. He has placed intelligence
within us, and it is for us to know what we can do to promote
righteousness and peace on the earth, and establish his kingdom.
If I can have the privilege to gain faith and grace, and secure
to myself an eternal existence in the kingdom of God, I am not
concerned but that I shall be as great as I ought to be, and have
all I ought to have.
69
All is right. God an carry on his own work. This kingdom will
stand for ever. You have heard brother Kimball testify that this
kingdom will stand for ever. It will begin to roll to and mash
the toes of the great image, and then the feet, the legs, and the
body; and by-and-by it will fill the whole earth, and no power of
earth or hell can hinder it. The Lord Almighty will reign until
he puts all enemies under his feet. That is the promise--that is
the decree of the Father, that Jesus shall begin to reign on this
earth in the latter days; and his kingdom will increase upon the
right and upon the left, until, by-and-by, it becomes a great
kingdom and fills the whole earth, when he will begin to reign
King of nations, as he now reigns King of Saints. It is and has
been a warfare with Satan, and the war will continue until Jesus
puts all enemies under his feet, disposing of death and him who
has the power of it, who is the Devil. I hope and pray to be
always ready to do anything the Lord wishes to be done. We are
the men who will strive to live by every word that proceeds from
his mouth.
70
I feel perfectly satisfied. I am rejoiced. My soul magnifies the
name of God that there is a people on the earth as good as we
are, and yet there is room for us to be better. This people are
improving; they are growing in grace. If it had not been for the
mighty power of faith here, and the many righteous ones, you
would not have had the privilege of living here. The faith of the
Saints bound the enemy and sustained our feet on this ground; and
my prayer is for the Lord to make fast our feet in the mountains,
until we go forth to redeem the centre Stake of Zion. What do you
say? [Amen! amen!"]
70
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, April 22, 1860
Brigham Young, April 22, 1860
RELIGION OF THE SAINTS--PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL--CONTENTION, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 22, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
70
I delight, as brother E. D. Woolley has just observed, in my
religion, and had rather talk about it than upon any other
subject. I esteem it the only true system of religion, and its
practice the only correct course of life. In it are the only true
principles of philosophy: it comprehends all true science known
by man, angels, and the Gods. There is one true system and
science of life; all else tends to death. That system emanates
from the Foundation of life.
70
But to say that we love our religion, and delight to live it and
talk about it, is, in comparison, like a person's telling those
who are fond of it how sweet and delicious honey is--how much
better they like it than they do mud! Or, to use another
comparison, it is like a person's telling how much pleasanter it
is to prosecute a long journey over mountains, deserts, and
streams, with his eyes open, than it is to grope his way
blind-folded! That is about the comparison, when we speak
concerning the principles of eternal life and those principles
that tend to death.
70
You hear men speak about going to transact temporal business.
Suppose you cease the temporal, where is your spiritual business?
Does it not end? Yes; and if you wish to live, prepare to live
to-day. My religion comprehends all the mental and physical
powers; and a man who realizes this never allows himself to go
about any work without wishing and striving to enjoy the
principles of eternal life.
71
I will say a few words in reference to those who are about to
start on missions to preach the Gospel, and those who are going
on business. If those who are going to preach do not go with that
faith that pertains to eternal life, and that spirit that is like
a well of water, springing up into everlasting life, their
labours will be vain. They may be the best theoretical
theologians in the world--may be able to preach a Bible and a
half in a sermon, to read history without a book, and understand
all the dealings with men from the days of Adam till now; and,
without the Spirit of the living God to guide them, they will not
be able to accomplish anything to their credit towards building
up his kingdom. They must realize that success in preaching the
gospel springs not from the wisdom of this world. They must so
live as to enjoy the power of God: otherwise, they may bring home
their converts; but what are they good for? They are not worth
bringing across the Plains; for, after their arrival, they annoy
and disturb the peace of others. Do such come here to build up
Zion? Did such persons love the Gospel? No; or, if they did, they
lost that love while coming here.
71
If persons receive the power of God through the Gospel, and turn
away, they very soon manifest the spirit they are of. Some do not
receive the power of God, but they obey the first principles of
the Gospel, live it to all outward appearance, and by-and-by
manifest that they do not love it. Though you can scarcely
discern the difference by their outward acts, time will disclose
who are Saints and who are not.
71
The day will come when the cry will be--"Lo, the bridegroom
cometh; go ye out to meet him." Till that time, the Elders who go
to preach should go clothed upon with the power of God--filled
with the Holy Ghost, that they may be enabled to perform a work
that will be acceptable in the sight of High Heaven. Do I say,
Love your enemies? Yes, upon certain principles. But you are not
required to love their wickedness: you are only required to love
them so far as concerns a desire and effort to turn them from
their evil ways, that they may be saved through obedience to the
Gospel.
71
I have observed in this Church from the beginning, that when
Elders follow others in the work of the ministry, they wish
congregations, Conferences, societies, and all people to respect
them a little more than anybody else; and this feeling will more
or less beset the Elders now about to go forth. You would like to
have the people think that you know a little more than any other
persons--particularly more than your predecessors, and that all
you teach is just right. I wish you to build up every man who is
in the faith of the Gospel--who is in the faith of God, angels,
and good men; and if you strive to pull down good men who are
around you, you are sure to fall yourselves. Tell the people what
we have in Utah--that we have the light of the Gospel, that we
hold the keys of the kingdom, and that here is the place to be
cleansed, purified, and sanctified by the furnace of affliction.
Do not tell them that gold grows on our trees, and that their
troubles will all be over when they arrive here. The Saints are
not tried in the world as they are here. True, they have trials
among their friends and relations, but those trials are not such
as they meet here. Tell them that, in gathering, they are going
to the thrashing-machine,--that they will then be run through the
smutter, afterwards through the mill; and if they prove to be
fine flour, they will be saved: if not, all their previous
righteousness will be counted as nothing.
72
When people receive the Gospel, their minds are opened; they see
Zion in its glory; but they do not see the troubles on the
Plains, or the troubles with false brethren. They are young,
weak, and unprepared to receive those things which the Lord will
suffer to come upon them. They are not prepared for those trials
that will purify and prepare them for exaltation; their minds are
only prepared for the riches and fulness of the glory of God that
has been shown to them when the vision of their minds was opened
by the Spirit of the living God; and but little do they know what
they have to pass through.
72
You need not teach that this place is Zion, or that Nauvoo or
Missouri is Zion; but tell the people that North and South
America are the land of Zion, and that our God will finish his
work where he commenced it, where the centre Stake of Zion is,
and where the garden of Eden was. Say to them--"If you want to
become as gold seven times purified, go up to Utah." Gather the
Saints, but do not flatter; invite, but do not urge, and by no
means compel any one. Gather the Saints here as quickly as
possible. Why? Because among the nations their dreams and
reflections are all joy and glory, and they know but little else
until after they arrive here. Some must come here in order to
apostatize. We have thought that we could try to stop that class
in the States, and let them apostatize there; but we cannot. They
think all things should be here now as they are in heaven. This
is the very place for them also, and we want them here as soon as
possible.
72
Brethren and sisters, I like to meet with and speak to you; I
also like to reason with myself, to instruct myself, and to
consider whether I can detect in myself anything that should not
be. I strive to know myself, and would be pleased to have you all
strive to know yourselves. Put away all unkind feelings, and let
all your meditations be correct--precisely as they should be. I
like to ascertain whether my feelings and meditations are
correct, and whether in other circumstances I should feel as I
now do. But leave that in the hands of the Lord; for my labours
and reflections to purify this people and prepare them for the
things that are to come, to instruct them, and urge them to look
at themselves as they look at their neighbours, seem to bear upon
my mind with greater weight.
72
Contentions frequently arise to so alienating a degree that
brethren have no faith in each other's honesty and integrity,
when, perhaps, both parties have stumbled over a little, selfish,
ignorant, personal misunderstanding, and are carrying it to the
extent of wishing to cut each other off from the Church. Very
frequently such cases are presented before me. Unravel the
difficulty, and it is found to have started in a trifling
misunderstanding in relation to some small matter; all the
trouble has arisen from a most frivolous cause. Avoid nursing
misunderstandings into difficulties. Some talk with a heavy, deep
stress upon their words, without intending anything harsh or
unkind. Sometimes a little misunderstanding in dealing causes a
contention, and the parties become alienated. An offended person
will ask himself, "Does that man want to cheat me?" Or, "Does
that neighbour mean to wrong me?" Before you decide, learn, if
you can, the design in the heart of the actor.
73
A few Sabbaths ago, I compared the mind of man to machinery. The
human family frame certain ideas or notions in their minds; and
when they get them arranged to suit themselves, it seems
impossible to induce them to give them up. When the idea of
inventing perpetual motion possesses the mind of an individual,
he will waste all his time and substance, rather than give it up.
A person will get an idea that he must be a merchant, and handle
a few calicos and cloths, and deal them out by the yard. I would
not condescend to such business; but some cannot see anything
else. Why? Because they do not like any other business. We should
divest ourselves of all feelings of selfishness, become like clay
in the hands of the potter, and say, "I have no mind of my own;
it must be passive, and suffer God to direct. He has given me
good powers of mind, and he shall have the privilege of directing
them." Then you can enjoy this, that, or the other, and all will
be right.
73
We, as other people, have our minds formed according to the
liberty we enjoy and the education and intelligence we have
received. We frame, fashion, compose, and arrange things in our
mind--form this, that, and the other plan, and say, "I am going
to such a city;" "I will trade;" "I will make me a farm;" "I will
go to the east, west, north, or south, and will do thus and so."
Do you not know that the whole human family are more or less
working upon this principle? Many do not seem to realize that
they cannot go to any city and buy and sell, or make a farm, or
go to the kanyons, to California, to the States, or do this and
that, without God permits. The result of the doings of the
children of men are all in the hands of God; then shall I say
that I will do thus and so? I will stop, unless the Lord requires
at my hands such a performance of mental or physical labour. I
will wait, for I wish to spend my strength and life upon sure
ground. My acts, principles, and powers must be directed by the
Almighty, that the results may be according to my desires; and
they cannot, unless I am so directed.
73
The nations and kingdoms of this world are striving for something
make them happy; but if they will pause and consider that though
they may go to a city on the right, to another on the left, to
the east, west, north, and south, and do as they choose, unless
the Almighty directs, they may expect the result will be darkness
and death.
73
The Lord has placed mankind here, and offered them salvation
without money and without price. All who take a course opposite
to that which is marked out will come to an end. Which is the
best--life or death? bitter or sweet? Let your lives be so
directed that the results may be according that the results may
be according to your wishes. No man will attain the results he
desires without striving for them while he who will act his part
will receive the honour and glory of God as a reward for his
labours.
73
I will urge upon the Elders who are going abroad, and who are
judges in Israel, to remember that "there are many masters, but
few fathers;" and I wish you to be fathers. Do not oppress the
poor, but trust in God, and you will go neither hungry, naked,
nor thirsty. If you oppress the poor, the day will come when you
will be naked, thirsty, and hungry, and will not be able to get
anything to supply your wants. Go trusting in God, and continue
to trust in him, and he will open your way and multiply blessings
upon you, and your souls will be satisfied with his goodness. I
cannot promise you any good in taking an unrighteous course; your
lives must be examples of good works. You know that some men have
said, "We have worked long enough for the Lord; we are now going
to work for ourselves." They never worked at all for the Lord.
The ignorance of such men is deplorable; they do not know so much
as the brutes, for they know enough to come to the crib whence
they procure their food; but these characters do not know enough
to come and be fed.
74
We are made intelligent, and are heirs of the everlasting
kingdom. Unless we forfeit that heirship, we are heirs to the
glory and power of worlds to come; but we must take a course to
maintain the position that we occupy. We are the children of our
Father in heaven; and unless we do that which will cause our
names to be blotted out, and our right to the blessings of the
kingdom cut of, all will be well. Let us take a course to save
all who will hearken to our counsel; let us be kind and
charitable to all people, doing unto others as we would they
should do unto us in like circumstances, and the blessings of our
Father will be multiplied unto us.
74
I will relate a little of my course and experience in my family.
I have a large family of children, many of them small, and yet I
do not think that you ever saw even four children in one family
live together with so little contention. Watch them, and their
conduct will prove that there is a good spirit influencing them.
I never knew one of them to be accidentally hurt, without more
sympathy's being extended to that one than the whole of them
needed. You may ask how I manage to bring about this result. I
seldom give a child a cross word; I seldom give a wife a cross
word; and I tell my wives never to give a child cause to doubt
their word. A child loves the smiles of its mother, but hates her
frowns. I tell the mothers not to allow the children to indulge
in evils, but at the same time to treat them with mildness. If a
child is required to step in a certain direction, and it does not
seem willing to do so, gently put it in the desired way, and say,
There, my little dear, you must step when I speak to you.
Children need directing and teaching what is right in a kind,
affectionate manner.
74
The Elders who are going abroad should deal out kindness to those
they are sent to watch over, and your smiles will be far better
than your cursings could be.
74
A child at five years old would disobey me much oftener than one
at fifteen. Do you not think that is a good sign? Some may ask
whether I may not lose some of my children; I cannot tell. God
gave them to me; and if one of them is lost, I want to be able to
say, Have I failed to bring them up in right and acceptable
manner? I have done all that I could. Have I done right? It is in
thy hands.
74
Brethren and sisters, we are improving and increasing in the
truth, though slowly. I can realize improvement in myself; my
sensitive powers are quickened, and I can discern a growth in
others that pleases me.
74
Instead of divisions and excitements, we are preparing for the
kingdom of heaven. Walk up to the line of right, for the kingdom
is powerful, and is becoming more powerful every year. Your
patience and integrity are on the increase; keep faithful until
we can return and begin to build up the centre Stake of Zion, and
be ready for whatever may be required of us.
74
I desire to live upon this earth till I see righteousness
established. Is there a Saint who wishes to see disorder and
confusion here? No: all wish to see the peace of God constantly
resting upon the people. Ask sister Cook, who has for years
taught my children music, whether she ever saw or heard me scold.
She never did; but my children must mind father. Is this feeling
increasing among the Saints? It is; and the Lord will increase it
as fast as the people are prepared; and the Saints will have oil
in their lamps, and will be received at the wedding as the bride
of the Lamb.
74
Be patient. Judge not your brethren in their frivolous faults,
nor for faults that are not designed for injury.
74
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Orson
Hyde, April 22, 1860
BLESSINGS OF THE SAINTS--APOSTACY, &c.
Remarks by Elder Orson Hyde, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 22, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
75
Brethren and sisters, having been called upon by brother Spencer
to make a few remarks, I cheerfully comply.
75
We have been listening to many good and wholesome remarks from
Bishop Edwin D. Woolley. He has given much good counsel and
timely instruction this afternoon. In the morning we had good
advice given to us by brother Woodruff, and I do think that we
are a highly favoured people.
75
We have the privilege of assembling here in peace and quietness,
without anything to disturb our happiness; and we can listen to
the words of life that are given unto us, store up the truth, and
adopt in our lives those principles that we learn from this
stand. Considering our privileges, I think we cannot too highly
appreciate them.
75
For my own part, I see nothing in our way--nothing that will
prevent our progress in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. I see no obstacle that should obstruct us in our
career of working righteousness and building up the kingdom of
God.
75
In his goodness and mercy, our Heavenly Father has graciously
moistened the earth with rain from heaven, and prepared it to
send forth its fruits, and has admirably adapted it for the use
and benefit of man the present season; and if we labour
faithfully, we shall reap an abundant harvest.
75
I feel to acknowledge his hand for temporal as well as for
spiritual blessings; for if we were to have the one without the
other, we could not get along in this life so well as we do. The
body needs to be supported as well as the spirit, in order that
we may fill the measure of our creation, and return to our Father
with the fruits of welldoing, prepared to enter into his kingdom.
75
I thank the Lord for his goodness unto me, for I know that his
general providences are marked with favour to them that fear his
name and live up to the law that he has given, magnifying the
high callings whereunto they have been called.
75
For my own part, I never experience any feelings of trouble
concerning the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, the arrangement of her officers, and the
course they pursue: I say, I have no feelings other than those
that are good. It is all right with me: I have neither secret nor
public sentiments, only those that are correct and that are in
strict accordance with the sentiments and views of my brethren.
76
I believe--yes, I am satisfied that many who turn away from the
faith previously become cold and indifferent; they indulge in
secret feelings against some of the regulations in the Church.
The apostacy of many might be traced to them allowing their
secret prejudices to be aroused against the heads of the Church,
and in their feelings they have murmured, but probably did not
let out immediately what was in them, simply because it was not
popular. Still those feelings are written in the heart; they are
encouraged to remain there; and what do they do? They corrode and
canker the finest feelings of that heart that was once unsullied,
they weaken the strength of the resolution that was once
possessed, and they so far corrupt the mind that all such persons
are obliged to speak out and to act out those very feelings that
have been suffered to corrode the mind and to dwell in the heart
for many months. The safer plan is to throw off that influence
when it first presents itself to our minds.
76
If we should be tempted, then let us go to work in faith, nothing
doubting, and ask God our Heavenly Father to pour the spirit of
wisdom, soundness of judgment, integrity, and righteousness upon
us.
76
When we take this course, what shall we care who else may murmur?
We can do our duty; we can give good advice to others, and that,
too, without contaminating or affecting our own hearts; we can do
that and be justified before God, and prevail with the heavens.
Then when the answer comes to our petitions, it is a balm to our
own souls; it is a blessing to all for whom it is intended.
76
These are safe grounds to tread upon, and are well calculated to
lead us from the snares of the Adversary, and to preserve us in
the way of life. Perhaps I should not say wrong if I were to say
that there are many who will meet the authorities of the Church
with a friendly and a brotherly smile, while they are indulging
in feelings which they are ashamed to make manifest. If we carry
about with us such views and feelings relative to our brethren,
we subject ourselves to become the Devil's packhorses, and our
backs will become sore, and we shall faint and fall under the
load that he will place upon our shoulders. It is for us to trust
in the living God, that his blessings may be upon our Elders,
upon the people, and upon all they take in hand, that they may
have wherewithal to sustain themselves.
76
What do we live for? To get dollars and cents? Those are very
useful; the comforts of life are very agreeable; it is very
convenient to have money to purchase what we need; and even if we
sacrifice the comforts of this life to secure the blessings of
that which is to come, we have then gained our point; we have
gained everything. And remember that he and she and all who do
the will of our Father who is in heaven will reap the reward of
the faithful, for Jesus says, "Whosoever doeth the will of my
Father in heaven, the same is my mother, my sister, my brother."
76
Again: There is another scripture which says something like
this--"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me." Hence, all that the Father hath
promised unto the obedient shall be given unto him. Now, if all
that the Father hath promised shall be given unto him that is
faithful--to him that receives the kingdom as a little child, do
you not see that by our unwavering stedfastness we gain the
victory, we win the prize, we lay hold on eternal life, and enter
into the celestial mansions of our Father?
77
This is the great object we have in view; and what, I ask, is
left for those that do not receive the testimony of Jesus, if all
is given to them that receive and obey it? Brethren, there is too
much at stake for us to allow ourselves to have one unjust
feeling, one uncharitable thought, or to indulge in that which
might prevent us from becoming substantial heirs to the promised
kingdom. If there were only dimes at stake, it would not matter
so much; but as it is, we have everything to lose or gain.
77
Now, brethren and sisters, I always take the liberty of
testifying to the truth when I feel the most of the Spirit of the
Lord in my heart, for it is then that I feel the best towards my
brethren who preside over me; and if all in this house were to
speak their sentiments, they would speak the same thing. When we
have the Spirit of the Lord, and give utterance to the
convictions of our minds, and manifest that which we feel in our
hearts, we all say the same thing.
77
If the Spirit of the Lord justifies, who is he that can condemn?
We have nothing to fear. Let us all work to the line that is
marked out for us, keep ourselves free from a murmuring and
complaining spirit, be like little children that have no guile,
no animosity, no hatred, and pray the Lord to give us all that we
need to aid us in building up his kingdom, that we may fulfil our
missions here, and be received into the bosom of our Father;
which may God grant, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, June 10, 1860
Brigham Young, June 10, 1860
FILIALTY OF THE SAINTS--APPOINTMENTS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at Logan, Cache Valley,
June 10, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
77
I contemplate the scenes before me with great satisfaction, and
feel gratified with the privilege of seeing so many in this far
off land assembled to worship the King of kings and Lord of
hosts.
77
Some of us first heard the Gospel in England, Wales, Scotland,
Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, &c., &c.; and it is very
interesting to see people gathered from so many of the nations of
the earth, with their different customs and traditions,
associating with a kind, filial feeling, nowhere else to be
found. This is a people that begins to bring forth the fruits the
Lord designed in the creation of man. This mixed people dwell
together on the most friendly terms and with brotherly feelings;
still we need and expect to have more of this brotherly feeling.
The seed is sown, and the plant is growing. The kingdom the Lord
has commenced will continue to increase, and no power on the
earth can hinder it.
78
It is highly interesting to see people from so many nations
joining hearts and hands to build cities, gather the poor, preach
the Gospel, cultivate the earth, and do whatsoever is necessary
to be done to accomplish what the Lord designed in the beginning
of this creation. What is the cause of this? Is it because
brother Joseph Smith, the Prophet, had influence superior to any
other man to call the people together in his day, and unite their
feelings and affections? He had no more power than any other man,
only as it was given to him. Is there a man now living who has
power over the feelings and affections of the nations of the
earth, to call any portion of them together and make them of one
heart and mind? No, only as he receives power from the same
source from which the Prophet received it.
78
Into whatever neighbourhood you go throughout these valleys in
the mountains, amid the great variety of nationalities, with all
their different habits and traditions, you find the warmest
affection pervading the people to be found upon the earth. With
all our weaknesses and imperfections, there is more brotherly
kindness here than in any other country. What power produces this
result? It is the work of the invisible hand of that Being we
call our Father and God, who frames the worlds, holds them in
existence, and places his intelligent beings upon them, giving
those beings their agency, and placing good and evil, light and
darkness, bitter and sweet, righteousness and sin before them,
that they may have an opportunity to exhibit the intelligence he
has bestowed upon them. He preserved them in existence, and
governs and controls the planetary systems. His power fills the
immensity of space, without bounds, without beginning, and
without end. The principle of eternal life brought us here.
78
Many ideas are presented to my mind; among them, What are the
wants of the people in this place? As yet you have no houses, no
fences, and no saw and grist mills; for which reason I will take
the liberty of giving you a little information and instruction in
regard to your temporal affairs. While at Franklin, we ordained
brother Preston Thomas, agreeable to the wish of the people,
Bishop of that place; and I think that each settlement in this
valley now has a Bishop. You have brother Benson, one of the
Twelve, residing here to encourage, dictate, counsel, and
instruct you. You also have brother Peter Maughan, who is an
experienced man for your presiding Bishop. We have been
acquainted with Brother Maughan for many years, and I will say a
few words about him. If he has enough vanity to cause my remarks
to make any difference in his feelings or actions, I shall learn
something about him that I have not yet learned. In 1840 we
commenced our systematic emigration from England, in which
brother Maughan assisted: that was my first acquaintance with
him. He visited us in Liverpool for instructions, and from my
first acquaintance with him till now I have found him as straight
and correct in his business transactions as any man that I have
ever known to assist in any branch of business in this Church. He
is a man that I think much of in regard to his integrity,
honesty, and judgment in counselling. He has always been as
willing to receive counsel as any man I have ever known in this
Church, and to obey that counsel with as few words. We wish to
have him take the supervision of all the Bishops in this valley.
Let them be under his dictation, and we will settle with him at
the General Tithing Office.
79
Brother Maughan has brother Benson for one of his Counsellors,
and probably he will choose me for the other; and if we all do
right, I think the brethren will be pretty well satisfied with
their presiding officers.
79
I have not discovered in this valley any soil fit for making
adobies. What are you going to build with? Log buildings do not
make a sightly city. We should like to see buildings that are
ornamental and pleasing to the eye, as well as convenient and
commodious. We wish to see cities that are an ornament to the
country. In Great Salt Lake City nearly all the buildings are
made of adobies, and I do not fancy their appearance, unless they
are neatly finished. They are the dryest and healthiest houses
that can be built, unless it is a frame house. I have an
objection to frame houses in this country, and always have had,
on account of our very dry weather's rendering wood so very
inflammable (I consider them dangerous), whereas an adobie,
stone, or brick house may have a room or part of a room burnt,
with far less danger of setting the whole house on fire.
79
I remember, when I was quite young, painting a commodious frame
house built for a tavern. It was nearly completed when it took
fire from a little oil a workman was boiling in the cellar
kitchen to use in finishing the inside work. Two or three women
rescued their bonnets and shawls, and an old clock was removed,
which were all the articles that were saved. Had that been a
properly-built adobie house, it would not have been burned. Still
I am going to recommend that you use timber in building in this
valley, It costs as much in Great Salt Lake City to make the
foundation for a good adobie house as it would to build a
comfortable house, of the same size, of lumber.
79
I recommend the brethren in this Valley to erect saw-mills and
prepare to build with lumber. They are the cheapest and best
houses I can think of, under your circumstances. I do not wish
the brethren to cut all the timber to put it into log-houses.
Erect saw-mills and make lumber, which will be far better than
building log-houses. We have no timber to waste. We should save
our timber, and make buildings that will look better than
log-houses, and at the same time be easier and quicker built.
79
You will be obliged to make polefences for the present, which can
be made to answer until you can make post and board fences. And,
as soon as possible, if you can find good rock, build stone
fences. When we get to making iron, we can have wire fences which
are very durable and cheap.
79
As this is the county seat, complete, as soon as you can, a house
that will answer, for the present, for a meeting-house,
school-house, and for the transaction of county business.
79
We know that you labour diligently; and we only regret, in the
working department, that you cannot make loafers and horse
thieves work as hard as you do. Have you neighbours who harbour
horse thieves--whose sons are horse thieves? You are here
commencing anew? The soil, the air, the water are all pure and
healthy. Do not suffer them to become polluted with wickedness.
Strive to preserve the elements from being contaminated by the
filthy, wicked conduct and sayings of those who pervert the
intelligence God has bestowed upon the human family.
80
Does the Lord rule and reign on the earth? He controls the
results of the acts of all the nations of earth; but does he rule
supreme in the hearts of all people? He does not. Where can he
reign on the earth? If you can find a place where wicked men are
not, there is a place where the Lord can reign. Man was appointed
to rule and have dominion over the earth under his Creator; but
where the wickedness of man is, the Lord does not reign by the
power of his Spirit. He partially reigns in the hearts of his
Saints. He brings forth the results of the acts of all nations,
but does not dictate them in their acts.
80
Keep your valley pure, keep your towns as pure as you possibly
can, keep your hearts pure, and labour what you can consistently,
but not so as to injure yourselves. Be faithful in your religion.
Be full of love and kindness towards each other.
80
Secure yourselves against depredations and attacks by Indians.
Raise stock and take care of it, and keep it from being stolen
either by Indians or whites, that you may do good with it. be at
all times prepared to successfully resist Indian hostility. Keep
minute-men ready, that they can be in the saddle and off on short
notice, enough to protect your settlement.
80
Hearken continually to the whispering of the Spirit of the Lord,
and you will hearken to those who are appointed to guide and
direct you in all your duties.
80
May God bless the Saints here and everywhere! Peace be with you!
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, June 12, 1860
Brigham Young, June 12, 1860
RELIGION, PROGRESS, AND PRIVILEGES OF THE SAINTS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at Ogden City,
June 12, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
80
I am very thankful for the privilege of meeting with you this
afternoon. There may be many present who never saw me until now,
and many who are acquainted with me, but, probably, have not for
years had an opportunity to speak to me. As I now have the
privilege of speaking to you, please accept of my good feelings
towards you, and of my good desires in your behalf. Peace be to
you and to your habitations! and may God bless you!
80
I will not occupy much time; for I understand that, through some
mistake in the appointment, many of you have been here a good
part of the day. I am aware that both yourselves and your
children are weary, and I think it would be a relief to the
children if the teachers would supply them with water.
81
For many years I have been trying to promulgate the principles of
eternal life, and I am thankful that we are in possession of that
religion which gives food to the mind and exercise to the body. I
am thankful for such a religion. It is different from the
religions of the day: it is not only a Sabbath-day religion and a
Monday religion, but it is an every-day religion--a religion that
will feast a person all the time. It draws forth the mind, and
expands the understanding of every intelligent being who will
open his mind to understand and see by vision the creations of
God--the worlds that are and the worlds that have been,--who can
grasp in the vision of his mind the truth that there never has
been a time when there have not been worlds like this, and that
there will be a time when there will not be worlds organized and
prepared for intelligent beings to dwell upon.
81
Those beings bear the image of Him who is invisible--of our
Father and God. Were your eyes opened to see the heavenly hosts,
you would see beings similar to us. We are in our weakness and
imperfection--we are in darkness; they are in light--they are in
glory. We are in a mortal flesh, subject to sickness, disease,
pain, deformity, and death. The heavenly hosts are beings like
these my brethren, only in greater perfection, having passed
through the same ordeals we are now passing through. They have
been made subject to vanity, as we now are; they have had to
taste of the bitter cup as we have; they have had the privilege
of the light and of the darkness, of the truth and of the error,
which privilege we now enjoy. Life eternal has been offered to
them, and they have chosen it. It is offered to us who are here
assembled, and we have chosen to follow in the path in which it
is to be obtained. Had we chosen, we might to-day have been in
our native lands, as are those whom we have there left.
81
It is to us a matter of joy and rejoicing, a solid satisfaction,
to know that there are a few among all the inhabitants of the
earth who are willing to receive the words of life to prepare
themselves to dwell eternally in the presence of our Father and
our God. We enjoy a great privilege in being gathered out from
the wicked. We now have the privilege of associating together,
not only as individuals, families, neighbourhoods, and cities,
but God has provided the place where we can assemble as it were,
in a national capacity. We are now in the relationship, so to
speak, of a limb or branch pertaining to the Federal Government,
which must grow, increase, spread, and prosper exceedingly.
81
You have built a commodious Tabernacle, where but a few years ago
was a swamp. But a few years ago, there were no inhabitants here.
When we first visited this place, after the people began to move
here, there was hardly a settlement between here and Great Salt
Lake City. There were a few families at Willow Creek, but none
north of that, and only a few between here and Great Salt Lake
City. You may now ride until you are weary, and pass through
settlement after settlement, neighbourhood after neighbourhood.
82
You have manifested a spirit of advancement and improvement,
which is according to the Gospel of life we possess. The
intelligence we possess was given to us a for a purpose. We are
the children of the Supreme Being of the universe. The
inhabitants of the whole earth are the offspring of the Father of
Lord Jesus Christ. Intelligence is given unto us to improve upon.
Who will choose life? These my brethren and sisters. The Valleys
in the Mountains are becoming filled with those who have chosen
the way of life, and thousands more are in Europe and on the
islands of the sea. The Gospel we preach has been proclaimed to
most of the nations of the earth. God will gather his children
from all nations, and bring them home to Zion. This is the land
of Zion--this is the continent whereon the Lord has commenced his
work for the last time, and whereon Jesus will make his
appearance the second time, when he comes to gather and save the
house of Israel. It is our duty to prepare for his coming.
82
Each person possesses an intelligence, each one has an agency,
and each has his own salvation to work out, for the spirit and
body to be crowned with crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal
lives. Let not your hearts sink, nor your faith waver; let not
your fervency slacken in the least, for the kingdom is ours. God
has prospered his work on the earth. Towns and counties have
risen up against it, and States have united and organized to
destroy this kingdom and the government of God from the earth.
You have seen your neighbours arise up and persecute you--you
have known those who should have been your friends and assisted
you forsake and persecute you, for the Gospel's sake. You have
all, more or less, experienced such treatment. Is it at an end?
No.
82
You see persons gather here, and assist to gather hundreds and
thousands, and yet some will turn away. Does this discourage you?
How frequently it has been said to me--"A great many are going to
California." My reply is, Let them go; there will be plenty left.
This work is on the increase, and the power of God is becoming
more and more manifest before all flesh. The faith of the Gospel
is increasing among the children of men, and the Saints are
increasing. Compare this place with what it has here ten years
ago. Has there been an increase? Yes, and a very great increase.
Ten years ago, how many were there in the States and in foreign
lands who wanted to come here? Not one to where there are now
ten. The spirit of the Gospel is going forth among the nations,
and the people are gathering out. The kingdoms of this world must
become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. To aid in
accomplishing this work, we must overcome sin and every evil
propensity of the natural man--every selfish and unhallowed
desire. Let no man covet the things of this world, nor lust after
the vain and foolish things that pertain to it.
82
It is the privilege of the Saints to enjoy every good thing, for
the earth and its fulness belong to the Lord, and he has promised
all to his faithful Saints; but it must be enjoyed without spirit
of covetousness and selfishness--without the spirit of lust, and
in the spirit of the Gospel: then the sun will shine sweetly upon
us; each day will be filled with delight, and all things will be
filled with beauty, giving joy, pleasure, and rest to the Saints.
The vegetable kingdom is made for man, to gratify the taste and
add health to the body and gratification to every sense. The gold
and silver will be given to the Saints; the riches of the world
will be put in their possession, and they will be legal heirs. We
are now passing through a day of trial, to determine whether we
will prove worthy of all we may enjoy and possess, for it must be
enjoyed and possessed without the spirit of covetousness. Without
the pure Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot enjoy the
good things of life.
83
The fulness of the heavens and the earth--the mountains, the
gold, and precious things in them--will all be devoted to those
who are devoted to their God and their religion. The wheat, the
fine flour, the oil, and the wine, the cattle upon a thousand
hills, and every blessing the Lord has in store for every
creature he has organized and placed upon this earth, are to fall
into the hands of the legal heirs, who are the Saints. This is an
unpleasant idea to unbelievers. Then why do they not believe? If
there are any here who do not believe the Gospel, and think that
the Saints are selfish, all they have to do is to become Saints;
then they will be heirs with the rest of the Saints. There is no
selfishness about it that I know of, for they have the same
privilege that we have, and that any man or woman upon the earth
has.
83
The kingdom of God is set up, the ordinances of the Gospel are
dispensed to the people, life and salvation are offered to all,
and who would miss entering into the kingdom of our Father and
God? All who believe, have honest hearts, and bring forth fruits
or righteousness, are the elect of God and heirs to all things.
All who refuse to obey the holy commandments of the Lord and the
ordinances of his house will be judged out of their own mouths,
will condemn themselves as they do now, will be accounted
unworthy, and will have no part or lot with the righteous. But
the heathen nations that now exist and that have existed on the
earth will all be blessed, will see the time when they will have
the privilege of receiving the blessings of the covenant
established on the earth by the Son of God, and through it will
be brought into glory and rest.
83
Brethren and sisters, I wish you to continue in your ways of
welldoing; I desire that your minds may be opened more and more
to see and understand things as they are. This earth, in its
present condition and situation, is not a fit habitation for the
sanctified; but it abides the law of its creation, has been
baptized with water, will be baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost,
and by-and-by will be prepared for the faithful to dwell upon.
83
Shall we not strive to prepare ourselves as much as possible for
the coming of the Son of Man? The Saviour will dictate his
kingdom, through his Apostles and Prophets, until all the heathen
nations are virtually redeemed by the ordinances that effect
redemption, that they may inherit the kingdom that is prepared
for them. This work must progress. This earth must become a
paradise--must be purged of the sin that has been upon it for
many generations, for all sin and iniquity must be swept from it,
and a people be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. He
will prepare a people long before the earth is celestialized and
prepared for the presence of God. The Saints will increase, the
spirit of wisdom and knowledge will increase, and every grace of
the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ must increase upon the earth,
until a people and place are so prepared that the Saviour can
come and finish the work given him to do, when he will present
the kingdom to the Father.
83
There is a great work for the Saints to do. Progress, and improve
upon, and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the
earth and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your
habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render
the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labours you
may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and
visit your beautiful locations. In the meantime, continually seek
to adorn your minds with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ.
84
Sin must be overcome and righteousness exalted, until Jesus
reigns King of nations as he reigns King of Saints. This is not
unkind to the wicked, for they have the privilege of embracing
the overtures of mercy, if they choose. No one will be compelled
to do so. All may freely eat, drink, and satisfy themselves, or
they may turn away and feed upon husks. Let every one who wishes
to go to California, go, for we do not want them here. This
country is most excellent for sifting out those are not here for
the love of their religion. The mountains, the deserts, the
barren plains, hard labour, and hard fare are all so calculated
that those who do not love the truth will leave for California
and elsewhere, and we love to have them go. Some who are now here
ought to leave, unless they will repent and become good men.
84
Be faithful, humble, prayerful, and watchful, and be sure to live
your religion. Store up your surplus grain; and when you have
done that, do (to speak ironically,) as some have done--take
every pound of butter, every dozen of eggs, every bushel of
grain, and every good thing you can lay hold of to those who
would cut our throats, if they had the power. Had they the power,
they would slay every soul that would not renounce this work.
They have not the power, and never will have. Israel will be
gathered, the poor will be gathered, and this land of Joseph will
be freed from oppressors. Their power is broken, and they will go
down to the pit, while Zion will arise, and wicked men and devils
cannot prevent it. God has decreed this, and we are going to help
him to perform it and bring righteousness upon the land; and the
righteous will see the day when they can say their prayers and
lie down in peace, for murderers will not be around them.
84
Will you let every act of your lives promote the kingdom of God?
If you do, you may be sure that every person who is opposed to
righteousness will be our enemy. But those who are here to steal
our cattle and horses, instead of striving honestly for an honest
living, had better forsake their evil habits, or go where they
are more popular. The Lord Almighty will have a pure people--a
people that will serve him; and we shall yet see the day when we
shall be free from murderers, thieves, robbers, liars,
whoremongers, drunkards, and every other description of persons
who pollute the earth.
84
My constant prayer is that the anger which is in the hearts of
the disobedient will turn upon each other, and the wicked slay
the wicked, until no place can be found on the earth for those
who will not observe good laws, that the righteous may live in
peace. The wicked are doing so; and in the midst of their rage
which has been around us, it is astonishing how the preserving
and invisible hand of God has been over his people. I do not now
remember that any in our Territory, during the time alluded to
who desired to live their religion, fell by the hands of the
wicked, except brother William Cook. They credit this wonderful
preservation to me; but they are mistaken. The Lord Almighty can
control the acts, and bring forth the results far beyond the
wisdom and calculation of man. He has brought to pass these
purposes, and the wicked have been and are helping him. "The
wrath of man shall praise him." May the Lord God of Israel bless
you and the whole house of Israel, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, June 3, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, June 3, 1860
TRIALS OF THE SAINTS, &c.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, June 3, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
85
Brethren, I am obliged to keep my head covered, for I am fearful
of taking cold. I expect I am beginning to look strong again, but
I am very weak. You may be assured that I am grateful, and
rejoice that I live in this day. I am thankful that I live in
this generation, and especially that I dwell in these mountains
with you; for it is one of the happiest places that I ever saw,
right here upon the tops of these mountains, and particularly if
you can have the right kind of microscope--such a one as the Lord
will give you.
85
I presume that you can all see what the world are at down yonder:
they are beginning to have times as well as we, and they may well
expect to have difficulties. I do not call those drivings, and
what we used to call persecutions, difficulties. I never was more
happy in my life than I was in Missouri and Illinois, when we
were passing through those trying scenes; and I can say that I
never felt better than I have for the last two or three years,
although it has been very trying to some. Some of our friends
think we are cowards; but we only act so when it is necessary;
and then when it is not necessary to be such, we stand forth in
our proper light; and it is always necessary for us to be men of
God, holding the Priesthood in righteousness, doing right and
always being ready to do good, and assist in rolling forward the
great work. The Lord will help us, if we are willing to be guided
by his Holy Spirit.
85
President Young was speaking to the Elders about coming into this
stand to speak, preaching in the Wards, and telling the people
honestly what is required of them. I can tell them the plain,
simple principles of the Gospel,--advise them to lay up their
grain, and do all the good they can.
85
It has troubled and worried me more, perhaps, than anything that
has transpired in these mountains, when I have considered how we
were situated for grain. We are almost destitute, and our friends
have got plenty; and they are capable of selling to us, and then
they will have enough for themselves; for, as I told you this
morning, they have got at least three years' provisions on hand
at Camp Floyd. It is true that it does not take very much grain
to sustain a man and his wife and a few children, if he is
prudent with it; but then it requires a certain quantity for
every family, and when added together, we need a great deal of
wheat and corn to sustain us here in these mountains.
86
I would rather see my family go very poorly clad than to see them
without bread and meat; for there is nothing in the world that
will make a woman so cross as to go hungry, and the men are much
worse. I have not tried this much; but I have a few times sat
down and eaten up all the food I had. I was not cross at that
time, but I called upon my Heavenly Father to open the way
whereby I might be fed and be nourished and cherished. I know
that God is merciful and benevolent to his creatures; I know that
the earth belongs to him, and that all power is his, both in
heaven and upon the earth, and all the children of men are in his
hands. We are all his children, every soul of us, not only the
righteous but the wicked; and they all have their agency and the
right to do as they please, but they are responsible for all
their acts.
86
As we measure to others, so it will be measured to us again; and
as we make up our beds, so we shall sleep, and we shall have to
give an account to God for all the acts done in the body. When,
for instance, you sin against President Young, you have got to
make that right with him: I have no power to remit that sin. And
when you sin against Jesus Christ, you have got to make that
restitution to him which is necessary to gain forgiveness. When
you sin against the Holy Ghost, you have got to make the
atonement to him. And as we do to others, so it will be done to
us, and the nation and the government that we look to for our
rights.
86
We are born of the fathers who won our liberties. We are the
children of that God who spake to our fathers, and gave them the
law, and inspired them to write the Constitution of our country.
And those who now sit in the judgment-seat should remember that
as they measure to us it will be measured to them again, and they
cannot avoid it; and we may with safety apply the same to
ourselves, for as we measure to each other, so will it be
measured back to us. If we transgress a law, we must pay the
penalty, for the Almighty requires this of every one of us. He
will not force any man to keep his law; but all will find, when
they wish to enter into the kingdom, that there is Mercy on one
side of the door, and Justice on the other; and what Justice
cannot claim, Mercy will.
86
With these views of the subject, let us learn to take a course to
do unto others as we would wish them to do unto us in like
circumstances. Be honest and upright in all things; abstain from
all lying and hypocrisy, root it out of your hearts, and work
righteousness continually.
86
This is the religion of Jesus Christ as taught in these
books--the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and it is in accordance
with that which is in my breast, and which is a better book, for
it is life in Christ; and that living being that receives light
and intelligence from the heavens through the revelations of the
Holy Ghost is a living oracle. It is the living Oracle that is
within us that will guide us in the way of life.
86
Now, you require brother Brigham to live in that manner that he
can hold the oracles of God and be to you a living oracle--the
mouthpiece of the Almighty, to communicate line upon line, and
precept upon precept, and have the word of truth constantly on
hand. Now, why should you require more of the head than of the
other members? The Lord has said that upon those members that you
consider the least honourable he has conferred the most honour;
and he will confer upon every man and woman that honours the
Priesthood, the Presidency, the Bishops, and all the members of
the body. We cannot honour God except we honour his authority:
there is no possible way of honouring the kingdom of God only by
honouring its authorities.
87
If we take this course, we shall do well and be prospered in all
things. I am satisfied that the majority of this people are
improving, and it is for their sake that we are sustained. God
takes hold of our enemies and controls them, and he has kept them
at a distance and led them by his power, as a groom leads a horse
by the bit. We have been praying and beseeching the Lord by night
and by day to hold them, and he has done it. This is the way it
is done, and this is the reason that we can go to work
unmolested, and build up the kingdom of heaven, and do all that
is required of us. Let us do that which is right. Act towards
this Church in every respect just as you would like others to do
by you.
87
Brethren, you need not be troubled in your minds, but be of good
cheer and rejoice evermore. Bow down at night, plead with your
Heavenly Father, ask him to bless this people--to bless the
earth, the mountains, the waters--to bless your wives and
children: ask him to bless the seed you put in the earth, and to
turn away the storms, that we may have good crops. These things
are required of you. You are commanded in this book (Doc. and
Cov.) to do these things. There is not a day passes over my head
but I bow before my Heavenly Father in secret, and plead with him
to bless you, to bless the Saints and the Elders, abroad among
the nations, to give his angels charge concerning them, that they
may have power over every evil and over all the enemies of
Christ. This is my prayer. I am pleading continually for the work
of our Father to be carried on, and for his will to be done upon
the earth as it is done in heaven.
87
Do you think that a Saint will steal poles, or go to a man's wood
pile and steal his fire-wood? Or do you believe that a Saint will
lie and do that which will prejudice a man against his friends?
This is the way Lucifer acts; and probably the last thing he did
before he left heaven was to take the census; and w calculate
that he will leave here soon, seeing that he has commenced to
take the census.
87
Now, brethren, let us remember to pray--"Our Father, who are in
heaven, thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven." Just think how they are in heaven, and then you can form
an opinion of what we ought to be. Lucifer is not there now, for
the Bible tells us that he has cast out, and then things were set
in order. Do you suppose they allow lying and stealing there? Do
you suppose there are any hypocrites there? I want you to think
of these things; for you will find, when you get into heaven,
that all kinds of deceitfulness and every abomination will be
done away; for they are honest there, and they watch over us:
they are interested in our welfare, and they desire us to do
good. They have just as strong a desire for our welfare as I have
to see my sons do right.
87
There is nothing in this world that makes me feel worse or more
sorrowful than to see my children taking an unwise course. I feel
these things very sensitively, and I shall continue to feel so;
for my soul and body and all that I possess delight in God and in
his work, and to see you doing right. It is all the pride I have
when I can see the Latter-day Saints doing their duty. I have no
pride in clothing, in dress, or in any man, except he does the
will of God; but I delight in walking humbly and faithfully
before God, and setting a good example. When my wife pursues this
course, I have pride in her--I adore her, as I would you, if you
were all to do right, gentlemen, and no more. Why should I love a
woman more than a man? They are no more to me than good men.
88
I am aware that this world is filled with hypocrisy, and I expect
it will continue so until the end; but I shall soon leave this
tenement and go into a better place. I do not know how long it
will be, neither do I care: it does not trouble me one particle.
88
About two weeks previous to the death of brother Jedediah M.
Grant, I dreamed that we were travelling, and we came to a
beautiful stream of water. I thought I was going to cross it with
him, and with the expectation and understanding that he would
guard me across. He crossed the stream unobserved by me, and then
I saw him running up the hill as fast as he could, and he got
away from me and passed out of my sight. The stream kept rising
and becoming more boisterous and apparently more dangerous; and
so it continued till I awoke.
88
As for you Saints looking to the Government of the United States
for quarters, I can tell you that you never will get any. Satan
never will allow you any quarters, except he does it for the
purpose of leading you into a worse snare; and therefore you need
not look for anything of the kind. What! the Devil give the
Saints any quarters? No, never: but if he has got the back pull
upon us, he will hold us. We may whip and flog all we choose,--if
he has got a claim upon us, he won't give us any quarters. Would
you, if you got the advantage? You all say no. Well, then, if you
have got the advantage, keep it. And if you will let the Devil
alone, he cannot do much. But I can tell you that you need not
look for much from this generation. They may yield to get a
better hold of us, but I don't ask any odds of them; and I pray
to my Father and God, saying, "O Lord, preserve thy servant;
preserve me in thy truth, that I may never sin against thee, nor
against thy faithful servants, nor against angels, that I may be
a co-worker and be subject to them and to the power of God."
88
I never saw the time that I was afraid of sickness, pain, or
anguish. Still we are all liable to these things. I do not feel
to boast. If I do, it is through mistake and a slip of the
tongue. But I feel to bless the Presidency of this Church and the
Priesthood generally, and all that believe on their words
throughout the world. This work will roll on in spite of all
opposition.
88
Go to work and take care of your grain; store up your wheat, so
that the worms cannot get it. I have kept some wheat five years,
and it is still good. Let us all take a course to preserve
ourselves temporally and spiritually, and listen to what is said
by the Priesthood.
88
I have heard that some of the brethren have found a great deal of
fault with me for talking so much about wheat; but I can tell
them that this won't put wheat in their bins, nor flour in their
sacks.
88
God bless us all--root out the wicked from among us, that we may
be one. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, June 7, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, June 7, 1860
TEMPORAL SALVATION.
Remarks made by President Heber C. Kimball, Box Elder,
June 7, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt
89
All that has been said by President Brigham Young is very
precious to me. The righteous will root out wickedness, and I
want to live to see it, for that time will give great consolation
to the righteous. I wish to speak relative to a temporal
salvation. If we do not have wisdom to take care of and save our
own lives, it appears to me that it will be more difficult for us
to attain to that principle necessary to save the spiritual life.
As Elders of Israel, we must take a more judicious course, as
relates to a family capacity and a Church compact, than we have
yet taken. If we do not, I fear exceedingly for the result. Yet
God is much more merciful than we are. He is determined to save
those who will take a course to secure their election and
heirship to eternal life. All such people will prevail. If they
fail in their integrity and firmness to the cause of
righteousness, and repent not, they will lose all they have
already gained, all they have expected, and all that has ever
been promised to them that overcome.
89
Let it not be said that any portion of the people of this
Territory have not wheat enough to last them until harvest. Let
them be sure to do one thing, if God permit it--secure well the
coming harvest, and be sure to lay up enough to last one, two, or
three years. When we have done this, we have time then to
beautify our gardens, cities, palaces, and playgrounds, and more
thoroughly school our children. It is hard to improve when there
is no bread. When a man has no bread, and his neighbours have
none, he must have horrible feelings. The day will come when
millions of people will flock to us for bread, and thousands of
them will be honest; they will be the elect of God: they will
come to us for salvation, either to this place or to Jackson
County.
89
Let us seek diligently to save ourselves, and also to save the
whole house of Israel, and the house of Esau--that part of them
that will repent, and they will repent only when they are obliged
to--a great portion of them. A portion of this people have been
rooted up six times, and as often left our possessions, because
we were obliged to. It will be something like that in the saving
of the house of Esau. But we shall not move from these mountains
until the Lord tells us to, though Uncle Sam may request it as
much as he has a mind to. We shall go when our Father and God
tells us to, and stop where he tells us to stop.
89
Let us rise up in the strength and power of righteousness, and
God will bless us as no people were ever blessed. Let us provide
for our own wants as a people, and raise flax and wool, and every
other thing that is requisite for temporal salvation and the
preservation of the natural body, and this will aid us much in
our endeavour to attain eternal salvation.
89
In connection with brother Brigham, I say, Peace be upon you all!
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, June 10, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, June 10, 1860
PRACTICAL RELIGION.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made at Logan, Cache
County,
June 10, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
90
I cordially agree with what has been said by President Young, and
I know that every reasonable man does. The religion we believe in
consists of faith and works. I would not give a dime for all the
faith there is in this world without works. We believe or
disbelieve what we hear. After we believed the testimony of the
Elders who brought the intelligence that God had sent an holy
angel, raised up a Prophet, &c., then we were required to repent.
After we had repented, we went forth and were baptized in water
for the remission of sins. Then we received the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, whose office it is to show
us things to come and bring things to our remembrance. Then we
received the holy Priesthood, shouldered our knapsacks, and
started out to preach without purse or scrip. As soon as we
believed, we began to work, and we have kept working all the time
until now. By working, we receive the fruits of our labour.
90
Wheat cannot be produced unless the ground is prepared and the
seed sown upon it. When it has attained to ripeness, it must then
be reaped, thrashed, and taken to the mill to be ground; then it
must be fermented, kneaded into dough, and baked into bread,
before we can eat it. This is a good comparison. The religion of
Christ cannot exist without works. "Faith without works is dead,
being alone,"--as much so as the body is dead without the spirit.
Go and do what you have been told to do to-day. Our religion is a
daily work; it is our duty to work continually.
90
I have travelled through many portions of the United States; I
have lived in the best country there is in the United States; I
have been to Europe; but I have never seen such a scenery in my
life as I have seen in this valley. It is the best valley there
is in the mountains, that we have seen; still I expect there are
better valleys than this. I do not know but Sanpete is the next.
90
I never have had better feelings in seeing any country, and to
see the people in it who have commenced to improve it. We are
pretty well satisfied that they are Saints that live here. A
great many people, when starting, said they were going to Cache
Valley; but we do not find them here: they have gone to Carson
Valley, or to some other place. I can say, Peace be to this
valley; and peace be to the righteous; and sorrow and
tribulation, weakness, and utter destruction from the angel of
God waste away the wicked that will not repent. I pray that an
Uncle Sam's army may never come into this valley; and if they do
not come near you, this valley will be one of the greatest
granaries that ever was in the house of Israel.
91
I am calculating, if it continues to rain as it does to-day--that
is, when it is wanted, that the Lord will receive some ten to
twelve thousand bushels of grain here in his granary. If the
people here will take the course to do as they have been told,
listening those men who have been appointed to preside over them,
they will have one of the richest valleys in the world; and the
Lord will temper it: he will temper your winters and your
summers, and he will temper the people--help them to control
their tempers, and the peace and blessing of the Lord will dwell
here. I feel to pray all the time--"O Father, bless this people,
bless this valley, bless these mountains, the fountains of water,
and bless everything that pertains to this people," that this
place may be a place when Salt Lake fails of having wheat, that
we may come here and get a little. I feel to bless Sanpete, that
it may still continue to be a granary. It is, so far; and I feel
as though this would be, and I am satisfied it will be, if you
live right.
91
Brother Rix undertook to build a saw mill. He has the irons, and
here are the timbers: you are sitting upon them. He would have
had hundreds of bushels of wheat more, had he gone on and built
that mill. You all want lumber; and I would now, if I were in his
place, put up that mill.
91
Take upon you the yoke of Christ, and wear it, for it is easy,
and the path of the righteous is plain. But when a man is wrong
and neglects his duty, he is full of sorrow, he is uneasy, and
unhappy all the day long. You know this. Peace be with you! and
may God help you to do right, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, June 13, 1860
Brigham Young, June 13, 1860
BLESSINGS OF THE SAINTS.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at Kaysville,
June 13, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
91
I have time to say but a few words. It is three years and a few
days since I was last here, and you are acquainted with the
scenes we have passed through since that short time.
91
I am rejoiced to meet and associate with the Saints. It is one of
the greatest privileges and blessings I can enjoy on the face of
this earth, to gather out from the wicked world with the Saints,
and be far away from the contaminating influence of the breath of
the ungodly.
92
It is a great comfort to enjoy the privilege of passing day after
day, week after week, and month after month, without hearing the
name of God blasphemed. Here we have the privilege of sending the
Gospel to the utmost parts of the earth, of teaching our children
righteousness, of setting a righteous example before our
neighbours, of associating together, of praying with and for each
other, and mingling our voices in praising our God. Is not this a
blessing? True, we are not entirely free from wickedness; we are
in a world of sin and iniquity. All the inhabitants of the earth
have wandered from the path of truth, and it is our duty to lead
our children and friends towards our Father and God, to forsake
the wickedness that is in the world, and promote righteousness
and the principles of life--the life of the body and of the
mind--the existence of the spirit and the body here and to all
eternity--to dwell with our Father and our God. Life is before
us.
92
Here are the Saints, and the words of the Saviour will apply to
them--"He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die." He
does not say that this body shall not crumble to dust. It will go
back to its mother earth, to be raised immortal--to be brought
forth to enjoy the light, glory, and presence of our Father and
God, which we cannot endure while we are in this mortal
tabernacle. This body must be purified and prepared to dwell in
eternal burnings, for it is there where our Father and God dwells
in the perfection of glory, light, and power.
92
Is it not a blessing to have schools in our community, where our
teachers can teach our children correct principles, and impart to
them education that will be useful? Is it not a blessing to
associate with each other and build up the kingdom of God? Is it
not a blessing to you, mothers, to raise up Prophets and
Apostles--men filled with the glory of God, to go forth and
extend the work of our God?
92
Do I realize, day and night, that I have the good feelings,
prayers, and faith of the Saints on the earth? I do. Let me enjoy
the fellowship of angels, of God, and of his Saints, and I am
right.
92
You have my prayers continually for the welfare of the kingdom of
God on the earth.
92
May God bless you! I know that his blessings will rest upon you,
if you live for them. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Daniel
H. Wells, June 17, 1860
Daniel H. Wells, June 17, 1860
OBJECTS OF THE GATHERING.
Remarks by President Daniel H. Wells, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday, June 17, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
93
I rejoice in the privilege of meeting with the brethren and
sisters--of meeting, I may say, with Saints--with those who have
gathered out from the midst of the nations of the earth for the
purpose of building up the kingdom of God upon the earth with
persons from almost every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
Actuated by a single motive, and that motive and that object the
building up of the Church and kingdom of God, have this people
gathered from among the nations and from the islands of the sea.
Should it not rejoice our hearts to meet such characters? Should
it not be a matter of pleasure to be associated with such a
community, and to have a part and lot in the established of truth
and righteousness upon the earth.
93
I feel to rejoice continually in connection with my brethren in
this work in which we are all engaged. No matter what order of
occupation we are in, it is all for this sole object--to
establish righteousness and peace, and put down every species of
wickedness. Our object is to establish a nucleus of power to
protect and preserve righteous principles upon the earth, and the
kingdom and government of the Almighty that shall never be thrown
down. This is the motive, and it is a great and glorious and a
noble enterprise, and its results will be pleasing, affording joy
and peace in the Holy Ghost, and eventually exaltation and
eternal lives.
93
Our minds have been touched with the light of truth--the law of
heaven--the Spirit of the living God, and we have been enabled to
see a few things, and we have now come together that we may learn
of those principles. This work and cause which we have espoused
is no idle tale, but a living, stern, and glorious reality. It
was said by our Saviour to the multitude, "What have ye come out
to see? A reed shaken with the wind?"
93
We can answer that question in the negative. No; we have come for
a great, grand, and glorious purpose. We have many things in
connection with this purpose to perform to unite our lives,
resources, and powers in the spreading abroad the truths of high
Heaven, the gathering of Israel, the redemption of Zion, and the
establishment of the principles of righteousness and peace upon
the earth.
93
We have to train up our children in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord--to seek to establish the principles of righteousness
among men--to put down iniquity, stop the floods of wickedness
and corruption that almost overflow the earth.
93
It is a strong current we have to stem; it is a warfare. We have
to wage war against the powers of darkness; and sometimes it
seems as though the floods were so great that it would overwhelm
the Saints. It frequently appears as if there were no possibility
of rising above it. But our past experience has shown us that the
Church and kingdom of God has risen above these things, and that
it has continually increased and extended abroad, and it is still
progressing, and will continue to prosper from this time forth
and for ever. From its commencement it has known no
stopping-place, neither will it ever.
93
We live in the generation of the world in which the set time to
gather Israel has come, to bring about and accomplish the
purposes of God, which must be brought about in the last day. The
Lord has commenced to gather and organize his people, that they
may be more fully taught in the principles of eternal life. It is
now too late for the people of the wicked nations to think that
they can overcome it, as did the wicked in days gone by; for this
never can be done. The work of God will roll forth in power, in
might and strength, sweeping sin and wickedness from the earth,
and the Lord will rule King of nations as he does now King of
Saints.
93
This, brethren and sisters, is the work for which we are
assembled together, and we have the pleasure and satisfaction of
knowing that we can travel hundreds of miles here without meeting
with scarcely any, except those who have embraced the Gospel, and
gathered to this Territory for the self-same purpose that we
ourselves have. The majority of the people in this extensive
Territory have come for this cause, and with a desire to do right
and live the lives of Saints.
94
Is there wickedness here? Yes, there are those who have been born
in this kingdom, that have dishonoured themselves,--some of them,
too, that bear the names of those who were witnesses to the
coming forth of the Book of Mormon, as well as others who bear
the name of Prophets who are mentioned in that book. It pains my
heart to see it--to hear children profaning the name of the
Deity. How will we feel, if we train up our children to permit
them to live in this way--in a way that they will become a
disgrace to their parents? Is it an honour to be born in Zion? Is
it a blessed privilege to be trained up under the genial
influences of that Spirit that leads to life and to an
understanding of the principles thereof? Is it not a blessing to
be enabled to discover and put far from us the false traditions
of our forefathers? If so, how much more the disgrace of that
person who dishonours his parentage, and the Church and kingdom
of God, and that will also dishonour himself? Men do this to
themselves--to the kingdom of God--the cause of truth and
righteousness. But thanks be to our Father that the cause of
truth and righteousness cannot suffer at the hands of the wicked,
but Zion will rise and shine, and her greatness and glory will be
seen, and in her strength, power, and might she will tread down
every opposing foe. How should we feel in regard to our children,
and to training them up that they may not depart from the ways of
righteousness and truth? Does it meet with the approbation of the
Almighty when we neglect them? The Lord said to Abraham when he
blessed him--"I know that he will command his children after
him."
94
If this was a reason for giving a blessing to Abraham, why should
not every man who will live for it get a similar blessing in this
generation? And in this way man can become great and mighty in
the kingdom of God, and be useful to the Church of Christ.
94
Then let us pursue this course, that our children may honour us
in their day and generation, that they may be an honour and an
ornament in the Church and kingdom of God, instead of being a
disgrace to those they associate with.
94
Mothers have a great deal to do with this; their duties and
responsibilities are great towards their children; and none need
be idle in this kingdom, for all can make themselves useful, no
matter what their calling is.
94
There is everything needed in the kingdom of God that is required
for the establishment of any other kingdom, save wickedness, and
that I suppose must abide until a righteous influence shall be
raised broad enough and deep enough to wither and dry it up. Then
let us labour to root up wickedness, and let righteousness
prevail in the minds of the Saints.
94
These are my feelings and my desires; and I pray God to bless all
with the light of his Holy Spirit to guide us in the path of
virtue and rectitude, that we may be enabled to do right, walk
humbly and obediently before our God, and continually do those
things that shall be pleasing in his sight, that we may at all
times have his smiles and approbation. This is my prayer in the
name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / John
Taylor, June 17, 1860
John Taylor, June 17, 1860
PROFESSIONS OF THE SAINTS--TRUST IN GOD--MAN THE FOUNDER
OF HIS DESTINY, &c.
Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, June 17, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
95
It is not very often that I take a text when I attempt to preach;
but I have thought, since I was invited to address you, that I
would take one--two or three, perhaps, this afternoon, and make
some remarks upon them. I generally like to observe passing
events, and to notice words and actions of men--to study their
import and bearing upon me and the community. It is upon some
reflections of this kind that I am about to speak, and from which
I shall take my text.
95
The first is a remark made by President Young. You may call it
the gospel according to St. Young, St. Brigham, or what you
please; and I am not very particular which book you put it in, or
how you name it. In some remarks that he made to the inhabitants
of Cache Valley, he said--"This people will never be driven from
this Territory, except they drive themselves." This is part of my
text. Another part is contained in some remarks made by President
Kimball this morning, and you may call it the gospel according to
St. Heber, if you please. It is something like this--"We can all
be happy, if we have a mind and disposition to labour for it."
The next is from some writer--I do not now remember his name. He
says, "Man is the founder of his own destiny."
95
Wherever there is a true principle presented, it is well to
investigate, and see how far it is applicable to us. We find here
remarks made and uttered, of the greatest importance to the human
family. We do not realize or appreciate their bearing fully,
neither do we comprehend how far they concern or will affect us
or the society with which we are associated. As intelligent
beings, as men possessed with the spirit of truth, as believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ, as men who believe that we are acting
with reference to eternity, it is well for us at all times to
ponder well the path of our feet, and understand the position
that we occupy on this earth, to know as near as possible the
relationship that we sustain to God, to each other, to the world,
and, as near as we can, the various duties that devolve upon us
to attend to. These are things that we profess more or less to be
governed by. We profess to have a portion of the Spirit of Truth,
and we pray frequently that that Spirit may guide and direct us
in our movements among the children of men. Let us endeavour to
be guided by it in all our business relations, and in our
intercourse with each other, that it may govern all our actions
in life.
95
These are feelings that we often have experienced, and yet how
frequently we depart from that spirit which we possess
intuitively, and the instructions from those who are teaching us
the principles of truth.
96
Now, there is nothing more true than these sayings that I have
repeated over in your hearing. Take into consideration this
people, and the position they occupy, What is it? And who are we?
Why, we profess to be the people of God, and we are the people of
God. We profess to be Saints of the Most High, and this is what
we are in reality, or should be. This does not, of course, apply
to those who are not Saints. We profess that this is the work of
God in which we are engaged, and our profession strictly correct.
When we say this is the Church and kingdom of God, we believe it,
and so it is; and it is the only Church and the only kingdom that
he has on this earth in this generation that we know anything
about. We profess to know that God has revealed his law, that he
has restored the holy Priesthood, and that he is communicating
his will to the human family. We profess to believe that the
kingdom of God will overrule and prevail over every other power
and every other form of government, and that it will go on from
strength to strength, from power to power, from intelligence to
intelligence, from knowledge to knowledge; and that in the due
course of events, it will rule over the whole earth, until every
creature upon the earth and under the earth and on the sea will
be subject to the law of God, to the kingdom of God, to the
dominion of God, and to the rule of the holy Priesthood.
96
This is our profession. We believe it: at any rate we profess to
believe it; and if we do not, we are hypocrites. We profess,
further, to be the elect of God--set apart, elected, chosen by
him to be his servants to accomplish his work upon the earth;--in
the first place, to establish correct principles among ourselves,
and then to teach those principles to others, no matter what they
relate to, whether to family matters, to the state, to a town, a
corporation, or a government,--no matter whether they relate to
the Government of our own country, our own family, or a world. We
profess to be under that Government. And further, all our
opinions, all our movements, and intercourse with each other and
with the nations of the earth, we believe to be governed and
regulated by the law of God. These are some of our views and
feelings respecting our religion and its influence upon our
actions.
96
If these things are correct--and they most assuredly are--we are
God's people, and he is bound by everything that is calculated to
bind either man or God. He is bound to take care of his people,
if they take care of themselves. If they honour their calling and
priesthood--if they magnify and do credit to the power and
authority that is conferred upon them--if they do not deviate
from correct principles. God is bound to fulfil all things
according to the obligations that he is under,--one of which is
to provide for his Saints. Now, where does the matter rest,
taking it in connection with the first part of our text? Where
does it necessarily rest? Does it not rest with God? It does, and
he is faithful in his part. Who has ever known God to depart from
correct principles? Come, let me stand up in his defence, if you
please. I never have, and I am well satisfied that you never did.
96
There is not a man upon the earth that has put his trust in God,
I do not care what part of the world he has been in, but what can
say that he delivered him. I know that has been the case with me,
emphatically so. I have been satisfied, when in foreign lands and
in strange countries, where I had no access but to the Almighty,
that he was on my side, and I know that he has answered my
prayers.
97
We know that God lives, because we have the things that we ask at
his hands. Taking it, then, in this point of view, What is it
that can cause us, as a people, to suffer any difficulty, or
trouble, or privation? It is our own acts, our own corruptions,
our own faults and weaknesses. Did we not have a sample of it
this morning in the President's remarks? He said, "I have, in
years gone by, gone almost shirtless, and I have gone to men who
had plenty, but they would not trust me ten dollars." Well, he
was faithful, and they could not deprive him of that to which he
was entitled. They might deprive him of the necessaries of life,
and of those things that would make him and his family
comfortable and happy for the time being; but they could not put
anything between him and the kingdom of God. That being who had
promised to stand by him, and whom he continued to fear, blessed
him temporally and spiritually; he supplied all his wants,
enabled him to feed and administer to those individuals who were
so penurious that they could not trust in God. Is not that a
proof of the position I am taking? It is; and you can see proof
after proof and circumstance after circumstance: I could name
many of them.
97
I have seen those that were proud cast down; I have seen the meek
exalted, and the poor made to rejoice in the Holy One of Israel,
and seen peace and plenty poured into their lap, so that they
have been comfortable and happy, while the other class have been
cast down--become poor and destitute; or, if they have wallowed
in luxury, they have since gone to the Devil.
97
These are things which, if you will reflect upon them, will
produce good results, if they lead you to conduct and regulate
your heart by the Spirit of truth and the law of God. It is well
to study the world and the overruling hand of God. You will see
many pursue the path of luxury and ease, and neglect their
Priesthood and their God, and the result will be as those
mentioned. I speak of this as a general principle--as one that
exists between God and this earth. Man, assisted by the Lord, is
the founder of his own destiny. We do not always see this
principle developed at once. Sometimes the hand of God is
withheld, and he suffers his people to be chastened. At present
this appears hard, and to some it seems urgent; yet it is for
their good. This principle has existed to a great extent among
the nations of the earth. They are raised up and cast down. They
come into existence, grow, flourish, and expand, and are
powerful; and by a touch they crumble, wither, and decay. But the
nations know not God; they do not observe his laws, and have no
claim upon his protection. It has been so from the commencement,
and it will continue so until the winding-up scene. It will apply
to the human family until the earth shall be redeemed.
97
It is true that these things are not always visible to our
senses. We sometimes see the wicked flourish, just as David said
he did; but by-and-by they are cut down. There is no pity in
their death, neither is there that kindly feeling that is
manifested for the righteous.
98
Good men have had to endure affliction, privations, trials, and
sorrow, it is true. Abraham had to pass through afflictions that
were harrowing to his feelings. Men of God have had to wander
about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, and been considered the scum
and offscourings of society, by men who understood not their
relationship to God. They appeared destitute, but were, in
reality, not. They had a hope that was buoyant, and looked for a
city that had foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Events
of a similar kind have transpired among us. Brother Kimball and
others have realized it, as those did in ancient times. There is
no difference this latter and former dispensation in this
respect. Those who have held the Melchizedek Priesthood, many of
whom had the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and much of the spirit of
prophecy, even where there was no organization of Priesthood or
of the kingdom of God upon the earth, stood as isolated
characters in the world, and maintained their integrity before
God. But we have a kingdom, the pattern of which has been
revealed from the great God, given for our own happiness and
salvation. And with the laying of the foundation of his kingdom
on the earth there is a promise given unto us that the powers of
darkness and all the power of hell combined shall not prevail
against this kingdom. In this respect we differ from all others.
98
At the time that Jesus lived, the Apostles entertained this hope
respecting the kingdom that he organized; but long before that,
it had been prophesied that a certain power should prevail
against the Saints, and that the kingdom, with its organization,
should pass from earth; and this all came to pass: but such will
never be the case with this kingdom. Here is the difference
between the dispensation of Jesus and the one in which we live.
98
The Lord organized this earth for a certain purpose, and placed
you and me upon it, and also millions of beings who came here
before us and passed into another state. He organized for a
certain purpose, and it will accomplish its design; so also will
the human family. Should I say, then, that God is the arbiter of
his own fate?
98
You will allow me to mix up my texts, I presume; for I do not
mean to take up firstly, secondly, and thirdly; but I mean to use
them wherever I think they will apply.
98
Is God the arbiter of his own fate? There is no necessity for
this; for God rules and reigns, and controls things at his
pleasure. Will righteous men always be trodden under foot by
their enemies? No; for it is contrary to the design of God: he
has given us ability to choose the good and refuse the evil. We
can work iniquity or righteousness, just as we please; and the
Devil has taken advantage of this, and tried to surround men's
minds with such influences as would bring about their ruin, that
he might lead them captive at his will. The Lord has not bound
them, nor controlled them; but the result of their actions he has
controlled, whenever they have taken a course that was of itself
calculated to injure his people.
98
The Lord says, "The wrath of man shall praise me, and the
remainder I will restrain." He will let mankind pursue happiness
in their own way; and according to their desire, he will let them
drink the cup of their own iniquity in their way. On the other
hand, he has manifested his goodness, and will continue to do it
to all his children. What does he design to accomplish? The
building up of this kingdom upon the earth, the establishment of
righteousness, the driving back of the Adversary, and the
banishing of his Satanic Majesty from the earth. By this means,
the principles of truth will be extended throughout the length
and breadth of the earth, and all will bow to God and his Christ,
and the chosen ones will administer the ordinances of his house
for ever and ever.
99
The Almighty had this object in view long ago: the old Prophets
testified of it in generations that are passed. Job, who was said
to have been a very patient man, spoke of it in his day, and the
Apostles of our Lord talked about the time when Jesus would come
to reign upon the earth. Visions, dreams, and revelations are
multiplied upon this subject. The Lord is a little more capacious
in his views than we are, and calculates more largely; and things
that look very great and important to us are very small with him.
99
It is said that a thousand years with us are as one day with the
Lord. He will bring to pass the work which he has designated; and
what will it be? It will be the destruction of the ungodly, and
the exaltation of the Saints to a celestial kingdom and glory. It
will be the resurrection of the dead, and the exaltation of all
who have obeyed him to thrones, dominions, principalities, and
powers in worlds that are prepared for the faithful. Then he will
have accomplished his purposes with regard to this world. Then
those men who have suffered for a long time will feel like old
Job, when he said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he
shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God,
whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not
another, though my reins by consumed within me."
99
It was by the Spirit of truth and the revelations of God to Job
that enabled him to say, "Though worms destroy this body, yet in
my flesh shall I see God."
99
Father Abraham will come forth in the resurrection of the just.
He saw the day of the Lord and was glad, and he will possess and
enjoy all the blessings promised unto him. He will accomplish all
that is written concerning him and that has been predicted by the
Prophets.
99
The Apostle Stephen prophesied of this, and said, "God promised
to abraham that he would give him this land, and he will fulfil
his promise." Abraham will inherit that which was promised to him
upon this earth, when he has fulfilled his destiny in other
respect; then the promised land will be awarded to him. I might
enumerate many other circumstances and instances of a similar
kind. The Lord called Joseph Smith to be a Prophet, Seer, and
Revelator. As soon as this was done, the Devil was ready for the
opposition, and said, "I shall stand in my place, and what will
Joseph Smith be able to accomplish?" We say that he will
accomplish all that is required of him, despite all opposition.
99
One of the ancients said, "Although the fig-tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine; the labour of the
olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock
shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the
stall: yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of
my salvation."
99
Who has been injured by the late crusade of the United States
against us? With one of the best equipped armies that was ever
organized in the United States, they came to crush this people
and to wipe us out of existence, defiant, menacing, threatening,
proud and haughty, with all the parade, the pomp, and
circumstance of war: but the Lord put a hook in their nostrils,
stripped them of their glory, left them shivering in the cold,
and fed them on mule's legs. Who has been hurt?
99
We are still here, and God is controlling matters for our good.
President Young says, "It will continue to be so, if we live our
religion as we understand it, and leave the wicked alone; for
those who are opposing the Church of Christ cannot hurt us, and
all such characters will have their portion in the lake that
burns with fire and brimstone. Then let us gird our loins and
maintain the principles of truth--do all we can to root out
iniquity from our midst, but let the wicked wallow in the
filthiness of their own debaucheries.
100
We have separated ourselves from the world in which we live; we
have been baptized, by immersion in water, for the remission of
sins; we have had hands laid upon us for the gift of the Holy
Ghost; and the question with us now, Shall we condescend to go
again into the beggarly elements of the world, or shall we
continue in obedience to the law of God? If we do not obey the
law which the Lord has given for our guidance, we shall go down
to destruction, and our second state will be far worse than the
first. We are now laying a foundation for ourselves and our
posterity; and what is it that will flash upon our minds if we
turn away from the truth? We shall think of the time when we
thought we were the Saints of God; we shall think of our
associations with this people, and these reflections will greatly
increase our misery.
100
Are we not the framers of our destiny? Are we not the arbitrators
of our fate? This is another part of my text, and I argue from it
that it is our privilege to determine our own exaltation or
degradation; it is our privilege to determine our own happiness
or misery in the world to come. What is that brings happiness
now--that makes us so joyous in our assembling together? It is
not wealth; for you may pour wealth, honour, influence, and all
the luxuries of this world into the lap of man; and, destitute of
the Spirit of God, he will not be happy, for that it is the only
source from which true happiness and comfort can come.
100
If I am doing right, I am preparing for thrones, principalities,
and dominions, resolved by the help of God that no man shall rob
me of my crown. With this view of the subject, all the outward
circumstances of this life do not trouble me.
100
I know it is the case that many men would like to have everything
they can desire or think of; and I used to think, if I were the
Lord, I would give the people everything they wanted--all the
money, all the honour, all the riches, and all the splendour
their hearts could desire; but experience and observation have
caused me to change my mind, for I know that such policy would
not be good for the human family.
100
The Lord will try this people in all things, that they may be
prepared for celestial glory.
100
Brethren and sisters, the time to bring our meeting to a close
has come, I will therefore bring my remarks to a close, and pray
God to bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Orson
Pratt, June 24, 1860
Orson Pratt, June 24, 1860
DIVINE AUTHORITY.
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, June 24, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long
101
I arise, by the request of brother Kimball, to speak to the
congregation. What I may say I do not know at the present time;
but one thing I do know, and that is, I earnestly desire the gift
of the Holy Spirit, to enable me to speak to the edification of
those present; and then, whatever is said will be right, and we
shall be mutually instructed, and our minds informed.
101
One of the great fundamental principles of our religion is the
Divine authority which God has sent down from heaven and
conferred upon man. It lies at the foundation of the great work
that we have embraced. Without it, we are nothing--we are mere
cyphers; we are no better off than the rest of the world. No
matter how many truths we might embrace in our faith, and how
many principles we might advance for the instruction of one
another, nor however much knowledge we might gain and impart one
to another, yet, if we were not in possession of this principle
of authority from heaven, all would be vain--all would be
useless; all we could do would be like the turning to-and-fro of
the door upon its hinges. Our ordinances would be in vain, our
baptisms would be in vain, our confirmations would be in vain,
our preaching and our testimonies would be in vain, and, finally,
there would be nothing pertaining to our religion that would be
serviceable or saveable in its nature. But let authority be sent
down from heaven and conferred upon man, so that he will have the
right to act in the name of the Lord, and so that he will have
the right to administer ordinances in his name, and to act, to
preach, to testify, and exhort in the name of the Lord.
101
Then what is done will stand; it will be lawful, it will be
eternal, it will be recognized in the heavens in the day of
judgment, and it will be sanctioned by all the pure and holy
beings that are saved. When, therefore, we teach this generation,
we teach this as one of the great fundamental principles of our
religion.
102
That authority has been given, not from man, not from any
individual or combinations of men, but it has been given from a
superior source and a superior power, and eventually it has been
conferred upon us, giving us the legal right to administer to the
human family. This authority, when acted upon and when properly
received, is saveable in its nature, and without it we may
despair of obtaining salvation in the kingdom of God. We might as
well give up first as last. But we do verily know (for with us it
is not belief or guess-work,)--but we have a knowledge that God
has given this authority: we know it for ourselves; we know it as
individuals, and not for the rest of mankind, but each individual
for himself, provided he has received the gift of the Holy Ghost;
and if he has not received that gift and blessing, he does not
know it, for no man can know the things of God but by the Spirit
of God. No man can know by his natural eyesight, nor even see the
things of God; they are to be spiritually discerned. No man can
know by the hearing of the ear--by the testimonies that are given
to other individual, nor by the miracles that are performed; in
short, no man can know the things of God unless he has received
the gift of the Holy Ghost.
102
The Egyptians did not know, when Moses and Aaron performed
miracles, that they were the servants of God. They saw water
apparently turned into blood; they saw frogs and insects come
before their eyes; but they saw the magicians do the same things,
and they had not sufficient knowledge to know the difference
between the powers of the children of God and those possessed by
themselves. Although they believed, yet they did knot know, for
want of the Holy Spirit. Their hearts were not sufficiently
prepared to receive that heavenly light, that divine gift by
which that power was among them.
102
How easily we may be operated upon, and how liable we are to be
led astray by the opposite power! How easily the children of
Israel were led astray! Their minds darkened and their faith was
destroyed, because they did not retain this authority and power
in their hearts. The thunders of Mount Sinai, the clouds and
darkness, and all the magnificent scenery that surrounded them
did not create within them that living, abiding testimony that
comes by the Holy Ghost. There, in the midst of all these scenes,
they could build a calf, fall down before it, and acknowledge it
to be their god. They could say, not only in their own hearts,
but to one another, "These by thy gods, O Israel!" While
mountains were covered with vast clouds, while the lightnings
were yet striking down, and while the whole mountain of Sinai was
trembling because of the power of God, yet that power was not
recognized--it was not respected, but a golden calf was
considered to be the god that brought them out of the land of
Egypt.
102
How vain, then, without the Holy Ghost, his abiding witness, this
authority that comes from heaven and the knowledge of it! By this
authority, sent down from heaven, we obtain a knowledge of future
events; by it we obtain a knowledge as the fathers did--we
receive that which is promised upon our heads, even that which is
promised in regard to our posterity to the latest generation; by
it we shall obtain all that was promised in relation to our
ancestors,--also that which is promised in relation to
Priesthood, power, greatness, and glory. All these things are
given through the authority that God has ordained and bestowed on
man here upon the earth.
102
[Blessed the sacramental cup.]
103
Mankind have assumed to themselves various degrees of authority.
Mankind have assumed to themselves, from the earliest ages, after
our creation, to establish by their own authority civil
governments, and also to establish by their own authority
ecclesiastical or church governments. These governments that have
assumed authority to rule, and reign, and govern the people, will
crumble to ashes before the might, the strength, and power of the
kingdom of our God. One, perhaps, has assumed authority after one
method; another has assumed it after another: one has established
one form of government, and another another form: one has erected
a standard of religion to guide the human mind in relation to
their welfare and happiness, and another has set up a separate
creed; and we find that our world, from ages immemorial, has been
under all kinds of authority and government, civil and
ecclesiastical; and the nations of the earth have honoured these
governments, more or less.
103
Perhaps it may be said that the Lord is the Author of all these
governments. That we may admit in one sense, and in one sense
only, because he controls those governments to a certain extent,
as we have been told from this stand. But is the Lord the Author
of a government that admits of no authority from heaven? He may
permit those governments to exist, and he may control the result
of their actions for the glory of his name and for his own
benefit; but to suppose that the Lord has directly established
the monarchical governments that have existed for ages that are
past, and the Republican governments that have existed through or
in different generations, and the various other governments, some
of which have stood the test of centuries,--to suppose that the
Almighty organized all of them, I say, would be inconsistent.
104
But some might say, Is it not better to have these forms of
government than to have none at all? Admit that it is better than
to let every man go which way he pleases; and therefore, when the
Lord saw that the people were so far departed from heaven and
from him, and from the form given from heaven, he may have
suffered those forms of government to be established, and that,
too, for the benefit of the inhabitants of the earth; and he may
have had, and may still hold, his hand indirectly over the wise
men of the earth, and move upon their hearts to establish many
good and wise principles for the benefit of the people. All this
he has done for his name's glory; therefore we acknowledge the
hand of the Lord in controlling all the governments and kingdoms
of the earth. But where is that heavenly, divine authority that
comes down from above? Where is it to be found in the present
generation, among all the nations and kingdoms in the four
quarters of our globe, except it be in these mountains? Where has
it been in ages that are past, since the Apostles fell asleep?
You may traverse our earth from one side to the other to find a
government established by the Almighty, and you cannot do it. Or,
if you do not want to find a people who will say that God was at
the foundation of the establishment of their governments, find a
people who will say that God directs in their movements, in their
councils, in their senates, in their houses of parliament,--find
a nation that will acknowledge that God governs them by the
spirit of revelation. You cannot find such a one: there are none
such in existence among the nations abroad, for they all say they
do not acknowledge the principle. If you go over to the Old
World, and travel from one end to the other and ask the question,
Do you acknowledge God in your movements--in making war one with
another? Does God give you revelation to guide you? Have you any
Prophets that are appointed by divine authority, who can say,
"Thus saith the Lord God concerning this people?" You will find
the united testimony of kings and senators to be that God does
not speak in this our day--there is no such thing as revelation
in this generation. Then go to the ecclesiastical governors and
ask the same question. Go to the Pope that pretends to occupy the
chair of St. Peter, and he will say, "Oh, I occupy the same
position as Peter--the same apostleship and calling." Do you act
in the same duties? He will answer, "Oh, yes, I guide and direct
my people as Peter did; but there is no revelation now; for,
since the days of John the Revelator, the canon of Scripture has
been closed up, and we are to be guided by their revelations; but
we are not to have any more.
104
This is what the Pope would tell you; it is what the cardinals
would say; and the bishops and clergy would all tell you that the
canon of Scripture is for ever closed. They have no God to decide
relative to their principles and doctrines, and to correct errors
that may creep into their church. In the next place, you may go
to all the reformers and other branches of the ecclesiastical
government, and with one united voice they will all tell you the
same thing--viz., that the Bible contains all that is necessary
and that can conduce to the benefit of the people. No prophet, no
inspired man in our day, and has not been for many generations
past; and hence there has been no additions to our Scriptures.
This is the state of the whole world, apart from this divine
authority that is claimed by the Latter-day Saints in these
mountains.
104
If the question be asked us by all the nations and kingdoms upon
the earth, "Do you profess to be guided in your councils by
revelation from the heavens?" There would scarcely be a voice in
the negative. I believe they would all answer in the affirmative,
and say, "We believe in revelation from on high; we believe that
angels have come and administered to the Apostles and Prophets,
that intelligence has been sent down from heaven, that Prophets
and Revelators have been in our midst, and that revelations have
been given from the commencement of the Church, and that we know
that the counsels and great movements of our Church have been
dictated by revelation." And here is where we differ from the
whole world.
104
It must be remembered that this is not one of those points that
are generally supposed to be non-essential: it is as different
from many of those disputed questions as the sun at its meridian
splendour is from the moon making her appearance in mid-day. This
is a great and an important question.
104
Where is there power to govern civilly or ecclesiastically--I
mean the power of God? Will he not bring all their thrones to an
end? Where is there a law passed by human authority that will
stand the searching glance of the Almighty? Where is there a
kingdom or council organized among the nations that now exist
that gets the counsel of the Almighty to direct them? All that do
not obtain this direction will be rooted up in the great day to
come; they will be overthrown and brought to naught. And even
their domestic institutions are wrong. Where is there a nation
among those governments where the people have been brought into
the bonds of matrimony according to the order of God? When the
great day of the Lord comes, it will come to end their marriages.
There will be nothing but good feelings left between man and
wife--between parents and children, because they have not been
begotten, neither have their marriages been solemnized by that
authority which is known on high. Then children can no longer
recognize their fathers and mothers as such, neither can men and
women any longer dwell together as husband and wife, when that
great day shall come; for all things that are established by
human authority must come to an end, and cease for ever.
105
But when, on the other hand, we consider the authority that is
given to us from heaven, we see something that will never come to
an end. There will be something that will endure when the
mountains and hills shall melt like wax, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat. At that day there will be among the
Latter-day Saints those holding that authority that is from on
high--that inspiration that comes from heaven. Then, when the
Great Eternal Son of the Father shall come in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory, we shall stand firm upon the
rock that will endure for ever, even by the authority that God
has ordained.
105
How great reason the Latter-day Saints have to rejoice when they
contemplate these great privileges and blessings, and when they
contemplate that the same authority that God established in the
beginning, when our first parents were upon the earth, (the same
authority that proceeded from the Great Eternal in the morning of
creation,) is again restored. Ours is an ecclesiastical Church,
and an ecclesiastical state. We have something that is enduring,
and this rejoices my soul when I think upon it. This present
state of existence is, as the Apostle says, but a shadow, and our
probation ends in death.
105
Many of the Latter-day Saints have been properly instructed in
regard to this authority that is sent from God. Where is there an
individual that has been united in the order of God who would
like these bonds to be severed, and henceforth be left in
conjecture? What would the world give, if they were acquainted
with these divine principles? It is because they are ignorant of
them that they are contented to marry in the way they do at the
present time. We can see that they are principles that we need,
and that are ordained by the Almighty, implanted in the bosoms of
men and women. They are principles that minister to our
happiness. Then why should those sacred ties be torn asunder when
this body dies? Why should the pursuance of that course which
sustains us in this life be broken up for ever in that which is
to come? Would this be consistent with the character of the
All-wise Creator for him to implant certain principles,
instincts, and passions in our nature, to be enjoyed in our
present existence, and to break them asunder for ever? No, it
would not; neither has he any disposition to impart gifts,
principles, and passions, and then destroy them again. To this
end the Lord has ordained authority to be exercised upon the
earth, and he is manifesting that it is He who rules in the
heavens; and he will continue to show to the people that these
ordinances, powers, privileges, and blessings enjoyed in this
Church are to continue and endure for ever, and that his house is
a house of order. He can easily overthrow this human authority,
and carry out that which is heavenly.
105
For the accomplishment of this, he has given the keys of the holy
Priesthood, and there are many sitting before me who have
received this Priesthood, and it will remain with the faithful
after their graves shall have been covered up and the green grass
grown thereon. It will go with them in the spirit-world and aid
them in disseminating the principles of salvation there, and by
it they will be brought forth in the resurrection of the just.
105
The first speaker expressed his opinion as to the possibility of
our attaining that point, or reaching that degree of perfection
that will enable us to retain all the heavenly principles in our
bosoms that we receive from day to day, and be able to practise
upon them, and thereby overcome disease and death itself. This is
all very good; but there is much to be done--many temptations to
resist, and weaknesses to overcome, before we can live by the
light which is in us.
106
If we fall into transgression and wallow in iniquity, we lose our
position and our claim on the goodness and protection of our
Heavenly Father; but, by a faithful adherence to the principles
of virtue and righteousness, we shall prepare ourselves to come
forth in the resurrection of the just, and dwell with the
sanctified. Let us shake off our imperfections and put away our
follies, lift up our heads and rejoice, and call upon the name of
the Lord. The promises made to us are sure, and we shall inherit
them.
106
Consider the great blessings that have been already conferred
upon us, having been sealed up by the Holy Spirit of promise to
come forth with the just and inherit all things; and these have
been recorded for our benefit. If we transgress, we shall have to
suffer for that transgression here in the flesh; and after we lay
our bodies down, we shall suffer in the spirit-world, until we
have suffered enough for all our sins, unless we have shed
innocent blood. For those who have committed that sin there is no
forgiveness in this world, nor in that which is to come.
106
Here is something that is permanent; here is a chance to take
hold of the word of the word of God, as described by Lehi. It is
our privilege to hold fast and hold on to them. And if we should
be cut off in the flesh and sent down to be punished in the
spirit-world, and there be buffeted by those spirits, and still
retain our memories, we can say these sufferings will not endure
for ever, but we shall enjoy all that has been put upon our
heads, and, through the Priesthood, and signs and tokens that
have been revealed, come forth in the first resurrection, and
pass by the sentinels and the Gods that stand to keep the way to
eternal lives. And if there be thrones, dominions,
principalities, and powers, we shall come in possession of them,
for this is the promise of the Almighty.
106
This is like an anchor to our souls; this something to rejoice in
beyond this world. It lays hold of eternal lives; it lays hold of
eternal exaltations, of eternal thrones, of eternal authority and
power to reign in the kingdom of God for ever and ever.
106
This is the kind of authority and blessing that is calculated to
satisfy mankind in relation to the things of God, and nothing
else will.
106
May God bless us all, is my prayer. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, July 1, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, July 1, 1860
PRACTICAL RELIGION.
Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, July 1, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
107
I have been very much interested with the discourse we heard this
forenoon. It is what I call practical religion; and you will
understand my feelings when I tell you that I consider there is
no religion of any kind that is of any use, except that which is
practical.
107
I read in the Book of Mormon, Bible, and in the revelations that
are given and written for our instruction and benefit, and for
the benefit of the people who lived in past ages, that the Lord
says, in speaking of those that have favour with him--the meek,
the humble, and those that have a contrite spirit--that manifest
their faith by their works and call upon him continually, I will
administer to them and impart unto them my will. The Lord our God
lives, and it is because he lives that we live; for if the Lord
had been dead, we should have been dead. He certainly does exist
and dwell in the heavens, and I am aware of it.
107
During my experience in the Church, I have been placed in many
situations, and thousands of items have been presented to my mind
that would be of great service to the people. I have called upon
the Lord and asked him for a great many things, and he has heard
and answered me; and I have endeavoured to take a course that
would give me favour with him, with his Son, and with the Holy
Ghost, that I might have things brought to my remembrance--that I
might have a knowledge of things present and things to come.
107
This is our privilege, brethren, and it is the privilege of all
the men that live upon the earth. We are Saints, and we should
all live in that manner that would insure us all the blessings
that are promised to the faithful Saints. Every man that has
received the Priesthood, whether an Apostle, Prophet, High
Priest, Elder, Bishop, Priest, or Teacher,--all should live as
one man--be of one heart and one mind. In regard to those things
we have heard with regard to living and practising our religion,
that we may be able to build up Zion and establish the New
Jerusalem: Unless we are very diligent, we shall be very far
behind the times when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven,
adorned as a bride for her husband. Now, I believe that Enoch
went away from here on a piece of earth, but I do not believe
that he remained idle all the time: they have been improving and
cultivating the earth--they have been multiplying and increasing
the inhabitants where they live. So it is with the lost tribes of
Israel: they are not asleep. God speaks to them through their
Prophets, and they are learning to be obedient and to be subject
to the law of God.
108
It is the privilege of the Elders of Israel to rise by the power
of God, by living the religion of Jesus Christ.
108
Brethren, go to work and adorn the earth, adorn your habitations,
and improve in everything that is good, that you may be qualified
hereafter to do a good work. I have worked in my day, and learned
two mechanical trades--the potter's and blacksmithing, and worked
considerable as a carpenter; but I never saw a blacksmith yet
that was perfect, or one that could not improve more an more in
making edge-tools and other things. In fact, I never saw a
mechanic perfect in his business; for there is always an
advancement, an improvement in blacksmithing, in machinery, and
in every branch of business. I learned the potter's art, as I
have said, and have carried on the business. I always found that
I could improve, and I never saw a journeyman but I could learn
from. It is so in England and everywhere else. I saw new styles
in Staffordshire, England, when I was there. I saw something
there that was very beautiful, and superior to anything I had
ever seen before. So it is in building, in manufacturing. This,
you know, will apply to our sisters as well as to our Elders. In
short, we should all try to improve in everything that is good. I
never saw a better time than it is to-day to improve in every
thing that is good, and then continue the work to-morrow, the
next day, and so on.
108
[Blessed the sacramental cup.]
108
I wish to talk about things that are present with us, that
pertain to us. We are continually talking about being the
saviours of men. Now, how is it possible for one of us--I will
take myself for an example, and I will repeat--If I do not take a
course to preserve myself and my family, my wives and children,
to provide for, and feed and clothe a small family, I want to
know what I can do for a large one. We have to learn this, and
that if we cannot take a course to lay up wheat, corn, meat, and
the comforts of life, make cloth for our families, we cannot make
cloth nor provide for others. If we do not take a course to
provide for those around us, can we provide for our friends? We
cannot. Then here is the place for us to begin--right here in the
mountains.
108
We are out of bread: we have none in the Tithing Office only what
we have drawn from Iron, San Pete, and Box Elder counties. Are we
not in a fine condition? Suppose the Lord should deal with us as
he is dealing with the people in California and those in
Missouri, what should we do? I saw it in the papers that they
have got as beautiful straw as ever grew, but there is not a
kernel of wheat in it. If this should be the case with us, or if
the lord should send a hailstorm to destroy our grain, would we
not be in a bad situation, as a people?
109
I can tell you it is time for us to be humble, prayerful, to live
our religion,--not only those men who hold office--not merely
those who are selected to lead prayer-circles and to pray
according to the holy order, but it is for all; and we should ask
our Father to bless these mountains and valleys--to bless our
crops, our herds, and flocks; for every soul of you knows that by
them our natural lives exist. Then, supposing your wheat is
preserved, and mine is cut off, and that there are three-fourths
of this people without bread, gentlemen, you have got to divide
with us until we are all out. Now don't you see that it depends
upon one man as much as another? Do you think I would like to
lock up my drawers and bins, and tie up my sacks? No. And if any
of you want to do it, we should not let you: we would talk to our
Bishops, and let them open the bins and take out a little, and
then pay you for it. We do not want it of you for nothing at such
times; we want to pay you the gold and silver for your grain, or
whatever we receive from you. Suppose that each of you had your
hats full of gold and silver, it would not make bread; and if you
put yeast in it, it would not rise.
109
I have seen the time when my hat full of gold would not buy a
barrel of flour, and then again I have seen the time when it
could be got for almost nothing. I contend that every man that
holds the Priesthood ought to be a saviour temporally as well as
spiritually, for we are in duty bound to try to save our natural
lives. I would not give much for a spirit without a body, because
it takes the spirit and body to make the soul of man: the
temporal and the spiritual must be united to make the man.
109
The Lord is beginning to pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon
his people, and he is also pouring out his wrath upon the wicked,
especially the Missourians and others in the States. Their cattle
are dying with disease, their crops are being cut off; and while
these things are taking place, you and I ought to be humble and
faithful: we ought to be good stewards, and lay up stores for
that time which is to come, and thereby prepare for a day of
scarcity.
109
Brethren, do you believe that there will be thousands and
hundreds of thousands that will flock to this people for bread,
for meat, for clothing, and for the comforts of life? Such will
be the case, and I do not know but it will come before we are
ready for it. There has never been a greater prospect of grain
than there is at the present time; but we cannot tell how it will
be next year at this time. There are hundreds of men in this
Church that would not have believed that this people would have
been brought down to the scarcity of wheat they are now.
109
Where is the wheat we boasted about having. The army down at Camp
Floyd have got three years' provisions on hand; and in case of
famine, they would have to feed us. But don't you see they have
got the power in their own hands? And we have placed that power
in their possession. What do we find in the Bible upon this
subject? "The children of this world are wiser in their
generation than the children of light." They make preparation for
that which is to come, more so than many of this people do.
110
Now, you know that you have tried to make it appear that brother
Brigham has sold his grain to the army: but he says he has not,
and I know he has not; neither have I. I have hauled wheat to the
camp that the merchants have bought of this people, and I have
got my pay for it. When I was on my last trip, it was reported
that I was sending my wheat to Fort Hall; but I never sent any
there. I do not suppose there is a man here that believes that
President Young and myself have sold our wheat and flour, or
provisions of any kind: but they seem to have a mind to make a
scapegoat of us; but in this they have done wrong. If we had done
as many of you have, you would not have had a mouthful; for there
are many of you who do not raise any, and who have none but what
you get from the Tithing Office and from private individuals. I
have talked with brother Brigham, and he says that if this army
were to go away, and another come in two years, this people would
do just as they have done; but we must stick to them. It makes me
feel, and it ought to make you feel. We put our grain into the
hands of those men that should execute the law and see that we
are protected. But they have come here to take your lives and
mine; and if you would destroy all that kind of wickedness that
has been introduced, live your religion, ye Elders of Israel, and
honour your high callings. I have done just as I have said: I
have let my wheat out to my brethren. I could have had two
dollars per bushel, but I would not have taken three dollars; and
I still have some wheat in my bin.
110
I want to see the brethren and sisters engaged in home
manufactures. My family are making cloth now, and it would be a
good thing if all the people in this Territory would go to making
cloth to clothe themselves with. What! says one, make cloth now,
when there are plenty of goods? Yes; I am going to make more
cloth this year than ever I did before. There are people in this
congregation that I could point out who have decided to please
themselves about making cloths and everything else; but I can
tell you we have to learn to pursue that course that will make us
independent. We must learn to keep our grain, take care of our
stock, keep what we have got, and get what we can honestly; and
we should never slacken in the principles of industry, in
mechanism, or in the economy of life. Are you taking that course,
brethren? Are you, brother Heber? I am: I can prove it. I never
saw a time when it was more needed than it is now, and it will be
more needed yet. Some will turn round and say, If you are just,
you will teach us what God's will is pertaining to us. The Lord
has said that he will provide for his Saints, and nourish them,
and send his angels to protect them. Don't you see he is a
jealous God? He is jealous of the nations of the earth, and he is
going to scourge them for their iniquities.
110
These are my feelings, and these are things that I know, and I
speak in soberness, in sincerity, and in truth. Am I going to bow
down and let my enemies have power over me? No, sir; no person
will prohibit or attempt to prohibit any one doing right, except
those that do not wish to keep the commandments of God--such, for
instance, as the thief, the robber, the whore and whoremonger,
and those that try to make all the lies they can.
110
Brethren, let us gird up our loins and be faithful in all things.
Will you go naked and hungry? No, not if you will do right: there
will be an abundance for all that do right. I have been as poor
as the poorest of you. I have been so poor that I have seen many
times when I had not a change of shirts. I have also been with
brother Brigham when we were both very poor; and when you talk
about going through troubles and trials, I think of what I have
passed through for the Gospel's sake, in connection with my
brethren; but in the midst of those trials I have always been the
happiest. What have we sacrificed? Nothing at all, when we
consider that all belongs to our Father. Why do you want to get
up in the meetings of the Saints and tell how you have
sacrificed? Think of this in the future.
110
Have we not been among false brethren? Yes, we have suffered from
that source. When Joseph had to flee, and there was hardly a
person that you could trust, that was a trying time. you have
left your homes, you have left nations of tyranny and oppression,
and have come to these peaceful valleys, where the devils have
been made subject to the Priesthood of the Most High.
110
So far as I am concerned, I can say that I have sacrificed
ignorance to get light--I have sacrificed to overcome the Devil,
and I will rise with those that rise and come off victorious. I
consider that I have sacrificed nothing for God, but that the
sacrifices I have made are for my own individual benefit, and to
benefit the Almighty.
111
This is my testimony, and you know it as well as I do. Then do
not talk about these sufferings. Do not go down to the grog-shops
and get drunk, fall and break your noses, and then tell how much
have suffered for the Gospel's sake. Do not go without clothes
when you might have plenty. Go to work and purchase a ewe sheep,
and then you will soon have plenty; yes, you will soon have a
large flock. Our chorister had but two sheep four years ago, and
now he has a nice little flock, and has sold some; and you can do
as well, if you will try,--yes, every man and woman. How mice you
look watching and taking care of a ewe sheep! Far better than you
do with those little bonnets, for they are a cursed disgrace to
the Saints; and all good men would say Amen.
111
Why don't you raise sheep, and make your own dresses instead of
putting on those rotten rags? Brother Brigham, am I scolding?
[President B. Young: "I don't know.] He says he don't know; and
if he don't, how is it likely that you should?
111
O my Father and God, where is the honest man? I have lost
confidence in the world, and in those that lay schemes of
iniquity.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Orson
Pratt, July 4, 1860
Orson Pratt, July 4, 1860
CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, &c.
Address by Elder Orson Pratt, Sen.,
July 4, 1860.
111
I rise, not for the purpose of delivering a lengthy address
before this assembly. I do not claim to be an orator, a
statesman, or a politician; but I am an American citizen, in
common with you all; and I am proud of the name.
111
I look back upon my ancestors as American citizens also, not only
from the foundation of this republic, but from the first
settlement of this country. They were among the "Pilgrims" that
landed upon our eastern shore seven generations ago.
111
We have listened to a very eloquent address on the rise of the
American nation--on the achievement of our national Independence,
in relation to establishing the great platform of American
liberty--viz., the American Constitution.
111
Much might be said upon each of these topics. Much might be said
in relation to the sufferings endured by the colonies before they
achieved their independence. Much might be said in relation to
the battles fought by our fathers to obtain that liberty which
they and we their children enjoy. It is not my intention to dwell
upon these subjects; but I will call your attention, upon this
occasion, to some of the rights guaranteed to us by the
Constitution of our country.
112
A few years sufficed to demonstrate the inadequacy of the
"Articles of Confederation," to obviate which the Constitution
was established, conferring increased power upon the General
Government. That its power might be clearly understood, Article
X, of the amendments was ratified as follows:--"The powers not
delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people." It will be perceived that there
are no prohibitions upon citizens outside the boundaries of
States.
112
In the Constitution we find certain rights and privileges
guaranteed to ALL American citizens. We there find certain powers
delegated to the General Government, and certain powers reserved
in the respective State governments, or to American citizens.
112
We read, in the 4th section of the 4th article of the
Constitution, words to this effect:--"The United States shall
guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican form of
government." This one item in the Constitution is a power granted
to the American Congress--to the American nation. They were
limited by the Constitution in regard to the form of government
that should be established upon American soil. They have not the
right, by that Constitution, to organize a government upon any
other than Republican principles. They have not the right to
establish a monarchy upon this soil: the Constitution forbids or
prohibits their doing so. In a national capacity, under the
Constitution, they have not the right to guarantee any but a
Republican form of government, which government of right emanates
from the people to be governed. This is the very nature of a
Republican form of government, as we American citizens understand
it. It differs from various other governments whose history we
have read. It differs from the Republican governments of past
ages. We read that Republican governments existed in some of the
ancient nations. They existed for a short period, and then
ceased. But their forms and the forms of the governments now in
the European nations are a kind more or less different from the
one with which we, as American citizens, are blest. It is not
necessary, however, for me, in the few remarks I shall make, to
dwell upon the various kingdoms and empires of the old world.
Doubtless the citizens of Utah are sufficiently acquainted with
the history of those nations to know that our American Government
differs from them all in unreservedly granting to the people the
power to govern themselves--the power to appoint their own
officers--and Congress has no power granted by the Constitution
to interfere with that system. But the Congress, the United
States as a Union, are restricted in this particular; they are
prohibited from granting any other than a Republican form of
government upon the American continent.
112
Let us briefly turn our attention to the State Governments, and
see if the Parent Governments, and see if the Parent Government
has fulfilled its pledge, in the Constitution, by granting to the
several States that have been admitted into our Union. Yes, they
have permitted them to elect their own officers, enact their own
laws, vote at Presidential elections, and have a representation
in Congress, and a voice and vote in the governmental affairs of
the nation.
113
How is it with the Territories? Is a Republican form of
government extended to the Territories, according to the spirit
and letter of the Constitution? In the first place, where can you
find one item, from the beginning to the end, that grants to
Congress the right to establish a Territorial government, unless
petitioned by the people so to do? It cannot by found. And should
citizens in a Territory petition Congress to grant to them a form
of government, Congress are restricted to granting a form
strictly and fully Republican. Some urge that a part of the 3rd
section of Article IV,--"The Congress shall have power to dispose
of, and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the
Territory or other property belonging to the United States,"
gives Congress the right to legislate for American citizens who
chance to reside in Territories. But the portion thus relied upon
relates only to the disposition of Government property, and does
not grant the power to dispose of the inhabitants that may dwell
upon the public lands in Territories, as though the people
thereof belonged to the United States as property.
113
My opinion is that Congress has no more power to exercise
legislative jurisdiction over American citizens in Territories
than it has over American citizens in States. In other words,
that American citizens in Territories, equally with those in
States, have the plainly guaranteed right to govern themselves.
People from the various States settle upon the public domain; and
shall simply crossing an air-line in the same country prevent
them from enjoying a Republican form of government, having a
voice in the selection of their rulers, and the privilege of
making their own laws without being subject to have them
disapproved by Congress? If this is not the case in the treatment
of Territories, I consider there is an infringement. It lies in
the foundation--in the organization itself. And should the people
living upon the public domain petition Congress to comply with
certain conditions that were in vogue in the old monarchial
nations of the world, and have their petitions granted according
to its letter and spirit, they have no reason to complain. Still,
it is assumed power in Congress to grant a territory government.
113
But suppose we petition, in good faith, that Congress would
notice that part of the Constitution that directs the giving of a
Republican form of government, and we get something else, what
shall we do then? It may suit the condition of the people, and it
may not.
113
There are many rights that are named in the Constitution, and
many that the Constitution says nothing about. These rights I
shall not attempt to define. We have rights in regard to
observing the Sabbath, and worshipping God according to the
dictates of our conscience. We also have social and political
rights guaranteed to us and to all the American people. All these
might be taken up and reasoned upon; but you are acquainted with
them.
113
If I were to petition Congress, I should petition that this old
relic of the mother Government should be done away; and that when
Congress granted a Government, they should grant a Republican
instead of a monarchial one, and let all the people have the same
privileges.
113
"But," says one, "there is a great disparity in numbers." What of
that? Look at New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and many of the
old States, where we find not only hundreds of thousands, but
millions of inhabitants, and then look at Rhode Island, Delaware,
and Maryland, and see the difference. If this disparity exists in
States, why should it be brought up against a Territory? Those
smaller States have the same representation in the Senate of the
United States as the larger ones. Why, then, bring up this
disparity of numbers? Some say we must not admit the Territories,
because the disparity in Congress would be so great. It is all
folly to bring up this argument.
113
Having said this much upon the rights guaranteed to American
citizens, I will merely state that it is my opinion that it is
the privilege of people settling upon the public domain to form a
Republican "Provisional Government," according to the feelings of
the people, until Congress shall admit them into the Union.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, July 8, 1860
Brigham Young, July 8, 1860
CHARACTER OF GOD AND CHRIST--PROVIDENCES OF
GOD--SELF-GOVERNMENT, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, July 8, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
114
Our minds are capable of receiving and digesting a certain number
of ideas; but we are not able to comprehend a great many at one
time. We can hear all that a speaker is disposed to say; but
whether we can comprehend it, be it much, or, as in many
instances, little, is another and very important consideration.
Some minds can comprehend but very little at a time.
114
What we have just heard is very good. True, we have been taught
those principles from our youth. There are but very few in
Christendom who have not been taught those principles in
childhood by their parents, and in maturer years by their
school-teachers and priests. The character of the Saviour has
been exalted as much as our language will permit.
114
Brother Joseph Young, in his remarks, frequently quoted the words
of the Saviour, as recorded by his Apostle, "And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent." I would be pleased to see the divine
who can thoroughly acquaint us with that Being whom we call
God--the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. From our youth, we have
heard much in regard to the Father and the Son, but in a
mystified manner, so far as treated upon by the divines and
theologians of the so-called "orthodox" churches. How many of you
can give as sound, sensible ideas relative to the character of
our Father in heaven? If the Elders of Israel, who speak to us
from Sabbath to Sabbath, and who go forth into the world to
preach the Gospel of life, cannot, no man on the earth can. How
much have we learned in regard to it? How far have our
understandings expanded to comprehend the character of that Being
we call God? or even to comprehend the character of his Son Jesus
Christ, whom we call our Saviour?
115
The character of the Father is plainly portrayed in the Bible, so
far as it is necessary for it to be revealed; but who can tell
anything about him? All that we hear from this one, that one, and
the other, is but very little. We have formerly been in the habit
of hearing--"Great is the mystery of godliness, God manifested in
the flesh," and there having the subject left. With the world
things pertaining to eternity are such a mystery that all is left
in the dark--left with the mantle of ignorance cast around it.
But, God be praised, the vail begins to be thinner, and will be
withdrawn for us, if we are faithful. The work that God has
commenced in this our day is calculated to remove the vail of the
covering from all the face of the earth, that all flesh may see
his glory together. And if the principles of the holy Priesthood
that we have received continue to be carried out by the people at
large, the vail will be taken away, so that we can comprehend
that Being who is such a mystery to the great portion of the
human family.
115
Jesus was appointed, from the beginning, to die for our
redemption, and he suffered an excruciating death on the cross. A
person possessing the power of the Gods has that power to sustain
him in all his trials and sufferings. He has power and faith to
endure unto sweating blood, to bearing thorns, and to being
nailed upon a cross, as patiently as did our Saviour. Is this
speaking disparagingly of his character? Not in the least. Many
of our people have suffered unto death. Could a God do more? He
could not. Could he suffer more? Only in proportion to his
intelligence, faith, and power, which also proportionally sustain
him in his sufferings. Many of the Saints have been pierced with
bayonets, riddled with bullets, beaten to death, and slain in
various other ways, for their testimony of Jesus. They paid the
debt. Jesus fulfilled the obligations he had entered into as the
heir of all things pertaining to this earth. He is the King--the
Ruler, and the results of the acts of the people he brings forth,
and will continue to do so, till he reigns King of nations as he
now reigns King of Saints. When he again visits this earth, he
will come to thoroughly purge his kingdom from wickedness, and,
as ruler of the nations, to dictate and administer to them as the
heir to the kingdom; and the Gentiles will be as much mistaken in
regard to his second advent as the Jews were in relation to the
first.
115
The eyes of the Gentiles are like the eyes of the fool, wandering
to the ends of the earth. They are deceived, blinded, and far
from understanding the things of God. All who would understand
the things of God must understand them by the Spirit of God. In
reflecting upon his providences, it often seems singular that
every person cannot understand the things of God; but when you
understand the Gospel plan, you will comprehend that it is the
most reasonable way of dealing with the human family. You will
discern that purity, holiness, justice, perfection, and all that
adorns the character of the Deity are contributing to the
salvation of man.
115
Those who acknowledge the hand of God in all things, and abide in
his commandments, are the only ones who will sustain the
principles of truth and purity. If their influence upon the
character is not good and pure, how will they produce that pure
feeling, pure faith, and pure godliness which prepare a person to
dwell in eternal burnings? Should we not abide in and be
influenced by the commandments of God? We should; for, without
the spirit of revelation, no man can understand the things of
God, nor his dealings and designs in relation to the inhabitants
of the earth.
115
While brother Joseph was referring to the providences of God, I
was led to reflect that there is no act, no principle, no power
belonging to the Deity that is not purely philosophical. The
birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our
children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of
flesh and blood--was begotten of his Father, as we were of our
fathers.
116
Do you understand yourselves, brethren and sisters? Only to a
small degree; and there are as yet but few who can strictly
govern themselves. The foundation for all intelligence is placed
in man to be developed to produce great and more powerful results
than he has ever thought of. You may place all the world's wisdom
in one man, and ask him whence he received his intelligence, and
he cannot tell. Ask him, "Do you believe man has a soul? Do you
believe his soul lives when he dies?" He will answer, "Yes; but I
cannot tell where." Or inquire of him, "Do you believe that the
soul had an existence previous to its coming here?" He will
reply, "I do not know." Can you answer such questions? Yes; for
you have been taught concerning these things. Have you been
taught the character of the Father? Yes.
116
Will you improve upon the gifts bestowed upon you? Let me ask
you, as a favour, to bless yourselves and friends by conquering
and controlling yourselves--a principle that you should
cultivate; then you may control others. But unless you control
the passions that pertain to fallen nature--make all your
faculties subservient to the principles God has revealed, you
will never arrive at that state of happiness, glory, joy, peace,
and eternal felicity that you are anticipating. Then learn to
govern yourselves.
116
Were any professed Saints present, and there may be, who indulge
in paltry pilfering, thieving, carousing, tipling, cursing, &c.,
I would advise them to contemplate their conduct with
shamefacedness. Shame, also, to those women who run after the
Gentiles! Such women are so corrupt that they are a distress to
their sex. Are there any here of that class? I expect there are a
few who will say, "Brother Brigham, how are you?" and shake
hands, and then go and lie with a Gentile. I don't want such
persons to shake hands with me.
116
Brother Joseph has exhorted you to revere the character of our
Saviour. He who does not will sooner or later suffer. The Lord
will bring us to an account for all we do, before that tribunal
that will punish for all disgraceful conduct. Shame to those men
and women who call themselves Latter-day Saints, and act
disgracefully! You ought to be as pure and holy as angels. We are
commanded to be pure as Christ is pure, and holy as he is holy.
He passed through the trials, became sanctified, and prepared
himself to dwell with the Gods; and he dwells in the midst of
eternal burnings, where the principles and all that pertains to
the celestial kingdom are a consuming fire to all that is impure.
He has been exalted, crowned, and has received thrones,
principalities, and powers; and he commands us to walk in his
footsteps, in reference to every principle that pertains to
eternal lives. Let us do this, that the whole body, from the
crown of the head to the sole of the feet, may be sanctified.
Those who come short of this will be judged accordingly.
116
As to the persecution, the slander, and malicious acts aimed at
us, who can expect anything else from wicked and ignorant? Christ
and Baal are not reconciled; the Lord will hold no fellowship
with the Devil. But Satan will contend until he is driven from
the earth. He is the adversary, the opposer, and accuser of the
brethren. He opposes the Son of God in the great struggle between
truth and error. This victory must be gained in our houses,
neighbourhoods, towns, counties, and states; and this common
enemy of all Saints will continue to offer his opposition until
driven from the earth, and will contend for every inch of ground.
116
Let us walk in the footsteps of our Father and of our Saviour,
cling to the principles of life, and live by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God. Live to purify yourselves, and
you will be able to overcome every power of the enemy. Children
are now born who will live until every son of Adam will have the
privilege of receiving the principles of eternal life.
117
God bless the Elders who preach to the nations, the sisters who
pray for the kingdom, the men who labour in the fields and
elsewhere, and all who ask Him to bless and build up his Zion,
and bring in the reign of righteousness and peace, that all who
desire may rejoice in the blessings of the government of God
among men. God bless them, and the children of the Saints, in the
name of Jesus.
117
Parents, have you ever noticed that your children have exercised
faith for you when you have been sick? The little daughter,
seeing you sick, will lift her heart with a pure, angelic-like
prayer to heaven; and disease is rebuked when that kind of faith
is exercised. God bless the children! I pray that they may live
and be reared up in righteousness, that God may have a people
that will spread and establish one universal reign of peace, and
possess the powers of the world to come. This is my prayer
constantly.
117
God bless you! Amen.
117
PERSONAL SACRIFICES--EVIL INFLUENCES AND POWERS, AND
THE NECESSITY OF OVERCOMING THEM.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, July 8, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
117
I will say a few words before we dismiss, and I wish to say that
which will be comforting and consoling to those who delight in
the truth--that which will be pleasing to our Father in Heaven,
and be sanctioned by his Holy Spirit, by angels, and by the
Saints who live upon the earth.
117
You hear much said by some about their sacrifices. As they use
the term, it is without meaning to me. Divines exclaim--"Come,
and give all for Christ." I would like to know what the children
of men have to give--what they have to sacrifice. To my
understanding, the term is used improperly. We are but stewards
over what our Father puts in our possession. We possess houses,
farms, gardens, orchards, vineyards, and pleasant locations; but
are they actually ours? No. Is there a foot or an inch of this
earth that rightly belongs to us? No. God has put it in our
possession, and has given us ability to take from the elements to
make habitations to shelter ourselves; but are the elements ours?
118
Suppose the Lord should cause a tornado to pass through here, as
he has lately done in some places in the States, and destroy all
we possess, can we say to the winds, Cease blowing? Or suppose he
should cause lightning to destroy our buildings, can we stop it?
No. We have power to plough, sow, till, and irrigate; but can we,
of ourselves, produce one spear of grass, or one kernel of grain?
No. With me, it is folly to say that we own anything; and to
speak of giving or sacrificing, as many do, is a misapplication
of terms.
118
The spirits of the human family are pure and holy at the time
they enter tabernacles; but the Lord has so ordered that the
enemy has great power over our tabernacles, whose organization
pertains to the earth. Through this plan arises our probationary
warfare. Our tabernacles are conceived in sin, and sin conceives
in them; and our spirits are striving to bring our bodies into
subjection, and to overcome the Devil and the evils in the world.
This war and striving to overcome that evil power must continue
until we triumph. To accomplish this, we must so yield obedience
to the Divine influence as to learn the principles of eternal
life--to learn to bring the whole man--all the passions,
sympathies, and feelings in subjection to the spirit. Our spirits
are warring against the flesh, and the flesh against our spirits;
and all we have to do is to let the spirits that have come from
our Father in heaven reign triumphant, and bring into subjection
everything that tends to evil: then we are Christ's.
118
The Saviour has not finished his work, and cannot receive the
fulness of his glory until the influence and power of the wicked
are overcome and brought into subjection. When the wicked
inhabitants of the earth, the beasts of the field, fowls of the
air, fish of the sea, all mineral substances, and all else
pertaining to this earth, are overcome, then he will take the
kingdom, present it to the Father, and say, "Here is the work you
gave me to do--you made the appointment--I have wrought
faithfully, and here are my brethren and sisters who have wrought
with me. We have wrought faithfully together; we have overcome
the flesh, hell, and the Devil. I have overcome, they have
followed in my footsteps, and here are all thou hast given me; I
have lost none, except the son of perdition."
118
Jesus suffered himself to be crowned with thorns and crucified;
but suppose he had said, "I will not make this great sacrifice; I
am the Almighty; I will dash my enemies to pieces, and I will not
die for the world," what would have been the result? Jesus would
have become a son of perdition; he would have lost every power
and right to the kingdom he was about to redeem--would have
become no better than the son of the morning who contended
against him, and would have contended against righteousness from
that time, and against whoever the Lord would then appoint to
destroy sin and death, and him that had the power of it.
118
We can follow darkness and death, if we choose; but let us cling
to light instead of darkness, malice, hatred, wrath, and
bitterness; for Jesus will make an end of all evil. Himself is
all that man has to give for wisdom. When you do this, it is not
giving facts, but it is exchanging falsehood for facts, and folly
for truth. What have you to give for life everlasting? You are
your Father's. We cannot own anything, in the strict sense of the
word, until we have power to bring into existence and hold in
existence, independent of all other powers. One will say, "I have
given a thousand dollars towards building up the kingdom of God,"
when strictly he did not own a dollar. You take the money you
have in your possession and put it in another place, or to
another use; and though you thus use millions of gold and other
property, unless you do so with that spirit of charity in which
the widow cast in her mite, it will avail you nothing.
119
We have received this and that, but it is not ours; it is
committed to us as agents. We have nothing of our own, and will
not have until we have power to sustain our own lives. You have
not power to sustain your own lives, and yet you have done much.
You can own nothing until you have filled your missions on earth,
and gained power with the Almighty, when you will be clothed with
glory, power, and dominion. When the Lord says, "This is yours,
my son; I give you power to control all under your jurisdiction;"
then you can consider that your own.
119
Our religion has been a continual feast to me. With me it is
Glory! Hallelujah! Praise God! instead of sorrow and grief. Give
me the knowledge, power, and blessings that I have the capacity
of receiving, and I do not care how the Devil originated, nor
anything about him. I want the wisdom, knowledge, and power of
God. Give me the religion that lifts me higher in the scale of
intelligence--that gives me the power to endure--that when I
attain the state of peace and rest prepared for the righteous, I
may enjoy to all eternity the society of the sanctified.
119
We have been keeping the commandments of the Lord, and should
continue to do so more diligently; for he has commanded us to do
so--to strive to overcome the evils and put away the follies and
sins which have been sown in our nature by the fall of our first
parents, and let every feeling and affection be centred upon him
and the things of his kingdom, that when we awake in the morning
of the resurrection we may be crowned with honour and glory in
our Father's kingdom. When the wicked appear, they will learn
that God is a consuming fire, while that which is for him is
eternal in its nature. The principles of our religion are good.
If we will obey them, we shall reign eternally with the Father
and the Son. There are kingdoms also prepared somewhere for those
who obey not the celestial law.
119
May the Lord bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, July 15, 1860
Brigham Young, July 15, 1860
ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS--SELF-IMPROVEMENT.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, July 15, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
120
Often in the Tabernacle the congregations were crowded, but there
is room under this bowery for more than are here to-day. If the
brethren and sisters do not wish to come to meeting, knowing what
they know, they have privilege of staying at home. While Bishop
Hunter was relating his feelings with regard to the people, and
speaking of his great interest for their welfare, an anecdote
occurred to me--one which many of you, perhaps, have heard. Many
of you have heard of Lorenzo Dow and his oddities. He would go
into the woods, get on to a stump, and preach without a soul
being near to him, and probably leave an appointment to preach in
the same place a year from that day. I have seen him. He was as
odd-looking as were his acts. When travelling in the State of New
York to fill an appointment, as he neared the foot of a bad hill,
he overheard a man cursing and whipping his team, and rode on
carefully until he overtook the swearing man, and said to
him--"If you will swear as wickedly as you can until you reach
the summit of the hill, I will give you a dollar." The man
agreed, and added to his own condemnation by striving to earn the
dollar, which Dow handed to him, and rode on his way.
120
How many of you will stay away from meeting for a dollar? This
people delight in attending meetings.
120
If any Elder dislikes to hear others preach, come to the stand
yourself, full of the Holy Ghost, and preach the everlasting
Gospel to the people, and they will come to hear you again. But
when you spend your time foolishly, and your hearts and
affections are, like the fool's eye, to the ends of the earth,
after speculation, if you come here and speak to the people, you
are like "sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal." Though a man
should say but a few words, and his sentences and words be ever
so ungrammatical, if he speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, he
will do good. The people want the shepherd to feed the sheep,
though it is not prudent to feed them too much at a time. Brother
Kimball says that he holds the salt tight, and lets the sheep
lick it through his fingers, and they run after him; but if you
throw down a large quantity at once, they will eat until they are
cloyed, and will not follow you. Improve upon even a small
portion of what has been taught, and you may grow day by day,
which you cannot so well do when surfeited with good things.
121
Unless you improve upon it, every correct principle advanced
through the authority of the holy Priesthood becomes to you a
dead letter. But if you have the life within you, you will grow,
whether you stay at home or come to meeting; and every true
principle, power, and manifestation that God gives you, you will
improve upon and treasure up in your hearts. Ask the Father, in
the name of Jesus, to help you to treasure every true principle
in good and honest hearts, that it may produce to your own
advantage and that of others. Then your capacity and ability will
increase, your faith in Christ will increase, and the light of
Christ will increase within you.
121
As I have before mentioned, I heard brother John Taylor preach in
the Tabernacle one of the most heavenly discourses ever spoken,
upon the principle of Jesus Christ being in man a well of living
water. If people will live to the light they have, and to every
manifestation from God, they will arrive in such a state of
perfection that God will dwell in them a well of everlasting
life--a fountain of living water that will dispense life wherever
they go. Whatever they do, every act, thought, and word will be
full of life, and they will grow into eternal lives in the
kingdoms of our God. It is your privilege to so live that you are
constantly filled with the light of revelation, that Jesus Christ
may be within you as a fountain of living water continually
springing forth and yielding life eternal.
121
God bless you! Amen.
121
LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT--COMING TRIBULATIONS--PRESENT
SALVATION.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, July 15, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
121
The words of eternal life, the holy Priesthood of the Son of God,
with its keys, powers, and blessings, are committed to us. If
they and the God who gave them are honoured by this people, great
peace and joy are ours, through the Holy Spirit of this Gospel.
Great peace have they who love the law of the Lord and abide in
his commandments.
121
It has been said this morning that those who turn away from the
Lord are dark--very dark and benighted. Every principle of true
philosophy convinces a person who understands the spirit of the
Gospel and has received the good word of life, that the darkness
is in proportion to the light that has been forsaken. Rear a
child in a cell which only admits a small glimmer of light, and
the child will pass its time with some degree of satisfaction,
when a person accustomed to the bright light of day could not at
first see anything. And the greater the light bestowed upon an
individual or upon a people, the greater the darkness when the
light is forsaken.
122
The light of the Spirit reflects upon the understandings of those
who have not passed the day of God's favour, and teaches them
whether they are walking in the truth or violating the
commandments they have received of the Lord. If persons reach a
period when the Spirit of truth ceases to reflect upon their
understandings, then they know nothing of the commandments of the
Lord, but follow the lusts of the flesh and of the mind, and are
bound to perdition. So long as persons are in a position that it
is possible for them to return to the Lord, after having once
received the love of Christ--after having once been enlightened
by his Spirit, there will be times when they will be taught
whether they are walking in the truth or not.
122
Truth is the opposite of error--it is a matter-of-fact--no matter
where it is found. A man, though he has not received authority
from heaven, but is convinced by the light he has received that
the nations have wandered far from God, and that his
associates--members of the same professions or community--are not
walking according to the revelations given in the New Testament,
rises up and declares that he feels bound in his faith and
conscience to go forth and raise up a pure church unto Christ. He
goes forth and preaches to the people, calling upon them to be
Saints of the Most High. He calls upon the people to return to
the Lord with all their hearts--to become truly the children of
God by faith--teaches many good and wholesome principles, many of
the commandments of the Lord, and the revelations given in the
New Testament, knowing nothing further. Revival after revival and
seceder after seceder follow in the footsteps of the reformer. He
professes to teach purer and holier doctrine than has been
taught; and the question arises, Who is under obligation to obey
that man's mandate? The Lord has not called him; Jesus has not
appeared to him; Peter, James, and John have not met with him and
conferred upon him the keys of the holy Priesthood; he has no
communication with the heavens, only through the spirit of
conviction.
122
Such is the situation of the Christian world. They are convinced
by the traditions of their fathers, and by that portion of the
light of Christ that lighteth every man that cometh into the
world, that they are under obligation to a Supreme Being, and him
they are naturally inclined to adore, reverence, honour, and
worship. Under that impression they build up churches,
professedly unto Christ, on their own responsibility. Who is
under obligation to obey their words? When truth is presented, it
matters not whether by a deist, atheist, professor of religion,
or a person of no such profession, it belongs to the people of
God. Were Lucifer to present a truth to this people, they have a
right to take it, for it is theirs. But if he demands obedience
to the truth, are people under obligation to hearken and obey
through his word? Not in the least.
122
When a man merely from a spirit of conviction goes forth to build
up the kingdom of God--to reform the nations of the earth, he can
go so far as morality operates upon and enlightens him; but he is
without authority from heaven. Let such a person come here and
teach one truth, or ten or a hundred truths, he is only handling
that which does not legally belong to him unless he obeys the
commandments of the Lord. That property is ours. It is for us to
receive all truth. But we are under no obligation to obey any man
or being in matters pertaining to salvation, unless his words
have the authority and sanction of the holy Priesthood.
123
All truth belongs to the Saints of the Most High. They inherit it
through obedience to his commands. It does not belong to the
hypocrite--to those who disobey the commandments of the Lord or
turn away from them; it belongs to the faithful Saints--to those
who love and revere the name of God and keep his commandments.
All truth, every good and holy principle, the fulness of the
heavens and of the earth, and all time and all eternities that
ever were, or are, or are to come, belong to the Saints of the
Most High. Do those blessings belong to others, if they take an
opposite path--if they disobey the commandments of the Lord? No;
but they, as well as the faithful, will reap the reward of their
doings. If they take the road that leads to destruction, they may
expect to be destroyed. If they take the road that leads to
dissolution, they may expect to be dissolved. If they take the
road that leads to ruin, they may expect to be ruined. The words
given to us in the Bible and Book of Mormon, and the words of the
Saviour, through his servant Joseph Smith, will all be verified
and fulfilled. How do the Saints feel in regard to this matter?
Is there faith and power among them? Do they feel grounded upon
the Rock of ages? Do they feel that the words of Prophets will be
fulfilled? There are times, perhaps, when men are measurably left
to themselves, and when they are somewhat in doubt. But when they
are active in the faith of their calling, are they sure and
stedfast, and do they feel built upon the rock of eternal truth,
the rock of ages, the rock of revelation? Do they realize that
all the words of the Lord will be fulfilled? Those who read and
hear, and do so understandingly, can comprehend for themselves.
But how can people understand? They may read and hear the words
of truth--the words of life, and yet the natural man in his
natural state cannot understand them. Mankind must have
revelation, either through a preacher or some other source, and
must enjoy the Spirit that should always attend the preaching of
the Gospel, to enable them to understand what they hear.
123
"Do you think there is calamity abroad now among the people?" Not
much. All we have yet heard and all we have experienced is
scarcely a preface to the sermon that is going to be preached.
When the testimony of the Elders ceases to be given, and the Lord
says to them, "Come home; I will now preach my own sermons to the
nations of the earth," all you now know can scarcely be called a
preface to the sermon that will be preached with fire and sword,
tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and
fearful destruction. What matters the destruction of a few
railway cars? You will hear of magnificent cities, now idolized
by the people, sinking in the earth, entombing the inhabitants.
The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulphing mighty
cities. Famine will spread over the nations, and nation will rise
up against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and states against
states, in our own country and in foreign lands; and they will
destroy each other, caring not for the blood and lives of their
neighbours, of their families, or for their own lives. They will
be like the Jaredites who preceded the Nephites upon this
continent, and will destroy each other to the last man, through
the anger that the Devil will place in their hearts, because they
have rejected the words of life and are given over to Satan to do
whatever he listeth to do with them. You may think that the
little you hear of now is grievous; yet the faithful of God's
people will see days that will cause them to close their eyes
because of the sorrow that will come upon the wicked nations. The
hearts of the faithful will be filled with pain and anguish for
them.
124
How do you feel, Elders of Israel? Do you feel as though this
tribulation would come soon? Would you like to have the scene
commence this season, and have the vials of God's wrath placed at
your disposal? Would you like to unstop those vials and pour
their contents upon the heads of those who have afflicted you and
driven you from town to town, from place to place, and from city
to city, until you found a home in the mountains, and have even
followed us here, believing that they yet have power to destroy
the last Saint? Would you like to empty these vials upon the
heads of the nations, and take vengeance upon those who have so
cruelly persecuted you? Do you delight in the sufferings of your
fellow-beings? Jesus died for those very beings. Have you ever
realized that the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, was voluntarily
shed for those very characters as well as for us?
124
Do you think that he has feeling for them? Yes, his mercy yearns
over the nation that has striven for a score of years to rid the
earth of the Priesthood of the Son of God and to destroy the last
Saints. He has mercy upon them, he bears with them, he pleads
with them by his Spirit, and occasionally sends his angels to
administer to them. Marvel not, then, that I pray for every soul
that can be saved. Are they yet upon saving ground? Many of them
can yet be saved, if they will turn to the Lord.
124
If a person with an honest heart, a broken, contrite, and pure
spirit, in all fervency and honesty of soul, presents himself and
says that he wishes to be baptized for the remission of his sins,
and the ordinance is administered by one having authority, is
that man saved? Yes, to that period of time. Should the Lord see
proper to take him then from the earth, the man has believed and
been baptized, and is a fit subject for heaven--a candidate for
the kingdom of God in the celestial world, because he has
repented and done all that was required of him to that hour. But,
after he is baptized and hands have been laid upon him for the
reception of the Holy Ghost, suppose that on the next day he is
commanded to go forth and preach the Gospel, or to teach his
family, or to assist in building up the kingdom of God, or to
take all his substance and give it for the sustenance of the
poor, and he says, "I will not do it," his baptism and
confirmation would depart from him, and he would be left as a son
of perdition. But if he says, with a willing heart and mind,
"Here is my substance; I will not only pay the tenth of it, but
the whole of it is at your feet; do with it as you please," does
he not continue to be saved? Yes.
124
It is present salvation and the present influence of the Holy
Ghost that we need every day to keep us on saving ground. When an
individual refuses to comply with the further requirements of
Heaven, then the sins he had formerly committed return upon his
head; his former righteousness departs from him, and is not
accounted to him for righteousness: but if he had continued in
righteousness and obedience to the requirements of heaven, he is
saved all the time, through baptism, the laying on of hands, and
obeying the commandments of the Lord and all that is required of
him by the heavens--the living oracles. He is saved now, next
week, next year, and continually, and is prepared for the
celestial kingdom of God whenever the time comes for him to
inherit it.
125
I want present salvation. I preach, comparatively, but little
about the eternities and Gods, and their wonderful works in
eternity; and do not tell who first made them, nor how they were
made; for I know nothing about that. Life is for us, and it is
for us to receive it to-day, and not wait for the millenium. Let
us take a course to be saved to-day, and, when evening comes,
review the acts of the day, repent of our sins, if we have any to
repent of, and say our prayers; then we can lie down and sleep in
peace until the morning, arise with gratitude to God, commence
the labours of another day, and strive to live the whole day to
God and nobody else.
125
Whomsoever you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye
are. Do not obey the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye,
and the grovelling grasping after property. There are those in
this congregation who are so short-sighted, and so destitute of
eternal wisdom and knowledge, that they believe that brother
Brigham is after property--after the things of this world. That
is a false feeling, a false view, and a false faith in such
persons. I am obliged to take care of what God puts in my
possession, and to make the best possible use of it. I seek not
for the world, nor for the things of the world; but God heaps
property upon me, and I am in duty bound to take care of it. Do
you think that I love the world? I do not. Where is the man who
would more willingly give up his property than I would?
125
Do not gather to yourselves false notions. When you imbibe that
which is not true, it tends to darken your understandings. I wish
you to feel right and do right. Love not the world--seek not the
things of the world, but seek the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all things necessary will be added to us.
Perhaps some of you think there is more added to me than is
necessary. I do not think a single individual in this
congregation knows how to take care of the things of life any
better than I do.
125
You have been asked, to-day, whether you know how to save
yourselves temporally. I have seen persons who were devoted,
spirit and body, to their religion, and yet did not know how to
hoe through a row of potatoes: they would be all over the field
hoeing--a little first in one row, and then in another. One of
the brethren that brought the Gospel to brother Kimball, myself,
and others, happened to be by when we were raising a loghouse. We
then, as now, believed in men's making themselves useful in all
places, and asked the minister to help us to roll up a log. He
took the handspike and undertook to lift the log on to us,
instead of on to the building. There are many just as ignorant as
this man.
125
Though some persons do not know how to obtain the necessaries of
life, they may know how to gain the kingdom of heaven. If the
knowing ones are not faithful with the mammon of this world, who
will commit unto them the true riches?
125
God bless you and all who love the truth! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, July 22, 1860
Brigham Young, July 22, 1860
PRIVILEGES OF THE SAINTS--PROVIDENCES OF GOD, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery
Great Salt Lake City, July 22, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
126
It is a great privilege to enjoy the society of the Saints. We
are in possession of great blessings and privileges, if we can
but realize it. No person can realize the blessings, or
understand the providences of God, unless he has the light of the
Spirit of God. Without that Spirit, a person is dissatisfied,
though he be constantly privileged with the society of the
Saints, and all his transactions and associations are with them.
With that Spirit, a person placed in the society of the wicked,
unless duty requires it, is sorrowful, uneasy, and unhappy: he is
not filled with the joy and peace he delights in. He desires to
see the face of a Saint, to hear the voice of a Saint, and to be
associated with those who love God.
126
How many are there here who do not like to pass by a camp of
emigrants, but much prefer, if they could do so with impunity in
regard to the feelings of their brethren, to go into the camp,
sit down and chat, apparently with a filial feeling towards those
who regard not the things of God--who treat lightly everything
that is sacred? The name and character of the Being we worship
they hold in derision; and yet how many of this community delight
in such society? They do not realize the blessings conferred upon
them. How many desire to mingle with the ungodly?
126
It may be asked, and with propriety, "Is it not reasonable,
right, and our duty to associate with the wicked?" Yes, when duty
requires it. I presume that Jesus had no hesitancy in his
feelings or in his faith, when the time came, to fill his mission
to the dark and benighted spirits in prison. But do you think
that he visited those spirits because he delighted in their
society? Every person will at once answer, "No." He did not visit
those spirits, nor have a desire to preach to them until his body
lay in the grave. That was the appointed time, and he refused
not, but said, "Not my will, but thine, O God, be done: now is
the time for me to preach to the spirits in prison."
127
But you can see persons who call themselves Latter-day Saints
composedly listening, and that, too, with apparent delight, to
those who are blaspheming the name of God. How do you feel about
such conduct? Take this community, as they are, and place them in
heaven, and do you think they would be satisfied to stay there?
They would be in complete misery; and yet we are called Saints.
It is easy to see that this people are not yet prepared to enter
into the fulness of the glory, power, exaltation, and excellency
of the knowledge, wisdom, light, and intelligence of heavenly
things that they expect to enjoy when Jesus will be revealed from
heaven. A father says, "I cannot part with my son," when the son
is a miserable, drunken, swearing thief; and a son, who has a
beastly, low, and debauched father, says, "I must have my father
with me." Do you not see, at a glance, that if the Saviour was
now here, those persons would prefer to walk hand-in-hand, and
then must join hands with some others of like character, and they
must join with a crowd worse still, and they with another still
worse, until they muster-in the hosts of hell, and march with
them; they will not part from each other. Do you not, then, see
the situation of many in this community?
127
Who among you realizes the blessings we are privileged with?
Glory, immortality, eternal wisdom, and eternal wisdom, and
eternal existence are on one hand; darkness, night, death, pain,
damnation, and hell are on the other; and some would like to join
those opposing principles, and are striving to do so.
127
The Elders exhort you to refrain from every evil, to be careful,
prudent, faithful, and wise, and to learn how to sustain your
mortal career--how to preserve your bodies. Will you give heed?
Not all of you. The Elders of Israel may preach themselves to
death, and still fools will sell their last kernel of grain for
whisky, or for a song, and, so far as they are concerned, let
their families die of want. I greatly desire to see you all so
live that you can understand the blessings God bestows on us, the
organization of the spirit and the body, and the germ of eternal
intelligence that is planted within us to increase. I would like
to have all understand that the Lord has sent forth the plan of
salvation expressly to enable mankind to overcome the sin sown in
the flesh, and exalt themselves with the faithful who have gone
before to dwell with angels and Gods.
127
We cannot alter our position, only as we live for such change as
we desire, and prevail upon our friends to follow our example.
Here are thousands of the brethren who are anxious to preach the
Gospel to the world, declare what they understand pertaining to
eternal life, and gather their scores and thousands, with what
result? The saving of a portion of the whole number, while the
rest will be prepared for eternal destruction. Is it not
grievous? How many there are who have been taken like infants, as
it were, from foreign countries and from the States, and been
helped, fed, clothed, and nourished, and yet have turned round
and become our greatest enemies! Is not such folly sickening to
the soul, and an abhorrence to every feeling? Mankind have the
privilege of eternal life--the privilege to prepare themselves to
dwell in the presence of the Father and Son--to dwell in eternal
burnings, where all is pure and holy. No sin--no corruption can
dwell there. Sin came through the fall, and death by sin; and
they are warring against our spirits now in tabernacles, which
warfare continues from childhood to death; and who will overcome?
128
A propensity to evil seems to be sown more strongly in the
natures of some than it is in others. One seems to love strong
drink better than he loves his life; it is sweeter to him than is
the cooling stream, and he is overcome through the weakness of
the flesh. Who has the greatest reason to be thankful to his
God--the man that has no strong passion or evil appetite to
overcome, or the one that tries day by day to overcome, and yet
is overtaken in a fault? The power of his strength, faith, and
judgment is overcome, and he is found in fault through his evil
propensities, though he is striving, day after day, and night
after night, to overcome. Who has reason to be the most thankful?
The being that has comparatively no strong passion to overcome
ought constantly to walk in the vale of humility, rather than
boast of his righteousness over his brother. We are under
obligation, through the filial feeling and ties of humanity, to
more or less fellowship those who do evil. We must endure this
until the Lord shall see fit to separate the wheat from the
chaff--until the righteous are gathered out, and the wicked are
bound in bundles prepared for the burning,--until the sheep are
separated from the goats. Those who have not strong passions to
contend with, day by day, and year by year, should walk in the
vale of humiliation; and if brethren and sisters are overtaken in
fault, your hearts should be filled with kindness--with
brotherly, angelic feeling--to overlook their faults as far as
possible.
128
Where persons wish to go to the States, to California, or
elsewhere, to gather riches and return, they still have a desire
to drink of the bitter cup and mingle with the ungodly that will
give them sorrow. If understood, to associate with the Saints is
one of the greatest blessings we can enjoy upon the earth. I
should be much pleased, and so would you, were we to never again
hear the name of God taken in vain. And I have thought, for years
and years, that if the Lord had plenty of labour for me to do in
the midst of the Saints, I would be well satisfied to never again
place my eyes upon a human being who hates God and righteousness.
Why not live perfectly satisfied to look only upon the
Saints--upon our brethren and sisters--the old, the young, the
middle-aged, and the children, whose faces smile and glow with
that heavenly expression through which the Spirit of the Lord is
beaming? I would be well satisfied not to be required to ever
again see the face of a devil. Why not so live in time, and
through eternity? A certain class would refrain from mingling
with the wicked, while others delight to mingle with them: they
long to know what is in the world, and present plausible
arguments for their desire. Our children plausibly state, "We
know nothing of the world; we know nobody but 'Mormons.'" It is
sufficient to mingle with the wicked when duty requires.
128
The providences of God are over all the works of his hands, and
it is our privilege to so live that we can understand those
providences, and understand his design in the creation of all
things. His watchcare is over all his work, and he turns,
overturns, and changes at his pleasure. It is our privilege to
understand this; and if we do, and practice in accordance
therewith, we are the best people upon the face of the earth. We
enjoy privileges that no other people on the earth enjoy; and the
greatest of all is to enjoy communion with our Father and his Son
Jesus Christ. There is no blessing equal to that, whether it is
enjoyed in palaces or in prisons, in wandering in the mountains,
or passing our time pleasurably in great cities. Whoever the Lord
Almighty enlightens and fills with the joy of the upper world is
happy: the Spirit, the joy, the peace, and the comfort are within
them.
129
We are to learn how to enjoy the things of life--how to pass our
mortal existence here. There is no enjoyment, no comfort, no
pleasure, nothing that the human heart can imagine, with all the
spirit of revelation we can get, that tends to beautify, happify,
make comfortable and peaceful, and exalt the feelings of mortals,
but what the Lord has in store for his people. He never objected
to their taking comfort. He never revealed any doctrine, that I
have any knowledge of, but what in its nature is calculated to
fill with peace and glory, and lift every sentiment and impulse
of the heart above every low, sad, deathly, false, and groveling
feeling. The Lord wishes us to live that we may enjoy the fulness
of the glory that pertains to the upper world, and bid farewell
to all that gloomy, dark, deathly feeling that is spread over the
inhabitants of the earth.
129
My brother Joseph, before "Mormonism" came to us, was a man of
sad heart, seeking to find in the bible the principles of eternal
life. He once said to me, "Brother Brigham, there are no Bible
Christians upon the face of the earth, and I do not see any
possible escape for the human family. According to the writings
of the Old and New Testaments, all must go to perdition." I do
not suppose that he had a smile on his countenance for years. I
said to him, "You and I believe in God and in the Bible. We
suppose the Bible to be true, or at least the most of it. I admit
it to be true, and admit that there is a God. We have always been
taught so, and that we have a just God, if we have any. I believe
in a just, holy, equitable Being; and if the Gospel is not on the
earth, my feelings are to do about the best I can; and when I am
through, I shall be in the hands of the same God in whose hands I
have been all the time, and I will risk it. I did not produce
myself--I did not cause my existence. A being superior to me has
done this; and if I do as well as I know how, I will then risk
all in his hands, and be perfectly contented and satisfied. I
shall go with a cheerful countenance, and shall pass through the
world as cheerfully as I can, making the best of it." But there
was more or less of a gloom over my feelings from the earliest
days of my childhood that I have in any recollection, until I
heard the everlasting Gospel declared by the servants of
God--until I heard men testify, by the power of the Holy Ghost,
that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a true
Prophet of the Lord, who had revealed the holy Priesthood from
heaven, had established his Church, was going to gather Israel,
and was coming to judgment. Under that preaching the gloom
vanished, and has not since troubled me for a moment.
130
The dark shade of the valley of death is over that nations of the
earth; the vail of the covering is over them; they are hid from
the presence of the Lord. They do not behold his glory--they do
not understand his providences; the fear of death is over them,
and it is a dark shadow. That was over me, and I made the best of
it. But "Mormonism" has opened up light. Removing the curtain
from the broad sunshine, it has lighted up the souls of hundreds
of thousands, and they have been made to rejoice in the light of
truth. Continue to be faithful to your calling. It is your
privilege and duty to so live as to be able to understand the
things of God. There are the Old and New Testaments, the Book of
Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which Joseph has
given us, and they are of great worth to a person wandering in
darkness. They are like a lighthouse in the ocean, or a
finger-post which points out the road we should travel. Where do
they point? To the fountain of light. Joseph has gone to the
spirit-world: he is on his way to his glory and exaltation, and
all his sayings, from first to last, lead us to the fountain of
light, where we can understand for ourselves and walk in the
light. That is what these books are for. They are of God; they
are valuable and necessary: by them we can establish the doctrine
of Christ. I never asked for any book when I was preaching to the
world, but the Old and New Testaments to establish everything I
preached, and to prove all that was then necessary--that it was
the duty of the people to throw off their sins, cast evil from
them, return to the Lord their God, embrace the fulness of the
Gospel, be baptized for the remission of sins, receive the Holy
Ghost, and then go forward in all the commandments and
requirements of heaven, walking in the light of eternal truth.
130
Our duty is to make the best of our present position. We have the
Gospel of life and salvation, to make bad men good and good men
better. We are to preach, exhort, expound, continue in our duty,
be fervent in spirit, bearing and forbearing with our brethren,
being filled with love and kindness; and we will yet, perhaps,
get some of our froward connections into heaven. Jesus said, when
the woman caught in adultery was brought to him, "He that is
without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." We are
all sinners, and it is our duty to cast sin from us when we learn
what it is. If we are a little good, become a little better; if
we have a little light, get a little more; if we have a little
faith, add to it; and by-and-by we shall be prepared to build up
and beautify Zion, and to be exalted to reign in immortality and
be crowned with the Gods.
130
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, August 5, 1860
Brigham Young, August 5, 1860
GOSPEL OF SALVATION, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 5, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
130
I rejoice in the Gospel of salvation. It is the first of all
things upon this earth to me and to every one who has received
its fulness and the light and glory of the Spirit that
accompanies it.
130
I have been highly gratified with the remarks just made by
brother Bywater: they were truthful and to the point. Also, to
what brother Kimball has just said, my heart responds, Amen.
130
In teaching the ways of life and salvation, a teacher seldom
fully explains all the ideas he advances, and the light of the
Spirit is necessary for their comprehension. I frequently throw
out a part of an idea, or an idea without explanation; and some
will understand, while others do not. The Spirit of the Gospel is
the fountain of salvation; the Spirit of revelation attends the
Gospel, and without that Spirit no man can understand it. Brother
Bywater alluded to the consistency of the system adopted by this
people; yet it is a great mystery to that portion of the
inhabitants of the earth who do not fall in love with the truth
and embrace it in their faith.
131
False ideas and false principles are as tenaciously adhered to by
those who inbibe them in their faith as is the truth by those who
love it. I presume that the worshippers of idols in China, Japan,
Hindostan, &c., were we to enter their congregations and tell
them that our religion differs from theirs, would be as
astonished as we are that they see and understand things as they
do. They are as tenacious of and as sanguine in their belief--as
enthusiastic in their religion, as ever a true Saint was or can
be in his. When I contemplate the endless variety in the
dispositions, understandings, temperaments, countenances, and
organizations of people, I am not surprised that there are those
who do not understand things as I do. I expect people to have
their own peculiar views, forms, principles, and notions. In
consequence of this great variety, we should not be astonished if
all do not believe the Gospel--do not love the truth.
131
When Jesus was on the earth, he reproved sin, taught
righteousness, strove to save the Jews, and deliver the Gospel to
the nations of the earth; but the Jews could or would not
understand things as they were. He came to save, not to destroy;
but the Jews took a course through which they were afflicted and
scattered among the nations of the earth, and brought upon
themselves that which they said--"Let this man's blood be upon us
and our children," though he was not disposed to destroy, but to
save them. Stephen prayed that those who stoned him might be
forgiven, as they knew not what they did. Jesus so prayed for
those who assisted in and consented to his death, when he was
crucified for the sins of the world. He was not astonished that
all people did not believe. They would not come unto him that
they might be saved; they would not come to the light that their
deeds might be reproved.
131
It may be asked, Can people come to the light? Yes, all can, that
their evil deeds may be reproved--that they may forsake their
iniquities and receive the truth. But will all do so? No. Will
all people believe the truth? They will not. Cannot the
inhabitants of the earth submit to the Gospel? They can. Will
they? No, they will not. Is there a conviction upon the minds of
the people when they have heard the Gospel preached, and where
they have heard of it? Is there a conviction conveyed by the Holy
Spirit that this is the Gospel of salvation? There is; and it
cannot be denied without falsifying the truth. This has caused
the persecution we have received. We are chastised for our sins,
and by this means we are brought to understanding. We have been
persecuted because there is a conviction, so far as they have
heard the Gospel preached, that we have the truth. This is the
cause of the opposition against us.
132
Would a priest of any denomination oppose "Mormonism," if he was
not convinced that it is true? No. Were a man to come into this
congregation and relate something that every man, woman, and
child present knew to be false, who would take the trouble to
disprove it? We all know the statement to be false; consequently,
will not take pains to oppose it? One the other hand, were there
no conviction in the sound of the Gospel to the minds of the
people--that it is true--that it is of and from God, who would
take pains to oppose it? Let a person go into a congregation of
Methodists and try to prove that Jesus was an impostor, that
every system of religion is false, and that the Bible is a matter
of speculation got up by selfish divines expressly for their own
benefit; and who in that congregation would deem it worth while
to oppose views so erroneous to the minds of those who have
heard, from Sabbath the Sabbath, the doctrines of the Gospel
preached, so far as they understand them? No one, because to them
the speaker's views would be so obviously false. No man can
disprove a truth. This is why people are angry, and why they
contend against facts. They are fearful, and say at once, "If
this system is true, all others must fail." Why not rather every
man rise up and say, "Let God be true, let the truth remain, and
let me know the truth; that is what I want,--I will submit to it;
and let every false theory and principle fall, to rise no more?"
Will they do this? No, they will not.
132
With regard to people's being confined--cramped--contracted, in
their liberties in the midst of these people, all that is
required of anyone is to cease to do evil and learn to do well.
Brother Bywater observed that he had never been in the least
contracted, controlled, or in any way infringed upon, with regard
to doing good; neither has any man or woman in this community.
But there is a certain class here that say, 'We want so-and-so,
such a piece of ground, or such other kind of property;' and
because they are not always gratified, right or wrong, they say
that they are curtailed in their liberty, and allege that they
are abused. Permit them to have their way, and what do they do,
or want to? Some of them wish to open grog-shops, and have the
people patronize them, and get drunk. They wish to put the cup to
your lips and pour the strong drink down your throats, caring
only for what is in your pockets. They remind me of a Methodist
priest in Iowa, after a good collection. The money was on the
table, and he wished the people to sing; so he struck up, "This
is the God we adore."
132
Others, of the class alluded to, which to establish brothels in
our settlements; and because we will not permit it, they assert
that they are curtailed in their liberties and privileges. That
class wish to scandalize the name of every Saint on the earth,
and ridicule the name and character of the God we adore and
serve; but we will not permit them to do it here. They wish to
ride through our streets blaspheming, and damning everything and
everybody that does not bow to their corrupt practices; and
because we will not permit it, they say that they are oppressed
and curtailed in their privileges. Oh, how they are oppressed!
They have not the privilege of serving the Devil quite as much as
they want to . They do not enjoy quite as much privilege to steal
our property, our horses, &c, as they wish to.
132
Do our enemies love the truth? No; they love lies, and make them.
It is acknowledged all the time that there are evildoers here;
but are they Saints? No. I am not going to give up the ship, or
forsake my religion, because there are those who do evil. I will
stick to the old ship Zion until every passenger, the crew, and
every officer on board are holy and live to God; and, God and
good men being my helpers, we will conquer, and we will run the
ship into harbour--the haven of rest. Be encouraged, all good men
and women, and all you grumblers and complainers, who think that
you are curtailed and oppressed, and do not enjoy liberty here,
go elsewhere and get all the liberty you can. We do not want you
here; but if you stay, do not take the name of God in vain, nor
endeavour to corrupt and abuse everybody within your reach.
133
We have some drunkards who halloo in the streets, and we bear
with them, and intend to as long as we can; and when we can bear
no longer, we will disfellowship them. We have men who are
dishonest, and are as yet obliged to have them; for the net
gathers in the good and the bad. We have the meanest and the best
mixed together. The Gospel we preach is the Gospel of salvation.
It is the power of God sent down from heaven. The Spirit of life,
intelligence, and revelation is in it, and all who do not possess
that Spirit do not enjoy our holy religion.
133
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, July 29th, 1860
Brigham Young, July 29th, 1860
GOSPEL OF LIFE AND SALVATION, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, July 29th, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
133
Here is the congregation of Saints who have forsaken all they
formerly esteemed near and dear, for the sake of the knowledge of
the holy Gospel of salvation; and when an Elder of Israel rises
to speak to you, how many are paying attention to what he says?
People are, in comparison, like little children who have to be
frequently cautioned not to throw articles into the fire--not to
cut or mar the furniture, and requiring almost constant watchcare
and instruction. In like manner, the young, middle-aged, and old
require to be taught every Sabbath, every day, and all the time,
as it is written--"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one
to another."
133
We are but babes in the Gospel of life and salvation, take this
people as a whole. What poet, who understands things as they are,
would write--"Bear the cross and despise the shame"? It is a
cross to the feelings of many to acknowledge that Jesus is the
Christ. "Take up your cross, brother, and bear it, and you shall
wear the crown." What cross? If the eyes of a person were opened
to see the eternal principles that pertain to the worlds that
are, that were, and that will be, and the Gods that dwell upon
those planets we behold, would he talk about a cross--about
despising the shame? What is the shame? Where is it? Miserable,
filthy individuals, full of the principles of death, point the
finger of scorn at those who confess that Jesus is the Christ.
Will you regard their scorn? No. Pity the ignorant creatures who
are bound to ruin. To a man devoted to God, and endowed with the
fine feelings and principles of life everlasting, the pointing,
by the wicked, of the finger of scorn at one who acknowledges
that Jesus is the Christ--at one who believes in God the Father
and in Jesus the Mediator, is not worthy of the least regard. Do
you despise those who scorn and ridicule the righteous? No; for
in comparison they are no more than the dust, or the smallest
insect you can behold with your best microscopes.
134
True, the human family are endowed with the germ of life; but who
is capable of preserving that life--of preserving his identity?
When we talk about sinners, Saints, the world, Christ, men of
God, men of the world, men of science, men of talent, and kings
on their thrones, every person that understands the Gospel of
salvation realizes that more glory and honour are attached to his
character and calling than to all the man-made kings ever crowned
upon the earth.
134
When I reflect upon these things and realize them, it is
impossible for me to answer my feelings before the people. You
frequently hear me express a wish that I had a voice to penetrate
the heart of every being upon the earth. But if I had the power
to speak to them, and the ability to convey my ideas in language
so plain that children could not misunderstand, speaking to all
in their own language, I should still come far short and be
obliged to say, "My soul is burdened, because I have no place to
pour it out." That is the situation of angels and Prophets who
have gone behind the vail. Here are persons who have been in this
Church from the beginning. Do they so live that the heavens are
open to them? or are they still of the earth, earthy? Are they
grovelling in the darkness that covers the nations of the earth?
This inquiry you may answer for yourselves. Perhaps some will say
they have a reason to be discouraged. This people have not
received, improved, grown, and enlarge in their capacities as
fast as they should have done. I am not accusing any individual;
but, as a community, we have not improved and increased in the
knowledge of God and godliness according to our privileges. Am I
discouraged? I am not. Does my heart fail me? Am I ready to say
that the kingdom of God is broken, and there is no salvation for
the people? By no means. If I live as long as Enoch lived, who
walked with the Lord three hundred and sixty-five years, can I
then see a people prepared to enter at once in the celestial
world? No. Many may think that Enoch and his whole city were
taken from the earth directly into the presence of God. That is a
mistaken idea. If, within three hundred and sixty-five years, I
can see a people capable of surmounting every sin, of overcoming
every evil and effect of sin to such a degree as to be separated
in the flesh from the sinful portion of the world and from all
the effects of the fall--a great people as pure and holy as were
the people of Enoch, I should not complain, and, perhaps, have no
cause to. Yet, in the latter days, God will cut short his work in
righteousness.
135
Do you understand that what the Lord will perform in the latter
days will be done quicker than in the former days? He suffered
Noah to occupy one hundred and twenty years in building the ark.
Were he to command us to build an ark, he would not allow so long
a time for completing it. On account of the work's being hastened
in our time, I have good reason to urge upon the people the
necessity of their living their religion every moment--of their
increasing in faith, in wisdom, in knowledge, and in power to
forsake all bad habits,--to say to all who are in the habit of
doing wrong, of getting angry, of contending with their
neighbours, and abusing them with their tongues, and abusing
themselves, Refrain from your evil ways. "We will," say they; but
in a very short time many are engaged in their former evil
practices, like the child's whittling the furniture. It appears
as though such persons were glued to the world, and will love and
worship it. When they learn the truth, they will learn that it is
a folly for a man to love gold and silver, goods and chattels, or
any other kind of property and possessions. One that places his
affections upon such things does not understand that they are
made for the comfort of the creature, and not for his adoration.
They are made to sustain and preserve the body while procuring
the knowledge and wisdom that pertain to God and his kingdom, in
order that we may preserve ourselves, and live for ever in his
presence.
135
When the Elders address you from this stand, how many of those
who seem to be listening hear and understand? Are most of the
congregation thinking about what they design to do to-morrow? Are
the sisters planning their weaving and spinning for to-morrow?
Are the brethren planning to go to the kanyons to-morrow? Do you
know that it is your privilege to so live that your minds may all
the time be perfectly within your control?--that you may be so
well schooled in the knowledge of your religion, that your minds
are as perfectly under your control as are your bodies, except
when they are nervous? Persons taking too strong tea or coffee,
or too much whisky, have not that control over themselves that
they should have, because they become too weak. Study to preserve
your bodies in life and health, and you will be able to control
your minds. And when you come to meeting, bring your minds with
you. After all our experience and the knowledge the Lord has
given us, but few can take their minds here before them; their
affections and feelings are at the assembly of the Saints, and
they want their bodies there also, to enjoy themselves. That
class come here to pay attention, and to understand all that is
said to them. Others come here with their bodies, but where are
their affections? Upon the labours of the coming week. "I do not
know how I shall get my adobies to-morrow, or how I shall get my
timer out of the kanyon." Or, "I have a fence to build, to secure
my field before the crop is destroyed," &c., &c., and the mind is
not in the meeting.
135
Can you understand that we are behind our privileges? I know the
argument that arises in the minds of the people--"I am bound to
provide for myself." I wish that obligation rested stronger on
some than it does. "But if any provide not for his own, and
especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith,
and is worse than an infidel." That is the argument, and yet some
will sell their last bushel of wheat, and then come to me, or to
others of the brethren, and beg. They will peddle off every
particle of substance God has given them for their sustenance. It
is our duty to be economical, to go to meetings, to the kanyons,
and to build, plant, and do everything required of us to build up
the kingdom of God on the earth; but the first duty is to learn
how to sustain ourselves. The people have not yet learned that,
though they are learning it. One may plough, plant, water, and
till, but have no increase. Another person sows a field with
wheat, but cannot get water for it, and goes to this
neighbourhood and that to attend to a little Church business; and
when harvest time arrives, he reaps an abundant harvest. The man
who took the water has no wheat, and the one who laboured, as his
Bishop called upon him, for the benefit of the people, has a good
crop. This is a lesson the people are learning, that God gives
the increase.
136
How the world hate us! How they despise the kingdom of God! How
they have sought to destroy it! How they exclaim--"What ignorant,
degraded beings the Mormons are!" The insignificant, low,
degraded, contemptible opinion they have of the Latter-day Saints
does not reach the depth of the low, miserable degradation that
they themselves are in. But do we despise them? No; we pity them.
"Pity them?" Yes, pity them. They are flesh of your flesh, bone
of your bone. God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for
to dwell on all the face of the earth;" consequently, they are
flesh of our flesh and bone of bone. They profess to despise us,
but they are not able to think as meanly of us as we know them to
be, and we pity them. We seek to do them good. They are endowed
with capacity to learn and practise principles that will preserve
them on the earth, in the world of spirits, and after the
resurrection; but they are abusing their talent, and they are to
be pitied.
136
All who understand the principles of eternal life look upon their
fellowbeings with a watchful eye, and their hearts are filled
with deep anxiety for their welfare. They anxiously desire that
people would see and understand what pertains to eternal life. It
is highly gratifying to the Lord, to angels, and to all good men,
to see intelligent beings organized to receive a great amount of
intelligence--seeking to possess eternal life. On the other hand,
how sad it is to see them wasting their time with trifles, and
directing their steps to eternal death! How delightful it would
be to see them pursuing the way of life--to preserve both the
body and spirit, and in the resurrection to see their noble
spirits reunited with their bodies and coming into the presence
of God to live for ever! There are men here who look upon us as
being of an organization inferior to that of the generality of
the people of the world. If I did not pity them, I should be
chagrined at myself.
136
Contrast the course this people are pursuing with that of the
world. All ye inhabitants of the earth, hearken and hear! God
has, in our day, spoken from the heavens; he has bestowed his
holy Priesthood on the children of men; he has called upon all
people to repent; and here are the few who have left all for the
sake of the eternal life proffered to them, and their course is
upward an downward to eternal increase. Do this people know more
than they did a few years ago? Yes; every day's experience adds
to your amount of knowledge: you are treasuring up knowledge and
wisdom. The children raised in this Church are more than a match,
in spiritual matters, for the kings, princes, governors,
senators, representatives, and all the reputed wise men of Egypt.
And the boys of from twenty to twenty-five years of age, who have
been raised in this community, who have enjoyed the teachings of
the Prophet Joseph, will outweigh, in intelligence in relation to
national policy, the Congress of the United States, with the
President at their head.
136
Your course is onward and upward, although you do not improve as
rapidly as you should. You should walk continually in the light
of God's countenance, and no more walk in darkness. Were such the
case, would you hear of any contention--of those little,
frivolous, trifling difficulties that now too frequently occur?
Would you hear, "The world is something to me!" "My farm is
something to me!" "My goods are something to me!" "My heart is
upon the things of this world!" "I must provide for my family,"
&c.? There are but few of this people, in comparison, who yet
know how to provide for a wife and two children. What of the
world. Are they any more capable of providing for themselves than
are this people? In the world you will find many more, in
proportion, who know less, and are less capable of taking care of
themselves.
137
I wish you to thoroughly under stand economy, and how to preserve
your bodies. I wish you to fully understand the principles of
natural life. How necessary it is that you should know them for
your own benefit, and that you may be able to teach them to your
children, which you should do all the time. Be careful of your
bodies; be prudent in laying our your energies, for when you are
old you will need the strength and power you are now wasting.
Preserve your lives. Until you know and practise this, you are
not thoroughly good soldiers nor wise stewards. Learn how to do
good--how to do right. work righteousness, and build yourselves
up in the faith of the Gospel.
137
In the ordinance we here attend to in the afternoon, we show to
the Father that we remember Jesus Christ, our elder brother: we
testify to him that we are willing to take upon us his name. When
we are doing this, I want the minds here as well as the bodies. I
want the whole man here when you come to meeting. "Is that the
way you come?" Yes, it is the way I go everywhere, when I go from
home. When I leave home, I dismiss it from my thoughts. "Is not
your mind upon your family?" When I pray, I ask God to bless and
preserve them; and then, whether he does or not, it is all the
same to me. I do not trouble my mind about anything but the
business before me. That is the way for us to conquer this
weakness in us, and take our minds with us. Then, when you come
to meeting, you know what is said, and what this ordinance is
for. Then, when you are baptized, you know what it is for.
Whatever duty you are called to perform, take your minds with
you, and apply them to what is to be done. You may leave your
selfishness when you start to meeting, but take yourselves. And
if your minds are reaching after this, that, or the other, tell
those ideas to stay away. You may feel anxious about your fields,
about your crops, or about going to the kanyons; but bid those
thought depart, for you want to go to meeting to worship the
Lord, and wish to drop all care while at meeting. Then, when the
time comes, go to the kanyons and to your other avocations, and
do not let anything else interrupt you. That is the way to live.
137
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, August 5, 1860
Brigham Young, August 5, 1860
LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT--LAWS OF HEALTH--JOY IN
THE GOSPEL, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 5, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
138
In instructing the people, I desire and seek to obtain the light
of the Spirit of truth, and the power and assistance of God to
give me words to so convey my ideas that the hearers can
understand me. I have ideas that I deem very valuable, and I wish
to so impart them to my fellowbeings that they can comprehend
them as I do, and, if they will, esteem them as I do, really
feeling their worth. It is all I ask. Preachers are in the habit
of reading a portion of Scripture for a text, and preaching from
it, but seldom upon it. Such discourses as brother Bywater and
brother Kimball gave us this forenoon, and such as you generally
hear from this stand, would serve those preachers a long time,
for they are all texts. We have not time to show wherein an
Apostle or Prophet meant thus and so, but we pour out the words
of life to the people, as did the Apostles and Prophets
anciently.
138
No man ever preached a Gospel sermon, except by the gift and
power of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Without this
power, there is no light in the preaching. Brother Bywater
remarked that he did not desire a man of God, when he arose to
speak to the people, to say, "Thus saith the Lord God Almighty,"
or "Thus saith Jesus Christ." People who require this, or who
constantly require written revelation, have not a correct
conception of revelation and its Spirit. What do the present
professing Christian world know about the words of the Lord that
came to Jeremiah, Isaiah, and other ancient Prophets? They read
and hear without understanding much; they have not a true
conception of the truth or principle of what they are reading. Is
this the case with those who are continually desiring to have
"Thus saith the Lord," and more written revelations. Those who
possess the Spirit of revelation know the voice of the Good
Shepherd when they hear it, and a stranger they will not follow.
They discern the difference between the spirit and power of the
Gospel and the precepts of men. When they hear truth poured upon
the people, in comparison like the cataract of Niagara, they do
not want "Thus saith the Lord," for it carries with it its own
evidence, and is revelation to the believer. They understand, and
the fountain within them springs up to everlasting life; they are
happy partakers of the grace of God through the administration of
his servants, and of the truths the Lord dispenses; and they
receive truth upon truth, light upon light, which cheers and
comforts their hearts day by day. If you wish to understand the
true principles of revelation, live for it: there is no other way
of obtaining eternal life.
139
Our spirits were pure and holy when they entered our tabernacles;
and if they have been defiled, it has been by the influence of
Satan, through the weakness of the flesh. There is a constant
warfare, and in the great majority of cases the flesh overcomes
the spirit. In the few cases where the spirit overcomes the
flesh, it yields obedience to the whisperings of the eternal
Spirit of truth, which elevates it above the power of all unholy
desires and passions.
139
Is there anything on this earth you could not dispense with, for
the sake of the Gospel? There should not be.
139
Our bodies are organized to derive enjoyment from their proper
use. There is enjoyment in eating when you are hungry, and in
resting when you are fatigued, to the extent the body rightly
requires; but if appetite is so gratified that your body, when
you wake, is tormented with a raging fever, where is the pleasure
of eating so much of this or that delicious food? Satisfying the
appetite brings to an end the pleasure of eating; and where food
is partaken chiefly to gratify the pleasurable sensation derived
from eating, disease is gendered, and true misery springs out of
this unwise gratification. Some healthy, strong-constituted
persons can eat large quantities of food with apparent impunity;
but, in so doing, the tax they place upon their systems will
ultimately bring disease and death. Those who have suffered
excessive thirst while passing over plains and deserts realize
that there is no blessing that is greater than cold water. When
the system is thus parched for want of the proper supply of
moisture to sustain the continual perspiration it is subject to,
is there any luxury on the earth that can excel pure, cold water?
Though, in case of excessive thirst and consequent exhaustion,
care is required not to drink too freely, until the system is
cooled, and becomes gradually imbued with this life-restoring
element. But through the use of water, by-and-by your thirst
comes to an end, and you feel as though you had not been thirsty
in your lives: the enjoyment has passed away.
139
Now, compare the greatest of earthly joys with the joys you
receive in believing in Jesus Christ and obeying the Gospel he
has delivered to the children of men. It is sweeter than the
honeycomb; and to those who live according to it, it gives
constant joy--a lasting feast, not merely for an hour or a day,
but for a whole life and throughout eternity. The appetite is
always keen, and there is always plenty for it to feast upon.
This is my experience. The revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ
are sweeter than honey or the honeycomb. We can eat, and continue
to eat; drink, and continue to drink. Is there durable
satisfaction? Yes. I am in the height of my enjoyment. All the
pleasure and all the joy that can be bestowed upon a finite being
is in the Gospel of salvation, through the Spirit of revelation
upon the creature--upon the Saint of God--old or young, male or
female. Not that this comparison fully conveys the idea; for the
language of mortals fails to fully portray the joys of the Gospel
of life everlasting.
140
Cease not to do good, but let the Saints cease to do evil and
live for God and God alone, and their fleshly appetites and
passions will not be in their way. Learn to overcome and control
self. It is impossible for me to preach the sermon contained in
this text; but let all live the life of a Saint, and they will
understand it by-and-by. Let each person be determined, in the
name of Lord Jesus Christ, to overcome every besetment--to be the
master of himself, that the spirit God has put in your
tabernacles shall rule; then you can converse, live, labour, go
here or there, do this or that, and converse and deal with your
brethren as you ought. If you have a chastisement for any, you
can deliver it in the spirit of meekness. If you are abused,
trampled upon, or in any way imposed upon,--if men take a course
to injure you or your property or feelings, you can treat such
conduct as you should, for you live above the channel of
selfishness, pride, and every worldly vanity that some men walk
in. This is the privilege of all the Saints.
140
Law is made for the lawless. Let the Saints live their religion,
and there is not a law that can justly infringe upon them. They
are subject to the powers that be, by living so pure that no law
can touch them. Let them live their religion, and they keep the
celestial law, so far as it is revealed. There is no law against
doing good. There is no law against love. There is no law against
serving God. There is no law against charity and benevolence.
There is no law against the principles of eternal life. Live
them, and no righteous law of man can reach you. The wicked and
ungodly can injure the Saints, as they have done all through the
history of this world; they can persecute and kill Saints. The
wicked said there was no law that would condemn Joseph Smith, for
he never transgressed the law; but, said they, Powder and ball
will reach him; and they assassinated him. It is the privilege of
all Saints to live as he did, that no law in heaven or upon earth
can condemn them. It is our privilege to say, every day in our
lives, "That is the best day I ever lived." Never let a day so
pass that you will have cause to say, "I will promise you, in the
name of the Lord Jesus, that your lives will be as a well of
water springing up to everlasting life. You will have his Spirit
to dwell in you continually, and your eyes will be open to see,
your ears to hear, and your understandings to comprehend.
140
I will take a text, and I want the people to preach upon it. The
brethren cast the seed into the ground, and, so far as we have
knowledge, the Lord has given them a bountiful increase.
140
Brethren and sisters, old and young, here and throughout the
world wherever there is a Saint, when righteousness and peace are
sown in your hearts, I ask you, for yourselves, for the
inhabitants of the earth, for the good of the prosperity of the
kingdom of God, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to
water the good seed sown, that the Lord may give you an increase.
Let wisdom be sown in your hearts, and let it bring forth a
bountiful harvest. It is more profitable to you than all the gold
and silver and other riches of earth. Let wisdom spring up in
your hearts, and cultivate it. Ask God to help you to live to his
glory every day, and when night comes you cannot say you could
have bettered it. There are thousands of this community that so
live every day that when night comes, they could not have
bettered it. That is a consolation. Let us induce all to live so,
and we shall have power over Satan, over the powers of the earth,
and over all the influences that hell wishes to pour upon us.
141
Shall we try to cultivate our minds, our feelings, the talent God
has given us, so that we may improve continually and grow in
grace and in the knowledge of the truth, and cultivate wisdom in
ourselves, and so live that we can truthfully say, to-day, that
we are masters over every appetite? The person that wants the
whisky, cannot you do without it? Which would you part with
first--your tobacco, your whiskey, or your religion? Your tea, or
your religion? Which would you shake hands with and bid good-bye
for ever--your coffee, or your religion? I should think I had
disgrace the man that stands before you this day, if I loved any
object on the earth better than I love my religion and my God. If
we are not willing to live up to every requirement of the Gospel,
we more or less disgrace our profession and being.
141
The woman that says, "I will follow my husband to hell," will
have the privilege. The man that says, "I will follow a woman to
hell, but what I will have her," will have the privilege of
following her there. It is a disgrace to a Saint to love anything
that he would not drop or forsake for his religion. Love your
religion better than anything else. Love your God. Life
everlasting is all in all to us. Indulgence of appetite is not
worthy the notice of men and women, though the body must be
sustained, for that is a duty God has placed upon us.
141
Let us honour God, and prepare to embrace our Father and the
family connection we were associated with at the time we left the
spirit-world to come here, and to be more familiar with them when
we leave this world than we now are with one another. Live so as
to enjoy each other's society hereafter in the light of eternal
day; which may God grant. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, August 12, 1860
Brigham Young, August 12, 1860
INFLUENCE OF THE ELDERS IN PREACHING THE GOSPEL--DUTY
OF THE SAINTS LIVING THEIR RELIGION, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 12, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
141
I fully understand that all Saints constantly, so to speak, pray
for each other. And when I find a person who does not pray for
the welfare of the kingdom of God on the earth, and for the
honest in heart, I am sceptical in regard to believing that
person's religion to be genuine, and his faith I should consider
not the faith of Jesus. Those who have the mind Christ are
anxious that it should spread extensively among the people, to
bring them to a correct understanding of things as they are, that
they may be able to prepare themselves to dwell eternally in the
heavens. This is your desire, and is what we continually pray
for.
141
Brother J. V. Long's discourse this morning was sweet to my
taste; and the remarks of brother T. B. H. Stenhouse were very
congenial to my feelings and understanding. Brother Long has good
command of language, and can readily choose such words as best
suit him to convey his ideas.
142
Brother Stenhouse remarked that the Gospel of salvation is the
great foundation of this kingdom--that we have not built up this
kingdom, nor established this organization--we have merely
embraced it in our faith; that God has established this kingdom,
and has bestowed the Priesthood upon the children of men, and has
called upon the inhabitants of the earth to receive it, to repent
of their sins, and return to him with all their hearts. This
portion of his remarks I wish you particularly to treasure up.
142
If the angel Gabriel were to descend and stand before you, though
he said not a word, the influence and power that would proceed
from him, were he to look upon you in the power he possesses,
would melt this congregation. His eyes would be like flaming
fire, and his countenance would be like the sun at mid-day. The
countenance of a holy angel would tell more than all the language
in the world. If men who are called to speak before a
congregation rise full of the Holy Spirit and power of God, their
countenance are sermons to the people. But if their affections,
feelings, and desires are like the fool's eyes, to the ends of
the earth, looking for this, that, and the other, and the kingdom
of God is far from them, and not in all their affections, they
may rise here and talk what they please, and it is but like
sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal--mere empty, unmeaning sound
to the ears of the people. I cannot say this of what I have heard
to-day.
142
Those faithful Elders who have testified of this work to
thousands of people on the continents and islands of the seas
will see the fruits of their labours, whether they have said five
words or thousands. They may not see these fruits immediately,
and perhaps, in many cases, not until the millennium; but the
savour of their testimony will pass down from father to son.
Children will say, "The words of life were spoken to my
grandfather and grandmother: they told me of them, and I wish to
become a member of the Church. I also wish to be baptized for my
father and mother and grandparents;" and they will come and keep
coming--the living and the dead; and you will be satisfied with
your labours, whether they have been much or little, if you
continue faithful.
143
Brother Long remarked that before he gathered to Zion he had
imbibed an idea that the people were all pure here. This is a day
of trial for you. If there is anything that should give us sorrow
and pain, it is that any of the brethren and sisters come here
and neglect to live their religion. Some are greedy, covetous,
and selfish, and give way to temptation; they are wicked and
dishonest in their dealings one with another, and look at and
magnify the faults of everybody, on the right and on the left.
"Such a sister is guilty of pilfering; such a brother is guilty
of swearing," &c., "And we have come a long distance to be joined
with such a set: we do not care a dime for 'Mormonism,' nor for
anything else." The enemy takes the advantage of such persons,
and leads them to do that for which they are afterwards sorry.
This is a matter of great regret to those who wish to be
faithful. But no matter how many give themselves up to
merchandizing, and love it better than their God, how many go to
the gold mines, how many go back on the road to trade with the
wicked, or how many take their neighbours' wood after it is cut
and piled up in the kanyons, or steal their neighbours' axes, or
anything that is their neighbours'. You live your religion, and
we shall see the day when we shall tread iniquity under foot. But
if you listen to those who practise iniquity, you will be carried
away by it, as it has carried away thousands. Let every one get a
knowledge for himself that this work is true. We do not want you
to say that it is true until you know that it is; and if you know
it, that knowledge is as good to you as though the Lord came down
and told you. Then let every person say, "I will live my
religion, though every other person goes to hell. I will walk
humbly before God, and deal honestly with my fellow-beings."
There are now scores of thousands in this Territory who will do
this, and who feel as I do on this subject, and we will overcome
the wicked. Ten filthy, dirty sheep in a thousand cause the whole
flock to appear defiled, and a stranger would pronounce them all
filthy; but wash them, and you will find nine hundred and ninety
pure and clean. It is so with this people: half-a-dozen horse
thieves tend to cause the whole community to appear corrupt in
the eyes of a casual observer.
143
Brother Long said that the Lord will deal out correction to the
evil-doer, but that he would have nothing to do with it. I do not
know whether I shall or not; but I shall not ask the Lord to do
what I am not willing to do; and I do not thing that brother Long
is any more or less ready to do so than I am. Ask any earthly
king to do a work that you would not do, and he would be
insulted. Were I to ask the Lord to free us from ungodly
wretches, and not lend my influence and assistance, he would look
upon me differently to what he now does.
143
You have read that I have had an agent in China to mix poison in
the tea, to kill all the nation; that I was at the head of the
Vigilance Committee in California; that I managed the troubles in
Kansas from the beginning to the end; that there is not a
liquor-shop or distillery but what Brigham Young dictates it: so
state the newspapers. In these and all other accusations of
evil-doing, I defy them to produce the first show of evidence
against me. It is also asserted that President Buchanan and
myself concocted the plan for the army to come here, with a view
to make money. By-and-by the poor wretches will come bending, and
say, "I wish I was a 'Mormon.'" All the army, with its teamsters,
hangers-on, and followers, with the judges, and nearly all the
rest of the civil officers, amounting to some seventeen thousand
men, have been searching diligently for three years to bring one
act to light that would criminate me; but they have not been able
to trace out one thread or one particle of evidence that would
criminate me. Do you know why? Because I walk humbly with my God
and do right, so far as I know how. I do no evil to anyone; and
as long as I can have faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
to hinder the wolves from tearing the sheep and devouring them,
without putting forth my hand, I shall do so.
143
I can say honestly and truly, before God, and the holy angels,
and all men, that not one act of murder or disorder has occurred
in this city or territory that I had any knowledge of, any more
than a babe a week old, until after the event has transpired.
That is the reason they cannot trace any crime to me. If I have
faith enough to cause the devils to eat up the devils, like the
Kilkenny cats, I shall certainly exercise it. Joseph Smith said
that they would eat each other up, as did those cats. They will
do so here, and throughout the world. The nations will consume
each other, and the Lord will suffer them to bring it about. It
does not require much talent or tact to get up opposition in
these days. you see it rife in communities, in meetings, in
neighbourhoods, and in cities. That is the knife that will cut
down this Government. The axe is laid at the root of the tree,
and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit will be hewn
down.
144
Out of this Church will grow the kingdom which Daniel saw. This
is the very people that Daniel saw would continue to grow and
spread and prosper; and if we are not faithful, others will take
our places; for this is the Church and people that will possess
the kingdom for ever and ever. Shall we do this in our present
condition as a people? No; for we must be pure and holy, and be
prepared for the presence of our Saviour and God, in order to
possess the kingdom. Selfishness, wickedness, bickering,
tattling, lying, and dishonesty must depart from the people
before they are prepared for the Saviour. We must sanctify
ourselves before our God.
144
I wanted to ask brother Long a question this morning--what he had
learned in regard to the original sin. Let the Elders who like
speculation, find out what it is, if they can, and inform us next
Sabbath. Or is you have anything else that is good, bring it
along. I wish to impress upon your minds to live your religion,
and, when you come to this stand to speak,--not to care whether
you say five words or five thousand, but to come with the power
of God upon you, and you will comfort the hearts of the Saints.
All the sophistry in the world will do no good. If you live your
religion, you will live with the spirit of Zion within you, and
will try by every lawful means to induce your neighbours to live
their religion. In this way we will redeem Zion, and cleanse it
from sin.
144
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, August 19, 1860
Brigham Young, August 19, 1860
EFFECTIVE PREACHING--SUPPORT OF THE POOR, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 19, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
144
When the preaching is very dry, the bowery is generally thinly
attended; but when the preaching is full of marrow and good
things, the Bowery will be full of people. This reminds me of an
anecdote. A Presbyterian priest invited an Indian preacher to
occupy his pulpit; and when the Indian was through preaching, the
priest asked him why the people kept awake during his preaching,
remarking that they invariably fell asleep while he was
preaching. "I will tell you," said the Indian: "You feed them
with a silver dish and silver spoon; you rap the dish with the
spoon, and the ringing sounds put the people to sleep. But the
Indian takes his wooden bowl and ladle, and lades out the rich,
nourishing succotash to the people, which makes them wide awake,
and they want a little more."
144
Brother George Q. Cannon has been in the States during two years
past, and has done all he could to do good to the people of Utah.
He has been faithful, has travelled from place to place, and has
accomplished all he possibly could; and what he has not
accomplished others have.
145
You know the history of "Mormonism;" and is this is not the
Lord's work, we had better quit it, for we should derive no
benefit from remaining in it. If this is the Church of Christ,
God will take care of his people and carry on this work. Brother
Cannon stated that one gentleman he conversed with said that
there is a power in this work beyond the power of Brigham Young.
If we did not know this, we should quickly scatter. All that any
man can do is to do his duty. No one possesses power in himself
to bear off the work of God and build up the Lord's kingdom. It
is his work, and the Lord will accomplish it by the means he will
employ. Brother Cannon has been successful, in the hands of God,
in doing good; and so have others. Brothers Hooper and Eldredge
have done good.
145
Brother Eldredge stated that he was not sent on a mission this
time. He was not, but I was thankful that he took it in his head
to go. We did not know whom to call upon to go and transact
business for us in the States. He had crossed the Plains for us
so often that I would not call upon him to go, but I was pleased
and thankful when he concluded to go and proffered to attend to
our business. He has always transacted our business to our
satisfaction. I do not know that he has ever dropped a stitch in
the net he has woven for us in his business transactions, and
that is almost more than I can say of any other man. He has had
my faith and prayers, the same as though he had been called. I
was determined, if he did go, that he should make the first step
towards it. He went, has done good, and all is well; and so have
others done good: they have made themselves useful.
145
While brother Cannon was speaking of the trouble the Gentiles
have in providing for their poor, I though if they would take my
counsel, that I could tell them a better way than they practise.
They raise large amounts of means for supporting their poor. It
is given to them; they use it up, and are where they were at
first. Had they wisdom, they would appoint a man to take charge
of the poor and take them into Kansas or Nebraska, or some other
locality where land is cheap, and teach them to support
themselves. Set the men to ploughing and the women to planting,
with a good farmer to show them how, and in a little while they
will be able to sustain themselves. Let each Ward of a city do
this, until all the able poor are provided with farms and know
how to raise their bread; then let them get a few sheep, and
manufacture the wool into good, warm, and comfortable clothing,
and then raise flax and manufacture it. By pursuing this course,
in a few years there would be but few poor in the United States.
146
The reason we have no poor who are able to work is because we
plan to set every person to work at some profitable employment,
and teach them to maintain themselves. If a person is not able to
take care of himself, we will take care of him. How? Ever since I
left my father I have had some of his family to provide for. Ever
since I have been in this Church I have never suffered a relative
to be maintained by the church. But some men and women cast their
children and other relatives upon the Church. If one has an aged
sister who cannot maintain herself, he passes her over to the
Church; or if an aged father or mother, why, "let the Church or
brother Brigham take care of them and provide for them." It is a
disgrace to every man and woman that has sense enough to live,
not to take care of their own relatives, their own poor, and plan
for them to do something they are able to do. There are some
blind people here who more than maintain themselves. Some old
ladies cannot do hard work, but they can darn stockings and do
other light work. There is yet much to be done by the Bishops in
these matters, though I have not so much occasion to preach to
the Bishops on this subject as I used to have. We have been
removing and appointing others who do better. We intend to do
this until we have fathers for the people. If a Bishop will act
to the extent of his calling and office, and magnify it, there
will not be an individual in his Ward that is not employed to the
best advantage. He would see that all lived as they should,
walking humbly with their God, attending to their prayers,
observing the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, and ceasing to swear
and steal. There would not be a person in his Ward that he does
not know, and he would be acquainted with their circumstances,
conduct, and feelings. That will be the case by-and-by. We are
improving; and by-and-by we shall be quite a well-behaved family,
and can hail each other with delight as brethren and sisters, and
the Lord will own and bless us as his children.
146
We are all, both Jew and Gentile, of one common Parent, though
now we are divided into various tongues and people having a great
diversity of sectional feelings. I am pleased to see national
feelings passing away in this community. The spirit of wisdom is
so increasing that I think a national feeling is constantly
growing less and less in the midst of this Church, though we can
still see it in some. If you have the Spirit of God to a fulness,
and your eyes are open to see things as they are, you will find
that we are but one nation and family--but one people--but one
flesh--but one blood, no matter where born.
146
Put forth your ability to learn as fast as you can, and gather
all the strength of mind and principle of faith you possibly can,
and then distribute your knowledge to the people. Give them
virtue, knowledge, principle, truth, godliness. The Lord is
gathering those principles home to Zion from among the wicked
nations, and is leaving them in darkness. What a pity it would be
for the Lord to gather out all the good, and we be found unworthy
of it. We shall be worthy of it, if we live for it; and may the
Lord help us so to do!
146
God bless you! Amen.
147
TRIUMPH OF "MORMONISM," &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 19, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
147
I will bear my testimony to the truths that we have heard this
morning. To my understanding, to my feelings, and to the spirit
within me, we had a good, sound discourse, about three minutes
and a half long, from brother Andrew Moffat. It was right to the
point, and every word was a text. We have also had an excellent
discourse from brother Hooper: his remarks were sweet to the
taste of those who love the truth.
147
It is a matter of rejoicing to me to have the privilege of
bearing my testimony to what we have heard this morning. Brother
Andrew Moffat started from here for the States, last fall, on
business; and he has laboured most admirably in buying cattle and
in assisting brother Cannon and others who were engaged in
getting up trains, and in so doing has made himself very useful.
And I think that he has not neglected, in his business
transactions and in his travelling, to let people know that he
was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
and to bear his testimony of the truth of the Gospel, and at the
same time asked no odds of anyone who did not want to hear. This
is the feeling of the Elders who are full of the Spirit of God,
and what are the wicked going to do about it? The Elders have
this assurance within them.
147
Father Smith, who spoke first this morning, has been in the
Church almost from the beginning, but has not gathered with the
Saints till this season. In conversation with him the other day,
he told me that leading men in New York said that "Mormonism"
would be used up at the time the President issued his orders to
the troops. Some of them asked what he thought of it? He replied
that he did not know what would be done, but the result would be
that "Mormonism" would triumph over all its enemies, and in that
affray would come out of the top of the heap. This assurance is
in every man who lives his religion; but when any begin to doubt,
then they begin to think that this is rather a hard religion to
live.
147
All that has been said by brother Hooper about temporal affairs
is good, I have lived nearly sixty years, and am acquainted with
many portions of the United States, somewhat acquainted with
Europe, and historically acquainted with many parts of the world;
but, so far as I have travelled and read, this is the best
country we were ever in, or can now find, for raising Saints.
148
The Spirit of the Almighty is being withdrawn from the people;
and is it not your prayer that he will gather not your prayer
that he will gather to Zion all the wisdom, strength,
intelligence, and integrity of the earth? This is the prayer of
everyone that understands "Mormonism." What will be their
condition when the Spirit of the Lord is withdrawn? They will
whet the knife to cut each other's throats, and, as brother
Hooper remarked, try to make Mason and Dickson's the dividing
line; but that will not remain, for they will cross it to destroy
each other, and the sword and fire will be prevalent in the land.
Says one, "But you are a 'Mormon,' and we do not believe anything
in 'Mormonism,' though we believe that calamities await the
people, and that great events are at the threshold." The world,
and particularly the United States, have been told these things
during thirty years past; and though no one but myself had warned
them, there would not now be a man upon the face of the earth but
could have heard the Gospel, if he had been disposed to listen to
it. They would have been prepared for what is coming; for any one
of these my brethren has said enough to warn the whole world.
This frees our garments, for we are bound to do our duty; and
then, if they neglect, the blood of their garments will be found
in their skirts, not in ours.
148
Brother Hooper remarked that he had learned that "Mormonism" is
true. It is both the duty and privilege of the Latter-day Saints
to know that their religion is true. If brother Hooper had
yielded to his own natural feelings, he would not have
represented us in Congress. Here is a great people, and they wish
a man in Congress to represent them in their proper light. Now,
who would say that he is capable of doing this? Brother Hooper
submitted to the people's choice, as every man should. Had the
choice fallen upon any other, as it did upon brother H. S.
Eldredge, who was our first choice previous to the last election
for Delegate, (but it was thought best to change it,) he also
would have been able to have done this duty in Congress--to have
done whatever the Lord wished to have done. Brother Bernhisel was
our Delegate for several years, and are we satisfied with his
official course? Yes: he did his duty.
148
How shall we know what to do? By being obedient to every
requirement of the Gospel. Brother Hooper has stated that I
promised him the assistance of the Almighty. I did. I laid my
hands upon him and blessed him, and told him that he should have
dreams and visions, and power with God to know what to do, if he
lived his religion; but if he did not, I promised him nothing. He
prepared himself to pray; and when a man with a disposition to
listen to a truth called upon him, he felt as well as with his
friends, and could express his feelings; but if visitors had no
place for the truth, the sooner they left the better. Joy filled
his bosom, and each time the brethren called to see him was the
best time he had. When a man approached him with the Spirit of
God, he felt--"This is the man for me: here is the Spirit; here
are joy and peace in having fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ
and with the Father." This is the way brother Hooper felt; and
just as much confidence as he had in what I told him, so much he
received.
148
Revelation is here poured out every Sabbath. Thank God for it. Am
I not happy? Yes, all the time. There is no darkness; and there
is any necessity of having sorrow? No. Our religion is peace,
happiness, wealth, and a fulness of good things to walk in the
light of truth. These blessings are with and for the Latter-day
Saints, and we have nothing to do but to live for them.
149
God has given us our tabernacles and planted in them the germs of
eternity; and it is for us, in this present existence, to let the
spirit overcome every passion of the flesh, and never to suffer
the spirit to submit to the temptations of the flesh. Labour to
bring everything into subjection to Christ, for this is his
earth. It came from God in the beginning, and that, too, not by
any chances of creation; for all that you see and can comprehend
and understand, that is good, is produced by the Almighty Creator
of the worlds.
149
Respect one another; do not speak lightly of each other. Some, if
they get a little pique against an individual, are disposed to
cast him down to hell, as not worthy of a place upon earth. O
fools! not to understand that those you condemn are the
workmanship of God, as well as yourselves! God overlooks their
weaknesses; and so far as they do good, they are as acceptable as
we are. Thank God that you know better, and be full of mercy and
kindness. I speak evil of no man; but I hate, with a most cordial
hatred, the evil actions of some men. Their organization came
from God, but their conduct does not. It is not the persons, but
it is their wicked conduct that I despise and hate.
149
Live your religion. "Mormonism" will triumph, and all hell cannot
prevent it; and those that live faithful will be exalted. When
people get into the dark, they want to leave; and I do not know
but that it is one of God's fore-ordinations that as soon as they
lose the Spirit they should want to leave. That is just what I
want; and I pray that there may be no barrier in their way--that
no man may ever stay here, unless he loves God with all his
heart.
149
May the Lord bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, August 26, 1860
Brigham Young, August 26, 1860
DEALINGS OF THE LORD WITH HIS PEOPLE.
Remarks made by President Brigham Young,
Provo, August 26, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
149
I am happy in the privilege of again meeting with you. I am well
in spirit and in body. I never was better in my spirit than I am
this afternoon. The day I now enjoy is the best day of my life;
these days are the best days I ever lived, and I expect them to
grow better. The many reasons I might give for this I will omit.
150
It is some time since we met with you here. Next Sabbath, I
think, it will be twenty-six months since I was upon this stand.
Our circumstances then were very different from what they are
to-day. Since then, some of our relative and friends have been
consigned to the silent tomb; but there is a goodly number of us
still living, and the favourable circumstances under which we are
to-day should influence every heart to rejoice. If we could but
understand and see things as they are--comprehend the dealings of
the Lord--the workings of his kingdom, it would be a matter of
great joy and rejoicing to us; but as yet we only see and
understand in part, though it is our privilege to so live that we
may know things pertaining to our conduct here as they are
understood by more intelligent beings. Let us faithfully improve
upon what we do understand.
151
Can you discern and understand the dealings of the Lord with this
people from the beginning? If we can understand this, it is
indeed a matter of great rejoicing to us. All intelligent beings
who are crowned with crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal
lives must pass through every ordeal appointed for intelligent
beings to pass through, to gain their glory and exaltation. Every
calamity that can come upon mortal beings will be suffered to
come upon the few, to prepare them to enjoy the presence of the
Lord. If we obtain the glory that Abraham obtained, we must do so
by the same means that he did. If we are ever prepared to enjoy
the society of Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, or of their faithful children, and of the faithful
Prophets and Apostles, we must pass through the same experience,
and gain the knowledge, intelligence, and endowments that will
prepare us to enter into the celestial kingdom of our Father and
God. How many of the Latter-day Saints will endure all these
things, and be prepared to enjoy the presence of the Father and
the Son? You can answer that question at your leisure. Every
trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for
your salvation.
151
The greatest trial this people are under the necessity of bearing
is to hold fellowship with false brethren. Which would you
choose--to leave your homes, as this people have done in many
instances, and suffer yourselves to be driven, and seek new
homes, and make new acquaintances in a strange country, or to
live in your houses and upon your possessions, and be surrounded
with false brethren? That question can be readily answered by
every Saint. I can see those in this congregation who were in
Missouri when thousands were ready and anxious to kill the few
Saints then there; but the Saints would rather suffer all that
was suffered there and in other States, than be obliged to live
with thieves--with those who would swear falsely against them,
and deceive, and be guilty of every kind of abomination. They
would rather leave their homes, seek new locations, and make new
possessions, than be under the necessity of mingling with, of
eating bread and drinking water in the name of Israel's God, and
fellowshipping the ungodly--the wretches who would destroy them
from the earth.
151
Some may think that they have passed through severe trials during
the few years past; but, so far as my own experience and
knowledge go, I have passed through no scenes of trial or sorrow.
I have never felt better in my life than I have during two or
three years past. I do not know that I have had wicked,
unrighteousness, or ungodly feelings pertaining to the whole
matter, though I may have felt desirous at times to lay
righteousness to the line and judgment to the plummet, and sweep
away the refuge of lies; but that would have only gratified that
which pertains to the natural man. I am confident it would not
have satisfied that immortal part within us that is pure and
holy, but partakes more or less of the weaknesses incident to the
fallen portion. I have sometimes had feelings of this kind--"Draw
your swords, ye Elders of Israel, and never sheath them so long
as you have an enemy upon the earth." I sometimes felt, before
the move, like taking the sword and slaying my enemies, until
they were wasted away. But the Lord did not design this, and we
have remained in peace and quietness.
152
Do you see persons who have been in this Church for years,
drinking the deathly draught put to their mouths by the wicked?
Yes. Have you not seen them forfeit their right and title to the
kingdom of God upon the earth, and yield to a paltry, foolish,
fallen disposition to do evil? Yes; wives have been called to
weep and mourn for their children and husbands, husbands for
their wives and children, and children for their parents. The
parable of the Saviour still holds good--the net still gathers
good and bad. There are families here whose husbands and fathers
are now preaching the Gospel. They will return by-and-by, and
will bring their sheaves with them. Those who have been converted
through their labours will follow them, and there will be a few
who will be stedfast and live their religion, but not all who are
gathered from the nations; for the Gospel net will gather good
and bad, and will continue so to do as long as the fishermen cast
their net into the sea. Still, a righteous person will never be
discouraged, but will constantly contend against his evil
passions, and against evil in his family and neighbourhood; and
the Lord will utterly cleanse his thrashing floor as with the
besom of destruction.
152
Be not discouraged, for it is a joyful time. Do you have peace
and plenty? Yes. We have all the time enjoyed peace and plenty in
Great Salt Lake City. Great peace have those who love the law of
the Gospel, and nothing shall offend them. Great joy have they
who love our Lord Jesus Christ; and great peace do those enjoy
who delight in working the works of righteousness. Let the
blessings of heaven attend you, is my prayer continually. Be
faithful, ye Saints. Contend against evil, and cease not to take
every measure to do away with all the evil that is in your midst,
until God shall sanctify a people and prepare them to dwell in
his presence.
152
Marvel not that we have what are called troubles: marvel not that
our enemies seek to destroy us and the kingdom of God from the
earth. These persecutions are to prepare the humble and faithful
to dwell in the presence of God the Father and his Son, while the
vast multitudes of the earth must dwell in the kingdoms prepared
for them, but cannot dwell in his presence. If you expect to gain
the glory you anticipate, never grieve, nor sorrow, nor mourn at
the providences of God when they cause you to suffer, or to part
with every earthly object you have. If they cause fathers and
mothers to separate from their children, and husbands from their
wives, it matters not: God is our Father, and the offspring of
Adam are our brothers and sisters. Who is my father, mother,
sister, and brother? Those who do the will of the my Father in
heaven.
152
God bless you! Amen.
153
THE THREE GLORIES.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 26, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
153
I will read a portion of the vision Joseph Smith and Sidney
Rigdon had concerning various kingdoms that God has prepared for
his subjects:--
153
"And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the
sun is one. And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the
glory of the moon is one. And the glory of the telestial is one,
even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs
from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in
glory in the telestial world; for these are they who are of Paul,
and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they who say they are
some of one, and some of another--some of Christ, and some of
John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias,
and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; but received not the
Gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the Prophets,
neither the everlasting covenant. Last of all, these are all they
who will not be gathered with the Saints, to be caught up unto
the Church of the Firstborn, and received into the cloud. These
are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and
whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. These are they
who suffer the wrath of God on the earth. These are they who
suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. These are they who are cast
down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the
fulness of times when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under
his feet, and shall have perfected his work, when he shall
deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father spotless,
saying, I have overcome and have trodden the winepress alone,
even the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty
God. Then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit
on the throne of his power, to reign for ever and ever. But
behold, and lo! we saw the glory and inhabitants of the telestial
world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the
firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the sea-shore; and heard
the voice of the Lord, saying, These all shall bow the knee, and
every tongue shall confess to Him who sits upon the throne for
ever and ever; for they shall be judged according to their works;
and every man shall receive, according to his own works, his own
dominion, in the mansions which are prepared; and they shall be
servants of the Most High: but where God and Christ dwell they
cannot come, worlds without end. This is the end of the vision
which we saw, which we were commanded to write while we were yet
in the spirit." (Doc. and Cov., sec. xcii., par. 7)
154
I do not know that I have any particular desire to dwell upon
this any more than any other subject of the Gospel, although this
subject, in the abstract, occupies more of my affection,
adoration, and heartfelt gratitude to our Father and God than any
other that has ever been revealed to my knowledge, from the days
of Adam to the present.
154
Looking at the human family--the millions of intelligent beings
who have come upon this earth from the days of Adam until now,
and those that must still come in the course of events--the
question naturally arises, What are they created for? what is the
object of their being? None of them have power to produce
themselves. Jesus Christ is the heir of this vast family. He said
that he had power to lay down his life and take it up again; but
he had no more power to produce his life, in the beginning of his
existence, than we have. Every human being is endowed, more or
less, with eternal intelligence, with the germ of life
everlasting, of glory immortal; and then, when I view the human
family as they are, with the traditions of the fathers, what the
Bible has taught, what the priest has taught, and what kings and
rulers have introduced and fastened upon their people, through
traditions and customs, and contemplate the variety now existing
and that has existed upon the earth, the marks of these finites,
and what is their end, I can truly say that, in my estimation, no
other revelation so glorious was ever given. You may read the
character of the Deity as portrayed in all that has ever been
revealed, until you come to this vision, in relation to his
justice, his judgment, his power, his life, his glory, his
excellence, his goodness, his mercy, and the fulness of every
gift, of every trait, of every principle inherent in the
character of the Supreme Being, and it is not equal in magnitude,
in my reflections, to that which God revealed to Joseph Smith and
Sidney Rigdon in the vision from which I have read.
154
We are far advanced in the things of the kingdom of God. To say
nothing about any other principle or doctrine that has ever been
revealed, the transcending glory, excellency, wisdom, goodness,
virtue, and power that God has revealed in this vision far
outweigh all the Christian tenets, doctrines, and systems they
have drawn from the Bible. No cistern, to use a figure, hewn by
man, can hold water; and every human doctrine and principle,
professing to point the way of salvation, fades away. The
doctrine God has revealed here is more precious to me, and is
worth more than all the doctrines of Christendom.
154
We may read that the Lord will turn the wicked into hell, and all
the nations that forget God; but, so far as the Bible and priests
are concerned, the world are left in the dark upon what this
vision reveals. Fatality is sealed on the world by the priests as
an everlasting inheritance and legacy, from which they never can
be delivered. Their doom is to dwell in a lake of fire and
brimstone. God has created this intelligence to preserve it. If
the world, with its present feelings, believed this vision, they
would say--"Our condition will be so far better than we had
anticipated, that we will continue our course; for we love the
world and the things of the world, and we will roll sin as a
sweet morsel under our tongues, and delight in all the iniquity
we have indulged in from youth, and continue to imbibe the
erroneous principles taught by the fathers and others, and will
pass on from day to day; for our condition is to be so far better
than our priests have taught us." It would have been better for
them had they never been born, were it not so.
155
Were the wicked, in their sins, under the necessity of walking
into the presence of the Father and the Son, hand-in-hand with
those who believe that all will be saved--that Jesus will leave
none, their condition would be more excruciating and unendurable
than to dwell in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The
fatalist's doctrine consigns to hell the infant not a span long,
while the adulterer, whoremonger, thief, liar, false swearer,
murderer, and every other abominable character, if they but
repent on the gallows or their death-beds, are, by the same
doctrine, forced into the presence of the Father and the Son,
which, could they enter there, would be a hell to them.
155
The kingdoms that God has prepared are innumerable. Each and
every intelligent being will be judged according to the deeds
done in the body, according to his works, faith, desires, and
honesty or dishonesty before God; every trait of his character
will receive its just merit or demerit, and he will be judged
according to the law of heaven as revealed; and God has prepared
places suited to every class. The Saviour said to this
disciples--"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepared a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also."
How many kingdoms there are has not been told to us: they are
innumerable. The disciples of Jesus were to dwell with him. Where
will the rest go? Into kingdoms prepared for them, where they
will live and endure. Jesus will bring forth, by his own
redemption, every son and daughter of Adam, except the sons of
perdition, who will be cast into hell. Others will suffer the
wrath of God--will suffer all the Lord can demand at their hands,
or justice can require of them; and when they have suffered the
wrath of God till the utmost farthing is paid, they will be
brought out of prison. Is this dangerous doctrine to preach? Some
consider it dangerous; but is it true that every person who does
not sin away the day of grace, and become an angel to the Devil,
will be brought forth to inherit a kingdom of glory.
155
The sectarian world, as we call them, is a professed church of
God, without the Priesthood. Sectarians have not the Priesthood;
but all of them who live according to the best light and
intelligence they can obtain through faithfulness to what they
believe, as taught unto them, will receive a kingdom and glory
that will far transcend all their expectations, imaginations, or
visions in their most excited moments whether in their
falling-down power, jumping power, or squawling power. All they
have ever desired or anticipated they will receive, and far more;
but they cannot dwell with the Father and Son, unless they go
through those ordeals that are ordained for the Church of the
Firstborn. The ordinances of the house of God are expressly for
the Church of the Firstborn.
156
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that
believeth not shall be damned; and these signs shall follow them
that believe. In my name," &c. This is the law of the celestial
kingdom, and those who hearken to this law, and embrace its
truths in their faith, and live them in their lives, will be
brought to enjoy the presence of the Son, and will dwell with him
and the Father. And all the residue, who do not sin against the
Holy Ghost, will be punished according to their deeds, and will
receive according to their works, whether it be little or much,
good or bad. Jesus will redeem the last and least of the sons of
Adam, except the sons of perdition, who will be held in reserve
for another time. They will become angels of the Devil. What say
you, ye Latter-day Saints? Is not this the most glorious thought
that ever was revealed to mortal man? Let the Elders of this
Church go forth and preach that every person who does not become
as they are will have to suffer the wrath of God, and go down to
hell to dwell in a lake that burns with brimstone and fire,
"where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched," and I
would not give the ashes of a rye-straw for all they will do. It
is good for nothing: there is no life in it--there is no soul in
it.
156
This intelligence must endure. We must preserve our identity
before the Lord, who has sent his Son and angels, and is sending
the Holy Ghost, and his ministers, and revelations, to comfort,
cheer, guide, and direct the affairs of his kingdom on the earth.
Shall we dwindle out in our faith, and in those blessing God
bestows on us at this time? No. Let us live to increase them. Let
us so live, that when we receive our bodies in the resurrection,
we will be received in the presence of the Father and the Son.
This kingdom is designed expressly to prepare the people to dwell
with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, and all the world
beside will receive according to their works upon the earth. This
is a joy that is unspeakable: it is a glory beyond the capacity
of our minds at the present time to appreciate. It is a great joy
to me.
156
Sometimes I feel as though I would like to dwell upon these
principles, they are so delightful; but I do not feel like
preaching or talking much this morning. The glory and
intelligence that God has prepared for the faithful, and for
every other being that is worthy to receive, expand, extend, and
comprehend, no man knoweth. Should not this fill every heart with
peace and joy--that there is no end to the progress of knowledge?
Let us continue to prepare ourselves to dwell with Him in eternal
burnings.
156
May the Lord bless the people! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, August 26th, 1860
Brigham Young, August 26th, 1860
PRIVILEGES OF THE GATHERED SAINTS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 26th, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
157
We enjoy great blessings and privileges, and ought to appreciate
them. No people on the earth enjoy that peace and tranquility
that we do in these mountains; and no people have so much reason
to be truly thankful and grateful, and to acknowledge the hand of
God in all things, as we have. We have the words of life: the law
of life is committed unto us--the Priesthood of the Son of God,
which is after the power of an endless life. We are in the happy
and peaceable possession of it.
157
We have great reason to be truly thankful that we are in these
mountains. I have said so from the time we first came here. When
our enemies learned that we were going to locate in these
mountains, they said that we never could be driven from them, and
they told the truth. If we ever go from them, we shall go
voluntarily. They said that they would drive us from Ohio, from
Missouri, and from Illinois, and they did so; but they cannot
drive us from these mountains we now inhabit. All we have to do
is to do right, walk humbly before God, deal justly one with
another and with the whole human family, and let our worst wish
toward our worst enemies be that we may see the time when they
will be obliged to do right. I never did wish anything worse upon
them than they should do right, pay their debts, deal justly, and
walk humbly one with another. This is the worst wish I have
towards those who are now here and have tried to shed our blood
for money, and that when they leave the Territory they do not
steal anything. I despair of inducing them not to lie about us.
157
All the nations are fast approaching the brink of ruin. Search
the most enlightened nations now dwelling on the earth, and you
will learn that they live upon fiction, delight in shadow, run
after error, greedily drink down falsehood, and hate truth. This
is particularly the case with the nation in which we live, as
every one knows, who is acquainted with its religious, political,
and moral classes. There are individual exceptions; but, taking
the nations of the world as nations, they do not believe the
truth; they are after falsehood and lies, and say to
themselves--"The world goes on--the morning comes as usual, and
is followed by the evening. We live day after day, and all things
are about as they were yesterday." How long will they continue
so? They think that all things are going to remain as they were
since the fathers fell asleep, that Christ is not coming, and
that the prophecies will not be fulfilled, except it may be
spiritually.
158
Search history, from the days of Enoch, when he built a city
which was taken from the earth; pass on to Noah who built an ark
and floated on the water over a drowning world, and to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob; read the writings of Moses, and of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the lesser Prophets, down to the time of
John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, or until Mary
and Elizabeth rejoiced together that the Messiah was to be born;
then read the writings of the disciples of the Lord Jesus, and
search history from that day when the nations have for years
turned much of their attention to manufacturing instruments of
death, they have sooner or later used those instruments.
158
Our nation, England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and other
nations have for years exercised their inventive skill, and
expended much means in inventing and fabricating instruments of
death. Upon his return, brother Hooper presented to me a rifle,
for which it is almost claimed that it will kill people while it
is hanging up, and without powder and ball; and brother George Q.
Cannon brought a brace of pistols, each of which can be fired
twelve times instead of six. From the authority of all history,
the deadly weapons now stored up and being manufactured will be
used until the people are wasted away, and there is no help for
it. The spirit of revolution goes on through the nations: it
never goes back.
158
We are in these mountains, and in the enjoyment of peace and
plenty. Are there any who have not enough bread? Some complain of
living poorly; but what hinders such persons from living well?
Have you not plenty of breadstuff? Yes, you have the best of
flour, and can have plenty of good corn-meal. You also have rye,
barley, and oats. Who prevents your keeping a cow and having
butter and milk? Can you not raise potatoes, squashes, turnips,
onions, cabbages, and every other kind of produce that you can
use? What hinders your keeping a pig and having a little pork?
Nobody hinders you: you can have all these things, if you are so
disposed, and live well. Who can disturb you? Nobody but
yourselves. You can quarrel with each other, rail against each
other, and make life disagreeable, if you are so disposed;
otherwise you may have an agreeable life here, and the peace of
God will rest upon you.
158
We are the best people in the world, and have the greatest reason
to be thankful because of our location and situation. Let us love
one another, and love God supremely. It is written, "Love your
enemies." Brother Erastus Snow was going to correct Paul for
trying to excuse himself. I do not think the term was any more
misapplied than when the Apostles wrote, "Love your enemies;" for
I do not believe a word of that. "Love your enemies!" What, love
hell? When people do that, they get where devils are. If it had
been written, "Love the spirits God has placed in tabernacles,
and try to reclaim them and do them good, and pray for those who
despitefully use you," I would feed and clothe them, take
peculiar care of them, and place them where they would not hurt
anybody. You may think that I am disputing the Bible. If you
understood what the Lord means when he talks about loving his
children, you would understand that he does not love them as they
are now; for he hates and is angry with the wicked. He dislikes
their wicked acts, but he loves his children, because he has
organized them, and he wishes to see them obedient.
159
Many of you are acquainted with brother John Smith, the
Patriarch, who went to the States last year after his friends. He
has just come into the Bowery. The companies are all well. They
want some flour, and we can send it to them. Brother Kimball will
send his team this time, and there is no necessity for calling
upon the Bishops. We have heard from the last company. On the
fourth of August they were on Wood River: their cattle looked
well, and the company was making good progress. They had been
eleven days out from Florence, and had travelled 170 miles. A few
cattle have died in some of the companies; and if any of the
brethren, who have relatives or friends in the companies still
out, wish to assist them, they can do so by sending out their
teams and helping them in.
159
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, September 2, 1860
Brigham Young, September 2, 1860
DIVERSITY AMONG MEN AS TO THEIR CAPACITY FOR RECEIVING TRUTH, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 2, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
159
Are our minds framed to receive and profit by those
communications which the Lord would give through his servants? We
are so constituted that we can receive but little at a time,
though there is quite a diversity in men as to their capacity for
learning, and also in regard to retaining what they learn. Some
comprehend their lessons quickly, while others are not so gifted.
I have also noticed that some children commit their lessons
quickly and well; but ask them the meaning and intent of what
they have committed, and they cannot answer you; while others pay
more attention to the intent and meaning of what they learn. Such
is the case with all persons, no matter what their age; and some
are capacitated to receive more and faster than others.
159
When the Latter-day Saints and those who believed in the coming
of the Messiah, and those who believed in him when he came, and
those who have believed in him since he came, see eternal things
by the vision of their minds being opened. They will consider it
a great mystery why all people did not understand the things of
God, they are so easy to be understood and so congenial to our
capacities and situation on the earth--so admirably adapted to
our nature. That mankind do not understand the things of God is
marvellous to an enlightened person, and that what truth they do
learn they wish to have it understood that it is by their own
wisdom: the wisdom that comes from God they do not desire.
160
We observe in some of the Latter-day Saints a dull stupidity in
regard to learning the things that pertain to life. For persons
to understand themselves, their own organization, they must
understand the character of that Being who has organized them, or
they never can understand their own organization. This mankind
are unwilling to admit. No person can follow the thread of his
own existence, without inseparably connecting it with the
Father--the Supreme Being who dwells in eternity. We are
inseparably connected, and must be, to that eternal Being who
produced us. You will therefore readily understand that without
the principle and Spirit of revelation, it will be impossible to
communicate these principles to the people.
160
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the opening avenue--the open gate
in the road or way from earth to heaven, through which direct
revelation comes to the children of men in their various
capacities, according to their callings and standing in the
society in which they live. The Gospel of salvation is a portion
of the law that pertains to the kingdom where God resides; and
the ordinances pertaining to the holy Priesthood are the means by
which the children of men find access to the way of life, wherein
they can extend their travels until they return to the presence
of their Father and God. This no person will dispute, who has
faith in the character of the Deity. They will acknowledge that
God is true, that his system of salvation is correct, that his
law is just, that he is equal in all his ways, and that the
ordinances of his house are true and faithful; but when you speak
of the Gospel as preached by the Elders of this Church, the query
arises in a moment, "Is this true?" Yes, as you have often heard
stated, it is a fact that earth and hell cannot deny. The sound
of this Gospel carries conviction to every heart that has heard
it; it carries an influence and power that no other sound has.
But, though they are thus convicted, yet they will query, "Is it
true?" If it were not that the conviction of the Almighty
pervades even the sound of "Mormonism," you would not see armies
arrayed against this people.
160
This is the most moral people upon the face of all the earth,
with all the rascality there is in a few. The Gospel net gathers
both good and bad. We have both here. But this people, as a
people, are the most circumspect and moral people that now live.
It has been said that we are a low, groveling, lawless people.
There is not a man in our Government, who has a good sound heart
and brain, but what will say that we are the most law-abiding
people in the United States.
161
All, so far as they have heard, are convicted that the work in
which we are engaged is true--that it is the Gospel of
salvation--the voice of God from the heavens to all people. Hear
it, O ye inhabitants of the earth! The Lord has again spoken from
the heavens, and revealed the holy Priesthood, to save the
children of men from impending ruin. Though this is true, they
fancy that they can devise systems by which they can save
themselves, enter into the gate of rest, and secure to themselves
that eternal repose the heart aches for all through life. There
may be some exceptions to this general truth, but the existence
of a Supreme Being is universally acknowledged by man. This is to
be found in the lowest of the heathen nations, and they worship
according to the best knowledge they have. The inhabitants of
Hindostan, Japan, &c., are devotional people, though they worship
before images, not knowing better. The aborigines of this country
also worship according to their traditions, as do all the heathen
nations. They make their graven images of brass, wood, silver,
and gold to represent the Deity they seek to please. The Roman
Catholic Church uses paintings and images of Jesus Christ and the
Virgin Mary; but ask them if they worship these pictures and
images, and they will tell you, "No: the picture or image only
represents to the eye the Being we worship." So it is with the
worship of the heathen nations: they will tell you they "do not
worship the inanimate image, but that the God they worship is in
eternity. We do not see him, but our fathers have taught us many
things which we wish to retain in memory." You present to your
children the image or picture of the Saviour, or any good being,
and teach them to imitate his example, and by this means strive
to create the best possible impression upon their young minds.
And which is best--to do this, or to present them a pack of cards
and teach them the use of them? Then do not depreciate the
heathen worship, nor the brethren of our former Christian faith;
for the majority of them worship according to the best knowledge
they have. Intelligent beings are organized to become Gods, even
the sons of God, to dwell in the presence of the Gods, and become
associated with the highest intelligences that dwell in eternity.
We are now in the school, and must practise upon what we receive.
Wickedness now dwells upon the earth; but as we are exhorted from
time to time by words, deeds, and examples, and by the faith of
the good, let us continue in this labour of love until we
overcome the evil that is within ourselves. With all the rest of
the good that you can commit to memory, be sure to recollect that
the Gospel of salvation is expressly designed to make Saints of
sinners, to overcome evil with good, to make holy, good men of
wicked, bad men, and to make better men of good. Wherein we are
wicked, wherein we have evil passions, the gospel will aid us in
overcoming evil. It gives us the influence, the power, the
knowledge, the wisdom, and the understanding to overcome our
weaknesses and to purify ourselves before the Lord our God. How
often we have heard it said that "a Saint will be a Saint, a
devil will be a devil, and the wicked will be wicked!" People
should understand that there is no man born upon the face of the
earth but what can be saved in the kingdom of God, if he is
disposed to be. There is not a word to contradict this in all the
sacred writings. When the wicked man forsakes his wickedness,
though he has rolled it under his tongue as a sweet morsel, he
can be saved. If God has foreordained certain men to certain
ends, it is because he knew all things from eternity, as in the
case of Pharaoh, who he knew would do wickedly; consequently,
selected him to be put upon the throne. "You are determined to be
wicked and to carry out the schemes of the Devil; therefore I
will use you to promote my kingdom on the earth and to exalt me
among men, for I know that you will do all you can against my
children, against my work, and against my grace to save the
children of men." God raised him to the throne of Egypt, because
he foresaw that in this position he could use him to the greatest
advantage to His cause,--not because he was foreordained to that
position.
161
There are no persons without evil passions to embitter their
lives. Mankind are revengeful, passionate, hateful, and devilish
in their dispositions. This we inherit through the fall, and the
grace of God is designed to enable us to overcome it. The grace
of God is bestowed upon all, and the kingdom of God is planted on
the earth expressly to enable mankind to overcome the evil that
is in them, and to save all. If the Latter-day Saints live their
religion, they will forsake iniquity and overcome the evil that
the enemy of all righteousness causes to rise within them, until
every passion and appetite is as perfectly under their own
control as a patient animal they hold by the bit.
162
Ye wise men, ye great philosophers, do you comprehend and know
what is the origin of the intelligence we behold? Where did it
spring from? Who is the author of our existence? Who has brought
us forth upon the earth and given us this intelligence, creating
us erect, given us ability to learn and to continue to learn to
all eternity, and to reach forth for the hidden things that are
in the future? Can the wise men of the day define this
intelligence? Can the chemist analyze it? No; it cannot be
searched out by human wisdom. We must admit that God is true,
that his law is just, that his kingdom is just and pure, and that
it is now set up upon the earth, or there can be no being saved
in his presence. We are his children. This is obvious, and is
easy to be understood by those who can only understand simple
facts. We are his offspring, and to him we shall return. This
being so, we should so live as to be counted worthy to be again
received into the family of heaven, to be participants of all the
glory, excellency, and power that pertain to the family of God in
eternity, and to be joined with those who sing hallelujah to his
name in mansions of bliss. Let the wicked world pass on and the
inhabitants of the earth rail, and let the wicked imagine a vain
thing and the heathen rage and run to-and-fro; yet knowledge will
increase, and they cannot prevent it. The kingdom of God and the
ordinances of his house are again restored, and we are made happy
participants thereof. Praise his holy name, then, brethren and
sisters, and acknowledge his hand in all things, improving your
talents, and making yourselves worthy to receive more. The kings,
queens, nobles, and great men of the earth will yet bow to the
Gospel, though not until they are obliged to.
162
We have not much history of the wise men of the east, after they
saw the star and found the child Jesus. He had not lived two
years before an edict was sent forth to slay all the children in
certain regions, under such an age, thinking that the child Jesus
would be caught among them and slain. But Joseph was warned in a
dream to escape with the young child. Where then were the wise
men who came to worship him? They had gone their way, and were
still. There are many wise men of this day who feel so
influenced; they would worship with the Saints, but will not
endure the opposition they must receive, if they should do so.
Never was the kingdom of God so privileged as it is now. The
children of Israel had the Gospel and the kingdom in their
possession, but they were so wicked and ungodly that only Joshua
and Caleb, of all the adult males who went out of Egypt, were
left to go over and possess the promised land. They were
prospered and slew their enemies; but after a while they went
into bondage, were again made free, and again went into bondage.
Did they enjoy the privileges that we do? No. We can travel and
preach from island to island, and from nation to nation, and can
travel and preach in our own nation, for God has prepared the
way. We are blessed more than all the people on the face of the
earth, and are therefore under the deepest obligations to praise
and serve God. It matters little, though we have many times left
our houses and other possessions, having been driven from them by
our enemies; for the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof;
the gold and the silver they are taking from the earth are all in
his hands to dispose of at his pleasure. He sets up kingdoms and
casts them down at his pleasure. The fulness of the earth is in
his hands, but it cannot be enjoyed, in the full sense of the
term, without enjoying it in connection with his kingdom. When
put to its proper use, gold, instead of being made a god of, will
be made into dishes, and all things will be prepared for Jesus to
reign and rule and live here, for he is the heir of this earth.
The gold will also be used for paving streets for us to walk
upon: all the faithful will have the privilege of walking the
golden streets of the New Jerusalem.
162
I feel that this is the best day I ever saw; and were I to give
vent to my feelings, I should jump and shout, like a Methodist,
Hallelujah! God reigns; his kingdom is upon the earth, and he
will save the remnant in the latter days. I feel happy.
"Mormonism" has made me all I am, and the grace, the power, and
the wisdom of God will make me all that I ever will be, either in
time or in eternity. Do you think that I suffer affliction? No;
for I am happy when in a house, or in the mountains, or wherever
I chance to be. Our religion measures, weighs, and circumscribes
all the wisdom in the world--all that God has ever revealed to
man. God has revealed all the truth that is now in the possession
of the world, whether it be scientific or religious. The whole
world are under obligation to him for what they know and enjoy;
they are indebted to him for it all, and I acknowledge him in all
things, Is it not reasonable and highly commendable to worship
Him, unto whom every knee shall bow, with a pure heart and
conscience uncontaminated by the sins of the world?
162
The greatest weakness, ignorance, and foolishness of the human
family are exhibited in their denying the Saviour, denying the
hand of God, and not submitting to his supremacy on the earth. O
fools, and slow of heart to believe. Let the few who have
received the truth live to it strictly, daily, hourly, and
momentarily, so that they can receive more and more, and grow in
grace and in the knowledge of the truth. That is my prayer for
you constantly to my Father and God, in the name of Jesus.
162
That we may be blessed, let us do our duty, gather the house of
Israel, redeem and build up Zion, see Jerusalem established, and
Jesus reign triumphantly upon the earth; which is my desire, in
the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
162
TRIALS AND DUTIES OF THE SAINTS.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 2, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
162
I will say a few words to those who have lately arrived.
163
The Spirit of the Gospel which they received in their native
countries caused them to rejoice, lighted the lamp of devotion
within them, and created in their hearts a love of truth. When
people receive the Holy Ghost, or the Gospel evidenced by the
Spirit of truth, they in a degree feel and realize the glory of
Zion. The commandment has gone forth for the Saints to gather and
build up Zion. They very readily receive the impression that the
gathering-place is Zion, that the gathered are actually living in
Zion, that the evil influences abroad in the world and which
afflicted them there will cease to afflict them here, that they
will enjoy the sweet communion of the holy ones upon the earth,
and that their sorrows and all that afflicts them will have
passed away.
163
I wish to inform you, brethren and sisters, who have just arrived
in these valleys, that all your trials hitherto are but trifling
in comparison to the trials you will now be called to meet and
pass through. How many of you will continue faithful--preserve
yourselves in your integrity and in the faith of the Lord Jesus
Christ? You have come here expressly to be assembled with the
Saints; your object in gathering was to forsake the wickedness
that is in the world and to mingle with those who serve God with
an undivided heart, and you expect to be faithful; but let me
inform you that you will not all prove faithful; some of you will
apostatize. Can you tell who? You reply, "No:" but the first you
are aware, some of you will be off to California, perhaps, with
the words--"To Cache or Carson, we don't care a d---- which," on
your waggon-covers, as they were on the waggon-covers of some who
started for Carson last spring. Some of you will be tempted above
what you will bear--will tamely submit to darkness and its
powers--to the evil influences of wicked spirits--will forsake
the faith, and the Devil will get the advantage of you.
163
Your troubles have just commenced; you are on the threshold of
the department wherein you will have fiery trials, such as you
have never had. Some who have been here for years will come
around you and say--"Well, brother, or sister, how do you do? Do
you like the country and people?" "I don't know. I guess I shall;
I should like to have some things a little different; but this is
a good people." "Well," says an old brother who has been
labouring in the Church for years to save the people, "I don't
know about it; I understand that A. says thus and so. I don't
know about it; a few days ago, I saw a brother, who seems to be a
good brother, talking with the President; he seems to be in close
communion with the heads of the Church, and is all the time
stealing horses. I really do not know about this." Very likely
the Lord has suffered this old "Mormon" to stay in the Church
thus long to get some of you to apostatize; and when he succeeds,
you will go to hell together. Thus you will be led step by step
to deny the faith, and to reduce the light that was in you to
total darkness.
163
One will reflect--"I do not know about brother John; there are
some things in his character that look dark to me, and, according
to the religion I have embraced, I do not understand them; and
there is James, if his conduct corresponds with the Gospel as I
have heard it preached in my native country, I do not know about
it; I will look more narrowly into this;" and the first you know
you will retire to rest without praying in your family. And when
you rise in the morning you are meditating upon what John and
James are doing--that you just saw one of them taking a pole from
his neighbour's fence, and you say, "I don't know about this;
this is rather a dark affair among the Latter-day Saints who have
assembled here from among all nations to serve God! Well, wife,
have you got your breakfast ready? Come on, family; breakfast is
ready; gather round the table." The wife's heart sinks, for she
had been accustomed to hear this man pray; but there is no prayer
this morning. A short blessing is asked, the breakfast is eaten,
and the man looks off to John, James, Dick, Harry, the Devil, and
hell; and by-and-by away he goes, another apostate.
164
God gathers his people to school them. While you were in England,
France, and other foreign countries, were you prepared to receive
the oracles from heaven? No. Are you prepared now? No. Are those
who have been in the Church twenty, twenty-five, or thirty years
prepared to have the visions of eternity opened to them? No. To
hear the voice of the angel Gabriel? No. How can you be prepared,
if you let little, frivolous, trifling afflictions and
temptations overcome you and turn you away? The Lord has brought
you here to try every fibre of your hearts, even as Abraham was
tried in all things, to prove whether you are friends of God. And
when you see anyone do wrong, you should say, "That is nothing to
me; he is in the hands of God, and will have to answer to Him,
and I for myself." And when you see persons about to give way to
temptation, you should say to your families, "Let us pray to the
Lord to give them strength and power to overcome the temptations
of the evil ones, that they may remain here, instead of
apostatizing."
164
Some of you will do as I have stated; but if you will be faithful
to your covenants, you will not only be saviours to yourselves
and to your wives and children, but also to your neighbours. When
you see a neighbour begin to slip, pray for him that he may have
the Spirit of the Gospel as he once had. And if you feel this
Spirit within yourselves, pray for an increase of that light you
received when you first received the Gospel, and you will save
yourself and house.
164
Yet, after all the labour that will be performed by the Elders of
Israel in travelling to the utmost parts of the earth, in
gathering out the people from all nations, kindreds, tongues, and
people, and gathering them home to Zion and Jerusalem, and
perhaps other places the Lord will appoint for the gathering of
the people in the latter-days; and after all the preaching,
faith, and toil that will be wrought by the servants of God, when
Christ comes, there will be five foolish virgins and five wise.
164
My exhortation to every man, woman, and child that has name the
name of Christ--my positive command to you, which I urge upon
you, and which it is your imperative duty to hearken to and obey,
is to so live every moment that there will not be a dark spot
upon your lives--that you can say every night, "The last is the
best day I have ever lived. God be praised that I have been
enabled to so live this day that I can go to sleep with a clear
conscience." In short, so live that when you wake in the
spirit-world you can truthfully say, "I could not better my
mortal life, were I to live it over again." I exhort you, for the
sake of the house of Israel, for the sake of Zion which we are to
build up, to so live, from this time, henceforth, and for ever,
that your characters may with pleasure be scrutinized by holy
beings. Live godly lives, which you cannot do without living
moral lives.
165
A man can commit sin, and return to the Lord and receive
forgiveness; but who has the assurance that he will have power to
repent? Who has the right and privilege granted unto him to
swear, or to take that which is not his own and make use of it
for himself? I know of no such right. Who has a right to commit
adultery? If any one has such a permit from the Almighty, bring
it forth and let us read it to the congregation, that we may know
it. Who has a right to bear false witness? Who has a right to
defile himself by getting drunk? If you have this right, let us
see it. If you have a right to disgrace your wives and children
in the eyes of the people, and God says it is just and true,
bring out your authority and let us see it. I know of no person
who has a right to sin. "Brother Brigham, don't you sometimes
sin?" If I do, it is none of your business; and the whole of you
are not smart enough to catch me in a wrong. Look back at my life
since I have been preaching the Gospel, and point out, if you
can, the iniquity I have committed. "Have you not taken the name
of God in vain?" Not the first time have I ever used the name of
my Saviour, or the name of a holy angel, or the name of the
mother of Jesus, or the name of our Father in heaven with
trifling feelings. "Have you not taken that which was not your
own?" No; and I have not been able to get half of what is my own.
I am going to have much more than I now have,--not twice or
thrice, but a hundred-fold more. I never yet felt that I had
license to commit a sin; and if I have not, who has?
165
Some may imagine that I am boasting: you may call it what you
please. God has preserved my feet and tongue, and I am here
to-day, though not so good as I ought to be; and you are not so
good as you ought to be: there is a chance for us all to be much
better. Where is there a boy in this community who has the right
to disgrace her mother by defiling herself? Have you such a
license, young women? Have you such a license, young men? If you
cannot show your license to commit sin, we shall consider you
impostors, and that you have no right and do not belong to our
society. We will disfellowship all such men and women, whether
old or young: they are already disfellowshipped in my feelings.
165
You new comers are here expressly to mingle your faith with the
faithful, and your acts with those who perform the acts of
righteousness,--to bring together to Zion, from every nation,
kingdom, tongue, and people, the good, and the strength, power,
and wisdom of God that has been dispensed to the nations,--to
take hold with us who have been trying to purify ourselves and
the people. It is your duty to take hold with us with your might
to exalt righteousness. Look to God for grace to purify
yourselves, instead of looking at your brethren. You who wish to
be numbered with the wise virgins, keep your vessels full of oil;
do not let it burn out, and lie down and sleep, thinking that you
can get a supply of oil when you wake. Be careful that you are
not caught with your vessels empty: keep them full, and your
hearts full of the Holy Spirit. Cease not to do good. By so doing
you will be numbered with the wise virgins.
165
This is the best country in the world for raising Saints, though
many things will cause it to appear strange to you for a time.
People here procure livelihoods differently, in many respects,
from what you have been accustomed to in your native lands. Many
of you have been used to receiving your wages at the end of the
week,--then only barely sufficient to provide for your wants
during the coming week. How did you manage in cases of sickness,
when you could not work? I presume some of you nearly starved.
Here there as yet has been no starving. Some do not know what
they will do here: you cannot starve to death, as many do in
countries you have come from.
166
Find shelter for your families, and do not be in a panic, nor
fret; and when a person meets you and says, "Brother, I want to
hire a little help," perhaps you are a collier and never worked
above ground, or a silk-weaver and never worked at anything else,
and you ask what he wants done. When he tells you, you may not
know how to do it, but you can learn. If a person wants the silk-
weaver to take the spade and dig a ditch, let the weaver say, "I
don't know how, but I can learn; fetch on your spade." Take the
first job of work offered, and earn a bushel of wheat or a bushel
of potatoes; and when that job is done, another will be ready. Do
not be anxious to get great wages. Go to work and say nothing
about wages, but feel that "this is Zion; and what can I do to
build it up, without asking any man to pay me one dollar?" Let
that be your chief joy and delight, and you will never lack for
work, food, or raiment. The Lord has all these things for those
willing characters.
166
"But," says one, "some are very poor." That is because they are
not liberal enough in their feelings. I remember a question being
asked of Aaron Lake, in Canada. He went into a house, and by way
of introduction was asked, "Can a man rise by falling, or gain by
losing?" He though a moment, and replied, "Yes." You say, "There
are some here who are poor and destitute." That is because they
refuse to fall that they may rise, to become poor that they may
become rich, or to humble themselves that they may receive the
righteousness of God in their hearts to dictate them day by day.
Do you think that the Lord will suffer his people to be hungry
and starve to death, to go naked and freeze to death, or to go
houseless, if they serve him with an undivided heart? He never
will--never, no, never.
166
This people have been driven from place to place, to give them
expanded hearts to receive the blessings of the Lord, and that
the wicked might fill the cup of their iniquity and receive their
reward, and the right was theirs. So soon as we are prepared to
receive his blessings, the warfare is over; but that will not be
just yet. We yet have to contend for every inch of ground, for
the Devil has power and possession on the earth, and he does not
mean to give it up. But, God, angels, and good men being my
helpers, I will never cease to contend, inch by inch, until we
gain the ground and possess the kingdom. That is my feeling and
faith, and we will accomplish it. I will prophesy, in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, that we will possess the kingdom of God
upon the whole earth, and possess the earth. Do you believe it?
[Many voices: "Yes."] That is as true as it is that the sun now
shines.
166
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, September 16, 1860
Brigham Young, September 16, 1860
COVETOUSNESS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 16, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
167
I can say amen to what brother Pratt has just said. I think I can
with propriety say to him and a great many of the Elders of
Israel that they may dismiss those little doubts that brother
Pratt has spoken of in regard to proving faithful. You who are in
the Church and have been a long time faithful, the Lord will
never suffer to so fall away that you cannot be saved. I hardly
know of a man who has been in the Church fifteen, twenty, or
twenty-five years and longer, but what had better be thankful
that time is past, and not wish to live it over again, for fear
he would not do as well. True, some of the brethren have taken
mis-steps--have dealt amiss in some instances, and have not done
so well as they could, had they lived so as to have known more;
but I am satisfied with them, if they will continue to learn and
improve upon their gifts and become perfect; otherwise, I shall
not be satisfied, either with myself or with my brethren, the
Elders of Israel. The knowledge we now have in our possession is
sufficient to guide and direct us step by step, day by day, until
we are made perfect before the Lord our Father. If we do not take
a course to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, and attain to
perfection, I do not intend to be satisfied with either myself or
anyone who comes short of this.
167
When I came into the meeting, brother Pratt was speaking upon the
principle of covetousness, which is idolatry. This is a matter
that ought to be understood, though it is as impossible to make
those understand who are not seeking to know, as it is to make
blind people understand the difference between colours. It is a
hard matter to so bring some to their understanding that they
will comprehend, recollect, and practise correct principles.
Preaching the word to Saint or sinner is of but little moment,
unless there is a place in the hearts of the hearers to receive
it; otherwise it is to them like sounding brass and a tinkling
cymbal. To enjoy the light and power of the Holy Ghost day by day
is prayed for by brother Pratt; but the preacher does not need it
any more than the hearers. The preacher needs the power of the
Holy Ghost to deal out to each heart a word in due season, and
the hearers need the Holy Ghost to bring forth the fruits of the
preached word of God to his glory.
168
We need not refer to the traditions of the fathers with regard to
the manifestations of the covetousness we see so much of. Observe
the customs and habits, not of the fathers, but of the
children--our brethren and sisters here. We see men, from twenty
years up to old age, who are entirely overcome by their desire to
obtain gold. It is asserted that there are 75,000 people at
Pike's Peak. What business have they there? Simply to worship the
god of this world. He was said to be there, and they flocked
there to worship him. A little gold dust was found near Pike's
Peak; the golden god--the god of this world--was hoisted, and
what is the result? Priests and people, the old and young, rich
and poor, wise and foolish, noble and ignoble, are all running
after this god.
168
Are all who profess to be Latter-day Saints entirely free from
this Mammon worship? No. You have heard "Oppression!" sounded
from Maine to Texas, from Texas to California, then to Washington
Territory, in the British Provinces in America, in England, and
all over the world,--"Great oppression in Utah!" because we
exhort the people not to be such fools as to run after the gold
image; and sometimes we tell them that we will cut them off from
the Church, if they do. This has caused this great outcry. Some
who have come here this season expressly to enjoy the privilege
of their religion are not satisfied, but want to go where there
is more money. Money is their god. Go--go after it and worship it
as much as you please, and trouble us not. Go your way rejoicing
as much as you can; but you will have sorrow in that course.
Instead of bettering your condition, you will make it a great
deal worse. Your spirits will sink into darkness and
wretchedness, and you will go your way mourning instead of
rejoicing.
168
It is reported that thousands of persons will soon be on
Strawberry Creek, a little east of the South Pass. What are they
after? Some one, they say, has found sand with a little gold dust
in it. There is their god again, and hosts are coming running
after it. The world is after riches; riches is the god they
worship. It is a marvel that they do not discover the emptiness
of earthly riches, when hundreds are going out like a candle
burnt down in the socket. We know that we are here, and how soon
we shall go hence we know not. Perhaps some of us may be called
from this life before to-morrow morning, and some, perhaps,
before sunset will pass into the spirit-world. But that does not
lessen the appetite for gold. I do not know that a miser's
appetite for gold would be lessened in the least degree, if he
knew that he would be required to leave it to-morrow.
168
Such riches can give no real enjoyment. There is no happiness in
gold, not the least. It is very convenient as an article of
exchange, in purchasing what we need; and instead of finding
comfort and happiness in gold, you exchange it to obtain
happiness, or that which may conduce to it. There is no real
wealth in gold. People talk about being wealthy--about being
rich; but place the richest banking company in the world upon a
barren rock, with their gold piled around them, with no possible
chance of exchanging it, and destitute of the creature comforts;
and they would be poor indeed. Where then is their joy, their
comfort, their great wealth? They have none.
169
What constitutes health, wealth, joy, and peace? In the first
place, good pure air is the great sustainer of animal life. Other
elements of life we can dispense with for a time, but this seems
to be essential of well ventilated dwelling-houses, especially
the rooms occupied for sleeping. You can live without water and
food longer that you can without air, and water is of more
importance that meat and bread. In what, then, consists your
riches? In being comfortably clad, comfortably sheltered, and
suitably provided with food. God, where those comforts could not
be obtained, would avail nothing. But the greatest of all
comforts are the words of eternal life: they also comprise the
greatest of all riches. The greatest riches that can be bestowed
upon man i eternal life--the power to sustain ourselves and
preserve our identity before our God, though this is not esteemed
riches by the world. You may assemble such men as Dick Turpin of
England, Joaquin of California, and Joseph C. Hare of the United
States, and let them hoist the golden flag, and you will see
priest and people running after them, and they will call them
fine gentlemen, give them of their substance, and their daughters
to wives.
169
We have the real wealth here. We have not much gold and silver
here, but we have the good, fine flour, good wheat, horses,
cattle, beef, pork, vegetables, fruit, sheep, and wool, and good
wives to manufacture the wool into clothing. This is real wealth.
This people is a rich people. We are the wealthiest people, in
what constitutes true wealth, and in proportion to our number,
that there are in any other part of our country: we have the
comforts of life.
169
I will now inform the Latter-day Saints in this Territory that I
wish them to fit out our Missionaries, who are going into the
world to preach, with means to go to their fields of labour, and
then sustain their families when they are gone. That is the text
I wish to lay before the people. If I do not preach upon it this
morning, I may this afternoon. I was with the Bishops last
Thursday evening, and I requested them to notify the brethren to
come here prepared to donate their half-eagles, eagles, fifty
dollar pieces, horses, mules, waggons, wheat by the twenty and
hundred bushels, and other available means, that we may send
these brethren away rejoicing; and then we will give them a
promise that we will provide for their families after they are
gone, so far as they are unable to provide for themselves.
169
You may inquire, "What has happened? Is there anything new under
the sun? Are the Church and kingdom of God becoming different
from what they were?" All this can be explained to you--only give
us time. I think that the brethren were required to go and preach
"without purse and scrip," and that is what I am now trying to
get them to do--to go "without purse and scrip," and not beg the
poor Saints to death. Let us support the Elders, instead of
making the poor do it. We are able to send these men out to
preach the Gospel, and they may go "without purse or scrip." It
may be asked, "What do you say to the following words of
Paul?--'Yea, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered
unto my necessities and to them that were with me. I have showed
you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the
weak, and so remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said,
It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" When the Elders are
on Missions, I want them to let speculation alone. I call
trading, begging, and borrowing, and laying plans to come home
wealthy, speculation. The Elders of Israel have not magnified
their callings as they should have done. Had they known things as
they really are, and seen them as they are in the bosom of
eternity, they would rather have suffered their right hands to be
cut off, or their heads to be severed from their bodies, than do
as some have done.
170
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." All the gold
and silver are in the hands of the Lord. When he is so disposed,
gold cannot be found; and when he is disposed, the surface of the
earth is full of it. There may be gold here; but, to find it, the
persons will have to ride over my faith. No doubt many of the
Elders are hunting to find gold. I was going to say that I would
rather they would find hell; for they would, if they found gold.
Every man that prays to find it here virtually prays that the
Devil may have power over the kingdom of God to destroy it from
the earth. Perhaps some of these very men will give a sixpence,
shilling, or a dollar to the Elders who are going out to preach.
Such men know no more than those Elders who go out on missions to
gather gold to administer to their nonsensical appetites; but it
goes from them, and they know not where it goes. Every Saints
should understand that the Lord will bring forth to us the gold
when we need it. We now want shoes, boots, hats, bonnets,
dresses, coats, food, and comfortable houses, to enable us to
live long on the earth, with wisdom to know how to use all
creature comforts.
170
The means which you donate for supporting our Missions shall be
entered in the book of the law of the Lord, that the record
thereof may go down to your posterity. It will not be put into
our pockets, nor used for other purposes,--at least, not with my
knowledge or consent. I shall throw this business into the hands
of the Bishops. The good Bishop will get a liberal donation,
while the others will not get much. "As is the priests, so are
the people;" and as is the Bishop, so is his Ward. Let the
Bishops commence at the intermission to receive donations, and
continue so to do until a week from to-night. With these means we
expect to send the Elders directly to their fields of labour.
170
It is my business to control the disbursements of the Tithing
paid by the Saints, and not the business of every Elder in the
kingdom who thinks the Tithing belongs to him. In the English
Mission, where comparatively but little was done, fifty-four
thousand dollars of the Tithing money has been expended by the
Elders during the last two years. This has been kept from my
knowledge until recently; but I have now got hold of the rope,
and I will search out every secret act pertaining to this matter.
The money that has been spent on those Elders ought to have been
used to gather the poor and pay the debts previously contracted
in their emigration. Elders have expended hundreds of thousands
of dollars of Church funds, and have left me hundreds of
thousands of dollars to pay. The motto of many seems to have
been--"Not one cent will we let the Trustee-in-Trust have, if we
can keep it out of his hands." I am going to search into this
course until it is stopped. It is the business of the Elders to
preach the Gospel and gather the poor. If they do not do this,
they will come home shorn of their strength. You may wonder why I
have not sooner spoken of this. I could not get it in shape to do
so until now, and have had to groan under it. My Counsellors and
immediate associates know how I have felt, ever since I have been
in this Valley, with regard to the way in which the work is
carried on abroad.
170
The Lord takes one man, whom he knows to be just and righteous,
and places in his path an abundance of possessions--houses and
lands, cattle, and every good thing that can be bestowed upon an
individual, while many of his brethren and neighbours around him
imagine that he has obtained his possessions by deceiving, by
oppressing the poor, and keeping back the wages of the hireling,
and they undertake to get rich by dishonesty. This is the case
with many of the Elders of Israel, and herein they make a great
mistake. "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong, nor riches to men of wisdom," but to those whom God
favours. You may ask me for proof of this. It is ready, were it
wise to produce it. May the Lord bless you! Amen.
171
CIVILIZATION--MISSIONARY LABOURS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 16, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
171
In the forenoon, brother Hooper asked--"What will not people do
for gold?" I will answer the question. They will not serve God
with a pure heart; you cannot hire them to do this. If they serve
God, it will be by their own freewill and choice. Persons can be
hired to preach for money, but it does not follow that such
preaching is doing God service.
171
As I mentioned this morning, when the god of this world is
hoisted, the priest from the pulpit and the pious deacon and the
people worship at its shrine. All the churches and all the world
run after gold.
171
The arts and sciences are somewhat advanced among the Christian
nations; but as to a true knowledge of things as they are in
eternity, there never were nations more ignorant. According to my
definition of the word, a people are heathenish that do not know
things as they ought. The Christian world, so called, are
heathens as to their knowledge of the salvation of God. If those
nations that we call heathen were civilized as we are,
intelligent as we are, we would not call them heathen. The
civilized world term those heathen who do not follow their
customs, who are not educated as they are, and who do not worship
according to the modern Christian from of worship. Without doubt,
much of the display and pretended knowledge and wisdom that were
presented to the Japanese visitors by the senators,
representatives, and great men of our nation, were offensive to
them; and perhaps they looked upon the inhabitants of the United
States as a poor, miserable, degraded, abominable people, not fit
to live upon the earth. Pass from Japan to China, then to India,
then westerly across Asia, and probably those people view our
nation in much the same light. And when you arrive in the
Christian nations, they esteem themselves wiser and far in
advance of those they call heathen.
172
The women in Christendom cannot successfully compete, in spinning
and weaving, with those in the East Indies and some other heathen
nations. And arts and sciences, in the so-called heathen nations,
in many respects excel the attainments of the Christian nations.
Then pass in review the ancient heathen nations--examine their
architecture and their other productions in the mechanical
departments, as to this day exhibited in their works and ruins,
and all the boasted knowledge of Christendom in those branches
fades in comparison. The civilized world have a tolerably good
understanding of the art of navigation, but father Noah knew more
about it than do all the mariners now upon the earth. Abraham
knew more about astronomy and true philosophy than does all
Christendom. The civilized nations know how to make machinery,
put up telegraph wires, &c., &c.; and in nearly all branches,
they are trying to cheat each other; and finally they will learn
that they have been cheating themselves for the golden god--the
Mammon of this world.
172
The world is drunk; but not with wine or strong drink; and our
country is the most drunken of all. They are deluding themselves;
they are drunk with party fanaticism; they are high-minded,
heady, and senseless, and are fast going to destruction. As
brother Heber has stated, the Lord Almighty will empty the earth
of the wickedness that has dwelt upon it for so many hundreds of
years: it will not be suffered to dwell upon it much longer. The
wicked will go to their place, and the Almighty will gather his
Saints and raise up a people who know their right hands from
their left, which Christendom does not know, so far as pertains
to the plan of salvation.
172
Serve your God, but not for gold. Strive to be righteous, not for
any speculation, but because righteousness is lovely, pure, holy,
beautiful, and exalting: it is designed to make the soul happy
and full of joy, to the extent of the whole capacity of man,
filling him with light, glory, and intelligence. If you cannot
love it for that, do not undertake to be righteous. A man cannot
be a Saint at the same time that he loves sin and rolls it under
his tongue as a sweet morsel, any more than an Elder can do good
on a mission while his heart is set upon riches, planning to
bring home merchandize. The Elders cannot accomplish both these
things at once; and in trying to do so they have missed their
aim, for they have neither got rich nor magnified their calling
and priesthood.
172
I can say amen to what brother Heber has said. Those who now go
forth upon missions will feel more of the power of God than they
ever had, and will speak as men having authority, asking no odds
of the wicked. I said, in Nauvoo, that we were going to leave our
possessions. We did so, and God has been and is our helper, and
is on our right and left, and round about us like a wall of fire
to defend this people, if they serve him with an undivided heart.
Will our enemies be saved? No. They have had the Gospel preached
to them year after year, and have rejected it. What are they?
Comparatively nothing. Where are they? Nowhere. Who are they?
Nobody; and as they ripen in iniquity they will depart to the
place prepared for them, and be as though they had never been.
Can you so much as hire them to serve God? No: but go into the
East Indies and you can hire hundreds to profess to serve God, by
paying them so much a day. Christian ministers are said to build
up their churches there by hiring the natives to be sprinkled and
have their names written in the church records. There is a
gentleman now in our city who has been blamed by missionaries,
both in Europe and America, for writing the truth about their
operations in Africa. They had not made as many converts as they
had lost missionaries on the African soil.
172
We want the Elders of Israel to preach the Gospel without purse
or scrip, and to trust in God for their food, raiment, and
lodging. If you have not a second shirt with you, do not be
fretting about it, but trust in God for some person to give you
another; for you will not have anything without the Lord pleases,
neither food nor raiment; and what he wants you to have he will
bring about. Then trust in the Lord, going forth in his name. I
will leave the matter of gathering means to the Bishops.
173
"How much, brother Brigham, do you want gathered to enable the
Missionaries to reach their fields of labour and assist their
families during their absence? Will five dollars do? for we are
very poor in our Ward: we cannot give much." You are a poor
Bishop. We want your hundreds and thousands; and what is not
needed now, we will save for the Elders next spring; and when we
bind burdens for you, you shall not be able to truthfully say
that we will not reach out our little fingers to lift them. You
may bring two or three of your best men, and I will give more
than they all; I will put forth my whole hand. If any man in this
kingdom will give me two-thirds of what my property is worth, I
will sell it to him and give every dime of the money towards
gathering the poor, and in ten years from now I will be far
richer than I am now. I would like to devote every dollar I am
worth to preaching the Gospel and gathering the poor, to show the
people what God is willing to do for his servants, though he be
possessed of weaknesses. Bring the man or woman, who has laboured
for me, that can say in truth that I have oppressed the hireling
in his wages. No living being can in truth say that I have; but I
have fed and clothed hundreds and thousands who have not laboured
for me.
173
I shall keep the plan of assisting our Missionaries from here
before the people until we learn that it is the best policy. I do
not, on this account, wish the people abroad to omit paying their
Tithing and doing all they can; but I wish to dictate the Church
means in a way that will benefit the kingdom of God; for I will
gather the poor and build up Zion, while the course of others
wastes and destroys. Doubtless many of the Elders think that they
are smarter than I am. As brother Kimball has said, some of the
knowing ones marvelled when we were called to the Apostleship. It
was indeed a mystery to me; but when I considered what consummate
blockheads they were, I did not deem it so great a wonder. When
they would meet brother Kimball and myself, their looks
expressed, "What a pity!" Then I would think, You may, perhaps,
make tolerably good men after a while; but I guess that you will
tumble out by-and-by, just as they did: they could not stay in
the Gospel net, they were so big and grew so fast; they became
larger than the ship and slid overboard.
173
I ask no odds of the enemies of truth, neither have we from the
beginning. Let us so live that God and angels are with us, and
all is right; and if we do not, it matters not what becomes of
us, nor how quickly we are overthrown as a people. Let all hearts
be fervent in their covenants, and glorify their Father who is in
heaven, with their spirits and bodies, which are his. Let our
most earnest desire be to bring forth and build up the kingdom of
God upon the earth, save the house of Israel and all the honest
among the Gentiles, and fill the whole earth with the light,
glory, power, and knowledge of God, and be prepared to enjoy it;
which may Jesus grant. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, September 9, 1860
Brigham Young, September 9, 1860
THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD AND THE SPIRIT OF ZION.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 9, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
174
The instructions, faith, revelations, and Scriptures that have
been given from the earliest ages to the present--all the past
that has come within my notice--all that is now transpiring among
the nations of the earth, so far as we can see and
understand--all the privileges that men can enjoy, that are
allotted to the intelligent beings now before me, with the rest
of mankind, and much more than all this, continually occupy my
mind, feelings, sympathies, and judgment. We enjoy the greatest
blessings and privileges of any people we are acquainted with.
174
What causes this people to do as they do? It is written, "But
there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty
giveth them understanding." It is a spirit that causes this
people to do what they do--to leave their native countries, to
leave their fathers and mothers, brethren and sisters, and take
up their line of march and travel thousands of miles to this
distant country; and then, when selected for missions, to again
leave their fathers, mothers, and friends, and travel back to
their native lands, or to some other place, wherever they are
appointed to go. We cannot behold that spirit and influence with
out natural eyes. The results alone are known.
174
What causes the inhabitants of the earth to do as they do--those
who do not believe in the Christian religion? You remember that a
few years ago Mr. Suter, in California, hired some of our
brethren, who had been in the Mormon Battalion, to dig a
mill--race, in which they found gold. The news spread rapidly;
and now, in the States, how many paces you can find forsaken?
Good farms, mechanic shops, stores, and other good situations for
men to live in and make themselves comfortable, are deserted,
having been sold or mortgaged for a few hundred dollars with
which to go and get gold. Then try to number the widows and
orphans who have been left in a state of destitution; then count
the bones that are bleaching on the prairies between the
frontiers of the Eastern States and California, and is not this
conduct as great a mystery as it is to see our Elders do as they
do? There is also a spirit that prompts this craving for gold.
174
There is also a spirit that prompts the nations to prepare for
war, desolation, and bloodshed--to waste each other away. Do they
realize it? No--no more than a wicked man realizes the propriety
of an Elder's taking his line of march to Europe to preach the
Gospel. The Spirit of the Gospel that is in the hearts of
believers prompts them to do as they do, and the spirit of the
enemy that is in the wicked prompts them to do; as they do and is
it not a mystery? Verily we can say that man is a mystery to
himself--that he does not understand himself. When he understands
himself, he will understand much about his Creator--his Father
and God.
175
The greatest desire in the bosom of our Father Adam, or in his
faithful children who are co-workers with God our Father in
heaven, is to save the inhabitants of the earth. Many spirits
have gone forth into the world--very many, as also the Holy
Spirit of the Gospel to lead this people and all the human
family, who will receive it, back into the presence of our Father
and God. It has been the greatest desire of the faithful to see
their relatives and friends follow that good Spirit, that they
may return to the presence of their Father and God.
175
Brother Hooper has stated that he has charity. Every good man
has; but there are only a few men of the earth who understand the
charity that fills the bosom of our Saviour. We should have
charity; we should do all we can to reclaim the lost sons and
daughters of Adam and Eve, and bring them back to be saved in the
presence of our Father and God. If we do this, our charity will
extend to the utmost extent that it is designed for the charity
of God to extend in the midst of this people. But I have no love
or charity for a wicked and corrupt scoundrel, who commits
iniquity with his eyes wide open, though I pity and regret the
condition of the human family in their ignorance. They would come
to the light, but for one thing--their deeds are evil, and they
do not mean to have them reproved. They would be rebuked, and
they will not bear it; and so they pass on, and will, until they
are punished.
175
May God bless the righteous and sustain his cause. He will do so.
The wicked cannot do anything against the truth. Every move they
make to crush the kingdom of God will be attended with the signal
blessings of the Almighty for its further extension and ultimate
triumph. All their efforts will result in the overthrow of sin
and iniquity, and the increase of righteousness and the kingdom
of God upon the earth, until "the kingdoms of our Lord and of his
Christ." "Shall we see this in the flesh?" Yes. "Before we
receive new bodies?" I do not know, though I expect to see all
this in the flesh. Whether in this or in a new body, God being my
helper, I shall contend for the righteousness of God and the
rights of his Saints, and contend manfully, until we gain
possession of our relatives, friends, neighbours, country, the
nations of the earth, and the earth, to purify it and prepare it
for the habitation of angels. That is our business. May the Lord
help us to accomplish this purpose! Amen.
176
LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT--COURSE OF MISSIONARIES.
Instructions by President Brigham Young made in the Bowery,
and in the Historian's Office, Great Salt Lake City, September 9,
1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt and J. V. Long.
176
If I have the Spirit of the Lord sufficiently, I may have a word
for each and all classes present; though in a few remarks I by no
means expect to comprehend all the duties that devolve upon the
Saints. Here are new comers who, for the first time, have the
privilege of assembling with the Saints at the gathering-place;
some of them perhaps have been here one Sabbath, and others two.
You have travelled thousands of miles to be assembled with the
Saints. Here is another class of persons who have been living
here for years, and who also need teaching. And here is still
another class that needs teaching, perhaps, more than
unbelievers. I refer to the Elders who are about to start on
their missions.
176
We say to them, Go forth and preach the Gospel, gain an
experience, learn wisdom, and walk humbly before your God, that
you may receive the Holy Ghost to guide and direct you, and teach
all things past, present, and to come. I cannot say that this is
sufficient to say to them, for it is not.
176
We say to the citizens of these valleys who have lived here and
are going to stay here, Seek unto the Lord your God with all your
hearts, ye Latter-day Saints, and so live, that the Holy Ghost
will be your constant companion. It will teach you all things; it
will bring to your remembrance past things that you have
forgotten, things that are now present, and show you the
providences of God, the dealings of the Lord with his people, his
designs in organizing the world and in peopling it, &c. You
Latter-day Saints, live humbly and live your religion faithfully,
that you may enjoy the spirit of revelation to a fulness.
176
We say to the new comers, If you will live your religion--live to
the light that was given to you when you embraced the truth, you
will enjoy the same Spirit you then received, and there is not
the least danger but what in so doing you will be Saints at home
and abroad, in the morning and in the evening, enjoying the light
of the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Ghost will be your constant
companion, teaching you all things, which will constantly suffice
for you.
177
For unbelievers we will quote from the Scriptures--"Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."
Again--"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God." I
will now give my scripture--"Whosoever confesseth that Joseph
Smith was sent of God to reveal the holy Gospel to the children
of men, and lay the foundation for gathering Israel, and building
up the kingdom of God on the earth, that spirit of God; and every
spirit that does not confess that God has sent Joseph Smith, and
revealed the everlasting Gospel to and through him, is of
Anti-christ, no matter whether it is found in a pulpit or on a
throne, nor how much divinity it may profess, nor what it
professes with regard to revealed religion and the account that
is given of the Saviour and his Father in the Bible. They may say
that they acknowledge Him until doomsday, and he will never own
them, nor bestow the Holy Spirit upon them, and they will never
have visions of eternity opened to them, unless they acknowledge
that Joseph Smith is sent of God. Such people I call unbelievers.
They tell about believing in Jesus Christ, but they might as well
talk about birds understanding the Hebrew language. This
statement is no more positive than true.
177
The spirit that confesses that this is the kingdom of God and his
Church has the kingdom of God and his Church has the Spirit that
fills the heavenly worlds, and every other spirit is of
Anti-christ. All whom I call unbelievers, if they will repent of
their sins, obey the requirements in the New Testament, be
baptized for the remission of sins by a man who holds the key and
authority to lead them into the waters of baptism, and receive
the laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost, shall receive a
witness that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and that he was
sent of God to build up his kingdom in this last dispensation.
You will receive a Spirit that will bring all things to your
remembrance, past, present, and to come, teaching you all things
necessary for you to understand. There are but a few in this
generation who will do this. "Will one to a thousand?" Doubtful.
"One to ten thousand, or a hundred thousand?" I hope so. Of the
Latter-day Satins there will be many who will not so live their
religion as to fully enjoy the Holy Ghost. The Latter-day Saints
are like children who have to be taught continually, and still,
like children, they handle, figuratively speaking, razors,
glasses, cups, saucers, &c., contrary to the teachings that are
given them.
177
Those Elders about to start on their missions will declare before
this congregation and before the whole world that they do know,
by the power of God, that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God,
and that this is the work of God; that God has set to his hand to
gather Israel: but let them neglect their duty and get into
darkness, and they will lose this Spirit and testimony. They do
not see this with their natural eyes, for it is spiritually
discerned, as all things of God are. Let them do wrong and lose
the spirit, and by-and-by they apostatize and declare that they
do not know "Mormonism" to be true, and think that they never
did. How many are there of this class? Brethren, live your
religion. As a mischievous child needs constant watching to keep
it from falling into the fire, or otherwise injuring itself, so
you need watching, warning, teaching, and admonishing all the
time; you need to be continually teazed to your duty.
177
A spirit prompts both the good and the evil: an invisible
influence seems to be shed abroad upon all nations. Let us seek
unto the Lord, that we may be prompted by a good spirit. It
matters not what your neighbours do, look to your God with all
your heart, instead of watching your neighbours, and there will
be no danger of your leaving the true path. If they will only
live up to it, there has already been enough taught the brethren
who have lived here for years to prepare them to enter into the
strait gate and into the New Jerusalem, and be prepared to enjoy
the society of the holy angels.
178
No other people are under the obligations to God that we are, who
have been privileged to meet here Sabbath after Sabbath. We have
the privilege of being gathered--the privilege of the law of the
celestial kingdom, of receiving revelation, of enjoying the keys
and power of the blessings of the Priesthood as sons of God. What
other people have these privileges? No other that we have any
knowledge of. This brings us under deep obligation to one
another, to angels, to Jesus, and to God our Father. We have to
live close to the Lord, in order to have his Spirit to learn and
understand what he requires of us. You hear some say--"I wish I
had influence and power, and were in a situation to do good!" Is
there a man in this community deprived of the privilege of doing
all the good his heart can desire? You can every day live to
promote the cause of our God, and your whole lives can be filled
with doing good.
178
The travels and labours of the Elders about to go on missions
will throw them into positions which will cause them to seek unto
the Lord. They need to live their religion, to go forth with pure
hearts and clean hands, and then preach the Gospel by the power
of God sent down from heaven. They should touch not and taste not
of sin, and when they return they should come pure and clean,
ready to meet the Saints with open countenances. To all
appearance, the Elders on missions have been in the habit of
making their pockets a matter of more consideration than the
souls of men. I am not going to suffer this any longer.
178
I want every Elder to make his calculations to get rich here, and
not go abroad to get riches from the Saints there. Plan and
operate here to make as much property as you please; and if you
can put it in a shape to gather the Saints, do so; and when you
are abroad use every sovereign to emigrate the poor. You may have
one shirt on and one at the washerwoman's, and decent and
comfortable clothing; but what you obtain over this must be used
to gather the poor. "May I obtain money enough to come home?"
Yes. "How many coats and pantaloons may we bring, and how many
trunks packed with clothing of the most expensive kinds, for our
wives and children?" I utterly forbid this practice. I forbid
your bringing home silk dresses and the like. Send and bring home
in your carriages; I forbid your going out preachers and coming
home merchants, but come home bringing your sheaves with you--the
souls of the children of men--spirits clothed in tabernacles. I
forbid the Elders of Israel coming home as they have; but men,
women, and children must be all the property, means, wealth,
glory, and power that they bring home.
178
O ye gentiles, let me tell you that every Elder will do as I have
told him, when he learns that the opposite course is wrong. And
let me tell you that you will see the day when you will wish that
you were "Mormon" Elders. By-and-by the Elders of Israel will
have gold and silver for plates, cups, saucers, &c.; and when we
have adorned and furnished our houses we will have gold and
silver to pave our streets, and their enemies will be in hell,
unable to raise a decent fiddler there, or any liquor, for it
will all burn up, and every decent fiddler will go into a decent
kingdom: we will have them. We are going to have the kingdom of
God and the fulness thereof, and all the heights and depths of
glory, power, and knowledge; and we shall have fathers and
mothers, and wives and children.
179
Brother Cannon remarked that people wondered how many wives and
children I had. He may inform them that I shall have wives and
children by the million, and glory, and riches, and power, and
dominion, and kingdom after kingdom, and reign triumphantly.
"What will you do with all those who have sought to kill you?"
Make them soap-boilers and kitchen flunkeys. We are not going to
send them into hell fire, for it takes a good Latter-day Saint
apostatized to get down into that deep (did I say bottomless?)
pit. A person, to become an angel of the Devil, has first to be a
good Saint, and then deny the Lord who bought him.
179
Do you query why we give endowments to A., B., and C? It is to
make devils of those who will deny the faith, for that is also
necessary, as a host of devils will be needed. We also want
Saints, angels, holy ones, and those that are exalted to the
highest glory--we want them to inherit kingdoms that number
millions on millions.
179
Brother Hooper stated that he had charity. My charity is that God
has provided for his children, the sons and daughters of Adam and
Eve, where all who have lived according to the best light they
had will have better kingdoms than ever entered into their hearts
to conceive. That is the charity of God in his plans to save his
people. Will the Latter-day Saints so live that they can enjoy
the fulness of the heights, depths, glory, and intelligence in
which the Father and the Son dwell? If they do not, they must go
into another kingdom. He has designed that we should become
Gods--the sons of God--fathers of eternal lives, like Abraham.
This is the promise he received--to be the father of endless
lives, that his posterity and generation should never cease, in
time nor eternity.
179
Some may think that the restrictions upon our Missionaries are
greater than they should be; but if they learn to be practical
men, they will learn that my system is the best. Send Elders
forth to attend to the business of the churches--to the spiritual
and the financial departments, and to preside over them, and the
care and toil are very laborious. But if, at the same time, their
minds are upon speculation, and they lay awake at night to
calculate how they are going to speculate--how many teams they
need to bring a lot of goods across the Plains, &c., the labour
becomes so severe as to nearly drive them crazy: it at least
causes them to have but little spiritual strength when they
return; and I really think it best to relieve them from this
extra burden. To study, plan, and labour to be merchants, and to
bring home silks, satins, velvet, &c., for their wives and
children, is a great burden; and we wish to relieve them from
that, and let them come home, bringing the poor with them.
179
If Elders go and fill their missions, they have enough to do; and
if they at the same time study to be merchants and to speculate,
it will crush them into weakness and poverty. Those who have
mixed speculation with preaching, and have thereby oppressed and
hedge up the emigration of the poor, upon their return seem to
have no spirit left for anything except speculation. Your best
plan, if you wish to make money, is to make it here at the
gathering-place. This is the place for you to accumulate
property--to make your families comfortable, that when you go on
your missions you can go stript for the race and harnessed for
the battle, for the work before you, and have nothing else in
your hearts.
180
If the Lord ever revealed anything to me, he has shown me that
the Elders of Israel must let speculation alone and attend to the
duties of their calling, otherwise they will have little or no
power in their missions or upon their return. It commenced long
ago in England, and those who have practised it are in poverty;
and it is high time that it was put a stop to, which I am going
to do, God and good brethren being my helpers.
180
I am in earnest in this matter, and God will sustain me in it.
Quit sending or bringing silks, satins, and furbelows for your
wives to flaunt in. I am strongly opposed to it.
180
Some may inquire whether I did not make money when on missions.
If I did, it has been expended to gather the poor. When I
returned from England, I had but one sovereign left when I
reached home. Brother Joseph asked me what I was going to do for
a living. I told him that I was going to borrow fifteen cents to
put with my sovereign to buy a barrel of flour, visit my friends,
and when that flour was eaten I should be ready to do what the
Lord required. I went on my mission to England, performed its
duties, and returned with clean hands and a pure heart; and all
who desire to honour God and their holy calling to the Priesthood
must pursue this course.
180
From this time forth every man that goes on a mission with a view
to speculation will be overtaken by poverty, for speculation is
no part of the duties devolving upon the Elders. They should
practise the strictest economy, especially while on their
missions. I have not sought for riches, nor placed my affections
upon the things of this world. I do not at home any more than I
did abroad. When I obtain money and other property, I study to
dispose of it to the best advantage for promoting the cause in
which we are engaged. And I tell you, in the name of Israel's
God, that it is my counsel and imperative command that our
Missionaries let speculation alone, and preach the Gospel, and so
live that when you blow the Gospel trump your words will be like
melted lead in the hearts of the people, and not return unto you
void, that you may glory and do good in the labour to which God
has called you. Do not operate as some have, but let your minds
and energies be devoted to the business on which you are sent.
180
Publications have been issued from the Liverpool Office and
crowded upon the people, seemingly regardless of the wants or
ability of the brethren, and creating what is known as the "Book
Debt," the very sound of which is disagreeable; lithographed and
engrave likenesses of Elders have been force upon Conferences;
and in some instances the money on hand in London and liverpool
has been taken and used by the Elders to the estimated amount of
the publications and likenesses, a large portion of which remain
lumbering storerooms as dead stock, except where sold out of the
way as waste paper. Brethren have been obliged to take more or
less copies of publications, whether they could use them, or
afford to pay for them, or not; and this very system of forcing
publications upon the brethren and Conferences has prevented
hundreds and thousands of the Saints from emigrating, turned a
great deal of money from its legitimate channel, and left us
useless articles instead of the money the Church or the people
should have had. Put thousands of pounds into the hands of an
Elder in this manner, and it will go from him without his being
able to tell where or how it has gone: it seems impossible for
him to keep it or its value; it slips away.
181
There are thousands of pounds' worth of books, &c., now lying
useless in the Liverpool Office, that have been paid for with
Tithing money, which ought to have been used for emigrating the
poor, paying debts, and otherwise carrying on the work, in
accordance with counsel from here: but instead of this, the books
lie useless in the Office. And a few have tried to get rich, but
all their riches seem to have had the wings of the morning and
have flown far from them.
181
How many in Utah pay Tithing on their money? Comparatively few.
Probably we do not get one dollar to a thousand on cash Tithing.
And if horses, oxen, or cows could be sold for money, probably
but few of them would be turned in on Tithing; and if wheat could
be sold for money, we should get no wheat, except from a very
few. But we get along and are not dead yet; and we shall live and
do well, while others will be dead in their grave. The humble
will live, their spirits will be buoyant, and they will live to a
great age.
181
You Elders who are selected to go on missions, be virtuous and
holy before the Lord your God, that you may be filled with his
Spirit. and when you reach your respective fields of labour in
the States, in England, or elsewhere, do not begin to pull down
your predecessors. So far as their conduct will permit, speak of
them as your brethren, and as men who have done the best they
knew how. Testify that you know them to be good men, when you
know that they have been doing according to their best judgment
and understanding; and do not say hard words about your
predecessors in the vineyard. Not one who does this will gain
anything by it. Do not discourage, deride, or bring anything
against any of your predecessors to lessen the character of any
one who has done the best he knew how. You have not heard me say
that I disfellowship them, for I believe that they have not
intended to do a wrong thing in all that is past. All that I
blame them for is because I believe that they could or should
have known better. I consider that having lived till now, they
should so live as to have the Holy Ghost within them continually,
to guide them in the way of life.
181
We are so organized that we need preaching to all the time. This
is because of our weaknesses, and we shall have to bear with one
another until we become stronger and wiser. Until then, we will
travel and preach and do all the good we can. And those that put
their shoulders to the wheel, with a desire and determination to
preach the Gospel, save souls, and aid in whatever they are
called upon to do for the rolling forth of this great work, will
live the longest, have the most gold and silver, and enjoy more
eternities of happiness and exaltation than those who do nothing
but grumble and find fault with what others do and say.
182
It is not necessary, in crossing the Plains, for our Missionaries
to travel on foot and carry their valises; and we wish you to be
provided to cross the Plains comfortably, and to take prudent
care of your bodies while absent, and to come home as comfortably
as you can: but do not get money from the poor Saints to buy a
carriage with. I have travelled and preached a great deal, and
had to live, and I have always had a large family to support. I
have had to borrow money to come home with, and I do not remember
that I ever brought any money home, but what it has gone directly
to relieve the Prophet of his burdens. He used to ask me how I
managed to support myself and family. I told him that I made a
sixpence go, perhaps, as far as some would make a quarter of a
dollar go,--that I had done what I could, and the Lord had done
the rest, and that was all I knew about it. Of course there are
some things I know, and many that I do not; but I do know that
Heber C. Kimball and myself used 86 dollars in board and other
expenses when travelling on a mission, and that when we started
we had but 13 dollars, 50 cents. And I do know that I once took a
five-dollar bill out of my pocket, when we were raising money for
brother Joseph, and threw it in, and that the next day I had just
as much as I had before I gave away the five dollars. I do know
that when I went to pay some money that I owed, after giving some
away to the poor, I had just as much when I came to pay my debts
as I had before I gave any to the poor. I do know that I handed
out a half-eagle to a poor man in my office, and then found two
half-eagles in my pocket that I never put there. And I also do
know that I never hungered or thirsted for property.
182
Some may say--"Brother Brigham, you are boasting, and you may be
tried." I may be tried; but if I am, I pray God to give me
strength to bear the trial. I feel under the most positive and
strict obligation to make every penny go as far as I can towards
preaching the Gospel, gathering Israel, and doing good. I do not
lust after property; and I wish my brethren could see my heart as
I see theirs. I know the hearts of my brethren who are around me,
whether I chasten them or not. You act out what is naturally in
you, and I can tell, by the acts, by the faces, and by the doings
of men, what is in their hearts. We are here, and we have the
kingdom of God to build up as the Lord directs, and carry out his
requirements in all things.
182
The Saints abroad are required to pay their Tithing, but they
have been made to donate and pay so much that they have felt that
the cords were drawn pretty tight. Of late we have let the
strings loose, and the people in the European Missions have
become slack in regard to paying even their Tithing. This is a
natural result, and I expected it. The brethren will now exhort
them to renew their good works in again paying Tithing, and we
must have a correct account of it, and must have the privilege of
directing its expenditure for gathering the Saints and building
up the kingdom. We wish to hurry and gather the brethren, that
they may receive their endowments, and either remain Saints or
apostatize; and those who continue faithful may be taught to more
and more honour their faith and co-operate in building up the
kingdom of God on the earth.
182
I have detained you long enough. God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, September 23, 1860
Brigham Young, September 23, 1860
REMARKS PERTAINING TO FOREIGN MISSIONS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 23, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
183
I am happy in discerning from brother Calkin's remarks that he is
really expanding and improving. He could not have talked to this
people before he went on his mission as he can to-day. I now know
that he has been prompt and fervent in the discharge of his duty,
and has enjoyed the Spirit of the Lord. And so far as I have
learned concerning his labours, I do not know but that I am
perfectly satisfied with his course during his absence. He
reported himself immediately upon his arrival, before he went
home, saying, "I am here, and all I have is here; now what is
wanted of me?" Go home, rest, and make yourself happy and
comfortable, and by-and-by we will have a long talk. I am pleased
with his remarks to-day. He is ready to leave again to-morrow, to
go here or there, east or west, north or south. This is a
satisfaction to me. He feels to bless the people, and to pray for
them. He has had no doubt in regard to the results of the
afflictions or seeming trials that our enemies strove to bring
upon us. Every heart that believes in the fulness of the Gospel
of life and salvation, as it is revealed in this our day, has
never had a doubt as to the good results: there is no doubt in
the case. We may fail, if we are not faithful; but God will not
fail in accomplishing his work, whether we abide in it or not.
183
I will now express a wish in relation to all who may rise here to
ask a blessing on the bread and water of the sacrament, or to
speak to such large congregations as assemble here. When a
blessing is asked upon the bread and water by some person, you
cannot hear them ten feet from the stand, and only a few persons
in this vast congregation can hear one word. I want brother
Hunter to let his voice partially correspond with his body; and
when brother Hardy opens his mouth, or any of the rest of the
Bishops, I want their voices that all may hear, that all may say
"Amen." When the Elders rise here to speak, I want them to so
raise their voices that the people can hear them, that the
audience may be able to say "Amen" to all the good; and if there
is evil, refuse it. Naturally, I speak low, and use but few
words; but here I see thousands of people who wish to hear what
is said; and how can they hear, unless the speaker uses
sufficient voice? I am often obliged to so raise my voice beyond
my natural strength that it hurts my lungs and my whole frame;
but I do this for the satisfaction of the people. I want my
brethren to do the same, that the hearts and faith of the
congregation my have an opportunity to join in the worship of
God. When any one rises to preach, pray, sing, exhort, or bless
the sacramental emblems, let him do so with voice sufficient for
all to hear.
184
I am highly gratified with brother Calkin's report in relation to
the Foreign Missions. We understand the situation of the brethren
in those Missions, and one fact we wish the Saints at the
gathering-place to understand. How many hearts are now ready to
receive what I am going to say? How many of you can receive the
sentiments I will now advance, and treasure them up--make them
more choice in your feelings than the pure gold? They are worth
everything to us and to the people abroad. Do you know that here
is the standard, the nucleus, the fountain, the head for all the
exercises of the kingdom of God upon the face of the whole earth?
Now, let the Saints in this congregation droop in their faith,
and that spirit will spread before to-morrow morning throughout
the vast domain of this creation. Every Elder that goes abroad is
a witness of this fact. This spirit spreads through a telegraphic
influence or force that is independent of wires. Let this people
at the gathering-place wake out of their slumbers, gird on their
armour, and go forth like men of war against wickedness, and
every Branch throughout the Church feels the influence in a very
short time--it is speedily imparted to all creation. The wires,
as it were, are set, the lightnings flash over them, and all feel
the influence, when we are doing our duty here. It all depends
upon us here. "Are we not obliged to send forth Elders?" Yes, for
helps and governments, which are all necessary to God's work.
184
Here is the kingdom, the Priesthood, and the power. Here are the
eyes, and here is the sense; the head and the body are here, and
every component part that comprises the kingdom of God upon the
earth. The small Branches abroad feel the impulse of the spirit
here, whether it is for good or for bad, whether it is for
information, for forgiveness, for life, for faith, for light, or
for power, or apostacy; the whole Church throughout the world
feels the spirit that predominates here. Hear it, O ye Saints,
and profit by it. We are sending forth our Elders, and do you
think it is in our power to tie their hands? If the head that has
sent them forth into the world to preach the everlasting Gospel
goes to sleep in its armour, wallows in wealth, or in anything
that is this side of the power of God, our Elders are at once
tied; they feel the oppression, are trammelled and weakened, and
will totter and fall, unless the head is wide awake for them.
184
Brother W. C. Staines, in his remarks, wished the Saints here to
remember him in their prayers. Thousands here will hold him up in
their faith and prayers. I wanted to add to his life on the
earth, which going on his mission will do, even many years, if he
does his duty. Such will be the case with brother John Needham.
They are merchants, and have heard that they are sent on this
mission because they are speculators. I do not know anything
about that, but I feel that it is time that William C. Staines
went on a mission: his life is worth more than the gold which he
gathers from the sale of the goods he deals in. He is going on a
mission, and is going just right. Brother Needham has been a
merchant from his youth, and brother Staines has been a tiller of
the soil. I have not the least fault to find with either of them;
but brother Needham would probably die in a short time, were he
to stay here. If he goes on this mission, he will probably live
many years to do good, and be richer than if he staid here and
followed merchandizing. We have called them because we want them
to go, and we wish them to go their way rejoicing.
185
We have promised the Missionaries, if they will live according to
the manifestations of the Spirit, and preach the Gospel by the
power of God sent down from heaven, that they will feel more of
the Spirit and power of their calling than they have ever felt
before. Do you think that we are always going to remain the same
size? I am not a stereotyped Latter-day Saint, and do not believe
in the doctrine. Every year the Elders of Israel are improving
and learning, and have more power, more influence with the
Heavens, more power over the elements, and over diseases, and
over the power of Satan, who has ruled this earth from the days
of the fall until now. We have to gain power until we break the
chain of the Enemy. Are we going to stand still? Away with
stereotyped "Mormons." I have more power than I had last year. I
feel much stronger than ever before, and that too in the power of
God; and I feel as though I could take the people and bring them
into the presence of God, if they only hearken to counsel. Do you
think that I am improving? "Yes." Keep u, then; keep your places,
and follow in the track.
185
The kingdom of God is all that is of real worth. All else is not
worth possessing, either here or hereafter. Without it, all else
would be like a dry tree prepared for the burning--it is all
consumed, and the ashes are driven to the four winds. Let the
brethren who go upon missions go with the power of God upon them,
and shun every appearance of evil. Love the Gospel and cling to
the Lord. Seek unto him by day and by night, that you may have
his Holy Spirit to be with you to guide your feet and your
affections, and give you wisdom to ask and answer questions; then
you will not be apt to fall into temptation and be caught away in
the snares of the Devil.
185
So far as I have learned, the brethren and sisters have most
liberally responded to the call made on them last Sunday for
sending forth the Elders. I have not a full list of the
contributions, or I would report it to you to-day. A few of the
Bishops have reported to me what their Wards have done, but I
have not learned the full amount that has been collected. So far
as I can learn, the Saints have felt the responsibility that is
upon them. It belongs to us to send the Gospel to the uttermost
parts of the earth, and it belongs to the Elders to preach it.
Some may say that the Elders ought to start from here without
anything, and go into the world and get their support. You who
have never given anything, since you have been in the Church, for
the spread of the Gospel, have an opportunity to begin now; and
those who have always been on hand to help will help more; and
between the two classes, we will receive enough to send the
Elders abroad, and sustain their families during their absence,
so far as their families need assistance.
186
I wish the Elders to go forth as I have taught them. If you have
a clean shirt and one to be washed, then be satisfied. If you are
clothed so as to be comfortable, be satisfied, and do not let
your minds reach out after anything only to preach the Gospel and
gather the souls of men. That is all the business you have upon
your hands--it is your whole mission; and trust in God to get
home--trust in the Lord to go from place to place, and the way
will be opened for you. And when you start to come home, if you
have more than you need to bring you home, without bringing a
dress-pattern for your wife or children, and though, when you
reach home, your own clothes will be worn to strings and tatters,
if you have five dollars more than you need to defray your
expenses on your return, help the poor Saints with it, and I will
warrant you more food to eat, more clothing to wear, and more
friends in heaven and on earth, more houses, lands, and
possessions, than you would have, were you to bring home rich
dresses for your wives and expensive clothes for yourselves, with
your minds shrunk with covetousness and love of the world.
186
I have been striving with my brethren, all that day long, to
build up the kingdom of God. As long as Joseph lived, I laboured
with all my might with my brethren. In the days of the Prophet it
was proven to a demonstration that he could not bear off this
kingdom without temporal means. If this was absolutely necessary
in his day, why not now? Elders of Israel have taken a
course--those who have been to Australia, to the East Indies, to
California, San Bernadino, the State of New York, Philadelphia,
and other places in the United States, and those who have had
charge of the European Missions, to keep every dime out of my
hands. I will not suffer this any longer. They require of me to
bear off the kingdom of God, and they would keep every dollar
from me, if they could. I am satisfied with the brethren, for
they seem to have supposed that this kingdom was a kingdom of
merchandize. I do not say that the brethren have done as they
have with their eyes open, for they are as good men as ever
walked on this footstool; but they have been mistaken. This is
the kingdom of God, to gather the poor, for the poor are the
people of God, and they shall inherit the earth; and if you make
merchandize of anything, buy the souls of the children of men,
and bring them into the kingdom of God, and lay them at the feet
of Jesus.
187
Every person who knows anything about life must know that it
requires means to carry on this work; and that means I shall
require, from this day forth, to be at my control, and not at the
beck and call of every Elder; and at the same time they make me
gather the poor and pay all the debts of the Church. We want to
build the Temple walls on this block. We now support thousands of
people, and wish to support thousands more. They want hats,
coats, shirts, dresses, tea, coffee, and sugar. The wife wants
the comforts of life to give to her husband while he is labouring
hard, and for herself while she is knitting stockings, etc., for
the hands. The Elders abroad are wallowing in their riches, and
there are women here before me in their silks and satins that
have been bought with money that belongs to my purse. They shall
not do this any longer. I wrote to brother Calkin to give me a
history of matters abroad: he has done so. In the emigration
operations of one season Church funds were kept out of my hands
by Elders, and they rolled seventy-six thousand dollars of Church
indebtedness on me to pay, and that too without the least
notification, until it was all transacted and done. While the
Elders were buying the best silks and satins for their wives, and
the most expensive clothes for themselves, with the money that I
ought to have controlled, (going out preachers and coming home
merchants, with their pockets full of money and drafts,) I have
had to take the old worn-out horses, and the old toothless cows,
and the potatoes, and wheat, when they would not bring money, and
make a shift of a shirt, and a shirt of a shift, and a pair of
breeches of a shirt, and then make another shift to get hold of
money to keep the work in motion. If I were not one of the best
financiers on the earth, we should have been in trouble to-day;
and all I know, God has taught me. I have been obliged to ask
brother Wells to work like a slave, to deal for me here and
there, and change property, and to keep him running until he was
almost run out; and now the people are teasing him all the time,
for they want dresses, shirts, boots, pantaloons, etc.; and he
has nothing to give them, while some are rolling in wealth.
187
I am going to make the Elders of Israel help to bear off this
kingdom, or I will scourge them until they do. "How is it with
yourself, brother Brigham?" I would rather wear gray homespun
than your fine broadcloth. I have it made up; but, to please my
family and the people, I wear such as I do. I would as soon wear
a good home-made coat as a coat of the finest cloth in the world.
As to food, my greatest luxury is roasted potatoes and a little
good, clean, sour buttermilk. Such fare is good enough for
Brigham.
187
Now, let me say to you all, and hear it, O Israel, you have
either to give me the control of the Church funds, and pay your
Tithing promptly, or take the responsibility of bearing off this
kingdom. If the Twelve Apostles and the Presidents of Seventies
and the High Priests will take the responsibility of bearing off
this kingdom and sending the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the
earth, of gathering the poor, building up Zion, and doing all
that is necessary preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man,
Brigham is with you to labour with you all his days, and support
himself. I have fed and clothed myself from the beginning, and I
am willing to do it now, and to spend all my time in the work of
God, no matter in what department. If you take the
responsibility, you shall have the means; but if you roll the
responsibility upon me, I must have the means. If you wish me to
bear off the kingdom, will you give me the means to do it with?
If you will, raise your right hands. [All hands were raised. To
the contrary vote, not a hand was raised.]
187
We all should follow our leader; and when we are perfectly united
in one, we produce the best results for Israel.
187
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, September 30, 1860
Brigham Young, September 30, 1860
BLESSINGS OF THE SAINTS--COVETOUSNESS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 30, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
188
I feel the force of the ancient saying--"Behold how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is
like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the
beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his
garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended
upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the
blessing, even life evermore."
188
I realize all that has just been said in regard to the blessings
of heaven being ready to be poured out upon this people, if they
were prepared to receive them, and that too in a far greater
degree than has ever entered into the heart of man to conceive;
for the heart of man is incapable of fully comprehending the
blessings that God has in store for the faithful, unless he has
revealed those blessings to them by the revelations of his
Spirit. The natural man is contracted in his feelings, in his
views, faith, and desires, and so are the Saints, unless they
live their religion. If they live their religion, all that has
been said this morning they will fully realize to be true.
188
It may be asked, "Shall we go to the world for wisdom?" They have
none, so far as pertains to the plan of salvation. To be sure,
they have considerable knowledge of the arts of sciences; but in
those do they understand all that has formerly been understood? I
have no idea that they do. Do they know anything of the things of
God? No. Brother Taylor observed, "Go to the priests of the day,
and they cannot inform you." There is a good reason why--because
they know nothing directly in regard to the things of the
kingdom, and they are equally ignorant with regard to the design
of their present existence, to say nothing of either their prior
or future existence. They are a mystery to themselves, and do not
even understand the things which they see; still they are
searching and researching, and studying and striving with all
their powers to understand the things they see every day, and
come short of doing that. How, then, can they understand the
invisible things that pertain to eternity? There is no knowledge
of these things in the so-called Christian world, in comparison
with what they should possess, in consideration of the advantages
which have been granted to them, neither is that knowledge among
those denominated heathen. There are only a few dark
traditions--a few incorrect and garbled ceremonies and ordinances
remaining of the true system that was once possessed by mankind.
189
We are in the kingdom of God, and must yield obedience to it. We
say that we do--we feel that we do, but when will this people
fully see and understand things as they are? I may answer in the
future, and all I can now say is that they are learning- -growing
in grace and in the knowledge of the truth; but to say we are
perfect, we cannot. When brother Taylor referred, in his remarks,
to our leader and dictator, with regard to his perfections and
imperfections, I felt that I could almost say that I did not want
him to be perfect yet. I remember Joseph Smith's saying, "If I
were as pure and holy as you wish me to be, I could not stay with
you; I should not be here to guide and direct you, for the Lord
would take me from you." He did take him; the people were not
worthy of him. The people required him to be as holy as the
Almighty himself, and to never make a mistake. Wherein the First
Presidency and the Twelve do wrong, it is not in the ability of
the people to detect them in those wrongs. They are far advanced,
and they know enough more to lead out; and if they commit an
error, it is passed over, and the people cannot tell wherein or
when, nor how to correct it.
189
The Christian world are all looking for a day of perfection, and
are donating their money and sending out Missionaries,--they have
also a great many Tract and Bible Societies, &c., &c., expressly
to convert the world and bring forth the day the ancient Prophets
have written about--a day of rest, the millennium, or any other
term you please to apply to it, but it is a day when the Saints
who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ shall see eye to eye, when
all shall come to the knowledge of the truth, and the law of the
Lord shall be written in the hearts of all, and none shall need
to say to his neighbour, "Know ye the Lord," for all shall know
him, &c. All Christendom is looking for that day. I will inform
this congregation and the whole world that they will never come
to perfection--never can commence the great work of reformation
in themselves and with each other, until the superior knowledge
can take the inferior and direct it, and, if need be, chasten it,
and remove its errors, and give it the truth.
190
During a few weeks past much has been said in relation to the
folly, feelings, and doings of Elders of Israel. Joseph Smith was
a rod in the hands of the Lord to scourge the Elders of Israel;
he was the mouthpiece of the Almighty, and was always ready to
rebuke them when requisite. You who were acquainted with him know
his course and life. He had a word of comfort and consolation to
the humble and faithful, and a word of rebuke to the froward and
disobedient. But for a few years past, in the midst of the Elders
of Israel, they have treated each other with what may be called
silken words spoken with velvet lips; and what you have lately
been hearing about has produced this course of life and feeling
among the Elders not to chasten or rebuke each other. If they
wished to correct, they would preach a long sermon, and tell how
miserable they themselves were, how wicked they had been, how
many times they had transgressed and been out of the way; and
after they had painted their own characters as black as darkness,
they would say, "Brethren, do you not think that you have done
wrong in what you have done? I am afraid you have; but my own
evil works are so much greater than yours, that I dare not
mention it." This conduct is connected with other things; in
fact, the whole experience of man and the whole plan of salvation
are so interwoven that it is hard to draw out and divide one
subject from another, though it may be done in some instances.
Men become darkened in their minds; they say that the Elders of
Israel, they believe, have fallen from grace and have received
the spirit of the world. Those Elders are not willing to
acknowledge this, but almost every track they make proves it;
almost every deed they perform proves that they have become
lukewarm, and they preach with silken lips, and do not pour the
truth of God upon the people as the Lord wishes them to, nor
cause the overt acts of the ungodly to feel the wrath of justice
and the weight of truth. This is what I see, and what I have seen
for a long time.
190
People become covetous. The whole world is more or less covetous;
and when the questions are asked, "Where shall we go for
wisdom--for strength? To whom shall we apply for knowledge? Where
shall we seek for life?" --there is but one source, and that is
the God who organized us. When will we become entirely
independent? Never, though we are as independent in our spheres
as the Gods of eternity are in theirs. When will we lead out and
act for ourselves? When we have overcome, and that is not yet.
Jesus has not yet overcome; he has not received his kingdom from
the Father. He has to contend against the enemy--against the
power of the Devil, until he overcomes death and him that has the
power of it. If he is successful, and we believe that he will be,
when he overcomes and subdues all enemies and puts them under his
feet, he will present the kingdom to the Father; and then he will
be crowned, and not until then. When will we be crowned? Not
until we pass through ordeals preparatory to receiving those
crowns. We are not our own. We have our existence, but it is not
our own.
190
That which we seem to possess is not our own, but is owned and
controlled by a superior power. Even the power of the Devil can
take money from one man's pocket and place it in another man's
pocket, to say nothing of what the power of God can do. Some men
seemingly possess much riches, as did Job, and how long may it be
before they have not a farthing's worth of property, or a wife,
or child? In a few weeks the Lord took almost all from Job; he
spared to him a wife, who, as recorded in the Bible, seemed to
taunt Job's trust in his God--his fidelity to his Maker. "Now,"
says she, "you had better curse God at once and die. I told you
that he would not stand by you." I presume Job felt like saying,
"Go to the Devil your own road."
190
Who does have true power? Those who have overcome and sat down
with the Gods in eternity, and who have committed to them the
keys that are prepared for them. Then they can reign
triumphantly, for they have perfect control over death and him
that has the power of death, and over all evil: then they control
life.
190
I frequently reflect upon how much power we need. You hear the
Elders of Israel praying for power we need. You hear the Elders
of Israel praying for power to overcome their enemies: they want
power to strike them blind and to strike them dead. We have seen
times, within a few years back, when we would have been glad to
have had power to destroy our enemies. Have you power,
independently, to make a kernel of wheat grow, or any vegetable
with which to feed yourselves? No; you have not power to control
those lesser powers that pertain to the elements.
191
What does the Lord want of us? To build temples, raise potatoes,
wheat, &c., and preach the Gospel to and gather the poor. The
Elders of Israel do not thoroughly know how to do this; yet they
want to rise here and tell how the Gods are made. They had better
learn how to raise potatoes, and how to take care of them after
they are raised. Some do not know even this, but would let the
potatoes rot before they are half used up. If they had an
abundance of gold and silver, they would not know what to do with
it. Are not the people reaching after that which does not belong
to them? That is the reason why the whole world do not receive
the Gospel; it is too low and humble for them. They are looking
after something in the future; they are like the fool, whose eyes
are wandering to the ends of the earth; like some of the Elders
who rise here to preach and want to tell what is going to be in
the millennium, and what has been long before the creation of the
world, but never think of inquiring as to their duty to-day.
Learn first to obtain power over the smaller objects and
principles around you. Learn to control yourselves and that which
is immediately around you, and always keep in view that the
animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms--the earth and its
fulness--will all, except the children of men, abide their
creation--the law by which they were made, and will receive their
exaltation.
191
Who will possess the earth and the fulness thereof? Will those
who love money, and who barter their lives and their hopes of
salvation for a little gold? Those who love it in its present
existence will perish. Gold is one of the most refined metals,
and mankind have to be tried like gold that has passed seven
times through the crucible, making it a little hotter each time,
until the metal is as pure as it can be. Who will possess it? Who
will possess the earth and all its fulness? Will it not be those
whom the Lord has reserved to this honour? And they will come
upon Mount Zion as saviours, to labour through the millennium to
save others.
191
Are the Elders able to correct a person when he is wrong, without
having personal feelings? You are not as you should be, unless
you can correct every person you know to be wrong, without having
personal ill--feelings against them? If you cannot possess gold
and silver without having one particle of love for it, you are
not as you must learn to be. All that a man should have in his
heart with regard to goods, and chattels, and possessions on the
earth, is to know of the Lord what to do with them. If I do a
wrong, let me correct that wrong, and become right; if I see a
wrong in my neighbour, correct that, and remove the fault from
him, and give him something better. The object of the Elders of
Israel ought to be to glorify God and sanctify their feelings and
affections before him. If we have anything else in our hearts, it
is wrong: contending one with another is wrong.
191
May God bless you, brethren! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, October 6, 1860
Brigham Young, October 6, 1860
HELPING IN THE IMMIGRATION.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
192
Last spring we called upon some of the Bishops to furnish a few
teams to go to the Missouri river and back this season, to prove
to the people a fact that several of us were convinced did exist.
We obtained twenty teams from the Wards; I also sent a few, and
they have successfully performed the journey to Florence, N. T.,
and back, under the charge of Elder Joseph W. Young. Bishop
Woolley also went down with some mule and ox teams, and returned
with the ox train. I want to hear them both speak this afternoon
on the subject of freighting with teams sent from here.
192
The handcart system has been pretty well tried; and if a hand
cart company start in proper season, and manage properly, I will
venture to say the most of them can come in that way more
pleasantly than they generally come with waggons. But drawing
their provisions, &c., is a hard task, and it would be more
satisfactory, if we could manage it, to bring in waggons the
freight and those who are unable to walk.
192
In 1834, a company of us were called upon to go to Missouri, and
in that trip the labour of walking, so far as we averaged in a
day, was very fatiguing. A great many of that company walked, and
we cooked by the way as much as do those who travel across the
Plains, and we carried a greater weight than is generally carried
by those who walk from the Missouri river to this city. This I
know, for I was one of those who walked the whole distance. In
less than three months I walked two thousand miles, as far as to
Florence and back; and others of the company did the same. And
instead of having a healthy climate to walk in, we passed through
one of the most deathly and sickly climates in the United States,
which proved to me that most people can walk, if they will try.
193
We now contemplate trying another plan. If we can go with our
teams to the Missouri river and back in one season, and bring the
poor, their provisions, &c., it will save about half of the cash
we now expend in bringing the Saints to this point from Europe.
It now costs in cash nearly as much for their teams, waggons,
handcarts, cooking utensils, provisions, &c., for their journey
across the Plains, as it does to transport them to the frontiers.
We can raise cattle without an outlay of money, and use them in
transporting the Saints from the frontiers, and such freight as
we may require. Brethren and sisters, save your fives, tens,
fifties, a hundred dollars, or as much as you can, until next
spring, (considering yourselves, as it were, a thousand miles
from a store,) and send your money, your cattle, and waggons to
the States, and buy your goods and freight them. Twenty dollars
expended in this way will do you as much good as several times
that amount paid to the stores here. If we can convince the
brethren that it is a successful operation, we shall endeavour to
engage in it largely next year. We wish to send two or three
hundred waggons, with two or three yokes of cattle to a light
Chicago wagon. If you have not the wagons, you can send the money
and buy them. in this way, where we could emigrate a hundred from
Liverpool to this place by the old method, we can emigrate some
two hundred by going to the frontiers and bringing them. This
will facilitate, by almost half, the gathering of the Saints, and
at the same time enable us to procure, at cheap rates, such
articles as we do not produce. I wish the brethren to grasp in
their faith the facts that will be presented, and believe that we
can do all that we can, and then be ready to do it. We have
plenty of cattle and can send them, and they will perform the
journey as well as horses or mules, with far less risk of their
being stolen on the Plains.
193
I wish the Bishops to improve upon the counsel I gave them this
morning, receiving it as kindly as it was given; for we only
desire to turn the current of our business transactions into the
channel that will most conduce to the welfare of the Saints. I
also want them to present to their Wards the plan of sending
teams to the frontier; and I want the men who think and write to
send to the Editor of the Deseret News articles about sending
teams to the States to bring our poor brethren and our freight,
and to take out and bring back our Missionaries.
193
Last spring our Elders went down with the trains at a saving of
some two thousands dollars in cash, and on reaching the frontier
were prepared to go on their way rejoicing. And when they return,
I anticipate the honour of our teams bringing them back as poor
as they went--that they will not return as merchants; for if they
do, from this time forth, the curse of God will rest upon them,
and they will lose the spirit of their religion and apostatize. I
want them to respect their missions, themselves, their brethren,
their religion, and our God, as to return poor in regard to gold,
silver, &c., but rich in gathering the souls of the children of
men to this place, where we can chasten them and prove whether
they are Saints or not, and where the Lord will have the
privilege of proving them either to be Saints or unworthy of the
kingdom.
193
I will now call upon brother E. D. Woolley to preach a sermon
about ox-trains going to the States.
193
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, October 7, 1860
PERSECUTION--THE KINGDOM OF GOD, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
194
You have heard the testimony of brother Hyde: it is full of
spirit, full of matter, full of marrow. He has spoken words of
truth--the words of the Lord.
194
There are hundreds and thousands of Elders who would be glad to
bear their testimony to the truth. Be faithful, walk uprightly
before God, deal justly with all, love mercy, shun every
appearance of evil, and magnify your Priesthood, and you shall
have the opportunity of speaking, bearing rule, dictating,
guiding, and directing, to your full satisfaction, the things
that pertain to the kingdom of God. This promise is to all who
are faithful. They shall receive a fulness of kingdoms, thrones,
principalities, powers, dominions, and all the fulness pertaining
to the Godhead, to their full satisfaction and capability. This
should be a satisfaction to all.
194
At the first impression, the testimony of one man is equally
valid with that of another; but when people are filled with
understanding to discern and comprehend the principles by which
the worlds were made, and by which they are governed and
controlled, they realize that there is vast difference between
the man who assumes his authority and the one who is appointed by
his master to go and transact business. Suppose that a number of
individuals having no appointment, credentials, or authority,
should come from any foreign country to the capital of our
nation, and pretend to be ministers of the government from whence
they came, what attention would be paid to them by our
Government? None, officially; though they would probably be
treated kindly, and as gentlemen, if they behaved themselves. But
when a minister from the English or any other European court
comes with his appointment, credentials, recommends, &c., the
President of the United States, the Congress, and officers of
state are ready to receive him with the respect due to his
position. So it is in the kingdom of God, and in regard to this
people.
195
Our persecutors have supposed that they persecuted us upon the
same principle that the Reformers were persecuted in the days of
Martin Luther and others; but in this they are mistaken. Tell the
world--sound it in the ears of kings and rulers, that they are
persecuting a people to whose God they will have to pay every
debt they contract: they will be brought into judgment for every
act against this kingdom. This is the kingdom of God; these are
the people of God, as are all who receive the truth and follow
its principles. As to parentage, we are no more the children of
God than are the rest of the inhabitants of the earth.
Originally, as to our parents, as to our organization and that
which pertains to our life, we are all the children of one
Father, whether we be Jew or Gentile, bond or free, black or
white, noble or ignoble. The difference we see arises in
consequence of the different use made of the agency given to man.
Be careful, all the world, and touch not the anointed of the
Lord. Afflict not the people who have the oracles of salvation
for all the human family. Will the world believe this statement?
They can if they choose; but the great majority of the
inhabitants of the earth will reject life and salvation when it
is presented to them, and in the end it will be like the gleaning
of grapes when the vintage is done. A few here and a few there
will receive the truth, and the Lord will empty the earth of the
wickedness that now dwells upon it.
195
As brother Hyde has stated, the "harmonious democracy" that
undertook to destroy this people, broke pieces in the State where
the Lord, twenty-eight years ago, on the 25th of next December,
revealed to the Prophet Joseph that the nation would begin to
break. But I do not wish to make a political speech, nor to have
anything to do with the politics and parties in our Government.
They love sin, and roll it as a sweet morsel under their tongues.
Had they the power, they would dethrone Jehovah; had they the
power, they would to-day crucify every Saint there is upon the
earth; they would not leave upon the earth one alive in whose
veins runs the blood of the Priesthood. Yet they are our brethren
and sisters--bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh--sprung from
one parentage. God is our Father--Jesus Christ is our Elder
Brother. If the world would understand this, and take warning,
and be cautious, it would be far better for them. Will they? No:
they do not and will not realize facts as they exist, and we
cannot help it. All we can do is to plead with them, preach to
them the words of eternal life, and offer it to them as it has
been offered to us. If they receive it, blessed are they. If they
reject it, it is their privilege. The powers and faculties of
their organizations are for themselves to use as they elect; for
they, as well as we, are agents before God, and can choose or
refuse according to their own pleasure. But they are broken in
pieces. Do I wish to predict this? No, for it was predicted long
ago. The nation that has lifted itself against the kingdom of God
is already shivered to pieces. Touch it, and it will crumble
under your touch. The cohesiveness of its particles is gone--they
cannot cling together, and they will be sifted as with a sieve of
vanity. God's controversy with them has commenced; he has
commenced with this nation, and in its turn he will sift every
nation there is upon the face of the earth.
196
In the beginning, after this earth was prepared for man, the Lord
commenced his work upon what is now called the American
continent, where the Garden of Eden was mad. In the days of Noah,
in the days of the floating of the ark, he took the people to
another part of the earth: the earth was divided, and there he
set up his kingdom. Did they receive his kingdom? No; they
rejected it. Afterwards he called a man, and ordained him, and
showed to him the inhabitants of the whole earth, and gave to him
a promise that his offspring should be the people of God. He
spoke to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their children, as his
covenant people. The Jews rejected Jesus Christ, who came to
redeem the world. They cried--"Crucify him, crucify him! Let his
blood be upon us and upon our children!" God has removed the
kingdom from Jerusalem again to Zion, and here he will wind up
the scene. Righteousness will go forth, and the wickedness upon
the earth will be swept from it. Will I prophesy evil? No; let us
prophesy good. But the justice and mercy of God must have their
demands. Let everything have its place and its just due, both the
good and the evil; and we will not curse the wicked, for they are
already cursed; the wrath of the Almighty does not slumber upon
their track; their condition is lamentable. They flourish like a
green bay tree, and may so flourish for a few days; but they will
become withered and dried and prepared to be cast into the fire,
while the kingdom of God will stand; and if we do not remain
faithful, others will take our places.
196
This is the kingdom of God, set up for the last time; and
whosoever persecutes it persecutes the son of God and the Father
who sent him. Here is the Priesthood (the keys of power and
wisdom) that unlocks the storehouse of knowledge. These keys and
this power the world know nothing of. It is marvellous to the
world that the things that are known here--the very things that
God reveals here--are often at once known by portions of this
kingdom in other nations. To many it is marvellous that
intelligence can be so rapidly communicated by means of the
electro-magnetic telegraph, but our method of communication is
from heaven.
196
We know and understand the nations of the earth, the power by
which they exist, and their rise and downfall: the facts are
before us. Reflect upon those powerful nations that have existed
but are now nationally as though they had never been: so it will
be with the nations that now exist--they will pass away, others
will come, and God will reign King of nations as he now does King
of Saints. It is a glorious thought, my brethren,--a thought that
should touch the heart of every being on the face of this earth,
that God is going to reign Lord of lords and King of kings--that
he is coming to the earth again. His kingdom is growing, and his
grace is bestowed upon his children, and they are coming to
understanding and growing in grace.
196
It is not pleasing to a potter, after he has a batch of clay
mixed, ground, and made smooth and pliable for working into
vessels, to have an apprentice throw rough, unbroken, unground
stuff into the prepared clay; but, comparatively speaking, we
have to bear this. When we are getting the clay into fine
condition, a mass of unprepared material is mixed up with it, and
it is our business to continue to grind, to prepare the whole of
the mass together. I suppose the Lord wants to prepare all the
good clay that can be found upon the face of the earth, that when
he comes he can make up his jewels. Then you who have oil in your
vessels will go and meet the Bridegroom. Are we going to be
prepared? Let every soul of us strive to be found among those who
will be counted wise at his coming, for we can go into the
highways and hedges and find plenty of the foolish. Let us try to
be wise--to obey the servants and commandments of the Almighty,
doing his will continually, that we may be prepared to enter at
the marriage supper.
197
The scripture concerning the five wise and five foolish virgins
will be fulfilled, as will also the revelation that was given to
Joseph about the nations breaking to shivers. I wish some of the
world's learned theologians would tell us what became of the
foolish virgins. Call up the wisdom and knowledge there is in
Christendom, and learn whether they can tell anything about those
foolish virgins. I have not time now to tell what became of them,
but I think they did not go to the bottom of the bottomless pit.
Is it not a glorious thought that there are kingdoms, mansions of
glory, and comfortable habitations prepared for all the sons and
daughters of Adam, except the sons of perdition? All will not
have part in the first resurrection, and perhaps many will not
appear in the second; but all will be resurrected, and, except
the sons of perdition, enter kingdoms, the least of which I
presume is more glorious than ever John Wesley saw in vision. All
the inhabitants of the earth will enter a glory, except the sons
of perdition, or angels to the Devil. But where will they
dwell?--what shall be their fate before they are prepared for a
kingdom of glory? They will be cast into prison, and there remain
until they have paid the debt they have contracted; wherefore it
is better to make peace with the officer while in the way with
him, as Jesus has said. After they have been thrust into prison
and paid the uttermost farthing, then perhaps they will receive a
life, a glory, a kingdom that will be in accordance with their
feelings, desires, and doings while they were on the earth.
197
The kingdom that this people are in pertains to the celestial
kingdom; it is a kingdom in which we can prepare to go into the
presence of the Father and the Son. Then let us live to inherit
that glory. God has promised you, Jesus has promised you, and the
Apostles and Prophets of old and of our day have promised you
that you shall be rewarded according to all you can desire in
righteousness before the Lord, if you live for that reward. As
Patriarch Joseph Smith, the father of Joseph the Prophet,
said--"If I have not promised blessings enough on your head, and
stated enough in the blessing I have given you, sit down and
write every good thing you can think of, and every good thing
your neighbour can think of, and put all into your blessing, and
I will sign it and promise the whole to you, if you will only
live for it." But suppose a person does not live for the promised
blessings, will he receive them? No. And we say to the Elders of
Israel, Be faithful, and you shall see the day when you will have
all the power you can wield and manage to advantage. I can tell
Thos. B. Marsh, who is now in the congregation, to witness: he
was once the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Soon
after the selection of that Quorum, brother Marsh felt to
complain. I said to him, brother Thomas, if we are faithful, we
will see the day, in the midst of this people, that we will have
all the power that we shall know how to wield before God. I call
him to witness if I have not already seen that day. Look at the
rest of my brethren, and have they not all the power they can
wield?
197
Brother Hyde, in his remarks, spoke about the voice of God at a
certain time. I could tell many incidents relating to that
circumstance, which he did not take time to relate. We were in
his house, which was some ten or twelve feet square. The houses
in the neighbourhood shook, or, if they did not, the people
thought they did, for they ran together and inquired whether
there had been an earthquake. We told them that the voice of God
had reached the earth--that they need not be afraid; it was the
power of God. This and other events have transpired to satisfy
the people--you, and all who belong to the Church and kingdom of
God upon the earth.
198
When I met Sidney Rigdon, east of the temple in Nauvoo, I knew
then what I now know concerning the organization of the Church,
though I had told no man of it. I revealed it to no living being,
until the pioneers to this valley were returning to Winter
Quarters. Brother Wilford Woodruff was the first man I ever spoke
to about it. Said he--"It is right; I believe it, and think a
great deal of it, for it is from the Lord; the Church must be
organized." It then went to others, and from them to others; but
it was no news to me, for I understood it then as I understand it
now.
198
The policy of God is not the policy of man: his wisdom and power
are above the wisdom and power of man. Be faithful to your
calling and magnify it. The kingdom and the greatness thereof
under the whole heaven are ours. The yoke is broken, the fetters
are burst, and the Lord Almighty will assert his right; and his
will be done by the Saints on this the land of Zion, to purify
and cleanse it. And those who are expecting to receive the
benefit and blessings of Zion never will, but will receive the
judgments of Zion, unless their hearts are as pure as the angels.
The man that is acting according to his ability, as are the
angels, must be pure and holy in heart, must not have an evil
wish or desire reigning in his mortal body, but must be
sanctified through the truth to the God of heaven. What do you
think, Elders,--will any of you receive blessings upon any other
grounds? No, not one of you.
198
There are a great many who profess to be still in the faith,
neglecting to gather, and waiting for the time when Zion will be
redeemed. George W. Harris, whom many of you remember, was going
to wait in Kanesville until we returned. Brother George A. Smith
told him that the nearest way to the centre Stake of Zion was
through Great Salt Lake City. Harris has gone to the
spirit-world, and where his circuit will be I neither know nor
care, though I am well convinced that brother George A. Smith was
right.
198
Where is the centre Stake of Zion? In Jackson County, Missouri.
Were I to try to prevent you from going there, I could not do it.
Can the wicked? No. Can the devils in hell? No, they cannot. Zion
will be redeemed and built up, and the Saints will rejoice. This
is the land of Zion; and who are Zion? The pure in heart are
Zion; they have Zion within them. Purify yourselves, sanctify the
Lord God in your hearts, and have the Zion of God within you, and
then you will rejoice more and more. Pray without ceasing, and in
everything give thanks. Is it not a hard task to live this
religion without enjoying the spirit of it? Such a course worries
the feelings, fills a person with sorrow and affliction, and
makes him miserable. The easiest life to live, by nay mortal
being on the earth, is to live in the light of God's countenance,
and have fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ. I know this by my
own experience. In this course there is no darkness, no sorrow,
no grief. The power of the Spirit of God has preserved me in the
vigour of youth, and I am as active as a boy. How is it with you
who do not enjoy the spirit of your religion? It is a hard life
for you to live; and you had better, from this day, take a course
to enjoy the Spirit of the Lord; then you will be numbered with
the wise. Let us all so live as to have oil in our vessels, our
lamps trimmed for lighting, and be ready to go in with the
Bridegroom to the marriage supper. I could tell you the meaning
of that portion of Scripture, but I have not time now.
199
The most ignorant of our Elders, with the Spirit and power of God
upon them, can, in knowledge of Scripture, lead the smartest of
the Gentile priests into deep water, and dip them under, and draw
them back again at their pleasure, and confound the Scripture
knowledge of the priestcraft that is on the earth. During our
return from England, brother Heber C. Kimball was beset by a
number of Baptist priests who had been attending a conference. He
read them all down out of the New Testament. Brother George A.
Smith sat beside them with a pocket Bible, and brother Heber
would say--"Brother George, turn to that." "Oh," said the
priests, "you need not turn to it, for we recollect it," when
there was no such passage in the Bible. He sat for two hours and
advanced much Scripture that never was in the Bible, as did
Benjamin Franklin, when he was conversing with a man who opposed
him upon the subject of charity, and was particularly in favour
of justice. "You remember the Scripture," said Franklin, "where
it reads like this:--Once on a time an old man came at eventide
to Abram's tent. Abram bid him welcome, but as he entered the
tent he gave not God thanks. He said to Abram, Canst thou give me
meat? And Abram said, Thou art not a servant of God, and thou
shalt not have meat. The old man said, Let me have meat, that I
may live and not die. And the voice of the Lord came to Abram in
this wise: Abram, Abram, beholdest thou this aged servant of
mine, with whom I have borne ninety-nine years, and canst thou
not bear with him one night?" When Franklin got through, the man
had yielded the point, and asked him where he read that; to which
Franklin replied, "You will find it in the 51st chapter of
Genesis!" and there are only fifty-one chapters in Genesis, and
but few of them, if any, will know that there are only fifty.
With regard to true theology, a more ignorant people never lived
than the present so-called Christian world.
199
Saints, live your religion faithfully, and you will enjoy life;
and when you are as old as I am, your hair will be as bright as
mine is. If I live to the first day of next June, I shall be
sixty years old, though I do not look or feel as though I had
reached that age. What preserves me? The spirit of my
religion--the power of God that is upon me and through me. I love
it; it is better to me than meat and drink--than my temporal
life. Many a man will lay down his life for his religion, but
will not live it one day. Live your religion, and have no desire
but to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. The love of God
is bestowed upon this people, and what is its effect? Persons in
foreign lands, for the Gospel, for the sake of Jesus and the
kingdom of God, have left fathers, mothers, children, wives,
husbands, and every other relative they had, and come to this
distant region. The Gospel will take two of a city, and once in a
while, one of a family; it will take one here and another there.
Fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters are no more to me than
are any other persons, unless they embrace this work. Here are my
fathers, my mothers, my sisters, and my brethren in the kingdom,
and I have none outside of it, neither in any part of the earth,
nor in all the eternity of the Gods. In this kingdom are my
acquaintances, relatives, and friends,--my soul, my affections,
my all.
200
I will carry this idea a little further, for the sake of those
who are unmarried. Since I was baptized into this Church and
kingdom, if all the female beauty had been simmered down into one
woman not in this kingdom, she would not have appeared handsome
to me; but if a person's heart is open to receive the truth, the
excellency of love and beauty is there. How is it with you,
sisters? Do you distinguish between a man of God and a man of the
world? It is one of the strongest things that happens in my
existence, to think that any man or woman can love a being that
will not receive the truth of heaven. The love this Gospel
produces is far above the love of women: it is the love of
God--the love of eternity--of eternal lives.
200
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, October 6, 1860
Brigham Young, October 6, 1860
JOYS OF ETERNITY.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1860.
200
I wish the people could realize that they walk, live, and abide
in the presence of the Almighty. The faithful shall have eyes to
see as they are seen, and you shall behold that you are in the
midst of eternity and in the presence of holy beings, and be
enabled ere long to enjoy their society and presence. You are
greatly blessed. How many there are who say--"God bless you!" How
many times it is said to the Saints--"I bless you, and may the
Lord bless you!" You shall be blessed all the time. Good is
poured out on the people, and we say Amen.
200
The brethren have done nobly in their contributions to the
Missionary Fund, and we expect to continue to do nobly. How much
do we expect to do for the kingdom of God? The talent, ability,
and everything placed in the hands of this people shall be
devoted to his cause and kingdom on the earth, in the name of the
God of Israel. These are my feelings. As far as I have control,
and as far as I have influence in this kingdom, all within its
pales shall be devoted to its upbuilding. When Elders are called
to go and preach, they go; and when we want means we shall have
it.
200
To morrow morning we expect to meet you here again. When shall we
meet to part no more? Never, never; no, never. That is a curious
idea, and I have not time to give full explanations. We shall go
and come; and when we are in the eternity, we shall be on this
earth, which will be brought into the immediate presence of the
Father and the Son. We shall inhabit different mansions, and
worlds will continue to be made, formed, and organized, and
messengers from this earth will be sent to others. This earth
will become a celestial body--be like a sea of glass, or like a
urim and thummim; and when you wish to know anything, you can
look in this earth and see all the eternities of God. We shall
make our home here, and go on our missions as we do now, but at
greater than railroad speed.
200
It is time to close our meeting; and, by the power of right I
have in the Priesthood of the Son of God, I bless the Saints of
latter days. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, October 8, 1860
Brigham Young, October 8, 1860
FUNDS OF THE CHURCH.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, October 8, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
201
By the cash manifest just read by brother John T. Caine, you
perceive that there has been expended, during the years 1857,
1858, 1859, and to Oct. 4, 1860, $70,204 in excess of what has
been received in money and Tithing. This excess has been derived
from cash received for lumber sold to the army to the amount of
some 16,000 dollars or 18,000 dollars, and from the sale of
sheep, horses, mules, cows, waggons, harness, &c., to various
persons for cash. It has been rather difficult to raise the large
amount of cash we have expended over the amount received on
money-Tithing; but when it comes time to sleep, I do not stay
awake contriving how we are to financier. I can understand in a
very few minutes all that is necessary and possible to be done,
without taking very great thought in the matter.
201
At times it seems as though all hell and earth are combined to
keep money out of my hands. A great many of the people would give
me millions, if they had it; but most of those who have it will
not part with it. Those who are liberal have nothing, and they
would give me all they have. Scarcely a man comes into this
Church, having much of an amount of money, but what spends his
money before he gathers with the Saints. Persons would conceal
from Joseph that they had any money, and, after they had spent or
lost it all, would come to him and say--"Oh, how I love, brother
Joseph!" If you think you can keep the money from me, you will be
mistaken, for I shall have what is necessary to carry on this
work; and those who take a course to hedge up my way in business
transactions, pertaining to carrying on this work, will go to the
Devil. They shall have that promise, with my blessing. I do not
curse people, but I bless that class with a plenty of devils.
201
For four years past we have not had much money pass through our
hands. In previous years merchants here have received as much
money from me yearly as you have heard read here to-day. During
the past few years we have had to manage and plan pretty closely
in our business transactions. Those who bring coal to sell want
money, and the brethren who labour on the Public Works need a
little money now and then. Some think that brother Wells, who is
our Superintendent of Public Works, is hard and close in his
public dealings; but he is not. I have explained all that is
necessary in regard to this matter. We traffic and trade, we
drive cattle to California, and trade here and there, and do
everything we can to carry on this work. You know, and my wives
and children know, that it is my mind that those who do nothing
but sit in rocking-chairs can live on potatoes and buttermilk,
while those who do the labour should have both the substantial
food and the luxuries. My friends know that this is my mind all
the time.
202
Some may think that my individual business is so mixed and
combined with the public business that I cannot keep them
separate. This is not the case, as you can learn by asking
brother David O. Calder, or brother John T. Caine, who has been
reading a manifest to you. Hiram B. Clawson, John T. Caine, and
Thomas Ellerbeck are the clerks who keep the books of my private
business; and the Trustee-in-Trust has his clerks, of whom David
O. Calder is the chief. Horace Whitney, Joseph Simmons, and Amos
M. Musser are his associate clerks, and they keep the books
pertaining to the public business. If brother Calder wishes one
hundred or a thousand dollars, if I have it, he borrows it of
Hiram B. Clawson and pays it back; and so also brother Clawson
borrows of him and returns it. The teasers who come all the time
after women, and soon get tired of them and want to divorce them,
I make pay ten dollars for each divorce, and that is my
individual bank. If I want five dollars or fifty cents from Hiram
B. Clawson, it is charged to me; and if he receives money from
me, it is credited to me; and not a dollar (except what I hand
out or give away out of my private purse,) goes out of my office,
either in private or public capacity, without passing through its
appropriate set of books. I tell you this, that all my know that
my private affairs are not amalgamated with the public affairs.
Brigham Young and the Trustee-in-Trust are two persons in
business. When you speak of Brigham Young as Trustee-in-Trust, he
is one man; and when as Brigham Young, he is another; and the
business between these two names is kept as strictly separate as
is the business of any two firms in the world. If you want to
know anything about the money, item by item, how it has been
obtained and how expended, our books are open.
202
We do not ask anybody to pay Tithing, unless they are disposed to
do so; but if you pretend to pay Tithing, pay it like honest men.
And Bishops who have it in their power to gather money-Tithing,
it is their duty to do it; and if they do not, they do not
magnify their calling. And brethren that have money, pay your
Tithing on it while you have it; and when you turn your property,
upon which Tithing is due, into money, pay your Tithing in money.
Here are thousands of men wearing good hats, coats, pantaloons,
&c., &c., that I have paid the money for. And women with costly
ribbons on their bonnets, I pay the money for these ribbons; and
I pay the money for the slippers on their feet, for their
stockings, their garments, &c. I have paid the money for these
articles, year after year. Is it not your duty to see that I have
a little money? Were the Lord to reveal to me where the ancient
Jaredites hid their hundred of millions of dollars' worth of
treasure, I should not take it and hand it out to the people,
unless the Lord directed me to do so; otherwise, it would perhaps
seal the damnation of many; for at present you are better off
without those treasures than you would be with them.
202
If I am under obligation to see this Gospel carried to all the
nations of the earth, so also is every Elder of Israel. If it is
my duty to see the poor gathered, so it is the duty of every
Elder. There is no excuse for any man: every one ought to put
forth his hands and means, and do according to his ability.
203
We have often told you that we want to build a Temple, but not
for convening promiscuous congregations. I inform you, long
before you see the walls reared and the building completed, that
it will be for the purposes of the Priesthood, and not for
meetings of the people: we shall not hold public meetings in it.
I should like to see the Temple built, in which you will see the
Priesthood in its order and true organization, each Quorum in its
place. If we want a larger building than this Tabernacle for
public exercises, here is the ground already planned, and has
been for years. We can, if we choose, build a Tabernacle that
will accommodate fifteen thousand people. The Temple will be for
the endowments--for the organization and instruction of the
Priesthood. If you want to build a Temple on these conditions,
you can have the privilege. But I never again want to see one
built to go into the hands of the wicked. I have asked my Father
to give me power to build a Temple on this block, but not until I
can for ever maintain my rights in it. I would rather see it
burnt than to see it go into the hands of devils. I was thankful
to see the Temple in Nauvoo on fire. Previous to crossing the
Mississippi river, we had met in that Temple and handed it over
to the Lord God of Israel; and when I saw the flames, I said
"Good, Father, if you want it to be burned up." I hoped to see it
burned before I left, but I did not. I was glad when I heard of
its being destroyed by fire, and of the walls having fallen in,
and said, "Hell, you cannot now occupy it." When the Temple is
built here, I want to maintain it for the use of the Priesthood:
if this cannot be, I would rather not see it built, but go into
the mountains and administer there in the ordinances of the holy
Priesthood, which is our right and privilege. I would rather do
this than to build a Temple for the wicked to trample under their
feet.
203
There are great and glorious things yet to be revealed. We are
but babes and sucklings in the knowledge of God and godliness.
With all we know and understand by the Priesthood here in the
midst of this people, we are mere infants before the angels in
heaven. We want to instruct the people and prepare them to enter
into the presence of the Father and the Son. We want to gather
the poor, send the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth,
and do a great many other good things; and we will do so. We will
turn the world right side up, for it is now wrong side up, and we
want to turn it over, prepare it, and present it to Him who owns
it, in a more goodly form and attitude than it has been for many
centuries.
203
[Here Elder John T. Caine read a list of the subscriptions to the
Missionary Fund.]
204
We will send our Elders forth to preach, and will furnish, as we
have now, waggons, mules, harness, &c., to those who are not able
to provide those things for themselves. When our Missionaries
reach the frontiers, they will place a fair valuation upon their
animals, &c., the money will be paid to them, and they can at
once proceed to their different fields of labour. I pay them the
money for the property they have at the frontiers, and when they
return I want them to come home as poor as they go away. If any
one wishes to get rich, let him stay here and get rich, and not
enrich himself from the labours and means of the poor Saints
abroad. You may think that I am severe on that course. I am, and
I mean to be, until I stop it. It has been growing and growing,
becoming tall--almost ungovernable and out of my reach; but my
foot is set upon it, and I will walk it under and the influence
of any one who promotes such a principle. If I want to become
wealthy, I will stay here and accumulate property. If brother
Heber C. Kimball, Daniel H. Wells, or the Twelve Apostles want to
accumulate wealth, stay here and do it, and not go into the world
to become rich. When you go into the world, go to preach the
Gospel; and if you have a sixpence, give it to the people. Give
your time and talent to the people; and if the Lord puts money
into your pockets, it is not yours, only for you to use to save
the people spiritually and temporally.
204
We are going to fit out our Elders from here, asking no odds of
the world: we have proved them enough. The gold and the silver
belong to the Lord Almighty, and he will hand it over to us as
fast as we know how to use it to his name's glory. Some say, "If
we had a gold mine, we would do well." If I knew where there was
a gold mine, I would not tell you. I do not want you to find one,
and I do not mean that you shall; or, if you do, it shall be over
my faith. We have gold enough in the world, and it is all the
Lord's, and we do not deserve more than we get. Let us make good
use of that, and send out the Elders.
204
Brother Woolley stated, yesterday, that he wished to see men and
women who are too lazy to cook their victuals come with
handcarts. They are the ones that will not come with handcarts;
they have to be conveyed in waggons; and when they arrive here
they will apostatize. It seems impossible to have them to do so
anywhere else; and we want them here as soon as possible, that
they may apostatize and leave--get out of our way--that we may go
on with our labours; and in this we are making a few devils for
future use, to carry on our kingdoms.
204
Let the brethren who pretend to be Bishops be so indeed, and
gather Tithing. And if the people pretend to pay Tithing, pay it
properly and fairly, so far as you do pay, or let it alone
entirely. Keep your dollars and cents, your horses and mules,
your grain, &c., if you choose; but if you pretend to pay
Tithing, pay it like men: act like men and Saints. We want to
build a Temple on this block. Don't you think that hell will
howl? What did we tell you when we laid those foundation walls?
We told you that all hell would be on the move. That has
transpired, and still they say, "We have not persecuted you;" but
they are liars. Who among them have stepped forward and said,
"Let those men alone?" Only a few. Our friend who came here in
the dead of winter, having left his wife sick nigh unto death, is
one of those who will yet have a celestial crown; he is on the
road to it. When Judge Kinney was in Washington, he spoke well of
this people. So far as I know, he has never spoken evil of this
people, but every time he met an Elder in Washington he received
him as a friend, spoke to him kindly, and was not ashamed to walk
arm-in-arm with him in the streets of that city. There is a
kingdom for him--a kingdom of glory. When they wanted him to come
here as a Governor, I am told that he said, "Yes, if you send no
soldiers there." He has a heart; and I say, God bless him and
every other good, honest man, whether he is a "Mormon" or not.
Who ever walked more correctly in his sphere of business than
Judge Shaver? No man. He was as upright as a man could be. He
came here as a Judge, and he honoured the people, he honoured his
office, he honoured the President in his appointment, and he
honoured the laws of the Territory and the laws of the
Government. There is a kingdom for him; he will have his reward.
205
There is a great difference between persecuting this people and
the people of other sects. God will make persecutors pay every
debt they contract with this people. This is the Priesthood of
the Almighty. God has set his hand the second time to gather the
people. It will not do to trifle with this people. "Touch not
mine anointed," saith the Lord. O ye inhabitants of the earth, be
careful how you infringe upon the Latter-day Saints. They are the
anointed of the Lord, and are like the apple of his eye, and he
will bring you into judgment for every act and move you make
against them. This nation will be shivered to pieces. There is no
cohesion in the particles that compose it. If you touch it, it
will fall to pieces, for it is shattered from its centre to its
circumference. They think it so strange that the "harmonious
democracy" can divide. You might as well try to put out the sun
as to make them united. God is working with them; he is taking
his Spirit from them. They are like water spilled upon the
ground; there is no soundness nor stability left in them; they
are devoid of good sense. God has called away the intelligence he
bestowed upon them, and every move they make will sink them
deeper and deeper in the mire, until they are lost and gone for
ever. We wish them no evil; we heap no coals of fire on their
heads, only be doing them good and exhorting them to refrain from
meddling with this people. The time is nigh when every man that
will not take up his sword against his neighbour must needs flee
to Zion. Where is Zion? Where the organization of the Church of
God is. And may it dwell spiritually in every heart; and may we
so live as to always enjoy the Spirit of Zion! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, October 14, 1860
Brigham Young, October 14, 1860
SOURCE OF INTELLIGENCE--LAWS OF THE GOSPEL, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, October 14, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
205
We have enjoyed interesting and intelligent remarks by brother
Taylor this morning; and perhaps we may all say, with propriety,
that what has been said is sufficient for the present--that we
are now full and need no more. What has been presented is very
true and very satisfactory. I delight in hearing my brethren
speak of things that pertain to God and godliness. Brother Taylor
says there is no intelligence only that which come from God. We
might ask, Is there any valuable fact known by any person, except
by the revelations that flow from the Lord Jehovah? God is the
source, the fountain of all intelligence, no matter who possesses
it, whether man upon the earth, the spirits in the spirit-world,
the angels that dwell in the eternities of the Gods, or the most
inferior intelligence among the devils in hell. All have derived
what intelligence, light, power, and existence they have from
God--from the same source from which we have received ours.
206
My delight, my joy, my life consist of the very things that
brother Taylor has been laying before this congregation. Those
principles pertain to eternal life. It is my delight to hear the
things of God brought to the understanding of the children of
men. This is the beauty of the Gospel we have received. The
excellency of the glory of the character of brother Joseph Smith
was that he could reduce heavenly things to the understanding of
the finite. When he preached to the people--revealed the things
of God, the will of God, the plan of salvation, the purposes of
Jehovah, the relation in which we stand to him and all the
heavenly beings, he reduced his teachings to the capacity of
every man, woman, and child, making them as plain as well-defined
pathway. This should have convinced every person that ever heard
of him of his divine authority and power, for no other man was
able to teach as he could, and no person can reveal the things of
God, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. When we hear a man
that can speak of heavenly things, and present them to the people
in a way that they can be understood, you may know that to that
man the avenue is open, and that he, by some power, has
communication with heavenly beings; and when the highest
intelligence is exhibited, he, perhaps, has communication with
the highest intelligence that exists.
206
This Gospel is my glory. Jesus said to his disciples, "Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart,
and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy and
my burden is light." Why is it so? as brother Taylor has said, it
is through the love that the people should have for the Gospel,
which ought to be more than their love for fathers, mothers,
sisters, brothers, wives, children, houses, lands, goods and
chattels, or anything that pertains to this earth. The Spirit of
revelation, even the Spirit of eternal life, is within that
person who lives so as to bear properly the yoke of Jesus. The
heavens are open to such persons, and they see and understand
things that pertain to eternity, and also the things that pertain
to this earth, which will pass away with it; and those who love
the things of earth will pass away with it. When death takes
them, all is gone.
206
But the person that wears the yoke of Jesus and bears his
burden--who loves the cause of truth and righteousness more than
all else--"Why," says he, "Eternity if full of fathers and
mothers. There is my Father enthroned in glory. He is the Father
of my spirit." God our Father, who dwells in eternity, is the
Father of our spirits and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The man or woman that lives in the revelations of Jesus
Christ can see and understand this. Here are our earthly fathers,
the begetters of our mortal bodies; but there is the foundation
of all the life that I or any other person can possess on the
face of the earth, even God my Father who dwells in the heavens.
There also is my mother.
207
I am not confined to love my father and mother here, if they do
not love God, the fountain of all truth. In the heavens are
fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers. Unless my father, mother,
brother, sister, wife, and child, pertaining to the flesh, love
God supremely, embrace the truth, and follow out the dictates of
the Holy Ghost, they are not my kindred--I do not own them--I
have nothing to do with them; they will perish, die, sink into
forgetfulness, and be as though they had never been; they will
pass away and return to native element. In heaven dwells my
Father. There are the heavenly hosts--my sisters, my brethren, my
kindred, and my friends; they are my bosom acquaintances. We
behold each other with the natural eye, and that is
short-sighted. But had we eyes to see as God sees, we could see
our antipodes as well as we can see each other's faces. We could
see the uttermost parts of the earth and behold all creation as
well at midnight as at noonday. Darkness would be no obstruction,
incorporated matter, this Tabernacle, the houses, the earth, and
even matter that fills space and prevents our seeing objects at
great distances, would be no obstruction to our visions. Then we
should behold that God is here, that our Father dwells here. We
are in his presence, just as much as those who sit at the
farthest side of this congregation are in my presence. There is
much in my presence besides those who sit here, if we had eyes to
see the heavenly beings that are in our presence.
207
The person that wears the yoke of Jesus, that has communication
with the heavens, finds his yoke easy and his burden light; he is
master of it. Wear the yoke of Jesus, bear his burden, and the
revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ will show to every
individual that you are not servants of anything, but that the
principles of eternal life give you the mastery--the supremacy
over all things in heaven and on earth. As the Apostles has
said--"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors,
through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord." "Therefore let no man glory in men;
for all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or
the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to
come; all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's."
All this, and all that men can imagine and a million time more,
God has in store for us. If we are faithful, all is ours. If we
trample sin and iniquity under our feet, then we are the masters,
which makes the yoke easy and the burden light.
207
As has been observed, it is hard for a person to give up his
appetites, and yield his passions and will to the will of God.
The son and the father, the child and the mother, the servant and
the master, are all amenable to the laws of the land in which
they live. They are all under law: if not, they are a law unto
themselves. They know right from wrong, and are restricted from
doing wrong. The Gods are under the same restriction. If people
do not observe the principles by which they should be guided,
they sink under condemnation. If they follow correct laws, they
preserve the identity of their character to all eternity, and
will dwell with the Gods, angels, and those that inherit
eternity. If we yield ourselves servants to obey the principles
that hold us in existence, it gives to us our exaltation, and
glorifies us with the Gods, and puts all things under our feet.
What a glorious law that is! There is nothing here, except the
sin within us, that repels this law. Trample every feeling that
is opposed to this law under your feet.
208
The majority of the world of mankind would rather be damned than
oppose their appetites. They feel like following them at the
expense of their salvation. They do not like to be under the
restriction of truth and right. They want to be where they can do
what they please. They obey the law of death, and will have their
reward and reap the extent of their wages; for they will have
death, and nobody can have life but those that inherit it from
God. All that refuse the truth--the Gospel of salvation, and
yield themselves obedient to the law of sin and death, will reap
in full the reward of their doings. It is hard for a child to
obey its parents, for a servant to obey his master, and for
people to obey the laws of the land. You frequently hear some
persons grumbling about the laws of this city, and about the laws
of this Territory, which are wholesome and good. Why don't such
persons live as some others do? I live above the laws. They do
not in the least infringe upon me. The City Council never passed
an ordinance that infringed upon me or upon my rights. Our
Legislature has never passed a law that infringed upon me,
because I live above the law through honouring every particle of
it. In this course the law is beneath my feet and is my servant,
not my master, Thousands live in this way.
208
The laws of the Gospel are neither more nor less than a few of
the principles of eternity revealed to the people, by which they
return to heaven from whence they came. A few of the laws of the
Gospel have been revealed to us in the last days, by which we can
begin and walk the path back into the presence of the Father and
the Son, having the communication opened between the heavens and
the earth to reveal the will of God to the children of men. We
delight in the heavenly law--in that law that will preserve us to
all eternity. We delight more in this than in everything else.
Here are my fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, wives, children.
"What, are there wives and children for me in the eternal
worlds?" Yes.
208
Let me here say a word to console the feelings and hearts of all
who belong to this Church. Many of the sisters grieve because
they are not blessed with offspring. You will see the time when
you will have millions of children around you. If you are
faithful to your covenants, you will be mothers of nations. You
will become Eves to earths like this; and when you have assisted
in peopling one earth, there are millions of earths still in the
course of creation. And when they have endured a thousand million
times longer than this earth, it is only as it were the beginning
of your creations. Be faithful, and if you are not blest with
children in this time, you will be hereafter. But I would not
dare tell you all I know about these matters, though I know but
little: still I am not a fool in the things of God, neither is
brother Taylor, though he saw so much to learn that he did not
realize that he had learned anything. We have learned a great
deal, although we are still but babes and sucklings in the things
of God; yet the truth and knowledge we possess pertaining to the
plan of salvation outweigh all possessed by others on the earth.
Be faithful, and you will delight in the things of God, and bear
the yoke--carry the burden God has placed on you to bear.
209
Brother Taylor lifted his arm, and asked by what power he did it.
It is by that inherent divinity you call will; God has placed it
in every being. When you go into the dramshops in Whiskey-street,
(Elders go there!) the salutation is, "How do you do, brother?
Won't you take a glass with me?" I have power to lift a glass and
hand it to my brother, and say, "No; I do not drink any strong
drink." "Oh, come, take a little for friendship's sake." I have
power to hand it to my neighbour's lips, and my neighbour has
power to dash it out of my hands. Who has given me that power? It
is inherent in me. What do you do, when these are presented to
you--when the cup is handed to your lips? Will you partake of it,
or say, (taking a glass of water in his hand,) Here are my best
wishes for you to do right, but you may go to the Devil with your
whiskey (dashing the water upon the floor). Have I the power to
do this? You call it will. It is the divinity God has placed in
his intelligent creatures. It is for us to overcome every evil
passion we have, in consequence of the fall.
209
The Devil has the mastery of the earth: he has corrupted it, and
has corrupted the children of men. He has led them in evil until
they are almost entirely ruined, and are so far from God that
they neither know Him nor his influence, and have almost lost
sight of everything that pertains to eternity. This darkness is
more prevalent, more dense, among the people of Christendom, than
it is among the heathen. They have lost sight of all that is
great and glorious--of all principles that pertain to life
eternal.
209
Will you overcome evil? You have power to do so, for God has
given you this power. You can toss the proffered glass to the
ground, dash it out of your neighbour's hand, or drink its
contents, be a fool, wallow in the gutter, and die the death of a
fool. Do as you please. I do not know of anything but what I am
master of, with regard to appetite, as I have often told you. If
I were not, I would at once have a war with myself.
209
What is there that I cannot do without? Can I do without seeing
my father and mother pertaining to the earth? I can. I have not
seen them for many years. My mother died when I was fourteen
years of age, and my father died a few weeks after I left the
States for England, in 1839. After the driving from Missouri, he
said that he did not want to live any longer. I have not seen him
for a long time. Can I do without seeing him? Yes, and pass my
time comfortably. Suppose my wives and children should say,
"Husband, father, we are going to leave you, unless you do thus
and so." I would say, Leave as quickly as you please, every one
of you. My children, if they are froward and will not believe and
obey the Gospel, are no more to me than the children now sitting
here. Here are my children, that I can take to my bosom, that
will love and serve God; and they are dearer to me than those I
have, unless they love the Lord Jesus Christ.
209
I do not believe it possible, since I have been baptized into
this Church, for a woman to be presented to me that I could love,
were she not in the Church of Jesus Christ and did not love the
Gospel. That is my feeling to-day, and I expect it to remain from
henceforth and for ever.
209
The discourse we have heard this morning is excellent. It seemed
to me as though the heavens were here and I could talk about them
with a very good feeling, and induce the people to see and
understand correct principles. How quickly they would shun evil
and forsake that which would drag them down to everlasting ruin,
if they could but see it.
209
Brethren and sisters, let us treasure up in our hearts all the
good we can learn, and forsake all the evil we meet with--walk it
under our feet. Evil is not worthy the notice and attention of
these intelligences. Heavenly things and eternal principles will
exalt those intelligences in the eternities of the Gods: these
principles alone are worthy of your attention.
209
May the Lord help us to choose the way of life and salvation, and
to be prepared to enjoy his society hereafter! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, September 2, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, September 2, 1860
THE GOSPEL COMMISSION, &c.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 2, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
210
You have all heard what has been said, and I presume there is not
an intelligent mind here to-day but what could say Amen. Every
person can hear and judge for himself. In judging, you must be
sure and judge a righteous judgment, which is to judge without
prejudice.
210
The enemies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
are so prejudiced against this people, that they cannot hear the
truth, neither can they open their minds to receive it. It is
with them that speak evil of the religion we profess, as they
said anciently, "There can no good thing come out of Nazareth."
They did not believe it possible that the Saviour could come out
of such a place as Nazareth, and now the world do not believe
that any good can be produced by this people; but we know that
all the truth there is on the earth belongs to this kingdom and
people, and that which has been revealed in the last days is
comprehended by many of the Saints of God in these mountains.
210
It is our duty as a people to practise our religion, and not say
that we are Latter-day Saints and never practise it; but when we
say so, let us practise that religion which teacheth us to do
good, to be generous, and extend the hand of benevolence to all
men. This is our religion, and it is the religion which Christ
taught.
210
Now, I will bring up a saying of Jesus, used when giving a
commandment to his Apostles, and that commandment is to us. He
said, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world." (Matthew, 28th chap.)
210
This is the commission that Jesus Christ gave to his Apostles,
and he authorized them to call others and place upon them that
authority necessary to qualify them to administer the ordinances
of the Lord's house, and make them ministers of righteousness. In
another place his commission to them is worded a little
differently. It reads as follows:--"Go ye into all the world, and
preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my
name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover." (Mark, chap. 16, ver. 15-18.)
211
If you have a little water sprinkled in your face, poured upon
your head, or you kneel in the water, is that baptism? No; you
must go and be buried with Christ--be immersed--overwhelmed in
the water. This requirement is binding upon all, both high and
low. Kings upon their thrones have got to bow to it or be damned.
And I will say to you, gentlemen and ladies, who have not
complied with this, you will have to do so in a day to come,
before you can receive an exaltation in the kingdom of God; for
the day will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue
confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This
is the Gospel of Christ that we preach, and it is going to all
the nations of the earth; and it will never stop till every ear
shall have heard the sound, and every tongue confess that Jesus
is the Lord.
211
I introduced the Gospel into Europe 23 years ago. Now where is
it? It has spread throughout many of the European countries, its
sound has been heard in Asia, Africa, and Australasia, and in
many of the islands, and tens of thousands have received the
truth. I know that this is the Gospel of Christ, and it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth and
practises it; but it is not the power of God to those who do not
practise it.
211
If this Gospel of the kingdom had been preached in its simplicity
by all the Elders, there would have been a thousand in the Church
now where there is one. But the Elders preach everything to the
world but what they are sent to preach. Instead of going down to
the root of the matter, and coming up to the trunk and limbs,
they begin at the top and cram it down; yes, they make them
swallow the tree top foremost.
211
Now, in all the missions of President Young and myself, there was
never a circumstance occurred where men wanted to argue and hold
discussion with us, because we presented the plain truth. But
when men reason upon things they know nothing about, they get
into trouble. It is the duty of the Elders to simplify everything
as they can, go down to the roots, and do not take hold of the
biggest roots but the small ones, and show them gradually every
principle that pertains to eternal life.
211
If men that are going to preach the Gospel will do this, the Lord
will teach them something, for he is a natural mechanic; and that
man is a natural preacher and a natural being who is like his
father; for our God is a natural man, and as President Young
says, our Heavenly Father is the beginning, the first of all
mechanics. Where did he get his knowledge from? From his Father,
just as we get knowledge from our earthly parents. Why, bless
you, there are men in this Church that knew my grandfather, and I
knew my father, and many of you know your fathers. Now, you know
me, all of you, and I have offspring, and they are acquainted
with me, and know considerable of my mind. Then why not the
children of our Heavenly Father know his mind and will? If the
people were in the beginning, they would be much more intelligent
than they are now.
211
In relation to the way in which I look upon the works of God and
his creatures, I will say that I was naturally begotten; so was
my father, and also my Saviour Jesus Christ. According to the
Scriptures, he is the first begotten of his father in the flesh,
and there was nothing unnatural about it.
212
I will say to all friends, neighbours, and visitors, and all the
world that have not complied with the Gospel, Repent of your sins
and be baptized for the remission of them, and receive the Holy
Ghost by the laying on of hands by those having authority. Be
honest, and seek to serve the Lord your God. This is my advice to
you and those of my brethren that have come in with the
handcarts, or what I call the Independent Company of the United
States. Be Saints; live your religion; be upright and virtuous in
all things. Do you think you will find sharks here? Yes, I tell
you there are plenty of sharks, and lots of those sawfish; and
then there are those that will try to fulfil the Saviour's words
respecting entertaining strangers, and they will take you in, and
they will shave you of every dime you have in the world; and if
they cannot shave you, they will steal from you. I want to warn
you of it, for that very kind of characters shaved me and stole
some of my cattle, and they have stolen from my brethren and
sisters; and the greatest suffering we have with such men is to
bear with such a set of ungodly creatures; and it is the worst
thing, and the most troublesome and oppressive, to have such kind
of characters on the Plains. And this is the effect of the late
reformation, when the United States sent the flower of the army
to civilize us.
212
We have just such men here, and they bemean us all, and it is
hard to find any meaner men than they are. I will tell you it is
hard work to deal with such a hard set of people. A more wicked
set of scoundrels never lived than we have got here. Is it not
too bad to be afflicted with such like creatures? It is hard, but
we have got to bear it, and we shall have to bear it till the
Gospel net gathers of every kind of fish, and the Lord says, Go
forth and reap. He will gather the wheat into the garner, that
the tares may be burned; and that day will soon come.
212
God bless you, and peace be with you! Righteousness attend you,
and your wives, and your children after you! God bless the
mountains and valleys, and root out the wicked and the ungodly,
that they may not have power to combine against us, is my prayer.
Amen.
212
GOSPEL OF SALVATION, &c.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 2, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
212
I do not know but the people feel tired. I have tired a great
many times, but I always stick to it till I get over it; and I
don't know of any other way for you to do.
212
We have had the Gospel of salvation preached to us to-day. You
Elders take the words of Paul where he says--"For I am not
ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek. (Romans, chap. 1, verse 16.)
213
We know the Gospel is true, and so did Lucifer know it; but did
that save him? No, it did not; but it was the power of God unto
damnation. The Gospel that we have heard to-day will be the power
of God unto salvation to every man and woman that has heard it
and will practise it and live up to it: then I will warrant every
one of you to be saved in the kingdom of God, and a part in the
first resurrection, with power to enjoy it. What we have heard
to-day I know to be true by the Holy Ghost and the revelations of
Jesus; and I know it by every sense that is within me, from the
crown of my head to the soles of my feet; and so do you, if you
have the Spirit of God.
213
Now, when I take a text, I take the whole of it and apply it to
the whole. It is as President Young was saying this forenoon, the
Lord is a holy and just being; but where is man? Going forth in
the name of the Lord, preaching the Gospel and promising those
who obey it the gift of the Holy Ghost? Where is the man that has
authority for laying hands upon the sick and manifesting the
gifts and graces of the Gospel? There are none except the
Latter-day Saints. The moment a man complies with these
requirements he becomes a sheep in the sheepfold, and all who do
not comply will be damned. Will the condemnation of those how
violate the law, after having covenanted to keep it, be greater
than that of those who have not received the Gospel? The moment a
young man leaves the Church, he is then a traitor to the law of
laws. You know the law of nations is that when a man becomes a
traitor to the law of the land, all he has is confiscated, and he
is punished accordingly; and so it is in the Church and kingdom
of God.
213
Brethren, my advice to you who have lived here for years--to
those who have come here with handcarts and waggons, is, Go to
work and prepare yourselves for the winter. Go and lay up your
grain, that you may not be poor and destitute next spring, and
have to beg your bread. This is very necessary for us to do. Some
will say, I wish you would not talk about wheat any more; for if
we have more bread than we want, we have to sell it and buy
clothing. I wish to say to all such, Go and get some sheep and
make some clothes for yourselves, and be independent of those
that come here to sell goods. Some of the merchants have been
here from nine to ten years and although we have made them rich,
yet when all hell was boiling over against us, they would not say
a word in our favour; and you need not go down Whisky Street more
than twenty rods to find them. I will see them in heaven, or in
that other place, which they say has no bottom in it, before I
will patronize such men any more.
213
Now, if hell has no bottom in it, those who were sent there would
crawl out at the other side. If the inhabitants of the earth
could be persuaded of the absurdity of the sectarian notions,
they would not care much about the hell they believe in. You
know, if sectarianism be true, the wicked will have to go down
and down, and never stop! I would not suppose they would ever
stop falling in a pit, if the bottom was out.
213
I do not wish to dwell upon these absurdities, but I desire you
to go to work and save your grain against a day of famine. I am
told that flour is now selling at $8 per hundred, and wheat at 75
cents per bushel; but then some say they cannot get the money to
buy it with. You can, if you will work for it, and work cheap
enough; but if you want and demand from $2.50 to $4.00 per day,
you won't get it.
214
My advice is, Take care of yourselves; and when you sustain
yourselves, you sustain President Young and Brother Wells; and
when we sustain yourselves, we sustain each other. We should be
like unto a tree whose limbs are all united; for we shall never
gain the victory until we become one--of one heart and one mind.
While you are trying to gain the victory, the Devil will try to
get your blessings from you. The blessings are yours, but look
out that the Devil don't get them away from you.
214
I expect that many of you who have come in from Denmark, Sweden,
Norway, England, and the United States, will turn away. I expect
to see this and why? Because some of you will see some faults in
the Presidency of the Church, the Twelve, and the brethren.
Perhaps you will go to work and get a pile of firewood, go to bed
at night, and when you get up in the morning half of it will be
stolen. Probably you will get a hundred of flour, and
three-fourths of that will be stolen; you will then get a pig,
and that will be stolen. In the next place you get a cow, and
when you get up in the morning you will find her milked. Then you
will say we have had enough of this milking business, and you
will find fault with the authorities because of these things; and
very likely there are some of you who have come here for the
loaves and fishes, and to steal from others. If you have, repent;
and if you have not, you used to practise those things where you
came from, therefore you have need to repent and do right.
214
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
forsakes evil and does right--who walks in the ways of
righteousness and truth.
214
I have been irritated frequently with the conduct of the
brethren, and I have often thought that if I could get hold of
them I could cuff their ears. We have some of those loose,
careless characters here, I have no doubt. The difficulties with
many are that when they came here they brought themselves, and
the worst characters they will have to deal with will be
themselves.
214
I have frequently taken in brethren that have come in with the
handcarts, given them wood, flour, and meat and vegetables; and
they are welcome till they get settled, and then they must go to
work and earn their own living. I have had such men around me,
and they said they never saw the like in their lives. They were
not worthy of my hospitality. I have eaten some of their oatmeal
porridge when I was over there. I did not get much meat in those
days; but now and then we got some meat-pie, as they called it,
but there was precious little meat in them. They were like the
bean-porridge that President Young and I got in Vermont, and I
would have defied anybody to find a bean in it!
214
It is no disgrace to be poor. I have been so poor that I could
not get up in the morning! That may seem funny, but it is true. I
have lived in Vermont when I did not have half of what they have
in Europe, and I have seen as poor people in the United States as
I ever saw in the cities in England; and they are the ones that
receive this Gospel. Now, here there is not one man in twenty but
has got a good farm and raised from one hundred to a thousand
bushels of grain. What have they to complain of? They complain
because our Father in heaven is too kind to them. Are there still
vacant lands here? Yes, enough to locate every man upon that will
come into the Church for five years to come. There never has been
so much grain raised in these valleys, since we have been here,
as we have raised this year; and still, if you don't look out,
there will be suffering here before another harvest.
215
I have not sold my wheat or flour to the world, and I am inclined
to think that I shall not do it yet: I will try to be a saviour
to my brethren and to all the house of Israel. We should all do
this, and take an industrious and saving course. I will say, Let
our brethren go and glean, that they may help themselves to some
bread.
215
Brethren, I will not continue any longer; but my heart feels to
bless this people, the elect of God, the righteous sons and
daughters of the Most High, with their seed after them, for ever.
Father, give thine angels charge over them to bear them off
victoriously, that their feet may never slip nor their tongues
speak guile, but that they may become one in their purpose.
215
I hardly ever pray but I pray for the valleys in which we live,
and that the indignation of the Almighty may rest upon every
enemy. This is a choice land, and we are in the chambers of the
Lord; and I tell you, if you besmear the chamber, you will never
be permitted to go down into the parlour. Woe unto them that
attempt to corrupt and work wickedly in the chambers of the Lord.
215
Brethren, be faithful and humble, and you shall be blest. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Erastus
Snow, August 26, 1860
Erastus Snow, August 26, 1860
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT AND SPIRITUAL ADVANCEMENT, &c.
Remarks by Elder Erastus Snow, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 26, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
215
It is so seldom that I address my brethren and sisters from this
stand, that I find my bow unstrung, figuratively speaking.
(President B. Young: Is your harp upon the willows?) Perhaps I
may say that my harp is upon the willows, so far as public
speaking is concerned. But, notwithstanding, I sing but little
and pray but little, and use the bow but little. I have not
altogether lost the power of discernment, or the power to
appreciate the sweet sounds of the heavenly music; and I
oftentimes feel that it were far better to exercise upon those
gifts and callings of God whenever we are called to act; and to
use one of brother Kimball's phrases--"It is far better to wear
out than to rust out."
216
If I understand myself correctly, I feel this morning, as I have
felt the greater part of my life, to be devoted mentally and
physically, as far as duty requires and circumstances permit, and
as the Lord and my brethren call, and as the Spirit of the Lord
shall dictate, to the happiness of my fellow-men and to the
advancement of the kingdom of God upon the earth. I will say
further of myself, that it is not a lack of willingness and
disposition on my part to labour and to do good; it is not from a
lack of desire to magnify the Priesthood--to honour my God--to
promote his cause--to build up his kingdom--to increase the
happiness of his subjects; but it is ignorance or weakness.
216
When I reflect upon the past and contrast it with the present, so
far as I myself am concerned, I can occasionally discover the
weakness of my faculties and perceive hindrances to their
exercise. I do not know that this is anything peculiar or
strange, but I can say that my heart rejoices in the things of
God. When I hear the things of the kingdom and the truths of the
Gospel--those that are old to you and me--though we have heard
those truths sounded in our ears at different times in our lives,
they are still precious and cheering our hearts, refreshing to
our intellects, brightening up our hopes, encouraging our
spirits, awakening in us charity and love towards our God and
towards his creatures, stimulating us to love our religion, and
render ourselves worthy of that everlasting Father who has
produced us, and who has sent us forth upon this earth to gain an
experience and to prove ourselves here in the flesh.
216
When we contemplate these things that have been revealed, the
purposes of our Father in heaven concerning his creatures, his
magnanimity, his extensive preparations for the happiness and the
exaltation of those intelligent beings, to give unto them all
that they are capable of receiving, and to stimulate them by
every possible inducement to faithfulness, to glory, and to
exaltation,--when we reflect upon these things, they are
calculated, if we are able to appreciate that which is sublime,
that which is ennobling, that which is Godlike and
glorious,--they are calculated to inspire in every heart a good
degree of affection and love to our Heavenly Father, and also
obedience to his will, and at the same time to inspire in us a
love for each other, and to all that part of his creatures who
are created in the image of our Father, and who are called and
destined to inherit eternal life, or, in other words, to preserve
their identity for ever and for ever; and the whole subject of
the Gospel of salvation and the principles which are revealed for
the guidance of mankind here in the flesh are designed and
calculated in their nature to cement the hearts of the children
of men together, to make them see and feel that they are one
family,--that their duties to each other are those of common
brotherhood. We must learn to know that, in serving each other
here in the flesh, we serve our God, promote his glory; and in
that we promote the happiness, glory, and exaltation of his
children, our brethren and sisters.
217
It is by mental improvement and spiritual advancement that we
increase our happiness, and by the enlargement of our
understanding we increase in light, virtue, and intelligence. So,
by bringing before the understanding of men the truths of heaven,
we inspire them with love for the truth--a love of goodness and
integrity; and thus, by our mental efforts, by wholesome
counsels, kind examples, and affectionate regards, spiritually
and physically we are the means of bringing them into closer
communication with the Lord; or if our labour be in promoting the
comfort and welfare of the tabernacles of men, aiding and
assisting them physically and temporally, doing that which adds
to the comfort or supplies the wants of the body, we are doing
good and promoting the happiness of the children of men. To be
sure, this is and ought to be secondary with us; for as the life
we possess and enjoy is more than meat, and the body more than
drink, so is the spirit, being first created, of paramount
importance, and consequently the body is secondary. The body was
not first created and afterward the spirit formed in the
tabernacle, but we are informed in the revelations that God has
given, that we were created and organized in the spirit-world, in
the image and likeness of our Father in heaven, and consequently
our physical tabernacles were formed for the benefit and in
behalf of the spirit, and adapted to the use of the spirit
prepared for its habitation and dwellingplace; not to be the
master and controller of the spirit, to govern and dictate it,
but, on the contrary, to be for the spirit, to be subject to it,
under its control, dictation, and guidance in every sense of the
word. And it is with this view and for this purpose that the Lord
has revealed unto us that those spirits will be held accountable
for the acts of the mortal tabernacle; for it is understood that
the deeds done in and by the tabernacle are done by and with the
consent of the spirit. Notwithstanding, Paul may have said, "When
I would do good, evil is present with me;" and he excused himself
by saying, "It is not I that sinneth, but the spirit that is in
me; for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
217
Now, I am willing to let the Apostle Paul excuse himself in this
manner, for I should think he made a bad selection of words if he
were to represent things otherwise; but as for the deeds or
actions I am so far from excusing the spirit in any sense of the
word that I should entirely condemn it on the ground that every
man is responsible for the deeds done in the body; and therefore
it can only be taken at best as an apology or palliation for the
dereliction of duty, caused by the weakness of the flesh and its
liability to temptation; but not in the least degree can it be
regarded as justification. The Lord has said that he cannot look
upon sin with the least degree of allowance, and that he has not
placed the spirit subject to this tabernacle, and will not
justify it in being dictated or governed by the body. He has
required of us to study to understand our true position before
Him and before each other as the offspring of the Almighty here
upon the earth; and as we study our own positions, and study
ourselves properly, we shall at the same time comprehend
measurably, the condition of those of our fellows around us with
whom we are surrounded; and in comprehending our true position
and the position of our fellow-creatures about us, we shall
understand our callings and destiny and the purposes of our
Heavenly Father.
217
This will lead us to the comprehension of the duties we owe to
each other. Through our ignorance, we may oftentimes do things
that will operate both against our own interest and happiness,
and against the interests and happiness of those with whom we are
associated, and whose interests and happiness we desire to
promote. These things occur in our experience, and are faults and
weaknesses in mankind, occasioned through ignorance. Are these
excusable? Yes, I understand that our Heavenly Father excuses
them. We all have a great desire to excuse ourselves, and we
desire to be excused by our friends and by our brethren and
sisters, and in turn we try to excuse their faults and
imperfections in like manner. But are we justified in these
things? No; I understand that it is useless for us to talk about
being justified in our ignorance or dereliction of duty,--at
least, so long as light is placed before us, and we have the
privilege of becoming acquainted with the things of God and doing
our duty.
218
We are very differently situated from the world of mankind, who
are without the Gospel, without the light of truth, and who have
not received the Priesthood, who have not received the
revelations of the Holy Spirit to teach and guide them: they
possess not the advantages of acquiring this understanding and of
perfecting themselves in the knowledge of God as do the Saints.
With the Latter-day Saints, who are favoured with the light of
the revelations of heaven, with the voice of Prophets, with the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, with the privilege of walking in
the light of Christ, and the privilege of obeying the everlasting
Gospel, in all things it is vastly different. It is their
privilege to learn themselves and their position before God, and
to study the interest and happiness of those with whom they are
associated, to do all they can to fit them for that higher
position and order of intelligence and glory which has been
referred to this morning by our President, and which are touched
upon in the vision which God gave to Joseph Smith and Sidney
Rigdon in February, 1832.
218
We are called upon by the revelations that are given to us, and
by the living oracles, to be Saints of God and heirs of celestial
glory. Are we heirs to celestial glory? I understand that every
son and daughter of Adam who hear the sound of the everlasting
Gospel when it is proclaimed by a servant of God having
authority, and who yield obedience to that Gospel, and who retain
the Holy Spirit, and offer themselves in humility as candidates
and receive baptism for the remission of sins,--such persons
become candidates for celestial honours--for that inheritance
which is eternal and fadeth not away, and eventually become
prepared to enter into the glory and presence of the Father and
the Son. This is the promise to the Saints, if they continue
faithful, and in all things abide the law of the Lord, and keep
sacred and holy the covenants they made in baptism. It is faith
in the first principles of the Gospel, faith in the first
testimony that is presented, and repentance of their past sins,
and baptism for the remission of sins, laying on of hands by the
Elders for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that they may receive the
remission of sins and the blessings of the Holy Spirit, and that
they may be endowed with power to prophesy, to speak in tongues,
to interpret tongues, to heal the sick, and rebuke evil spirits,
and cast them out from those possessed; yes, that they may even
have faith to raise the dead, and exercise the power of God in
every case of necessity.
219
Does this prepare them for the celestial kingdom of our God? If
they have in reality taken upon themselves the name of Christ and
kept sacred their covenants, and the Almighty should take them to
himself, and thus cut short their mortal career, I understand
that they are saved. But so long s they remain upon the earth in
the flesh, they remain under the same obligation to serve the
Lord today as much as yesterday, and then continue the next day
and the next week as they were at first to repent and be baptized
for the remission of their sins, when the commandment of the Lord
comes to them in England, Australia, Denmark, Switzerland, and
the islands of the sea, to gather up their substance, come to the
gathering-place, and assist in building up the Zion of our God,
and to assist in establishing his kingdom in the tops of the
mountains. Until then, there is another commandment binding upon
them, which is a part of the law of the Lord; and if they are
required to contribute to feed the poor, clothe the naked, and
assist this people in the great work of the gathering, and donate
for the building up of the Zion of our God, this is a part of
their duty, and it is included in the commandments of the Lord to
them as heirs of celestial glory.
219
If they then begin to say in their hearts, "I have served the
Lord for a little season; I have been baptized; I have received
the Holy Ghost, and have become some great one; I have received
the gift of tongues, and have prophesied; I have received the
power of healing the sick, and other manifestations of the power
and mercies of the Almighty; I think I can remain where I am and
do well in disregarding the counsels of the Almighty respecting
gathering together and dividing my substance for the gathering of
the poor and building up of Zion." It will be said to them who
speak and act thus, as it was said to them who speak and act
thus, as it was said to Nebuchadnezzar of old. If they cling to
that which is given, and set their hearts upon the things of this
world, and love them more than they do the kingdom of our God,
those blessings will be withdrawn, the Holy Ghost will be taken
from them, and that light received through obedience to the first
principles of the Gospel will flee away; that love which they
possessed will leave them, and that light received through
obedience to the first principles of the Gospel will flee away;
that love which they possessed will leave them, and they will
become weak as before and darker than ever, unless they speedily
repent and turn unto the Lord with all their hearts. Then, if
there is sufficient integrity left in them, the Lord may have
forbearance and patience to try them a little longer; but it will
be by leading them in such a path and such a line of experience
as to altogether strip them of the idol of their hearts, and
leave them in poverty and wretchedness. And when they have
experienced wretchedness until, like Nebuchadnezzar, they have
learned that the Most High reigns, and that he gave them all they
have, and that they are nothing but his stewards, then they may
peradventure receive again the favour and blessings of Heaven.
219
This lesson we have all got to learn--that we and all that we
possess is the Lord's, and that continually, and that we must for
ever hold ourselves subject to his counsels and ready to obey his
will.
219
If we are called upon to bear the vessels of the Lord, to be
witnesses of those things that we have seen and heard, and to go
forth to a gainsaying and reviling world, we have got to lay
aside personal considerations of selfishness, lay aside the ties
of home, and go forth trusting in God, and have all confidence in
him, taking our lives in our hands, like the disciples of Christ
went, as lambs in the midst of wolves, and bear witness of the
truth, nothing wavering or flinching; and whether it be to those
of our native tongue, or to individuals of other tongues, or to
the islands of the sea, they are all our kindred and the
offspring of our Father, heirs of the same grace and life; and we
are bound to extend the same blessings that we have received. As
we have received freely, so we should be willing to freely
impart, and as God had mercy and regard for us and our
fellow-creatures, so we should give to those who are waiting to
receive, who are of our Father and heirs to all his blessings.
220
These Elders of Israel before me to-day should feel continually;
yes, all the Elders, Priests, and Apostles, and all the people of
God should feel this saving, heavenly feeling; and every woman
should feel this to her husband who may be called and found
worthy to bear a portion of the holy Priesthood and be a witness
for the Lord and of his word. And every true, faithful Latter-day
Saint--yes, every mother and wife in Israel do feel this, and
under no consideration would they throw an impediment in the way
of their father, husband, or brother, to prevent their going to
bear this message of life, or, if required to build up the
temples of our God, to establish the cities of Zion, to cultivate
the earth, and make it produce that which is necessary for the
sustenance of the people of God; and if their duties are to
labour physically while in this tabernacle, they should be
willing to do it, and do it with the same missionary zeal and the
same feeling that they would preach the Gospel.
220
Finally, we should all feel that all we possess is the
Lord's--that he adds to our labours and gives us our reward,
whether we deserve much or little; and when we have this feeling,
and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all things, we are
right--we are in the path of duty and of safety.
220
May God bless you, brethren and sisters, in the name of Jesus!
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, June 13, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, June 13, 1860
BLESSINGS.
Remarks by Heber C. Kimball, made in Kay's Ward,
June 13, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
221
I have not much to say; but I feel as though I had a right in my
calling, and by virtue of the holy Priesthood upon me, to bless
you, and to pray the blessing of our Father and God to be with
you, in connection with the blessing you have received from
President Young. I feel to bless the earth, and to bless the seed
you may place on the earth--you and your children, and your
children's children. I am aware that you are not fully aware of
the great work that will yet spring from this people, and the
great work of our Father that has to be accomplished in the
latter day.
221
Brethren and sisters, let us go to work now and cultivate the
earth. I see a great deal of land here that is vacated. I am glad
of it, for some have tried to farm more than they could attend to
well, and have made nothing. Let us cultivate well what we do
cultivate--make gardens and adorn them, and build good houses and
adorn them. What a blessing it is for this people to have the
privilege of beautifying the earth and making it like it was in
the beginning in the garden of Eden! It is not necessary to build
such tremendous great houses, but houses that we can complete and
plaster over head, and on the sides and all over, and make them
beautiful.
221
We shall be blessed and stay in these mountains. You need not be
disheartened, for we shall stay here, and all hell cannot help
it. We have done as they told us, until we got into the
mountains, and here we will do the will of our Father in heaven,
he helping us. Let us prepare ourselves, that, when we go to
Jackson County, we shall know how to do right, and make beautiful
gardens, &c.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, June 12, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, June 12, 1860
May God bless you! Amen.
221
BLESSINGS.
Remarks by Heber C. Kimball, made at Ogden City,
June 12, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
221
I can say, as President Young has said, God bless you, and peace
from God our Father be with you always; and may peace be
multiplied unto you, and to the whole house of Israel, and to the
elect in all the world. I am not disposed to say much; I am not
very well in health.
221
We have had a very pleasant journey. I think I can say with
safety it has been one of the most pleasant journeys that I have
ever taken. On all other journeys that I have ever travelled with
the Saints, the companies have been strictly organized; but on
this journey we have not been organized at all, and every man has
been orderly in every respect. We have been into one of the most
beautiful valleys in these mountains. Last Sabbath, at Logan, we
met with, I suppose, about half as many people as there are here
to-day--just as good a set of people as I ever beheld. A great
many started to go there that were disaffected--those that were
inclined to turn away from Mormonism. I supposed they were in
Cache Valley; but they are not there: they went somewhere else.
We do not know of any there but good people. And it is a good
land: the people, and the mountains, and the valleys, and
fountains of water are all good.
221
We still feel to bless Ogden City and the regions round about,
and this people are going to be blessed mightily--I mean all the
righteous--although there a great many, perhaps, who are
wicked--who are inclined to steal--to be dishonest. But the Lord
God will bless the righteous all the time, and he will not
forsake us; and the wicked will come to an end. This world will
roll on, and the kingdom is established here in the tops of the
mountains; and it never will be removed--no, not one hair's
breadth. We never shall go from these mountains until the Lord
God calls us to go, or when we go back to the central place, in
Jackson County, where the Lord God our Father planted his garden
and commenced his work; and there he will finish it, and that day
is near at hand. Therefore let your hearts be of good cheer, and
let your souls rejoice, and cultivate the earth in hope, and
enrich it, and make the earth like a garden, as our Father did;
for when he comes, he will not make the garden for us, but he
will cause his sons and daughters to do it--that is, those that
are qualified for it; and those that are not qualified, of
course, will be taken by them as apprentices to learn.
"Mormonism" is true, and all persons that raise their hands
against it will perish; and this is their end--they will go down
to hell.
221
God bless you, brethren! Peace by with you, and peace by
multiplied upon this people for ever, and upon their children
after them for ever. Amen.
221
BLESSINGS.
Remarks by Heber C. Kimball, made at Ogden City,
June 12, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
221
I can say, as President Young has said, God bless you, and peace
from God our Father be with you always; and may peace be
multiplied unto you, and to the whole house of Israel, and to the
elect in all the world. I am not disposed to say much; I am not
very well in health.
221
We have had a very pleasant journey. I think I can say with
safety it has been one of the most pleasant journeys that I have
ever taken. On all other journeys that I have ever travelled with
the Saints, the companies have been strictly organized; but on
this journey we have not been organized at all, and every man has
been orderly in every respect. We have been into one of the most
beautiful valleys in these mountains. Last Sabbath, at Logan, we
met with, I suppose, about half as many people as there are here
to-day--just as good a set of people as I ever beheld. A great
many started to go there that were disaffected--those that were
inclined to turn away from Mormonism. I supposed they were in
Cache Valley; but they are not there: they went somewhere else.
We do not know of any there but good people. And it is a good
land: the people, and the mountains, and the valleys, and
fountains of water are all good.
221
We still feel to bless Ogden City and the regions round about,
and this people are going to be blessed mightily--I mean all the
righteous--although there a great many, perhaps, who are
wicked--who are inclined to steal--to be dishonest. But the Lord
God will bless the righteous all the time, and he will not
forsake us; and the wicked will come to an end. This world will
roll on, and the kingdom is established here in the tops of the
mountains; and it never will be removed--no, not one hair's
breadth. We never shall go from these mountains until the Lord
God calls us to go, or when we go back to the central place, in
Jackson County, where the Lord God our Father planted his garden
and commenced his work; and there he will finish it, and that day
is near at hand. Therefore let your hearts be of good cheer, and
let your souls rejoice, and cultivate the earth in hope, and
enrich it, and make the earth like a garden, as our Father did;
for when he comes, he will not make the garden for us, but he
will cause his sons and daughters to do it--that is, those that
are qualified for it; and those that are not qualified, of
course, will be taken by them as apprentices to learn.
"Mormonism" is true, and all persons that raise their hands
against it will perish; and this is their end--they will go down
to hell.
221
God bless you, brethren! Peace by with you, and peace by
multiplied upon this people for ever, and upon their children
after them for ever. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, October 21, 1860
Brigham Young, October 21, 1860
RESTORATION--RESURRECTION, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, October 21, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
222
We wish the Saints to distinctly understand that the remarks just
made by brother Hyde do not pertain to doctrine, are not
commandments, and have nothing to do with the ordinances of the
house of God. He has given us some of his views and reflections.
Suppose them to be true, and what of them? Suppose they are not
true, and what of it? They have nothing to do with the doctrines
and faith of this people. Whether they are true of not is about
as immaterial as to know whether it is going to rain to-morrow or
next week. If it rains, all we can do is to say, Let it rain; if
it does not rain, all we have to do is to prepare to do the best
we can with the dust: that is all there is of it. It is no matter
whether those views and reflections are true or false.
222
According to the Scriptures, as they have come to us, we most
assuredly believe that the measure we receive at the hands of our
enemies will be measured to them again. But whether the wicked
seek to corrupt the Church of God or not, the Saints will inherit
every good thing. This is not saying that we are Saints. I have
not yet come to that, though I firmly believe that we are trying
to be Saints. Those that overcome and sit down with Jesus in his
Father's kingdom will possess all things: no good thing will be
withheld from them.
222
Man is the lord of this earth, not woman. It is frequently told
you that all the creatures of God, except man, will abide and
honour the law under which they are placed. The vegetable,
mineral, and animal kingdoms, except man, will abide the law by
which they were made, and will be prepared to dwell on the new
earth, in the midst of the new heavens that will be
re-organised--the earth that we now inhabit. Man is the
transgressor. Eve was the first to partake of the forbidden
fruit, and the man was disposed to follow her, and did follow
her; consequently, sin is in the world, and when redemption comes
it must come by man. When we speak of law and the transgression
of law, we refer to the law of God to man.
222
I doubt whether it can be found, from the revelations that are
given and the facts as they exist, that there is a female in all
the regions of hell. We are complained of for having more wives
than one. I don't begin to have as many as I shall have by and
by, nor you either, if you are faithful. I am no the one that
will dispose of them, but the Almighty to whom they belong; and
it is His right to dispose of us and of all his creatures and
creations.
223
I assuredly believe that all brother Hyde has said in regard to
the restoration f the Saints to their inheritances, &c., will
come to pass. And I believe, furthermore, if the men who have
driven us--the counties, States, and the General Government of
the United States, proffer to take me back to the land of my
inheritance, I shall refuse to go by their hands. I think I shall
say, You can go to hell: I came here without any of your
assistance, and I shall return again on the bounty of God, asking
no assistance from you. That is my belief. I also believe that
the gold and the silver belong to the faithful, and not to those
who oppose the work of God. The horses and the chariots belong to
the faithful, and not to the wicked. I believe they will be
hungry, naked, and barefooted, while we are well fed, well clad,
and ride in our carriages. I do not intend to be brought under
obligations to or any alliances with the wicked, nor to have any
affinity with them in heaven or on earth, nor to go to hell to
have any with them there. I expect to individually own enough
horses, waggons, carriages, oxen, cows, sheep, and everything
this people will need in going back to Jackson County, Missouri,
and ask no assistance of those who have driven and persecuted us.
They may think that I have a poor opinion of them; but I cannot
be as contemptible in their opinion as they are in mine, for the
reason that they do not know enough. They, like us, were formed
in the image of Him who has created us sons and daughters of the
Almighty; but they have disgraced their being and violated every
blessing that pertains to their organization. They remain for the
wrath of God to rest upon them, and it will rest upon them. I
have no particular allusions to those who have been here, though
you may stir them up together (those who have been here and those
who have not), and with few exceptions, they will all appear of
the same colour. With few exceptions, they are all alike, for
those who are not for us are against us.
223
Every intelligent person under the heavens that does not, when
informed, acknowledge that Joseph Smith, jun., is a Prophet of
God, is in darkness, and is opposed to us and to Jesus and his
kingdom on the earth. What do you suppose I think of them? They
cannot conceive their own degradation. If they could, they would
turn away from their wickedness. I know them, but they do not
know me. We live in an atmosphere they do not approach; they have
not ability to see the path we walk in. Would I treat them as
badly as they would treat us? No. They would murder us in a
moment, if they had the power, unless we would renounce our
religion. But they are trifling with their own existence, when
they measure arms with the Almighty. All the day long we have
extended to our enemies the hand of mercy and charity. We would
offer to them life and salvation. What would they offer to us?
Death and damnation, if they had the power; but they have not the
power, and never will have.
224
From the day that Joseph brought forth the records of the Book of
Mormon, which he translated by the power of God, until the day of
his death, they said that he was seeking to bring down the wrath
of the Lamanites upon the whites. They have driven us among the
Lamanites, whom they were continually trying to keep us from
mingling with. Why did they do this? God had decreed that they
should, and they could not help it; and they will keep teasing
and worrying and contending and fighting with one another, until
the prophecy be fulfilled concerning the sons of Jacob, who will
rise up and go through among the Gentiles like a lion through the
forest. And who can stand before them? No one. Jew and Gentile,
hear it; you are bringing upon your heads the very things you are
trying to avoid, like the Government of the United States, which
is striving with all its might, and calling to its aid the best
wisdom of the nation to preserve its existence. Everything they
do divides them until they will be split asunder and shivered to
pieces. So they would do with this work.
224
They succeeded in killing Joseph, but he had finished his work.
He was a servant of God, and gave us the Book of Mormon. He said
the Bible was right in the main, but, through the translators and
others, many precious portions were suppressed, and several other
portions were wrongly translated; and now his testimony is in
force, for he has sealed it with his blood. As I have frequently
told them, no man in this dispensation will enter the courts of
heaven, without the approbation of the Prophet Joseph Smith, jun.
Who has made this so? Have I? Have this people? Have the world?
No; but the Lord Jehovah has decreed it. If I ever pass into the
heavenly courts, it will be by the consent of the Prophet Joseph.
If you ever pass through the gates into the Holy City, you will
do so upon his certificate that you are worthy to pass. Can you
pass without his inspection? No; neither can any person in this
dispensation, which is the dispensation of the fulness of times.
In this generation, and in all the generations that are to come,
every one will have to undergo the scrutiny of this Prophet. They
say that they killed Joseph, and they will yet come with their
hats under their arms and bend to him; but what good will it do
them, unless they repent? They can come in a certain way and find
favour, but will they? No. We paid for lands in Missouri that the
wicked now possess. The United States could rise up and say, "You
Mormons, come back, and we will defend you in your rights." But
will they do this? No, but they will spend their millions to
deprive us of our just rights. They might do a great many good
things: they might forsake their meanness, if they had a mind to.
224
If this people will do right and keep the law of the Lord, he
will bring them back to the lands of their inheritances. The
question might be asked, "Have you lands to return to?" Yes, I
have lands in Missouri--lands in a number of places--farms that I
am the rightful owner of. I am the rightful owner of lands in
Illinois. Did I occupy them? No. Why? Did I observe the laws?
Yes: I lived so entirely above them, that to me they were
comparatively beneath my feet. "Why could you not live in
Missouri or Illinois?" I believed that Joseph Smith, jun., was
and is a Prophet, and that Jesus Christ is coming to cleanse the
earth from pollution and gather the Saints from the four quarters
of the world. Because I believed in God the Father, and in Jesus
Christ as the Saviour of the world, and in the doctrine he
taught, and because I practised that doctrine; and if you say
that you believe this doctrine and do not practise it, you can be
a good Christian.
225
The administrators of the Government of the United States
violated every principle of the Constitution in the very act of
making a war upon their own subjects; and if the laws of Congress
were carried out, they would be treated as traitors to the
Government. I was in Missouri through the troubles. Did this
people transgress the law of that State or of the United States?
Did they do anything to justly bring the wrath of that State or
of the Government upon them? No. This people observed the laws of
Missouri and the law of God more strictly than any other class,
and yet the State authorities could issue their orders to
exterminate the "Mormons"--to drive or destroy them--every man,
woman, and child of them. Suppose the Constitution of that State
had been carried out to the letter, every man that had anything
to do with that mobbing--at least those in authority, with the
Governor at their head, would have been hung.
225
Every man that used his influence to send an army here, if the
Constitution is carried out, (and the day will come, as the Lord
lives, when we shall be able to carry it out,) will be at the
disposal of the hemp, if we say so. The day will come, as sure as
the sun now shines and the Lord Almighty leads us through, as he
has spoken from the heavens, when this people will return to the
land of their inheritance. Perhaps these parents will not return,
but their children will return and inherit the land promised to
their fathers, and all the powers of hell and earth cannot
prevent it. If we live our religion, we will enjoy this blessing,
either in this life or in the next. That is the consolation the
Saints have. If we lay down these tabernacles to rest in the
grave, by-and-by we will take them up again, purified from all
inbred corruption and made whole from every power of Satan in our
flesh.
225
Our bodies are now mortal. In the resurrection there will be a
reunion of the spirits and bodies, and they will walk, talk, eat,
drink, and enjoy. Those who have passed these ordeals are society
for angels--for the Gods, and are the ones who will come into the
Temple of the Lord that is to be built in the latter days, when
saviours shall come up upon Mount Zion, and will say, "Here, my
children, I want this and this done. Here are the names of such
and such ones, of our fathers, and mothers--our ancestors; we
will bring them up. Go forth, you who have not passed the ordeals
of death and the resurrection--you who live in the flesh, and
attend to the ordinances for those who have died without the
law." Those who are resurrected will thus dictate in the Temple.
When the Saints pass through death, they cannot officiate in this
sinful world, but they will dictate those who would have received
the law of God and the true religion, if they had lived; be
baptized for the heathen--for all who were honest; officiate for
them, and save them, and bring them up. Be baptized for them,
anointed for them, washed and sealed for them, and fulfil all the
ordinances which cannot be dispensed with." They will all be
performed for the living and the dead upon Mount Zion.
226
We can receive the truth, live in it, and enjoy its benefits, or
we can reject it: that we have power to do. This generation have
power to reject the Gospel, and they are very fervent in so
doing. They are as perfectly enthusiastic in that course as any
people that ever lived. Nation after nation has had the Gospel
offered to them, the fulness of the Gospel has been preached to
them, and they have studiously rejected it. This was the first
nation blessed with the Gospel in our day, and have they not been
fervent to reject it by towns, cities, counties, states, and the
nation? They are as determined to reject the Gospel as they are
to live and overcome the kingdom of God. Will they overcome that
kingdom? No. Every time they persecute and try to overcome this
people, they elevate us, weaken their own hands, and strengthen
the hands and the arms of this people. And every time they
undertake to lessen our number, they increase it. And when they
try to destroy the faith and virtue of this people, the Lord
strengthens the feeble knees, and confirms the wavering in faith
and power in God, in light, and intelligence. Righteousness and
power with God increase in this people in proportion as the Devil
struggles to destroy it.
226
We cannot help being Saints; we cannot prevent the rolling forth
of the work of God: in and of ourselves we have no power to
control our own minds and passions; but the grace of God is
sufficient to give us perfect victory. The power of the Lord our
God helps us, and the Devil and his emissaries help us,--the one
of the one hand, the other on the other hand. We have power to
receive the truth or reject it, and we have power to reject the
evil or receive it.
226
This is kingdom of God, and the people have not been preserved by
my wisdom, but by the wisdom and power and knowledge of God. He
knows how to weaken the armies of the Philistines. They may come
here by tens of thousands, and multiply that number by ten and
make it hundreds of thousands, and He can also strengthen this
people or weaken them at his pleasure. And if they are faithful
to the covenants they have entered into with their God, they will
multiply and wax strong, until not a dog in all the mountains of
Ephraim, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from Hudson's Bay
to Cape Horn, dare open his mouth or raise his voice against the
anointed of the Lord. Don't you pity our nation? I do. They have
not enough knowledge to act according to their own laws. The
officers they send here do not know enough to act according to
the laws they were sent to magnify. The nation is becoming
imbecile and weak; they are unstable as water; they do not seem
to have the wisdom of a child; and every move they make they
manifest their weakness before the world, and put themselves to
shame before each other. I have said enough about this matter,
though I have said enough about this matter, though I have only
dropt a few hints.
226
I began with brother Hyde's remarks, and I will end with them. He
has not been teaching you doctrine. Whether those things he has
been speaking about are true or not, who cares? Who cares who
takes us back to the land of our inheritance? I have told you my
feelings on the subject. If they want to take us back to-day, I
say, No; I came here without their aid, and I ask no assistance
from them. All I ask of them, or ever have, is, when any of them
leave this Territory, to pay their honest debts and not steal.
Some few come to me, when they are about to leave, and say--"I am
going to this or that place; anything I can do for you, Governor
Young, I am at your service." My reply is, I have one thing to
ask of you and of all creation--namely, When you speak of this
people, speak the truth, and do not lie about them. Will they do
that? Some will, and some will not; some will publish a lie from
east to west, from north to south. If you would give a dollar a
line for publishing the truth, as a general thing you cannot get
editors to publish it. Now, lie and be d----d, the whole of you;
I ask no favours of you.
226
God bless the humble in heart, and those who promote truth and
righteousness upon the earth; and let the wrath of the Almighty
be upon the wicked and ungodly. Amen.
227
TEACHINGS OF THE PRIESTHOOD--RELIGION OF THE SAINTS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, October 21, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
227
I do not wish to be over zealous, to say the time is mine, or
that I have the privilege, above others of my brethren, of
speaking. I like to hear my brethren speak quite as well as to
speak myself; but as there is time, I feel it my privilege to
stand before the Saints and instruct, guide, and encourage them,
and build them up in the faith of the holy Gospel.
227
The same principles and the same feelings that I imbibed when I
embraced the Gospel of salvation are still within me, but in a
greater degree. As you have frequently heard me say, there is
nothing, except the Gospel of life and salvation--the power of
God--that would ever induce me to become a public speaker. But
the principles of eternal life are so engaging, so endearing, so
lovely, so worthy of all acceptation, so sweet, so great, that I
could not refuse; consequently, I have been striving for many
years to perfect myself, with others, in the history, plan,
knowledge, and ways of the Lord upon the earth, and in the holy
Priesthood that is calculated to save the children of men. I
delight in hearing my brethren speak. I do not know that I was
ever more gratified in hearing a servant of God bring forth out
of his storehouse the riches of eternity than I was, a week ago
this morning, in hearing brother Hyde set forth the beautiful
things pertaining to the kingdom of our God. I have been equally
edified to-day, if I do not exactly agree with him in regard to
the means for the further promotion of the kingdom of God, and
bearing off his people. In the remarks I have heard from brother
J. D. Ross, this afternoon, I am delighted. I drink, and I drink
again, and am I still dry? I am at least still prepared for more;
and the more I receive in my understanding, and the more my mind
expands for the things of God, the better, seemingly, I am
prepared to receive more and more.
228
I do not always entirely agree with some in their sayings; but my
brethren, like myself, sometimes do not use the language best
adapted to convey their ideas. For instance, I am not ready to
confess as do some that I know nothing, and that I am a fool. I
know a great many things, and I know them right. Brother Ross
says that people are more willing to believe the testimony of men
who have been dead many centuries than the testimony of living
men. This, however, does not apply to me; for I delighted more in
the voice of Joseph Smith than in all the voices of the dead
Prophets I never heard. He was the living oracle of God with me;
he was the medium through which the Lord spoke to me. Do you not
think that his voice was delightful to me? Yes. When I read his
letters, his sermons, his revelations, unless I am in the spirit
by which they are dictate, they are lean to me to what they used
to be when he was with us. They were rich, they were full of
interest, full of good things, when I could see his face shine
like an angel's: they were then sweet as a honeycomb.
228
Before I had made a profession of religion, I was though to be an
infidel by the Christians, because I could not believe their
nonsense. The secret feeling of my heart was that I would be
willing to crawl around the earth on my hands and knees, to see
such a man as was Peter, Jeremiah, Moses, or any man that could
tell me anything about God and heaven. But to talk with the
priests was more unsatisfactory to me then than it now is to talk
with lawyers. If possible, the priests were then even more
ignorant upon certain points than men are now. Did they know the
first thing pertaining to salvation? No: they could not even tell
that it was necessary to be baptized for the remission of sins.
No man could tell me that, until I saw Joseph Smith. No man could
say that the ordinances of God should be obeyed, that the same
doctrine taught by Jesus and his Apostles is the only doctrine to
save the people. They were divided and subdivided--split into
small fragments, and every man was for himself.
228
I am delighted when I feel and enjoy the presence and power of
that instruction given by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost: our
hearts are made glad. You believed the Gospel in your native
countries and took up your line of march to this desolate
wilderness. If I might so speak, you have sacrificed all you have
on earth that is near and dear to you for the sake of the Gospel.
What made you do this? The spirit of revelation, the Spirit of
God, the power of God. Is it not lovely? I am proud of, I am
delighted in my religion--in my God. And when I speak of those
who have persecuted this people and sought diligently to destroy
us, using every endeavour and means they were master of to
obliterate this people and kingdom from the earth, what do you
suppose I think of them? I cannot speak it: language is too full
of poverty, too obscure, too unmeaning for me to talk about it.
Suppose you see two men in conversation, and one of them rises up
to his Father and God with all deference, and, vailing his face,
comes before him in all humility, while the other rises up and
says, "Damn him, I am not afraid of him!" which of the two would
you love? and which of them would you hate? Both of them are his
offspring; both of them live on his mercy, and are nourished and
cherished by his bounty; and one says, "I am not afraid of him,
but I will abuse his name and character, and deride his
goodness!" and the other comes with his face vailed, saying, "I
thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for thy mercy is
over me continually, to preserve me; and through thy goodness I
am permitted to come into thy presence!"--which would you love
the most? Language cannot express it.
229
When you contrast the religion that we believe with the religion
that the world believes, with all their pomp, grandeur, wealth,
and gaudy show, I look upon them with more disgust than I do upon
the gates of hell--language cannot tell it. I am proud to say
that I honour my God--that I love him--that I worship him; I am
proud to call him my Father, while many are proud to deride and
despise him. They are proud when they get together and curse and
swear, damning and calling the name of Jehovah in vain, calling
upon God to damn each other: they are proud that they have this
audacity. They will sink into hell. I defy all the enemies of
this work to think as diminutively of me as I do of them. There
is just as much difference between their knowledge and mine as
there is between light and darkness. Here we have the words of
life, and do I not glory in them?
229
Paul gloried in the cross of Christ. Previous to that he was a
poor, miserable, vain, wicked, abominable, corrupt creature,
brought up as a servant in Gamaliel's house, where they despised
God and every God-like principle. He held the clothes of the men
that stoned Stephen to death, and consented to his death. The
Lord appeared to him when he was on a mission to persecute his
followers, and told him that he was a chosen vessel for the Lord
to show forth, through him, his power. Paul gloried in the cross
of Christ. He might have said that he gloried in having the
privilege of paying the debt that he had contracted by his
previous mean and evil treatment toward the Saints and Jesus
Christ when he was upon the earth. He derided them, stoned them,
laughed them to scorn, threw sticks after them in the streets,
spat upon them, and was ready to raise a mob and do anything that
was mean to afflict the Saints and servants of God. The Lord
says--"I will show you that I have had my eye upon you, from
before the foundation of the world, to make you a chosen vessel
to bear my name where I would not send a man who had never
persecuted my Saints." Were I to meet brother Paul, he would
say--"Brother Brigham, I have not received at the hands of my
enemies more than I deserved. And when you were talking about me
on the stand, on such and such a day, your eye was opened to see
the path I had walked in."
229
Do you not think that the Lord has his eye upon a great many?
There is a passage of Scripture that reads thus:--"For whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren," &c. Whom did he not foreknow? I do not think there is
anybody now on the earth, or that has lived before us, or that
will come after us, but what he knew. He knew who would be his
anointed; he has had his eye upon them all the time, as he had
upon Moses, Pharaoh, Abraham, Melchizedek, and Noah, who was a
chosen vessel to build the ark and save a remnant from the flood.
230
Did you ever hear the story of an old man that came to Noah when
he was building the ark? "What, Mr. Noah, are you still at the
ark? You are a veritable old fool, building an ark far away from
any water! How are you going to float it?" "Wait a little while,
and I will show you: by-and-by you will learn that I am right."
They waited year after year, and by-and-by the fountains of the
great deep were broken up, and the rain began to descend. The old
man came along, and Noah said to him, "What do you think now,
neighbour?" "Oh, this is only a shower; it looks like clearing
up; it will soon be over." In a short time the old man came
again, wading in water to his knees, when Noah said, "Well, what
do you think now?" "Oh, it will soon clear away." He came again,
and that time he was paddling along in water up to his neck, and
said, "Won't you take me in, Noah?" "I have got my load; all who
have received tickets are aboard, and those who have not tickets
cannot come aboard. What do you think of it now, old man, is it
only a little shower?" Then it was not, "Damn old Noah!" but they
were crying, "Oh, Mr. Noah, take us in." By-and-by it will be,
"Mr. Smith, won't you have a little compassion on us?" "No,"
Joseph will say; "you would not take a ticket when I offered it
to you by my brethren; you refused my tickets, and said it was
'nothing but a shower, we guess it will pass off.'" According to
the words of the Saviour, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it
will be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man."
230
"Brother Brigham, I think you talk pretty hard; for we feel very
important, and we do not like to hear you speak against our
charity and against our doings." They assassinated Joseph Smith,
and they drove us into the mountains, where, as they said, "the
land is sterile and good for nothing," and where the Indians
would kill us, as they believed with all their hearts. They said
and believed this, and prophesied day and night that the
'Mormons' were going, and would be starved to death or killed by
Indians. We came here naked and barefoot: do you think that I
shall ask any aid from them, when we are ready to go back? No. We
brought our provisions, when we came here, to last us until we
raised more. We brought our few farming implements, our seed
grain, wives, and children, with comparative nakedness and
poverty as to this world's goods. My wives took skins and made
moccasins to wear.
230
We have sustained ourselves, so far, in this far-off, barren
region, and we shall live here. Do they want us to live here? No,
nor anywhere else. Bark away, bark away; follow up the Saints;
persecute the Saints. Can't you buy them out, think you? "Oh
dear, the 'Mormons' are getting Uncle Sam's timber in the
kanyons." Who is Uncle Sam? All of us. Get the timber out of the
kanyons, build houses, burn lime, cultivate the soil, and raise
animals on the range, for we have a right so to do. But our
enemies hunt, persecute, and make war upon us, and have done this
to their sorrow. They have made war upon the Saints from the
beginning, and now they will have war to the hilt, until they are
used up, root and branch. In the name of Israel's God, there will
not be one of them left upon the earth. Will I hurt them? No. The
Lord Almighty will lead them in a path wherein they will use
themselves up. Don't lay it to me; though, if you do, I don't
care.
230
It is quite interesting, is it not, for a man to rise up and make
war upon one of his own children? Think how it would appear for a
father to kick, cuff, and otherwise abuse the youngest and best
son of twelve, never give a dime to encourage him, and then say
to the eleven--"Now, boys, rise up and kill him outright." Is not
that treason of the blackest kind? It has been as much committed
as it will be; and if they do not stop, they will be rubbed out.
Have this people committed treason or transgressed the laws of
their country? If any man says they have, he is a liar, and will
go to hell, for he lies like hell. Those who say they have are of
the Devil, and are his servants; they lie, and there is no truth
in them; and they shall have their part in the lake that burns
with fire and brimstone.
231
They made war with us, and they have committed treason. We have
received enough abuse at their hands. Would we trouble them? No.
If they would only let us alone, we would only preach the Gospel,
and that we will do. The Lord has called me to this work, and I
feel as though I will do it. We will send the Gospel to the
nations; and when one nation turns us away, we will go to another
and gather up the honest in heart, and the rest we care not for
until we come on Mount Zion as saviours, to attend to the
ordinances of the house of God for them. The Lord will let the
people know that he will rule. The Devil has had possession of
the earth a great while.
231
It would be very tyrannical, would it not, for a king to make
laws that would make people do right? Oh what an overbearing
government, that would be, would it not? "Now, let that man
alone; earn and eat your own food, and do not steal that man's."
What oppression there is in Utah, when one man rises up and
hinders another from oppressing his neighbour! "Oh, what
oppression! I will write to Washington about it." Write where you
please: all such will meet their doom.
231
Stop swearing and taking the name of God in vain. Are any in the
habit of lying? Stop it. Are any in the habit of bearing false
witness against your neighbour?" Stop it. A man rises up--"Wife,
I am going to break your head!" You can't do this in Utah. A man
rises up--"I want to steal that man's waggon, or my neighbour's
axe!" You can't do it with impunity in this community. Those who
are in the habit of getting drunk, stop it: you must not get
drunk in this community. Are you in the habit of spending your
time for naught, and wasting the talents God has given you, and
running about the streets tattling and making mischief? Stop it;
this is not allowed in Utah. Stop your evil and all your sinning,
and love righteousness, for that is applauded in Utah. I glory in
it; I love it: it is sweet to me, sweeter than the honey or the
honeycomb. I am with it, and it is with me; I live in it, delight
in it, and expect to die in it, and live to all eternity in it.
The spirit and power of justice, mercy, long-suffering, patience,
kindness, and good acts to all around, filling up the measure of
my life here and to all eternity in doing good, is what I delight
in. That is the kingdom I love--the kingdom I am in; and I pray
that God may roll on his work, and that iniquity may be swept
from our midst, until we overcome, gather the honest in heart
from all the earth, and fill it with righteousness. That we may
enjoy that day of rest--that day of peace and perfect triumph
over sin and iniquity, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Orson
Hyde, October 7, 1860
Orson Hyde, October 7, 1860
TESTIMONIES OF THE TRUTH, &c.
Remarks by Elder Orson Hyde, made at the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
232
Feeling thankful for the opportunity of meeting with you, this
morning, in the capacity of our Semi-Annual Conference, I cannot
but express my gratitude to God that I am a member of that Church
which is everywhere spoken against, even the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am thankful to God, my Heavenly
Father, that he has revealed the everlasting Gospel in its
fulness, and made me, as well as many of you, the honoured
instruments to proclaim it to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and
people, wherever our lots my be cast.
232
Of all people upon the face of the whole earth, none have so
great reason to be thankful as we. We are brought into the school
of Christ to be instructed in the laws, spirit, and policy of his
kingdom.
232
Many of you will bear in mind that at our last Conference, six
months ago, many of the speakers bore powerful testimony to the
truth and certainty of the cause in which we are engaged; and you
will also recollect that I told you then that that testimony
would seriously affect all nations and people--that it would be
felt throughout the entire world--that it would be borne by an
invisible hand, and its influence, like the frosts of autumn,
blight the growing and flourishing prospects of all political and
worldly schemes and enterprises. Contemplate now, through the
glass of the public newspapers and journals, the condition of the
nations of Europe, of Asia, and of America! Our own favoured land
is in commotion. The political elements are heavily charged with
electricity, and the louring storm-clouds are gathering in our
horizon, threatening to avenge the blood of martyred Prophets and
Apostles, and the inhumanity and cruelty practised upon the
Saints of God. None of those things are forgotten. They are
written with imperishable characters in the memory of this
people, and their cries and their prayers have transmitted them
to the sacred records above, to be answered in their behalf by
storms, by tempests, by whirlwinds, by earthquakes, by famines,
by the sword, and also by flames of devouring fire.
232
The testimony of the servants of God, before alluded to, forcibly
reminds me of a certain class of men spoken of in the Revelations
of St. John, who overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the
word of their testimony. When our testimony goes forth from this
stand, we cannot always tell exactly where it may take effect;
but we know that it will not return void. It must fall somewhere.
It is like the seeds of plants and flowers, which are often
carried high in the air and wafted on the breeze to a remote
distance; yet the laws of gravity will ultimately compel them to
a resting-place, where their effects may be seen.
233
For me to testify to you that "Mormonism" is true--to declare its
destiny and final triumph--would be like telling you that the sun
shines. It is something that you see, and consequently know; yet
it is not at all likely that the sun now shines in the eyes of
all people. Hence I volunteer my testimony. You may regard it in
the light of a ship-of-war taking in her shot and shells at a
home port, that are designed to batter down an enemy's walls on a
foreign shore.
233
What is called "Mormonism" by the world is the fulness of the
everlasting Gospel--the truth of God--the only way of salvation
for all people to whom it is made known or in any way declared,
and destined to rule the world. While on this branch of my
subject, allow me to introduce a testimony given me, not long
since, under other and peculiar circumstances. Hear it, all ye
people! "Mormonism will win its way through the world, and
triumph in the face of any and all opposition. There is a God
that never sleeps, an eye that never slumbers, and an arm that
never becomes feeble. This God is our God, and through our agency
he has decreed the triumph of his cause. 'Fear, not little flock;
it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.' There
is no man on earth, no kindred or tongue on earth, or the whole
combined, that raises the hand or voice against the kingdom of
God or its policy as now established, but that will be rejected
of God, dishonoured of men, and go to ruin with the wrath of
Heaven upon them."
233
Having the spirit of our calling, we wax bold in our testimony.
When a few more Conferences shall have been held by this people,
compare the coming history of nations with this my testimony, and
you will be satisfied that I now tell you the truth.
233
The liberty of the Gospel, with your indulgence, will allow me to
give some political matters a passing and respectful notice. I am
no politician, and it cannot be expected that I shall treat such
subjects as Messrs. Douglas, Bell, Breckenridge, or Lincoln
would. In such matters they are workmen. I am but a bungler; yet
in times of general election, when political speeches are flaming
all around, it is not to be wondered at that even a novice should
attempt to fire up a little on the importance of the times.
233
First and foremost, I will briefly allude to some aspirants to
office and honours in the Church of which we are members. There
have been aspirants to the Presidency of this Church ever since
the death of Joseph Smith, and even before. It may be regarded as
lost time to allude to these things at all by which any portion
of the day is consumed. But, brethren, bear with me. I have read
the writings of every aspirant to the presiding Priesthood in
this Church since the days of Joseph. I have marked their cold,
dry, technical, husky, and spiritless reasonings from the Book of
Mormon, from the Doctrine and Covenants, Bible, &c., quite
voluminous, resembling the bile ejected from a disordered
stomach. I have never discovered one burst of the Spirit of God
in all their claims or publications.
233
Who has ever read Brigham Young's writings in which he has
laboured to establish his right and claim to the Presidency of
the Church? No one. God pleads his own cause of man who is
sordid, illiberal, murmuring, and corrupt.
234
In the month of February, 1848, the Twelve Apostles met at Hyde
Park, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, where a small Branch of the
Church established; and I must say that I feel not a little proud
of the circumstance, and also very thankful, on account of its
happening in my own little retired and sequestered hamlet,
bearing my own name. We were in prayer and council, communing
together; and what took place on that occasion? The voice of God
came from on high, and spake to the Council. Every latent feeling
was aroused, and every heart melted. What did it say unto us?
"Let my servant Brigham step forth and receive the full power of
the presiding Priesthood in my Church and kingdom." This was the
voice of the Almighty unto us at Council Bluffs, before I removed
to what was called Kanesville. It has been said by some that
Brigham was appointed by the people, and not by the voice of God.
I do not know that this testimony has often, if ever, been given
to the masses of the people before; but I am one that was
present, and there are others here that were also present on that
occasion, and did hear and feel the voice from heaven, and we
were filled with the power of God. This is my testimony; these
are my declarations unto the Saints--unto the members of the
kingdom of God in the last days, and to all people.
234
We said nothing about the matter in those times, but kept it
still. [After seating myself in the stand, I was reminded of one
circumstance that occurred, which I omitted in my discourse. Men,
women, and children came running together where we were, and
asked us what was the matter. They said that their houses shook,
and the ground trembled, and they did not know but that there was
an earthquake. We told them that there was nothing the
matter--not to be alarmed; the Lord was only whispering to us a
little, and that he was probably not very far off. We felt no
shaking of the earth or of the house, but were filled with the
exceeding power and goodness of God. We knew and realized that we
had the testimony of God within us. On the 6th day of April
following, at our Annual Conference, held in the Long Tabernacle
at Kanesville, the propriety of choosing a man to preside over
the Church was investigated. In a very few minutes it was agreed
to, and Brigham Young was chosen to fill that place without a
dissenting voice, the people not knowing that there had been any
revelation touching the matter. They ignorantly seconded the
voice of the Lord from on high in his appointment. (Voice from
the stand: "That is Vox Dei, vox populi.") Yes, the voice of God
was the voice of the people. Brigham went right ahead, silently,
to do the work of the Lord, and to feed his sheep, and take care
of them like a faithful shepherd, leaving all vain aspirants to
quarrel and contend about lineal descent, right, power, and
authority.
234
Some persons say that Brigham does not give revelations as did
Joseph Smith. But let me tell you, that Brigham's voice has been
the voice of God from the time he was chosen to preside, and even
before. Who that has heard him speak, or that has read his
testimonies, or that is acquainted with his instructions, does
not know that God is with him? Who does not know, Jew or Gentile,
that has come in contact with his policy, that he possesses a
power with which they are unable to compete. He possesses skill,
wisdom, and power that trouble wise men and rulers. God will make
him a greater terror to nations than he ever has been.
235
I will now quote a few passages from the revelations of God as
contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants:--"My words shall
all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice out of the heavens,
or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." Again,
concerning his servants--"Whatsoever you shall speak by my spirit
shall be Scripture--shall be the word of the Lord, the will of
the Lord, the mind of the Lord, and the power of God unto
salvation." Again, from the New Testament, Jesus says, "Whosoever
heareth you (whom I send) heareth me." You men of business do not
empower and send an agent to transact business for you unless you
intend to honour his words and his doings. The law will compel
you to do this. The God of heaven does not send forth his
servants upon the earth but with the fixed purpose to honour
their words when they abide in the instructions given them.
235
I will now pave the way for my political manifest. Jesus says,
"Whosoever falleth upon this stone shall be broken." what stone
does he refer to? The Lord says to his disciples, "Whom say ye
that I am?" Peter answers--"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God." Jesus indicated to Peter that he had spoken truly by
saying unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: flesh and
blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven. And I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this
rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it." This stone or rock was the word of God
revealed unto Peter. Present revelation from God, then, is the
stone or rock which our Saviour spoke of. Any church or any
people built upon this foundation cannot be prevailed against by
any power, for one obvious reason: whenever a people are built
upon this foundation and they get into trouble and difficulty,
they will ask the Lord to show them they way out; and being built
upon present revelation and in communion with God, he will tell
them what to do. His wisdom is greater than the cunning of the
Devil, and consequently the gates of hell cannot prevail against
them. Any people built upon this foundation are hard to head,
though their numbers may be small. The ancient church was never
overcome until they lost this principle of present revelation.
Then they were prevailed against and fell away, because they
ceased to build upon this foundation--the stone or rock of
present revelation. Solomon says--"Where no vision is, the people
perish."
235
Many churches are built up in the world, professedly, unto the
name of Christ. But have they present revelation? No, they have
not. They despise the idea of present revelation, and kill the
Prophets that give them, and persecute the people that believe
them. Will the gates of hell prevail against such? To whom will
our Saviour say--"Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity; I know
you not"? Will it not be to those who are not built upon this
rock? Now for politics.
236
To send the army to Utah was the measure and policy of a
Democratic administration of the United States Government. This
Democratic administration was the only legitimate power that
could send it here. It was the official channel through which the
flood was poured in upon us. Merchants, gamblers, whoremasters,
thieves, murderers, false writers, drunkards, and, to cap the
climax, a drunken, debauched judiciary, with plenty of bayonets
to enforce their decrees. Some decent men came, most likely; yet
I know not one with whom I could safely trust the virtue of any
female in their power. They came to gratify their basest
passions; and they will leave, if they leave at all, with the
wrath of God upon them, candidates for damnation. They have
burned strange fire upon the altar of God, and with strange fire
such will be consumed. The Democracy of the country feel upon
this stone by the military arm of their power. Are they now
broken? Let us see.
236
On the 25th day of December, 1832, the Lord spoke to Joseph
Smith, and said--"Verily, thus saith the Lord, concerning the
wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion
of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death
and misery of many souls. The days will come that war will be
poured out upon all nations, beginning at that place." The
Democratic party found it necessary to call a convention of
delegates to nominate a successor to President Buchanan. No place
but Charleston, South Carolina, could be agreed upon as the place
for that body to assemble in. A most unlikely place,
indeed!--entirely out of the political centre--a small town of
about twenty or twenty-five thousand white inhabitants,
accommodations very limited for such a body of men, and at a
half-dozen prices. But to South Carolina they must go; for the
prophecy, twenty-seven years before, said that the serious
troubles of the land should begin at that place. The Democratic
party of administration fell upon that stone of present
revelation, and, according to our Saviour's words, they must be
broken. They had to go to Charleston to break. They did go there,
and there they did break into several pieces--split asunder. It
was said by the ancient Prophet--"Out of Egypt have I called my
son." Joseph and Mary took the young child by night and fled into
Egypt to elude the cruelty of Herod, and God called his son out
of Egypt. It was necessary, equally, that the Democratic party go
to South Carolina, being urged there by a silent prophetic
influence; and though they had hearts to understand, they
understood it not. They had eyes to see, but they saw it not.
There they broke--there the trouble began, "which will eventually
terminate in the death and misery of many souls." They sent their
army to fall upon this stone--to fall upon God and upon his
people and upon their policy. They sent their corrupting
influence--their demoralizing principles and practices--among us;
and God will make the nation heirs to the penalty for all these
offences. "It must needs be that offences come," but God grant us
grace that we may endure manfully to the end.
236
This is my political speech to the Saints of God. Will the
Democracy continue in power? The sequel will show. They are tying
to "fuse," but the iron and miry clay will never permanently
unite. But they are in the hands of God, and they know it not;
they are under his influence, but they acknowledge not his hand.
237
What was the immediate outside pressure that caused the army to
come to Utah? Was it not the multitude that wanted to speculate
out of the army--out of the citizens of the territory, traders,
freighters, merchants, and sutlers, doctors, lawyers, and devils?
Anybody may answer these questions. How many have got rich at it?
How many have realized the object of their hopes and wishes in
anything? God blesseth not unrighteous designs. Is the whole
train of speculators broken? They fell upon this stone, or were
ready to back those that did. Are they broken? If they are not,
they are almost. Their creditors in the East will find this out
in due time. Our gold, our virtue, and our blood is what most
them came to traffic in, and their reward is sure. This outside
pressure cannot be confined, in truth, to the class of men
alluded to. What was the voice of the nation through their public
journals, priests, and people? What the popular clamour? Crucify
him! Crucify him! Away with him! The "Mormons" are not fit to
live! Let the race be exterminated! With the exception of now and
then a Joseph of Arimathea, this was the popular cry. Will that
nation be broken? It has fallen upon this stone to all intents
and purposes. The signs in the heavens and upon the earth, the
political feuds or factions, the seditious tendency of the
people, were never more portentous over Jerusalem, previous to
its destruction, than they are now over the United States of
America. Who so blind as not to see it?
237
This picture is held up as a mirror to reflect the condition and
fate of any and every other nation or people that slays the
Lord's anointed--that persecutes his people--that sends its
armies to corrupt, annoy, or lay waste the heritage of God. I
have no apologies to make. I tell you that God Almighty sits upon
the throne of his kingdom. He has decreed its onward march, and
it will march onward; and the power to stay it exists not on the
earth. We were driven out into this wilderness, and here we are.
Our friends will find us here, and our foes also. They made us
cross the Mississippi pretty lively. They pressed us and pricked
us with their bayonets. Was there any mercy shown to the sick,
aged, or infirm--to women and children? No. The fever of frenzy
and rage had dried up the fountain of compassion in their hearts.
We had to fly, and to what place. Heaven only knew. The timid
wife, the tender daughter, the widowed mother and her children
were forced into the flat-boat like so many cattle or swine. By
casting an eye back to their once pleasant and peaceful
habitations, they could mark the lurid flame and smoke curling up
to heaven from the crumbling walls of their desolated homes. One
widowed lady, while seeking her little boy among the mob on the
margin of the river, was cursed and damned because she was not
sooner aboard of the boat. When she found her child, she went
aboard, and, turning round and looking them full in the face,
said to her persecutors--"You shall yet dearly pay for all this."
I dined with that same lady not ten days since, and she told me
that she should live to see her prediction fulfilled. I said, God
grant it. Jesus says--"With the same measure ye mete it shall be
measured to you again." God will not speak to them much more by
Prophets, for they have persecuted and slain them. But he will
speak unto them yet more. It will be, however, by the voice of
thunder, by the voice of lightnings, by the voice of whirlwinds,
tempests, and tornadoes,--by the voice of hail, fire, flood, and
famine,--by the voice of hostile forces in deadly combat--by the
wailings of widows and orphans--by pestilence and decrease of
both man and beast. The horrors of the scenes will be lighted up
by the incendiary's torch. In this way will God make requisition
for the blood of his anointed, and for the cruelty practised upon
his people. With these arguments will God plead his cause at the
nation's bar until the builders seek the stone which they have
rejected, even present revelation, and place it at the head of
the corner. This will be the Lord's doings, and it will be
marvelous in our eyes. The Supreme Creator of all, the Almighty
Sovereign of the universe will assert his rights and maintain
them, and reign King of nations as he now does King of Saints.
The power that attempts to check his designs will be ground to
powder.
238
The present aspirants to presidential honours in the nation
appear to be in good heart and firm in faith that they shall
triumph. They seem to spare no labour or effort; they lack no
zeal, and are full of hope, full of expectation, strong in
spirit, strong in will, and strong in assurance. But the days are
near at hand when all such will be weak as water. Their voices
will be feeble, their arms palsied, their knees tremble, and they
will no sooner aspire to that station than they would to the
berth of Shadrach, Mashech, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.
They will no sooner aspire to that summit of fame than would the
Israelites approach the crest of Mount Sinai when the thunders of
heaven rolled in awful majesty, and the lightnings flashed in
forked lines as arrows from the bow of the Almighty. At the
appointed time in Heaven's will, the capstone, long rejected,
will be brought forth with shouting, crying Grace, grace unto it!
Remember the words of the Lord where he says--"All my words shall
be fulfilled: whether by mine own voice out of the heavens or by
the voice of my servants, it is the same." And again--"He that
heareth whomsoever I send, heareth me." Forget not these things.
238
I covet no man's sliver, gold, or apparel; neither his goods,
wares, or merchandize. I covet not the honours of this world,
neither the good opinion of ungodly men; but I do covet the
Spirit of the living God. I covet grace equal to my day, and
earnestly pray God, my heavenly Father, in the name of his Son
Jesus Christ, that I may have power to honour my priesthood and
calling, to bear a faithful testimony to the truth, and by no act
spot or stain the testimony which I bear.
238
God bless the people and his servants, and roll on his mighty
work, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, November 25, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, November 25, 1860
RESTORATION OF THE DEAD, &c.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 25, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
239
I have been hearing a few words advanced by Bishop Woolley, and I
rejoice to say that I have a testimony within me that his sayings
are true and faithful, and according to my experience. I have
come to the conclusion myself that I do not know much, excepting
that which I have experienced, and I have had quite a lengthy
experience in this Church. I have seen what are commonly called
the ups and downs of "Mormonism;" I have passed through the
mobbings and drivings of the last twenty-eight years, and have
endured many things that but few of this congregation or this
people know anything about. There are but few now in these
Mountains who have passed through the trials and difficulties
that have been endured by the leaders of this people, and
therefore they have not the same experience, they do not know how
to appreciate those things that we have passed through, as we do.
239
For instance, we were driven from Jackson County, in the State of
Missouri: some were obliged to leave Kirtland, in Ohio, through
persecution; others were driven from Far West, Caldwell County,
and from Clay County, Missouri; and then the great body of the
Church were finally driven from Nauvoo. I might go on to tell you
how numerous Branches of the Church were driven from many other
places, and how many there were in the Church at those different
periods; but I will only remark that there are not a great many
of those men with us now, in comparison with the great number
that are in these mountains.
239
I discover one thing, however, that may have escaped the notice
of many--namely, that quite a number of those who are now in the
Church originated or sprung from those who first obeyed the
Gospel. There are a great many of their children who are now
numbered with us; yes, there are hundreds of young people with us
that have been born in the Church. I frequently see some of
them--persons that I have known from their childhood, and whose
parents I knew before they were born. This is very gratifying to
me.
239
Many of those who received the Gospel at an early day have turned
away from the truth; others have died and gone to the
spirit-world; but their children are here; they have come and
taken the position of their parents, and will eventually be the
means of redeeming them; they will act as saviours raised up by
the Almighty, and they will become very useful in the latter days
in restoring their parents into the presence of God.
239
I speak of these things because they were they first presented to
my mind when I arose to address you, and I will now take the
liberty of saying that I pray continually that this people and
all the Elders of Israel may honour their calling--that they may
be blest with us, and with their children for evermore. I pray
that we may live long upon the earth, and that we may accomplish
a great and mighty work in this last dispensation, and that we
may be so guided as to enable us to accomplish the work which we
have the privilege of assisting to perform. This Gospel will
accomplish that for which it was sent, and there is no power upon
this earth that can stay its progress. There is no combined power
upon the face of this earth that can stay this Gospel in its
course--no, not for one single moment. This is according to the
design of our Heavenly Father, for he has said you cannot do
anything against the truth, but for it.
240
These things are truly so, and I have never known a man, whether
in the Church or out of it, but what has promoted this cause and
increased the influence of this people; and it will be so from
this time henceforth and for ever. Then who do you fathers in
Israel want to lie down and go to sleep, and neglect the duties
that devolve upon you? If you continue to do this, some of your
children will have to rise up and become your benefactors. Why
don't you step forward, set an example before your children,
become their benefactors, and lay a foundation for them and your
children's children to the latest generation. It is your
privilege, and the power is in your possession, for you have the
Priesthood, and you have a portion of that Apostleship which will
help you to attain to all the blessings promised to the faithful
sons of God. But many, I am aware, will let the candle of the
Almighty that is within them go out; and when that once goes out,
it is very hard to light it up again, and to have it as brilliant
as it was in the beginning.
240
In regard to the world at large, and my views in reference to the
Lord's performing his work, I have only to say that I look back
and trace the revelations that God gave to Joseph with great
pleasure. He told the Prophet at one time to go forth with his
brethren and importune for redress at the feet of the Governors
and the Judges, and finally to the President of the United
States, to give them the privilege of redressing their wrongs.
The Lord then said, if they will not redress your wrongs, I will
come out of my hiding-place, and in my hot displeasure I will vex
those unjust judges that are placed at the head of the nation,
and I will cut them off from the face of the earth, and I will
appoint their portion to be with the hypocrites and with the
unbelievers. Brethren, do you not think that day is right here?
Are we not receiving news every few days, by the Pony Express,
that the Lord is fulfilling his word? I think the last two or
three days has brought us news that ought to satisfy all upon
that point.
240
It is now for you and me to rise up in the strength of our
Heavenly Father, and let the light of heaven shine upon us, that
everything that is not right may be purged from our midst, and
let us say to every unholy thing, Begone! Let us honour our
tabernacles; let us honour the earth, and let us honour the
heavens, that we may enjoy the blessings that flow therefrom; for
the man who dishonours his tabernacle and the earth upon which we
dwell will not inhabit them again for some time to come. It will
be with them as President Young was talking this morning about a
certain class of individuals: there will be a dissolution, not
only of the tabernacles, but of the spirits; for the body is not
accountable to the spirit, but it is rendered accountable for the
acts of the person that dwells in it--that is, to some extent.
But, in reality, it is the person who dwells in the house that
will have to pay the debt. I am now speaking about the spirits
that dwell in our bodies. I know that these things will be as I
say.
240
I have seen the time when I did not know the meaning of the
phrase, "second death," but I now comprehend it to my
satisfaction. There will probably be thousands who will be
brought forth, in the resurrection, in their sins, and their
conduct in life will have rendered them worthy of the second
death. I have no desire to see any of the human family become
subjects of the second death, and I especially desire that I may
not see any of my brethren and sisters transgress the law of God
to that extent that will render them subjects of the second
death. My anxiety on this point is sometimes very great, for I
desire the welfare of the Saints, and my interest in your behalf
is daily increasing. I desire that we may so live in this life
that we may ever dwell together, that we may rise together in the
resurrection of the just, and then dwell together as men, women,
and children in the Lord.
241
Now, brethren and sisters, do we know what is right for us to do?
Yes, every one of us. I can safely say there is not a man or
woman here but knows what is right in the sphere in which they
move. For instance, there is not one but knows better than to
tell a lie, or steal, or bear false witness, or go and get drunk,
or to bemean our fellow-creatures. We all know that with that
measure we mete, we shall have it measured back to us again. Then
it is necessary for you and me, if we have been wrongfully and
unkindly treated, to wait until we see and change; and, if we are
patient, we shall see that to that man who measured to us will be
measured back again, and we have no need to say anything about
it. The law has gone forth--"With what measure ye mete it shall
be measured to you again." We may all rest assured, brethren,
that this law will be carried out, and that as we measure to each
other, so will it be measured back to us again, in order that
justice may have its demands.
241
You will all admit that this is true doctrine, for these are the
words of our Saviour: they are the words of the Prophets and
Apostles. Yes, they have all borne testimony to the same
doctrine, and so has every pureminded man that has lived upon the
earth.
241
Now let me ask of you Latter-day Saints if you think we do not
know enough to lay aside our selfishness. Can we lay aside our
precious selves and our proneness to do evil? Yes, we can.
241
When I returned from the South, I had quite a bundle of stories
laid before me, and they were calculated to prejudice me in my
feelings; but I declared, after due reflection, that it would not
do for me to acknowledge such stories as truth, or permit them to
have any bearing or weight upon my mind, because, if I had,
prejudice, to which we are all more or less susceptible, would
have taken hold of me. When I investigated and fathomed the thing
to the bottom, there was not a word of truth in the reports. If
men who are accustomed to fire off big guns could take such yarns
for wadding, and thus blow them away, it would be a good thing
for this community.
241
We are the greatest people for believing everything that is
reported that ever lived on the earth. It was just so in brother
Joseph's day. When I went to Kirtland, they told me stories about
brother Joseph, but I would not believe them. In those days, I
would not believe that a Prophet could do a wrong thing. But
there are some now who will try to make it appear that Prophets
will tell lies; but I tell you they will not do it. I might
reason in the language of Paul and say that, if I could bring
more into the kingdom of God by telling a lie than be telling the
truth, I would do it; but I know that the truth will bear its own
weight, and accomplish that for which it was sent; and there is
no need of any lies being told, or of any misrepresentations
being made about it.
241
There used to be a great many big stories told in Nauvoo, and the
only way that I got along was by trying to put them down. I speak
of these things to show you what has been; and if you can draw
any good conclusions from them, I shall be satisfied. My
principal object in speaking thus is, I want you to know that we
are a people who are very much inclined to believe lies, and to
encourage that which is not right.
241
If you know a man who is guilty of a crime, is it best for you to
reveal it? I will tell you what I would do. If I knew of men in
this Church, who were guilty of crimes that were not unto death,
I would never reveal that knowledge; for I consider it would not
be good policy to throw my brethren into hands that would be a
great deal worse than they were themselves; but I would see that
the law of God was executed.
241
The Bible says we should have charity and increase therein; and
we are further instructed to increase and multiply in all good
works, that the capacity of our minds may be enlarged, that we
may grow, thrive, and increase in the knowledge of our Father and
God.
242
Brethren, my heart is kind towards you all; I feel towards you as
a father feels towards his own children, and it is the pride of
my heart to see you rise up and honour and magnify the callings
that are placed upon you. You cannot honour God upon any other
principle than by honouring that which he has conferred upon you.
Give honour to all to whom honour is due. Do right in all things,
and by so doing your minds will expand, and you will be enabled
to comprehend the things of God.
242
It is not wisdom for you who hold the Priesthood to take the
sickle that is given you to reap with and hang it up on a tree,
but you are to carry it with you, and be faithful in using it;
for if you leave it, an enemy will come and rub all the edge off.
Let us take a course that our spirits will be keen and bright to
understand the things of God, and that the revelations of Jesus
Christ may be with us all the time, that we may be natural men
and women, and that God may be with us, and open our hearts to
see the things of this kingdom.
242
In regard to the outside pressure that is so often spoken of, if
those who make it do not get pressed or squeezed, if there is any
juice in them, then I am mistaken. I mean those that killed
Joseph and Hyrum Smith, David Patten, and many others who have
been slain for the Gospel's sake.
242
The Lord is going to finish his work, for he has promised to cut
it short in righteousness.
242
I will now turn from the spiritual to the temporal, and advise
you to finish your work. Put the covering on your houses--bind on
the cornices; for, if you don't, the Devil will raise a wind that
will blow that tops off. I have concluded that I will hold myself
still and not say much, for fear my roof should blow off, the
same as many have been thrown off up north.
242
Brethren, be diligent in gathering up the honey; be humble, kind,
and merciful, and then we shall obtain mercy. God will mete unto
us according to our deserts; he will bless the righteous and the
meek. The Lord will reckon with the wicked and those that have
committed abominations in the earth. He will shortly reckon, too,
with those who hold the Priesthood--who have been acting as
ministers of justice and mercy; he will reward them according to
their works.
242
May the Lord our God bless the meek and contrite in spirit; may
he bless those that lead you, and inspire their hearts that they
may be like one drop of water, or like a unit; and may he grant
that you may be one with them; and may he grant that we may all
walk before him in righteousness all the days of our lives.
242
May the God of our fathers bless you all, is my prayer. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, June 12, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, June 12, 1860
IMPROVEMENT, &c.
Remarks by Heber C. Kimball, made at Willow Creek,
June 12, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
243
In all the days of my life, I never heard more plain preaching
than I have heard to-day, taking it altogether. It is not such
preaching as you hear all the time. A great many of you probably
were professing Christians before you became "Mormons," and you
have been used to what we call spiritual food. Good heavens,
whoever partook of spiritual food in the flesh, except the first
partook of natural food? The spirit is in the natural food, and
no man receives it except he takes the natural food. It is the
religion of Jesus Christ--it is the religion of the kingdom of
God; and as far as I am concerned, I do not know anything about
any religion that does not consist in faith and works. Faith
without works is dead, being alone; so is the body dead without
the spirit. The spirit and body are the soul of man. It is the
spirit of man that prompts to improvement--to putting up good
houses and good barns, planting fine orchards, and improving the
country generally.
243
It appears that it would be impossible for me to live unless I
gratified the feeling of improvement that is within me. When I
first got married, I worked at the potter's business, and not
being fully employed, I would go and look at my hog-pen, to see
if I could make an improvement on it. I would tear it down and
build it over again upon an improved principle. I dare venture to
say that if you move some of your houses here, you will have an
excellent rich garden spot. Improvement is the result of labour.
Do you suppose this earth was organized and created without
labour? No, no more than a piece of crockery-ware is made without
hands. We know that that pitcher was made by some being like unto
us, and so it was with this earth.
243
After the earth was made, then there was a garden spot selected,
and the Lord commanded some of his associates to go and plant it,
and to cause all kinds of vegetation to grow, and fruits of every
description. Some suppose the Lord commanded all these things to
come out of the earth, and the vegetation that was in the earth.
When all these things were done, the garden was beautified, and
made pure and clean and holy and sanctified; and then the next
thing was to bring forth the animal creation; but the animals
were not brought there until the vegetation was planted and
grown. We often sing, "This earth was once a garden place," where
God our Father dwelt, and took possession and a stand that
mankind will take who attain to that honour.
244
It is our duty to take the counsel that has been given us to-day
by brother Brigham. It is as good doctrine as I ever heard in my
life. It is choice--yea, more choice to us than all the jewels
and gold and silver that you ever saw. This is a pretty place
naturally; but now your roads and streets are occupied with your
firewood, waggons, ploughs, harrows, stables, dunghills, and
out-houses, and, in fact, everything else that ought not to be
there. The religion of Jesus Christ, of angels, of Brigham, and
of all good men is to take a care of and improve and adorn the
earth as Adam did. When he planted the garden, he planted it with
seeds he brought with him; and he also brought the animals from
the earth he lived upon, where his Father dwelt.
244
We are not living our religion, and angels will not dwell with us
until we take a different course. These mountains and valleys are
the places for us; and all hell cannot get us out of them: if we
do right, we shall not leave them until the Lord says, Go. It is
the place for us to improve, and make mills, and beautify cities
and gardens. How would you like it to-day, if you had a few pails
of fine large strawberries to eat before I left home out of my
own garden.
244
May God bless you in all your endeavours to beautify your city,
in fertilizing your farms and gardens, and in adorning your lives
with righteousness. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, July 15, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, July 15, 1860
PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL--CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR REJECTION.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, July 15, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
244
The truth is the same when preached by one man as another. If an
idolator should come here and present the truth, its being
delivered by him would not make it any less true. What has been
said to-day by brother James W. Cummings is the Gospel of Christ,
and salvation to everyone that hears and obeys it. Is the Gospel
the power of God and salvation to everyone that heareth it? No;
but he that heareth these words of mine and doeth them, says
Jesus, the same shall be saved.
244
If I should preach the Gospel as Jesus did when he said, "Go ye,
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I
am with you always, even unto the end of the world,--well, now,
he that believeth and is baptized--does that save the man? No.
But there are ten thousand commandments that are connected to
that. The Apostle says, Go on unto perfection, not laying again
the foundation of repentance from dead works.
244
This is for you and me to do, and we are required to do it to-day
and to-morrow, next year and continually, and live by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, and practise it in our
lives, in our conversation, at our homes, and when we are abroad.
245
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: that is only
one principle. Baptism alone will not save a man, but the fruits
of righteousness will. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost; and when you have taught them, and got them into
the fold, then teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you to teach them. Teach them to do everything that
pertains to righteousness, and to abstain from everything that is
wicked.
245
When I was baptized, I had heard the Gospel and believed it. Then
I went and submitted myself to it in humility. I began to pray
before I was baptized. As soon as I heard this Gospel, I began to
inquire of the Father, in the name of the Son, if it was true. I
received a testimony of it, and bore testimony for months to my
neighbours and to the inhabitants in the country where I lived,
and told them it was true. A great many of them believed it; and
as soon as we received it and had the authority, I administered
to others. Many more received it, being baptized for the
remission of sins. When I received the truth, I commenced a new
life, and I have endeavoured to live it from that day to this. Do
I realize that I am a poor creature? I do, and the more light I
have the more I see this; and the less light a man has the less
he sees and knows his imperfections. The more light and knowledge
a man has the more he sees he is nothing without God.
245
I am preaching the Gospel in connection with brother James
Cummings. What he said is true; and if you observe and practise
it, you shall know these things, whether he spoke of himself or
whether he spoke of the doctrine of Christ. He talked about
famine, and pestilence, and earthquakes, and hurricanes, and
mighty winds, in the States. These things are raging in the
countries where Joseph dwelt, and those that exulted in the death
of Joseph and Hyrum, David and Parley, and hundreds of our
fathers and mothers, and our brothers and sisters, will suffer
for it. They said to the nation and to the army, Go there and
make a desolation of that people, and as God liveth he will make
a desolation of them. [The congregation responded, "Amen."] God
has revealed this to me, and I know it will come to pass. You may
call this prophecy or anything else you please, it matters not to
me. What I know I understand as well as anybody else. Have not
they done this? They have practised it upon us. God will put a
hook in their jaws and lead them, and has done from that day to
this, and he will continue to do so from this day henceforth and
for ever. He will lead the whole of the nations of the earth, and
they cannot help themselves, and I know it.
245
The Eastern papers give a full account of the great winds, and
the great destruction occasioned by them. Such winds are horrible
that will lift off the road ten baggage-trains loaded with from
five to ten tons weight each, and smash them as a reed, and take
off tops of houses, blow down chimneys, tearing them asunder, and
burying them in the earth. Whole cities are laid desolate, and
not a whole piece of furniture is to be found.
246
The Lord and his angels are at work to measure to the inhabitants
of the earth as they measured to his people. This will be done,
and they cannot help it. Jesus says, "With that measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again." These words are true, and
will never fail; they cannot be avoided, if God is just. He will
not reap where he has not sown. If I reap where I have not sown,
I reap another's man crop. Where we sow the word of life, there
we shall reap; and if we bring forth the fruits of righteousness,
we shall reap to our joy, and shall be satisfied.
246
To him that hath he will give more, and from him that hath not he
will take away that which he seemeth to have, and give it to him
that will improve upon his talents. Let us be faithful and keep
the commandments of God, and leave the event with him. The
majority of this people are trying to do right, and are improving
in righteousness to my certain knowledge. On the other hand, it
gives me pain when I go into this place and that, and suppose I
am talking to Latter-day Saints, and I find I am conversing with
thieves and robbers; and here they are right in your midst. "How
do you do, brother James, George, or Brigham? How glad I am to
see you," and at the same time they are laying the axe at the
root of the kingdom of God to destroy it. They are in our midst.
They are to be found in the grog-shops and in all public places,
watching and hearing what is said, and you and I and all the rest
are sitting down to go to sleep.
246
I want to refer to what brother James has said this morning. He
told you the truth. Receive it, practise it, live it, and enjoy
it, that the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost may take up
their abode with you. Where the Father takes up his abode, there
will the Son be; and where the Father and the Son dwell, there
will the Holy Ghost dwell also, because they are one. We should
be one like unto them. A great many neglect their prayers. Should
they do this? No. A great many women that live by themselves
neglect their prayers, and God forsakes them, and Satan takes
possession, and they have no power over themselves; they light of
God leaves them, and they are stupified: when they hear they heed
not, and when they see they believe not. Jesus says--"He that
heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him
unto a man that built his house upon a rock; when the winds blew
and the floods came, it feel not, because it was founded upon a
rock. But he that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them
not, I will liken him unto a foolish man that built his house
upon the sand; and when the winds blew and the floods came, it
fell, because it was built upon the sand. They go down to
hell--to that which is beneath. That which is from God cometh
from heaven.
246
I will not say much more about grain: you can do as you please. I
might just as well say nothing about it, for I know none will
listen to it but good Saints, men of God, and men that have an
experience, and can see things as they are: they are the men that
will save this people. If one to fifty proves a saviour in the
end, I shall think that things are much better than I expected to
find them. And those who have not skill, power, and wisdom, and
salvation enough to save themselves and families temporally, what
are they going to do with the spirit? The spirit goes into the
spirit-world, and then has to be taken by some Bishop--some man
that has power to feed them, to lead them, and teach them in the
ways of salvation. We are not going, then, as some suppose, in a
hurry.
247
God bless the righteous brethren, and your righteous wives and
children, and your children's children, for ever. Can I say God
bless the thief and the robber, the whore and the whoremonger,
and those that love and make lies? No. I will leave them just
where they are; for they will meet the demands of justice, and
they will welter and wallow in that pit they have dug for
themselves; and they cannot avoid it. I feel to bless every man I
meet that is a good man; and if I was oil, I would run through
him. But when I see a wicked man and woman running after the
Gentiles to be contaminated with their cursed lies, I say, You
have damnation enough in yourselves. I will not say a word to
them. You poor miserable creatures, trying to bring desolation
upon the people--upon the Israel of God, you are building a fire
big enough to burn you up, and I know there will be an end of you
some day. God bless the righteous, and peace be with you! and God
bless the righteous throughout the world, and all those who
believe in the words of Jesus Christ, and on the servants of the
living God! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, October 6, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, October 6, 1860
THE LATTER-DAY KINGDOM--CONNECTIONS OF THE
PRIESTHOOD--TEMPORAL SALVATION, &c.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
247
We have come together this morning for the purpose of holding our
General Conference, and to attend to matters of business that
pertains to the whole Church, not only for the people in this
Territory; but we have met to do business that concerns all
nations and people, both the living and the dead, or those who
have passed behind the veil; and I feel to rejoice in the
privilege we now have.
248
I know that this is the kingdom of God. It is that kingdom which
was shown to the Prophet Daniel, as recorded in the second
chapter of his book. This is the kingdom that was set up in the
days of Jesus, and it is the kingdom that our Father and God set
up after he organized this earth; and he is the King: but there
are and will be tens of thousands of kings this side of him, and
will be a perpetual increase of kings and priests in the kingdoms
of our Father.
248
I desire to express my feelings in a few words upon those things,
that you may know how I feel, and understand that I view this
kingdom as something that pertains to or that will affect all the
creatures of God in this creation--yes, the thousands and
millions of beings who have not yet appeared upon this stage of
action. It is that kingdom that concerns every man that ever did
or that ever will live.
248
I wish to encourage you Elders and all good Saints to live so as
to get that Spirit that is promised to the faithful; and let us
lay aside our selfishness, and become interested in the general
warfare of the kingdom of God; for it is something that should
interest every man and woman in the world.
248
This Church is that Church which has been spoken of by the
Prophet's and this people constitute that kingdom that was to
come forth in the latter days. We are members of this kingdom,
and we proceeded from the King of this earth. We are all his
sons; and when, through our obedience, we become heirs of God and
joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, we in reality become princes, for
we emanated from that King; and he is our Father and God, and he
will call every son and daughter of Adam to an account for their
deeds. It does not matter whether they belong to the Church or
are outside of the fold of Christ, our Father will call them to
give an account of the deeds done in the body; and the spirits of
men that were in existence before they inhabited these bodies
have got to be responsible for the acts that are wrought in the
flesh. This is upon the same principle that President Young
commits to me the care and supervision of a house,--for instance,
the sanctum sanctorum--a holy place, where the ordinances of God
are administered. He commits that to me, and holds me responsible
for its safe keeping. So it will be with you and me; so it will
be with all men and women in regard to their works on the earth.
There will be thousands of men brought to an account for their
conduct towards women, for in many instances it is shameful.
248
We have come here to day to worship God, to speak of his purposes
and designs, and to bear testimony of his work. It is rainy and
rather wet and unpleasant, and therefore we cannot do much else;
and we shall stay here until the Spirit indicates that it is best
to adjourn; and when that will be I cannot now tell. But I hope
none of you will be troubled upon that point, for President Young
will hold it as long as it is interesting and the Spirit of God
shall dictate to him. In referring to the sons and daughters of
Adam, and to this great work which I have already said concerns
us all, and especially the Elders that have come into the Church
in the beginning, and who hold this Priesthood which God has a
revealed through his servant Joseph, I wish you to understand
that all that is connected with you--your wives and
children--should interest you in their welfare and in the
prosperity of the work of God; and you will be interested in
proportion to the light, knowledge, power, and spirit there is in
the Elders; and that spirit will rest upon the Elders, their
wives, and children. Their animals and all they possess will be
quickened by it.
248
You can read in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants that the Lord
spoke to Thomas B. Marsh and the Twelve Apostles, telling them
that they held the keys of the kingdom with the First Presidency
and the fathers from the beginning of the creation.
248
"For unto you (the Twelve) and those (the First Presidency) who
are appointed with you to be your counsellors and your leaders is
the power of this Priesthood given for the last days and for the
last time, in the which is the dispensation of the fulness of
times; which power you hold in connection with all those who have
received a dispensation at any time from the beginning of the
creation; for verily I say unto you, the keys of the dispensation
which ye have received have come down from the fathers, and last
of all being sent down from heaven unto you." (Doc. and Cov.,
sec. 104, par. 12.)
249
The Lord told us there that the fathers are interested for us
just in proportion to the interest we feel for this work and for
the Church and kingdom of God here upon the earth. I want you to
think of that and reflect upon it. You need not doubt in relation
to the truth of what the world call "Mormonism," for the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, established and organized
through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith, is the
true Church of God. With it is the Priesthood and power of God;
and you might as well try to doubt that the sun shines, for it is
truth; and although all hell may deny it, and all the men upon
the earth, that will make no difference, for it is from God. The
Lord called that man, and sent his angels to ordain him and
confer upon him that authority we hold, and through us every soul
of you who have received the truth received it--through that
Priesthood which came from God through Joseph Smith; and you grew
out of that Priesthood, and none of you have a particle of power
except that which comes through that medium. It came from Jesus
to Peter, from Peter to Joseph, and from Joseph to President
Young and his brethren, and from us to you. You hold that
Priesthood and authority in connection with them; and except you
are connected with them, you cannot have any Priesthood or
authority. You must honour that tree with which you are
connected; for, if you dishonour that tree, you dishonour
yourselves, and I would not give a farthing for your authority.
249
These are some of my views upon the subject; and I feel to say
that this work will roll forth with greater power hereafter than
it has done in times past; and my prayer to my Father in heaven
is, Let thy work roll on, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. That is the way it has got to be, for
things must eventually be done here as they are in heaven. We
have got to do right, and we cannot do this except we honour our
callings and Priesthood; for we are like a great tree, having
roots, body, great and small limbs; and I want to know what the
difference is between one limb and another, so far as honour is
concerned? All should be honoured in their place and calling. Let
every man honour the head, the body, and every member that
pertains to that body, if you wish to honour God. Now, can I rise
up and chastise the limb that I am connected with? No, I cannot;
and the limb will die quicker without my interference, if there
is anything wrong about it. Could a man rise up and chastise
President Joseph Smith when he was alive? No; no man had the
right. Well, then, can any man chastise President Young? No, sir;
but it is the duty of all to honour the head and the body with
which they are connected. Upon the same principle, the smallest
member of the body should honour the part to which it is
attached. You know two feet are required to carry two legs, and
two legs to carry a body; and so it is in the Church of Christ.
249
The Apostles and Prophets used to talk in this way, presenting
figures and comparisons for the purpose of conveying things to
the minds of the people more forcibly. Now, let every man take a
course to honour one another and the Priesthood they have
received. "Well," says one, "I will honour the First Presidency
of the Church; but I don't want anything to do with the Twelve:
they are not of much account." That is the way some of you feel.
Now, if you treat these men in this way, how long will it be
before you will treat President Young in like manner?
250
The course for us to take is to honour the Priesthood which the
Almighty has given to man. How can you honour God except you
honour that Priesthood? This is well worth your consideration.
You all sprang out of that Priesthood as one limb of a tree comes
out of the main body. This is honourable in all men, and I feel
to say, Let every man honour his calling, his fruit will appear.
250
Will a good apple tree produce a thorn or a thistle? No, it never
will. But notwithstanding this, I believe there are a great many
thistles that call themselves apples; yes, many that are briars,
thistles, and other useless things they ought not to be. I
frequently think of these things. I consider our Priesthood and
the vows that we have made with God. "But," says one, "we have
made those vows with our brethren, and not with the Lord." Let me
tell you that it was the brethren in authority in the Priesthood
who called you into the house of the Lord; but you made your
covenants with God. The brethren were merely the witnesses of
those things which you did--of the covenants you made with the
Father, with the Son, with the Holy Ghost, and with all the
heavenly hosts; and your brethren stood as witnesses for God, and
you will have to give an account of the way and manner you keep
and observe those covenants.
250
There are many who think these things are of no account; but I
will tell you, brethren, that you will be straightened out when
the Lord appears, taking vengeance upon those that will not obey
his Gospel. In that day the wicked will be as chaff or stubble,
and they will be destroyed from the earth, and their tabernacles
dissolved; but the righteous will receive new bodies, and they
will inhabit a new earth, and eternally enjoy the favour of that
God who sent his Son that you and I might be redeemed and brought
back into his presence.
250
There is a great deal for us to do, and I wish you would all
think so, and have these things before your minds continually.
How can this evil be remedied? I say, in the name of the Lord God
of Israel, Wake up from your slumber, and get within your souls
the Spirit of the Most High God; and the more you have of it, the
more you will feel the necessity of being wide awake and
attentive to your duties.
250
Your eyes have become dim because of your dullness and
inattention to your duties. The Scriptures say--"Let thine eye be
single, that thy whole body may be full of light." The reason we
do not see things as they are is because we have become dull and
stupid, and do not understand the things of God. It is said in
the Scriptures that the eyes of certain characters are like the
fool's eyes, reaching out to the ends of the earth; and like the
door upon its hinges, doing no good, but just swinging backwards
and forwards. Brother Benson, won't you shut that vestry door,
and open it again? [Which he did.] Now, don't you see, brethren,
that has neither lost nor gained anything; but it will soon wear
out. This figure I wish to apply to you indolent persons, and
thereby show you that you ought to go to work and improve--bring
about something for the honour and glory of God, and the adorning
and building up of his kingdom. I do not want you to be like the
sow that has been taken and washed clean, and then as soon as the
door is open she goes into the dirtiest mud-hole there is in the
neighbourhood. But as you have been washed in the waters of
baptism and entered into the fold, I want you to remain clean and
pure, and to labour for the welfare of Zion and the upbuilding of
the kingdom of our God. If you act like the sow, then your last
end will be worse than your first.
250
You have entered into the kingdom, and should be like a little
child, humble, meek, and passive in the hands of your superiors.
251
You will remember that when those commissioners came to make
peace with us, we came up from the South to see them, to find out
what they wanted. The night we arrived in the city, I dreamed
that there was an awful flood, and that the flood-wood gave way,
and it came down Emigration Kanyon, and went in a southwesterly
direction. I then looked round to see what the effects were, and
all at once this whole city and adjacent country became full of
hogs. I spoke to the President and the brethren who were with
him, and said--"The country is full of hogs," and they were
frothing at the mouth just like mad hogs do; and I saw them
running after the brethren, who got on the walls and fences in
different directions, and they were jumping up at them, but their
mouths were full of froth; and I was pleased to see that there
was not one of those hogs could bite any of the brethren.
By-and-by our attention was called to other business, and when I
had a little leisure I looked round and said to the
brethren--"Where are those hogs gone?" We looked around us, and
lo and behold there was not a hog to be found in the country!
251
But while they were here did they not froth at the mouth? They
did, and they jumped and made a terrible stew; but I do not know
that they have ever hurt anybody. They have not had the power to
meddle with or hurt anybody except those who wanted to be meddled
with. Now I consider that those men and women who have suffered
themselves to be overcome by these hogs are no better than the
hogs themselves.
251
This may be considered a very good introduction, in my way, to
this General Conference.
251
I do not know that I ever felt better in my life than I do
to-day. I feel that I can touch a little thing here and another
there, and I see before me ten thousand times more than I speak
of; and among the many things that I can see, one is, that all
the hogs are going to leave as fast as they can! If the Elders
and Saints will only do right, all will be right for them and
with them; and they ought to know that the responsibility is upon
their shoulders.
251
If you, brethren, go and sell your wheat, that will not be laid
to the sisters, excepting in those cases where the men are under
petticoat government. Those who do this are taking a course that
will bring sorrow upon themselves; yes, those who trade away the
staff of life will suffer pain, sorrow, and nakedness, and many
things that have not entered into their hearts to think of.
251
Since the Latter-day Saints have been in these mountains, there
has never been such a deep designing and well-got-up scheme to
draw grain out of this Territory as there is now; for there is a
branch of a store in almost every settlement, and they are buying
wheat and sending it to Pike's Peak, and they are getting it at a
very low price, too. I am afraid this is going to bring trouble
upon you, brethren and sisters. President Young has talked and
talked upon the subject of saving your breadstuff, and the Twelve
have borne testimony of it in all your settlements day after day
and year after year; and yet many of the people don't care any
more about it than if we had never spoken upon the subject.
252
There are some who have listened and laid up their grain. Look at
the men who have done this, and you will find men that have got
power with God and man. Let us try to improve, and get as many to
do this as we can, and we shall do well. We cannot get everybody
to do it, but we can use an influence with a few. There are a
great many here who have lived from hand to mouth all their
lives, they have been accustomed to get their wages on a Saturday
night; and let their wives have them; then their wives would go
and pay such a portion for the week's provisions--so much for
ale, so much for the priest, the tithing, and other things; and
they don't know how to get along any other way.
252
How can you be saviours, except you lay up knowledge of the
things of God? And how can you be temporal saviours, except up
lay up provisions? Jesus says, Seek first the kingdom of heaven
and its righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto
you. The Lord is not bound to feed us, except we take care and do
our part. Do you imagine that the Lord will go and raise you a
crop of wheat, without your first going and ploughing the ground?
252
You have heard President Young say that none of us know enough to
make a spear of grass grow, and this we all know to be true; but
I will tell you what you can do. You can obtain the ground,
plough it, drag it, sow the seed, and dedicate it to your Father
and God. Then, when you find it necessary, you can irrigate it,
and you will be pretty sure to get a good crop of wheat, or corn,
or whatever you may choose to plant.
252
There are a great many that are going into speculation
now-a-days. Some of our Elders are becoming merchants, taking the
Gentiles' goods and peddling them off for wheat, and then turning
it over to our Gentile speculators who have persecuted us. Well,
you will see that pretty much every one of them will lose the
Spirit, except they repent.
252
Now, you have been told again and again to take care of your
cattle, and send back for your goods. This has been done this
year by a number of the brethren, and it can be done by the
majority of the people. There was a train of goods came in a few
days ago: the cattle started from here last spring, and they have
come in in better condition than any other cattle that have
crossed the Plains this season. The same thing has been done
before. The year the pioneers came in, we bought oxen, mules, and
horses; and some of the cattle we brought in with us went back to
the Missouri river the same season, and they got through about
three weeks before we did, for we had to stay back and help our
horses. When we struck the Platte river on our return, we found
that there was no substance in the grass; the frost had killed
it. But in the spring, when cattle go down from here, the grass
is fresh and good, and the cattle get fat; and then on their
return they get into the "bunch-grass country" before the frost
comes, and you know bunch-grass is good all the year round. I
want to see the people go into this business forthwith.
252
I cannot do much, but I have had it in my heart ever since I have
been in this Church to do some good, not only to myself but to
this people; and I want to honour this Priesthood, and to see the
day when this people will circumscribe and circumnavigate the
whole world; and I want to see the kingdom of God govern and rule
the world, and this I will see with mine eyes, if I am faithful;
and if I am not faithful, I shall be sure to see it, and that to
my sorrow.
252
I desire to be humble and faithful; but I am like you--I have my
weaknesses to contend with. We seem as if we must have something
to excite us to good works--to encourage us to press forward in
the good work of our Heavenly Father; and I consider we have
everything to encourage us to do good--to practise virtue and
righteousness.
253
Brethren, I feel to bless you with the blessings of Almighty God,
that the Spirit of God may run through your bones like blood
running through your veins, to cheer up your hearts. And I ask my
Heavenly Father to bless you; and he will do it, if you be
faithful and diligent. He will bless the virtuous, the upright,
and those that honour their calling, and that honour this Church;
and he will honour me for ever, so long as I do right and honour
the Priesthood; and he will honour my wives, my sons, and
daughters, if they will honour themselves; and I will honour
them. The men who honour this Church, and try to promote its
interests, God will bless; and if they honour God, they never
will take a course to crush their brethren: they will honour
their Presidents, whether they be Apostles, High Priests, or
Elders.
253
Uncle John Young is a Patriarch in the Church of God, which
office he received honourably, for he is an heir to it through
his father; and he may bless all the people with the blessings of
the heavens and of the earth, and they will only get what they
live for. This is the promise of God to his Saints.
253
The Spirit of the Lord giveth line upon line and precept upon
precept, here a little and there a little for the comfort of the
Saints. These are given to you to improve upon. I feel this
spirit of improvement, and desire to advance and see my brethren
advance in the things of God.
253
I pray God to bless you all, in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / George
Albert Smith, October 6, 1860
George Albert Smith, October 6, 1860
TESTIMONY, &c.
Remarks by Elder George A. Smith, made in the Tabernacle,
October 6, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
253
It is about thirteen months since I had the privilege of rising
and speaking in your midst. It is therefore with a heart filled
with thankfulness to our Heavenly Father that I now enjoy the
privilege of bearing my testimony on the present occasion of the
things which pertain to the kingdom of the Most High. In his kind
providence we are enjoying a great multitude of blessings.
253
The testimony which has been given to us this morning of the
power and manifestations of the Spirit of God in the midst of
Israel is calculated to make us rejoice. The Lord speaks unto us
in his own way, and after his own manner, and in our language,
and after our understanding, and the light of his Spirit which
shineth in our minds, inasmuch as we will suffer it to do so; but
if our hearts are clogged with the things of this world--if our
souls are suffered to become enamoured of the earth and the
objects that are sought after by the wicked world, we lose the
Spirit of the Lord, and by that means do not understand when we
are taught and instructed in the way of life.
254
The object of obtaining wealth and the desire to handle or
control a considerable portion of this world's goods have blinded
the eyes of many Elders, and caused them to go astray in the ways
of extravagance and folly. It has decoyed them from the path of
virtue, and by that means they have become totally estrayed from
the path of truth. If we can keep in view the one great
principle, to build up the kingdom of God, proclaim the fulness
of the everlasting Gospel, to labour for the sustenance of Zion,
make that our first, our great, our only object, and fear not for
the earthly things we may need, we shall have the Spirit of the
Almighty to enlighten our minds and guide our feet in the true
path.
254
When the Presidency bear their testimony to us, our spirits will
then meet with theirs, and we shall feel and enjoy the truth of
the principles they proclaim to us. But while our minds become
concentrated upon earthly objects, we are dark, and we begin to
think we know better than other people; we begin to feel that we
can do something independently of God or his servants.
254
I will relate an instance that occurred in 1849. I was talking
with one of the brethren who had been many years in the Church.
He told me he wanted to situate himself so that he could leave
his family and be prepared to go preaching. I said, "Are you not
pretty well situated now you have a large farm, plenty of cattle,
and other property, and your family are able to take care of
themselves?" He said he did not feel as though he had ready means
enough to go. "I want to get myself in condition so that I can
leave home; and in order to do it, I have determined to go to
California; and I think in the course of five or six months I can
there raise ten thousand dollars, and on that means I can go to
the southern part of California, buy 1,000 head of horses, and
bring them to Salt Lake, and next year sell them for one or two
hundred dollars each. With that means in my hands I shall be able
to leave my family and go preaching." That was the design he laid
out. I may say the plan was very tempting: he went to California,
but the tremendous results anticipated were never realized. There
are a great many men in the midst of Zion that have lost their
power and ability to perform those works they seem to wish to
perform by endeavouring to take a wild goose chase to place
themselves in possession of wealth on their own responsibility.
The circumstances which have transpired in our midst for the last
few years have been calculated to try many men.
254
In reviewing the history of ourselves as a people, we have
encountered many things which have been calculated to try some
men. They have been compelled many times to submit to the most
cruel exactions--seeing their friends murdered, their families
driven from their possessions, and yet bearing up under it
splendidly. They have had to pioneer into the midst of a barren
and hitherto unknown desert, make settlements, rear their
families in the midst of want, and toil, and bear it patiently.
Yet, after a few years of prosperity, you will see those very
men, when they become better situated, surrounded with the
blessings and comforts of life,--they begin to feel as though
they were not doing quite well enough, and their thoughts begin
to wander like the fool's eye to the ends of the earth. In some
instances the scenes of the last few years have caused them to
turn again, as President Kimball expressed it, like the hog to
the mire after he had been cleanly washed.
255
It puts me in mind of a compliment paid to Queen Elizabeth by an
English farmer. Her Majesty was out on a ride, and was caught in
a storm. The farmer was very much rejoiced that the Queen had
called upon him, and she was pleased with his rough hospitality.
Being just after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, he
complimented her on the success of her arms by saying--"The King
of Spain got the wrong sow by the ear when he made war with your
Majesty." The Queen was much amused at this vulgar comparison.
255
Though, really, the dream related by brother Kimball, describing
the multitude of hogs that were in the city, was so perfectly
illustrated at the time the town was so tremendously full of
soldiers, teamsters, gamblers, and camp-followers, and they
floated off so suddenly, that it could almost be said it was
dreamed awake. That is the best way to dream: a man can many
times dream wide awake straighter than when asleep.
255
I remember once (when in Zion's camp,) I was very thirsty,
hungry, and tired, that I dreamed when I was walking on the road
I could see a loaf of bread, a bottle of milk, and a spring of
water. It was one of the pleasantest dreams in the world, and I
dreamed it while walking along the road. At the same time a great
many dreams, as men consider, are no more or less than open
vision, and a great many dreams are the result, perhaps, of
fatigue--of over-exercise--of over-eating before retiring to
rest, or some other cause.
255
When a man's mind is illuminated by a dream, it leaves a vivid
and pleasant impression: when it may be guided by the Spirit of
God, it leaves the mind happy and comfortable, and the
understanding clear.
255
I have regretted, for the past year, that I have not been
permitted to speak to you, that my testimony to the truth might
be heard in the midst of Israel, and in this city particularly.
It was owing simply to an accident which lamed me in such a
manner that I could not walk about--could not stand up, though
after a while I got so much better that I could ride. I have rode
about the Territory, and talked to the brethren in the
settlements, generally sitting down; and many of them heard my
testimony, which is the same as it has been for the last
twenty-eight years--a testimony of the truth of the revelation of
the fulness of the Gospel to the Saints in these last days. It is
the work of the Lord, and the hand of God is visible in
everything that is passing before us; his hand and power have
been over us. He has shielded us from the political machinations
of evil-designing men, and preserved us from the wrath of our
enemies. He has given wisdom to our President to guide, to
counsel, to direct us; and if ever revelation guided a people on
the face of this earth, this people has been guided by special
revelation ever since we came into these valleys. The power of
the Almighty has been with us, his hand has been over us here,
his wisdom has directed us, his inspiring Spirit has been on our
Presidency, his revealed will has been given from the lips of him
God has given to lead us. Fear not to do right ourselves, and let
us be fully aware of our own follies and weaknesses and
corruptions, and listen to the watchmen of Zion, and we shall
overcome and inherit the blessings of glory. We shall rise above
our enemies, light and truth will shine upon us, peace will be on
our path, and the lamp of life that will guide us to eternal
glory.
255
This is my testimony. You have it as I feel and realize it and
know it, for these things are of God. And may his blessings
attend us, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, December 16, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, December 16, 1860
EVIL HABITS AND PRACTICES, &c.
Remarks by Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, December 16, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
256
You have all heard the remarks and sentiments of brother Wells.
His exhortations are very good; they will make you and every soul
who obeys them free, because truth is life, and life is light.
256
I do not believe there is a man here to-day but what knows that
the doctrine taught to-day is truth. It is the word of God--the
revelations of Jesus Christ to every one that hears, and
salvation to all who yield obedience to it and carry it out
practically. Your faith without works is vain. The religion which
you and I believe in requires us to live by its precepts--to be
Saints in very deed. It is life, joy, and peace to those who
practise it, and condemnation to those who despise it.
256
Brother Wells has made some excellent remarks on the practice of
drinking liquors. The results of this evil are seen everywhere;
but to say that it leads to all manner of evils would be as far
out of the way as the saying that the love of money is the root
of all evil; for there are hundreds of men in the world that do
not drink a drop, and they are as full of wickedness as any men
upon the face of the earth.
256
Drinking liquor is a habit you may easily become habituated to:
drinking one dram creates an appetite for a second. It is just so
with a man who commences telling lies: he commences with a little
childish lie, believing that it will do no harm, and so he
continues on until he becomes an habituated liar. These things
become habits, and men bend their minds to them by degrees. The
same may be said of stealing: persons addicted to stealing first
began by stealing some trifling thing--perhaps a halfpenny or a
penny; from that they get to a picayune, sixpence, and a dollar,
and they then become habitual thieves. I could mention many
things that we as a people permit ourselves to do.
256
Some will tattle about their neighbours, and they will be very
bust at what we call backbiting, or, more properly speaking,
telling lies. These are evils that will eventually lead a man
down to death.
256
People may say there is no sin in stealing from an unbeliever;
but I tell you that the man who will do it will, if I let him
have the chance, steal from me; and such a course will lead them
down to death and destruction. And I now prophesy that the day
will come when the man who will do this will become poor, and be
a vagabond upon the earth; and probably it may affect his
children, if they partake of the same influence.
257
These are my sentiments in the presence of God, angels, and men.
Brethren, these very men who lie and steal will try to hide their
own sins by saying that the Presidency both do this and sanction
it. God will curse all who say such things, and all Israel will
say Amen. If I knew that I must draw my last breath in ten
minutes from now, I should still know that I am telling the
truth. There are many of these characters of whom I am speaking,
who do not drink any liquor at all; and then, again, we know that
there are many who do indulge. Every murder that has been
committed in this Territory has been done under the influence of
liquor; and I will here remark that the most of them have been
men who deserved to die; and, furthermore, I think it would be
quite as well if there were a great many more on the same road.
257
Brother Wells has truly remarked that the world and all hell
combined cannot stop this great and mighty work. This is the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, established by
revelation from heaven; and of this I feel proud to bear
testimony.
257
So far as the world are concerned, I care no more about them than
I do about the snow that is upon the ground, except they repent
and obey the Gospel. They cannot effect anything one way or the
other.
257
Brother Wells states that all the trouble and annoyances he fears
are those that may arise among ourselves. I wish to see these
things cultivated in the hearts of the people, or rather stored
up for cultivation. The question was asked, Whence is all this
sorrow and pain? These things arise from men and women who
profess to be Latter-day Saints. This I consider one of the most
irritating and tormenting things upon this earth.
257
Saints, rise up to the dignity of men and women in Christ Jesus,
do right, learn to be men, learn to lay aside every bad practice,
cease your drinking, and put away everything else that is evil.
Let us be one; let us try and live so that all will be as one
man, or one drop of water, and thus partake of each other's
principles and attributes, and of the attributes of God, that
angels may be our associates by night and by day.
257
If this people will take this course, and live their religion in
all things, I can prophesy in the name of Israel's god that you
will never have to fire a gun, for the Lord will send his angels
to do the work of destruction among the wicked. The Almighty will
lead the wicked as a man leads a horse, at pleasure. Brethren,
why don't you live your religion, magnify your callings, and
honour God in all things you do and say? Be humble and prayerful;
be faithful to your duties at all times.
257
I am speaking plainly to you: you may perhaps call it scolding,
but I am speaking of unrighteous practices--such as will bring
trouble upon you, and a final dissolution. Tell me of a man that
understands what has been said here this afternoon, who does not
know this as well as I do? Why do I say this? Because here is
light, knowledge, and revelation handed to you every Sabbath by
President Young and others. This is plain and easy to be
understood by all the Saints who have been here and partaken of
the words of life that have been dispensed to the people for the
last few years.
258
I have pride in the improvement that I see among the people, and
I have great satisfaction in seeing my family do right, living an
humble life, and setting an example that is worthy of imitation.
I am also proud of the industry that I behold around me, in
seeing the people making their own clothing. In this my family
greatly improve, and I delight in it, for it is setting a good
example before my children. I delight in seeing my children
temperate, and it would please me more if they would not touch
liquor at all. Then my sons would be honourable and filled with
the power of God, and that would be the height of my ambition, to
see my sons and daughters walking in the way of life and
salvation, my sons becoming kings and priests of the Most High,
and my daughters becoming mothers in Israel, like unto Abraham,
Moses, Sarah, and Rebecca of old.
258
You might suppose that I am proud of this coat of any other
clothing that I wear, like many people in this Church who make
dress their god. It is true, when I am kept warm by wearing good
clothes, that I feel comfortable and thankful; but I do not set
my heart upon clothes; and I would like to see you Elders of
Israel act upon the same principle--to be honourable and upright
in all things. I would like to see every soul of you doing right
and carrying with you a holy influence. I feel as honourable, and
yet as humble, as if I were in the presence of God and his holy
angels.
258
There are some of our people who do not believe that angels have
anything to do with us; but I can tell you that angels are here
to-day. Who are they? They are men who hold the same Priesthood
as President Young and his brethren. they are engaged in this
work individually and collectively. They are the characters who
watch over you Seventies and Elders: they want to save you and
bear you off victoriously. I know this, for they have been with
me and administered to me.
258
If we are faithful, the victory will be ours; and all the
combined powers of the wicked nations of the earth, aided by all
the devils from the infernal regions, cannot remove this people
out of their present location, neither can they stay the progress
of the work in which we are engaged; but it is the wickedness
that will rise up in the Church that will cause us trouble. It is
now as it was in the days of Jesus and the Prophets. We read in
the Book of Mormon that the Gadianton robbers came down from the
mountains--they robbed, plundered, and in many instances slew the
Saints. I can tell you, brethren and sisters, that we have
similar characters in these mountains, who are making pretty
rapid progress in preparing to destroy this people. This I know
to my sorrow.
258
When we take hold of men in this kingdom, we want to make
something of them: in many instances they are dishonest, and we
cannot do much with them. But in regard to the people of the
world, I do not trouble much about them: they do not live the
religion of Jesus Christ--they do not profess to live it, but
they think that we are all fools for following Joseph Smith and
Brigham Young. We know our religion is true--we profess to live
its principles; but if we turn against it, we have more
knowledge, and hence more power to operate against it.
258
You have frequently heard of brother Hyde, brother Russell, and
myself being afflicted with devils in England. There were legions
of them came upon us and sought to destroy us: but we were not
alone; our guardian angels were there to assist us, and they
delivered us out of the danger, and out of the power of our
enemies.
258
Brethren, be of good cheer, lift up your heads and your hearts in
purity before God, and rejoice in the strength of the Holy One of
Israel, for the wicked shall not overcome, but we will ride off
victoriously and sing songs of praise and triumph.
258
The day will come when the Lord our God will empty the earth of
all her wicked inhabitants, for he is going to cleanse this earth
from wickedness and prepare it for the abode of the righteous;
and you may rest assured that it will take a tremendous shaking
and an unprecedented great fire to purify this earth ready for
the Saints of light.
258
May the Lord bless you all, brethren and sisters, and all the
faithful and righteous Saints that live upon the earth, that they
may be prepared for the coming of the Lord Jesus, is my prayer.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, April 1, 1860
Brigham Young, April 1, 1860
FAITH AND BELIEF, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 1, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
259
The Elders who have addressed you have imparted much excellent
instruction, many great and glorious principles have been
advanced, the audience have been put in possession of them, and
there are a great many more in store for us.
259
We constantly behold an endless variety in the appearance of the
human family, and in their dispositions. No two persons are
exactly alike in form, appearance, expression, disposition, and
quality of character. We have seen a talent exercised before us
to-day that is new to many of us. I have been acquainted with
brother Mace more than twenty years, and never heard him speak in
a meeting until to-day. I am pleased with his discourse; his
ideas are bright and active: yet he will learn more; and we shall
learn many things that have not yet entered into our hearts to
conceive, and know better how to correct one thing with another,
and more clearly understand these seeming discrepancies in
doctrine, &c., that so often cause persons to differ.
259
The subject presented to you this morning I explained two weeks
ago in a manner to be satisfactory to persons of good
understanding: it is the subject of faith and belief. Perfection
in conveying ideas is not yet given to the children of men. Our
language is altogether inadequate for always conveying our ideas
with unmistakable precision, and the same ideas are generally
advanced in different words by different persons. This
peculiarity has been observable to-day. It has often been told
you that all people, sects, and denominations have more or less
truth. None of the religious sects have a perfect system of
salvation, though all of them have a portion of true doctrine,
and suppose they have a perfect plan. Elders in this Church--men
who have been members for years--often speak of principles in the
abstract, when they would be better understood if they spoke of
them in connection with other kindred principles. Faith and
belief, for instance, should not be separated.
260
Belief is inherent in the creature--implanted within him for his
use and benefit--to believe or disbelieve. Your own experience
may satisfy you that faith is not brought into requisition by the
presentation of either facts or falsehoods to the external
senses, or to the inward perceptions of the mind. If we speak of
faith in the abstract, it is the power of God by which the worlds
are and were made, and is a gift of God to those who believe and
obey his commandments. On the other hand, no living, intelligent
being, whether serving God or not, acts without belief. He might
as well undertake to live without breathing as to live without
the principle of belief. But he must believe the truth, obey the
truth, and practise the truth, to obtain the power of God called
faith. Belief and faith continue in the person who is in
possession of faith. It is thought by some that the time will
come when we shall no longer believe. So far as I now know, I
shall have to live as few hundred thousand years before I come to
that conclusion. I am satisfied that belief will eternally exist
with me, whether it will with others or not. When I am in full
possession of faith and the power of God, if I should say to that
mountain, "Be plucked up and placed in the sea," it would be
done; or to a tree, "Be rooted up," it would be done. I expect
that objects will come within the scope of my belief to act upon
before I have faith to act upon them; but I never expect to see
the time when there will not be room and opportunity for belief,
and to advance.
260
I am pleased with the remarks made by brother Mace and brother
Pratt. Brother Mace is right and wrong in his ideas upon the
birth of the water and the spirit, as he is with regard to faith
in the abstract. There is such a thing as the birth of the spirit
while we live in the flesh. And when we understand more perfectly
our own independent organization which God has given us, and the
spirit-world, and the principles and powers that act on this
organism, we shall learn that a person can be so fully and solely
devoted to the spirit of truth and to God, and be so wrapped up
in that spirit, that it may be called, with propriety, a new
birth. I read in the Scripture that a man must be born of the
spirit before he can see the kingdom of God. And yet I have seen
hundreds of people, in my experience and travels, who, after
hearing the Elders preach, and the spirit of truth has found way
to their hearts, have yielded to it and testified that this is
the kingdom of God, and, after all, have never come into it. The
love of the truth was so far lacking in them, or they were so far
wanting in moral courage, that they did not embrace the truth.
The writers of the New Testament were disposed to call it a
birth, and I have no objection to their use of the term.
260
Jesus is the first begotten from the dead, as you will
understand. Neither Enoch, Elijah, Moses, nor any other man that
ever lived on earth, no matter how strictly he lived, ever
obtained a resurrection until after Jesus Christ's body was
called from the tomb by the angel. He was the first begotten from
the dead. He is the Master of the resurrection--the first flesh
that lived here after receiving the glory of the resurrection.
The resurrection from the dead may also, with propriety, be
called a birth. All we can do in these matters is to exclaim, O
the poverty of our language!--the poverty of our ideas!--of the
power of our conception! But we shall learn more, and come to a
better understanding.
261
It is for brother Mace and all others to understand that, because
we believe in the ordinance of baptism, the ordinance of the
sacrament is not to be done away. To learn that, if you believe
in the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost,
you are not to deny the laying on of hands for the healing of the
sick. It is not for people to take only part of the religion of
Christ, and say "It is all we require;" but take the whole truth
wherever you find it. It is good; claim it, take it to yourself,
and cleave to it, for it will do you good. Cease to separate
truth from truth. Heaven is full of truth; earth is full of truth
and falsehood. The power of God, the power of angels, and the
power of the Devil are all more or less exhibited before the
children of men. Let us yield ourselves to the Lord our Saviour,
that we may truly be his servants, and it will be well with us,
and there will be no danger but that we shall be right. Let us
learn to see the harmony of truth, and love and practise it,
until we are made perfect and fully prepared to be received into
the kingdom of our Father and God. May the Lord God Almighty
bless the Saints, and every one who will permit his blessings to
come upon them. I am under the same obligations to bless sinners
as I am to bless Saints, if they will receive my blessings. I
pray for the blessings of Heaven upon the work of his hands, for
we are all his children--the sons and daughters of our Parent who
dwells in the heavens. Let us do honour to his character and to
our own being, and so live that we may have knowledge of the
light of eternity, that we may be prepared to dwell eternally
with him. This is the greatest gift that can be conferred on
intelligent beings, to live forever and never be destroyed. May
the Lord help us in so living as to enjoy his society, through
the merits of his Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Wilford
Woodruff, April 22, 1860
Wilford Woodruff, April 22, 1860
TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH--EFFECTS THAT
FOLLOWED THE GOSPEL ANCIENTLY AND
THAT WOULD FOLLOW IT NOW, &c.
Discourse by Wilford Woodruff, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 22, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
261
I always feel much pleasure in addressing a congregation of the
Saints when I am inspired by the Holy Ghost, for then I can be of
benefit to those who hear.
261
I realize that, until the Priesthood was restored to the earth,
we had no way of knowing the truth in relation to the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. It is true there were a great many anxiously
seeking to know the Lord, but there were none that were able to
give them the comfort and consolation they desired.
261
If a person goes without food for twenty-four hours, we all know
that that individual will become very hungry; and it is precisely
so with those who hunger for the principles of eternal life.
While we enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, we shall find that there
is enough and abundance to feed every human soul.
261
I have never seen the day or the hour that I was not susceptible
of being taught by my brethren, neither have I ever see the time
that I thought I knew all the principles of the Gospel; and I can
truly say that I feel as much edified to-day in contemplating the
things of God as ever I did in any hour of my life. We are all
dependent upon the Lord, upon his Holy Spirit, and upon the
testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, for instruction, for light,
and knowledge, such as is calculated to edify, encourage,
sustain, and aid us in magnifying our callings in this life.
261
We need not enter particularly into the great mysteries of the
kingdom of God in order to be edified. A man may preach upon the
first principles of the Gospel, and he will find enough in them
to instruct the people and edify himself in the things of God.
262
Those principles are plain; they can easily be comprehended when
presented to the children of men as they are revealed from
heaven. But, as plain and simple as they are, for eighteen
hundred years the world was almost destitute of a knowledge of
the truth and of the Holy Ghost which is poured out to lead
mankind in the way of truth. From the time of the great falling
away, which took place in the early part of the Christian era, up
to the present time, the world have been ignorant with regard to
the first principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is true
that professed Christians have had the examples of the Prophets
and Apostles from their childhood up, as laid down in the New
Testament; and yet they have been far from the truth, and did not
know the correct way of worshipping God. It has been a mystery to
you and to me that we have never been able to unravel or to find
out by our own wisdom the true knowledge of God; but the very
fact that generation after generation has risen up and
established systems and organization, all professing to be
according to the plan of salvation, and yet opposed one to
another, until they have raised up scores of churches, all
differing on points of doctrine, proves that there has been
something out of the way.
262
We know that we have the Gospel of Christ that has been revealed
from heaven in this generation, wherein are taught faith,
repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and that
obedience to those doctrines will bring all things to our
remembrance, and thereby enable us the more perfectly to do the
will of God while we dwell here in the flesh. As the Scriptures
have informed us, "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration
of the Almighty giveth it understanding." I do not know that I
can explain to you the reasons for the great difference we see in
mankind relative to the principles of truth, but it has been so
in every age of the world; and when the Gospel has been preached,
the honest in heart and meek of the earth have obeyed and been
sustained by it, and they have been enabled to pass through many
scenes of trial and to endure the persecutions that wicked men
have devised to afflict the people of God.
262
The faithful have always had a positive knowledge that what they
were doing was right and acceptable to the Almighty, and that
they have been sustained in passing through scenes of trial by
the gift and power of God. They have realized that it was better
to sacrifice their lives for his kingdom than to live and enjoy
the riches and honours of this world for a season. This principle
sustained the ancient Saints in all their afflictions; it
sustained them in the den of lions and in the fiery furnace; and
although they frequently sealed their testimony with their blood,
they were comforted and consoled in looking forward to the time
when the earth would enjoy her sabbaths, and the Saints enter
into their rest.
263
The Jews marvelled and wondered at the Saviour, for they saw that
he was filled with light and truth. They had eyes to see, but
they saw not. The Saviour laid before them the principles of
truth; he came to them and undertook to convert them; but he wept
over them when he saw what would be the consequences of their
hard-heartedness, and how the Jewish nation would be overthrown
and the people scattered among all nations, if they rejected the
doctrines he presented to them. He informed them what would be
the result of their disobedience, and told them that the
judgments of God would fall heavily upon them. He portrayed to
them the oppressions and torturings with which they would be
afflicted--foretold the destruction of the temple, that it would
be thrown down, and that there would not be left one stone upon
another. The majority of them mocked his sayings, and finally
succeeded in putting him to death; but yet all that he foretold
the Jews has come to pass. The predictions of Moses also
concerning that nation have been literally fulfilled, and that
too in such a plain, pointed, and unmistakable manner that it
seems almost impossible for a man to be a disbeliever in the
dealings of God with the Jewish nation.
263
Peter, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, and the Apostles
generally warned that people; but they spurned the servants of
God and turned unto their idols. The Apostles were inspired by
the Spirit of God; they enjoyed the gifts of the Holy Ghost; but
the great mass of the Jewish nation hardened their hearts and
would not listen to the words of life. I might say the same in
relation to the present generation. The Church of Christ is
organized precisely as it was in the days of the Apostles, and we
are living in the day and age of the world when the righteous
blood that has been shed upon the earth will be avenged on the
disobedient, because they reject that Gospel which would save
them and enable them to assist in the great work of the
redemption of the dead. The Gospel has been again restored by the
administration of an angel from heaven, whom the revelator John
saw in vision when on the isle of Patmos; and when describing it,
he says--"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on
the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him,
for the hour of his judgment is come, and worship him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
(Rev., 14th chap., verses 6, 7.)
263
Did you ever know the Lord to bring his judgments upon any
nation, from the days of Adam in the garden of Eden until the
present time, before he had warned them of their sins? No; the
Lord has always warned the people before he has punished them for
their wickedness. He warned Sodom and Gomorrah before he sent
destruction upon them, and he has done so in every age of the
world. In this generation the Almighty has raised up a Prophet
who has organized the kingdom of God, and thousands of the Lord's
anointed have been inspired by the same Spirit to proclaim the
words of life to the people. And who cannot foresee the judgments
of God that await this generation? After the testimony of the
servants of God, the judgments that have been spoken of will be
poured out upon the wicked. Every man and woman who lives up to
the principles of the Gospel can see by the same Spirit--they can
understand by the things that are written in the Scriptures, and
by the revelations of God that have been imparted unto us, and
that are before the world, that these things are hanging over the
nations.
263
We have before us the example of the antediluvian world: they
were hard-hearted and unbelieving, and would not believe until it
was too late. The inhabitants of Jerusalem did not believe that
they would be surrounded with those dire calamities that
afterwards befell them.
264
In looking at the judgments of the Almighty that we have
witnessed and have been called to pass through, we see plenty to
arouse us and cause us to be diligent in the discharge of our
duties. The heavens are full of judgments that are ready to be
poured out upon this generation, and the Lord has as many ways in
punishing the wicked as he ever had in any previous dispensation.
We witness the power of God made manifest by day and by night,
and we ought to realize the necessity of being obedient to all
the requirements of Heaven.
264
The Elders of Israel have gone forth and borne a true and
faithful testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they have
been assisted by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. Our
Prophet and Elders have been filled with good desires for the
people and have gone abroad and tried to bring mankind to a
knowledge of the truth. Our President has cast his mind abroad
over the world, and in his meditations he has planned for the
welfare of the human family, and yet the wicked have desired his
life, and thousands have despised him because he has reproved
them for their wickedness, and advocated righteous principles,
and called upon them to repent of their sins and be baptized
according to the order of God.
264
The Prophet Joseph was inspired to lay the foundation of the
Church and kingdom of God. Before that time the masses of mankind
were in darkness--the professors of religion were deceived in
regard to God and the things of his kingdom. If the Lord had not
sent forth his servant Joseph, the Devil could never have wrought
upon the hearts of the children of men as he has done; but
because the Prophet was laying the foundation of that great work
which the Lord had determined to perform in the last days, the
hearts of the children of men were stirred up to roar against the
Lord's anointed. But the truth was bound to prevail, and for the
accomplishment of this object the Prophet laboured day and night.
264
I know that Joseph Smith was a good man, a Prophet, a Seer, and
Revelator, and that he sealed his testimony with his blood, that
the nation that was worthy might receive their reward. There is
no principle revealed in this generation but those which are
known by the Almighty to be for the salvation of his creatures.
The spirit of warfare that is manifested in these days has
existed in all ages when the Priesthood was upon the earth. There
was always a war between light and darkness, God and the Devil,
Saint and sinner, correct principles and false doctrines. We
ourselves have a warfare with the evil propensities of our
nature: we have already had to meet a warfare outwardly. In some
instances there has been a physical contest, and our enemies have
sought our destruction from the beginning. That warfare will
continue until Satan is bound and iniquity swept from the earth.
We need not suppose that we shall have peace, for there will be
no peace to the righteous until he reigns whose right it is to
reign. It is in this generation precisely as one of the Prophets
foretold it should be--"Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
vanity, and things wherein there is no profit."
264
Thousands and millions of the sectarian world are in this
condition, and will be led to use this or similar language. The
honest among them will get their reward, and it will be far
superior to anything they have anticipated. It is true they
entertain many false doctrines, but let us remember that we
believed false doctrines and were surrounded with the traditions
of our fathers before we heard the fulness of the Gospel. When we
heard its principles taught, we admired and received them for the
truth's sake, and rejoiced in the blessings that followed our
obedience.
264
We have now got a warfare to endure; we must war against every
evil principle until we can learn to do right in all things. This
is the spirit we must learn to cultivate day by day. The
knowledge we have of the Gospel will assist us in doing this.
265
There is one particular feature connected with the preaching of
the Gospel: You may send out a thousand Elders and they will all
teach the same doctrines; they will all labour for the building
up of the same Church; they will be united; for their faith,
their doctrines, and the organization of the Church; have all
been made known unto them by the revelations of God: hence they
will see eye to eye in regard to the principles of the Gospel.
Supposing a thousand minsters of different denominations were to
be sent out into the world, it would be very different with them
from what it is with the Elders of the Church of Christ: they
would not be so united or so harmonious in their sentiments. Our
union and oneness of sentiment constitutes one of the prominent
beauties of the organization of the kingdom of God.
265
There was never any other Gospel taught to the old Prophets
excepting that which is now taught to you and to this generation;
neither was there ever any of the children of men saved upon any
other principle than that which is now presented to the people.
The Church of Christ always had in it Prophets, Apostles, and
Patriarchs; it was always blest with the gifts of
inspiration--power to heal the sick and to perform such miracles
as were necessary for the salvation of the Saints.
265
If you were to meet with Father Adam, with Seth, Moses, Aaron,
Christ, or the Apostles, they would all teach the same principles
that we have been taught; they would not vary one particle. This
Gospel is everlasting in its nature and unchangeable in its
character. It might be urged that the house of Israel had the law
of carnal commandments; but that only acted as a schoolmaster to
bring them to Christ, because they would not receive a celestial
law. They had the Priesthood of Aaron for a series of years
amongst them; but the old Apostles, Prophets, and Saints were
saved by the Gospel, and not by the law of carnal commandments.
265
I want to say a word about our present position. When we first
received the Gospel, we professed to rejoice in its principles
and in the blessings which followed our obedience; and should we
not continue to rejoice and be diligent in the work of the
Lord--yea, even more so to-day than we did when we first received
it? When a boy begins his education at school he begins at the
first rudiments, and continues to progress step by step. It is so
with the student in the study of the everlasting Gospel. There
were not many principles revealed to us when we first received
it, but they were developed to us as fast as we were capable of
making use of them.
265
I well remember the first sermon I heard. My conviction was that
I had learned more about God and the things of his kingdom than I
had learned in all my previous life. I believed the Gospel then,
and I not only believe it now, but I know it to be true. Since
then I have received much valuable instruction through the
revelations of God that have been made manifest; and I have never
yet heard a principle set forth, but I have been able to see
beauty and glory connected with it.
266
The subject of the vision that was given to Joseph Smith and
Sidney Rigdon was alluded to by brother Young and others during
our Conference. In reference to that, I wish to say that when I
first read that vision it swept away a vail that had been around
me all my life; it opened my understanding and shook off my
shackles. There was something in it so different from the old
sectarian notion--something that swept away the idea of one
heaven, one hell, and that those who do not go to one place must
go to the other, and that all in heaven have an equal glory, and
all in hell an equal misery. There always appeared something very
inconsistent connected with the doctrine of future rewards and
punishments as taught by modern divines; but when I got hold of
the vision, I saw more light, more consistency, and Godlike mercy
and justice than I had ever seen in my life.
266
I refer to these things to show how the vail was taken from my
eyes, and how I was made to comprehend that every man is rewarded
according to the deeds done in the body. I then saw there was
something to encourage a man to be true and faithful, and to be
filled with integrity; while, on the other hand, it was made
manifest that it would not pay a man to do evil. Every man gets
the reward he earns by his labours. We can see this every day of
our lives. You never saw a man who had partaken of the blessings
of the kingdom of God, and then turned against the Lord, and
would do wickedly and blaspheme the name of the Deity, but what
the Spirit of God would withdraw from him and leave him
miserable. The hand of God always overtakes such a one, evil lies
in his path, and he is tormented by day and by night. We have
seen this during our experience in this Church.
266
To me the principle of integrity is one of the greatest blessings
we can possibly possess. He who proves true to himself or his
brethren, to his friends and his God, will have the evidence
within him that he is accepted; he will have the confidence of
his God and of his friends. It is a great and a glorious
principle; it is something that gives you that assurance in your
friends that you can trust your property, your life, your all in
the hands of your brethren.
266
The Lord has said, "I will prove you in all things, even unto
death." How truly this has been fulfilled in this Church. Scores
and hundreds of our brethren have laid down their lives in
carrying out the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they
have been hastened away from this world by their enemies, but
they have maintained their integrity, proven themselves to be
true and faithful before the Lord, and their spirits now mingle
with the spirits of the just.
266
We should all seek to do right, try to perform our duties day by
day to God and to each other, and put away everything that wars
against the Spirit of the Lord.
266
I rejoice every day I live in beholding the signs of the times,
in looking at the progress of the Church and kingdom of God upon
the earth. The Lord has guided and governed us all the day long.
We have every reason to be thankful for his goodness unto us, and
we may rest assured that his blessings will be poured out upon us
just as fast as we are capable of receiving and making a right
use of them.
267
The judgments that are coming upon the wicked will cause the ears
of the children of men to tingle and their hearts to quake. Do
you think they realize those things? No, they do not; they are
all in the dark: but it is just as Elder Pratt said during our
Conference--after the testimonies of the servants of God will
come those of thunderings, earthquakes, pestilence, famines and
the sword. The Lord also says, by revelation, that when these
judgments do come, when they are poured out upon the earth, "O ye
nations of the earth, how oft have I called upon you by my
servants, by the ministering of angels, and by my own voice and
by famines, tempest, earthquakes, and pestilence of every kind,
and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye
would not. Behold the day has come when the cup of the wrath of
mine indignation is full, and it shall be poured out upon the
disobedient." Remember these things, for the words of the Lord
must be fulfilled. when a man who believes the Gospel reflects,
he becomes satisfied that not one of those sayings will be
suffered to return unto the Lord void, but he realizes that they
will accomplish that for which they were sent. But a man who
knows not God cannot realize anything about the calamities that
are to come upon the earth. You might preach to him as long as
Noah preached to the antediluvians; you might try till you were
gray with old age, and you would try in vain to get him to
understand the things of God.
267
If we had correct understanding, we should all see as the Lord
does, and should understand how his purposes will be
accomplished; but we are to walk by faith, and not by sight.
267
I feel to rejoice in knowing that the kingdom of God is
established on the earth, and that it will spread itself abroad,
become like a great mountain, and finally fill the earth. The
words of the Lord will not return to him void; but whether he
speaks by his own voice or the voice of his servants, those words
will have their fulfilment.
267
Let us be faithful and adorn ourselves with the graces of the
Gospel. There is nothing gained by doing wrong. Lying, stealing,
blaspheming, drunkenness, backbiting, and denying the Lord Jesus
Christ bring sorrow and remorse; they debase man who is organised
in the image of God; but to do right, to obey the commandments of
God, to be charitable and kind, brings joy and peace and the Holy
Ghost, and an eventual exaltation in our Father's kingdom.
267
May we all so live that we may be worthy to dwell in his presence
in the world to come, and to participate in the fulness of that
glory and blessedness promised to the faithful, is my prayer in
the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Wilford
Woodruff, August 26, 1860
Wilford Woodruff, August 26, 1860
BLESSINGS OF THE SAINTS--TRAINING OF CHILDREN.
Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, August 26, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
268
Brethren and sisters, we are blest above all other people upon
the face of the earth, not only temporally, but spiritually. I
consider any people blest of the Lord to whom he has revealed the
Gospel of Jesus Christ--to whom he has given the holy Priesthood
and authority to administer in the ordinances of his house. That
people are greatly blest, far above their fellow-men, who do not
enjoy this privilege. I consider this to be our position to-day:
we have the privilege of walking in the light; we have the
privilege of comprehending and knowing the truth--of knowing the
way to be saved and exalted in the presence of our Father and
God. We are in a position to know his mind and will, through his
servants the Prophets. The Lord has given unto us teachers and
inspired men-- men who are inspired by the Spirit and power of
God--clothed them with truth, and endowed them with wisdom to
teach us at all times the path we should walk in. This is a great
blessing, whether we realize it or not.
268
The Lord looks down upon our work and considers our ignorance,
and so do those holy beings who surround his throne; but yet we
know enough to do our duty, magnify our calling, and fulfil the
object of our creation. And any man or community who have the
Gospel of Christ, the holy Priesthood, and the power of the Holy
Ghost that we have, possess a great advantage over the world; for
they do not comprehend--they do not see nor understand the things
that await them: they do not understand the dealings of God with
them in any respect. It is not so with the Latter-day Saints; for
as long as they continue to receive the truth, their minds are
opened to understand the character of the day and age in which we
live, and all those trying scenes that are approaching us; the
vail is taken from off the face of the earth, and we see things,
to some extent, as they are.
268
We have received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of
hands, and the vail of darkness, of doubt, and fear is taken from
our minds, and we can see clearly where to go and what to do; and
we feel that our spirit is right--that we are acceptable before
the Lord our God, and are the subjects of his blessings.
269
When sitting here and listening to the words of the servants of
God, I reflect day by day on the things of God that are revealed
to us, and I am inevitably led to the conclusion that there is no
people upon the face of the earth enjoying such great blessings
as the Almighty has bestowed upon us. The heavens are full of
blessings, and the Lord is willing to bestow them upon us. The
hearts of the servants of God are full of blessings, comfort, and
edifying words for the Saints. Then it is certainly our duty to
make a right use of the knowledge we have received, and to
acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all things. We should try to
gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and from the
experience we are having while in this great school. This would
stimulate us to action; and inasmuch as we do this, and walk in
the light of truth, we shall be satisfied, and continue to do as
we have been taught. By pursuing this course in our connection
with the work of God, we are enabled to drink of that well of
water that springs up into everlasting life.
269
I do not believe that any man in the world who has power, wealth,
influence, and a good understanding of things, is satisfied with
the present confused state of the world, either religiously or
politically; neither do I believe that a man who does not know
God or the principles of eternal life and salvation--a man, for
instance, that has come to an understanding the world, and that
has received the benefits of civilization, as understood by the
great mass of Christendom,--I do not, I say, believe that such a
man is or can be satisfied. I can readily believe that the
professors of religion are not fully satisfied in their minds and
feelings, unless they have partaken of that life which is made
manifest by the gift and influence of the Holy Ghost. And we have
an abundance of evidence to prove that the world are not
satisfied with their condition--not even those that are seeking
the pleasures of life. We frequently hear them complaining of the
state of affairs at the present time.
269
Man possesses a spirit that must endure for ever--a spirit that
comes from God; and inasmuch as he is not fed from that same
source or power that created him, he is not and cannot be
satisfied. I can say, from my own experience, that although I
sought for the truth diligently, I was never satisfied until I
heard the fulness of the Gospel proclaimed by the Lord's chosen
servants. I had no inspired man to say "This is the way, walk ye
in it." It is true that I could read the Bible; I could pray and
to some extent know what was right and proper for me to do,--at
least so far as moral religion was concerned. I enjoyed a portion
of that Spirit which in those days would lead a man to do good to
his fellow-man, but of course I had not the knowledge of God. But
in these days, when the holy Priesthood is restored to us, we
have no excuse for saying that our minds are not satisfied, for
the blessings are given to us; they are within our reach, and it
is your privilege and mine to enjoy them.
269
I feel to rejoice greatly in the blessings of the Gospel that are
given to us, and that we can behold so visibly the hand of God in
his dealings with this people. He has fought our battles and
given us the victory.
269
We are all sensible of our imperfections; but, notwithstanding
these things, the Lord has been true to his word; he is
fulfilling his word, and has been doing this from the beginning.
When I look at these things, my heart rejoices, and I feel to
give thanks to the Lord and to aid all I can in the building up
of his kingdom. We can enjoy the true comforts of the Holy Ghost.
We should honour our calling and be true to the covenants we have
made. If we attend to our duties and walk humbly before the Lord,
we shall be satisfied with life and with the manifestations of
the goodness of God unto us.
269
Let me advise you, brethren and sisters, to improve in everything
that is good, perform every duty devolving upon us, and we shall
have much joy and consolation at the close of this probation in
knowing that we have done the best we could--that we have acted
up to the best light we had. It certainly must be a satisfaction
to us to know that we are building up the kingdom of God--to know
that we are seeking to overcome the powers of darkness, and all
evil that prevails upon the face of the earth, in our day and
generation. This Gospel has been offered to the present
generation--it has been offered to the Christian world, and
almost all the nations have heard it in some way or other, and
they now have the privilege of receiving it or rejecting it.
269
This people have received the word with joy and gladness, and
many of them have brought forth fruit to the honour and glory of
God, and have been valiant in the cause of Jesus Christ. They are
friends of God, friends to themselves and to their fellow-men.
But when men reject the Gospel, the gifts, the promises, and
blessings that are presented and offered unto them, they come
short of their duty and are under condemnation.
269
The Lord has said by the revelator John, in speaking of this
work, that at the hour of his judgment he would send an angel,
who should fly through the midst of heaven with the everlasting
Gospel to preach to ever nation, kindred, tongue, and people,
crying with a loud voice, saying, Fear God, and give glory to
him, for the hour of his judgment is come. The Almighty has in
this way warned this generation, and told them what the result of
rejecting the Gospel of Christ would be. Still many in the world
have sought to destroy this work have sought to destroy this work
from the earth, as well as those who have been its advocates.
270
Scores and hundreds of the Elders of Israel have been faithful
and true to their integrity, and for this they will have their
reward, while the wicked will perish. I do feel thankful that so
many of us have cleared our garments of the blood of this
generation; and I rejoice that we are located here in these
valleys of the mountains. I do not know that I could be in any
better place than this. We are shut up in these chambers of the
mountains in fulfillment of the words of the Lord, and he has led
us all the time--he has marked out our course and directed our
footsteps. Brother Joseph Smith, brother Brigham, and all our
leaders have been inspired from the beginning to give counsel and
to do those things that have been required of them; and they were
led here by the inspiration of the Almighty, as much so as Moses
or any others who have held the Priesthood. President Young
prophesied the deliverance of this people, and his words were
backed up by the testimony of the Holy Ghost, when, to all human
appearance, there was no arm could save us, and we were delivered
by the power of God. If we live our religion, we shall see more
manifestations of the goodness and power of God.
270
It is our privilege to follow the dictates of the Spirit of the
Lord, and to have it for our guide and companion; and by doing
this the blessings of the heavens will be upon us as fast as we
are prepared to receive them.
270
I know that the Devil seeks to overthrow this people, and it
seems that the powers of darkness have to a great extent
prevailed in their attempts to control the hearts of the children
of men. For many generations the powers of darkness have had
almost universal sway; but I thank God that I have lived to see
the day when the kingdom of God has been set up on the earth, and
that it is no more to be thrown down forever. Men with wicked
hearts may seek to pull down the cause of truth, but all their
efforts will be in vain, for the blessing of the Almighty is upon
his Saints, the inspiration of the heavens is upon his servants,
and they will overcome the powers of temptation and of the
Adversary. It is verily true that we have a warfare to engage in,
for Satan seeks to engage in one with us, with our children, and
with all the rising generation--the hope of Israel and of the
Prophets and Apostles of this kingdom.
270
I feel that the time has come when we shall prevail, and I
rejoice in it. I feel that the Lord is going to bless this people
abundantly. The minds of the Saints are expanding, and they are
coming to understanding. This certainly should be the case as we
advance, for the Lord will make a short work in the last days;
and there is but little time, if I may be allowed the saying, to
have the words of the Prophets fulfilled.
270
There is a good spirit here. The righteousness and truth and the
power of God are now prevailing over the wickedness of the
profane and the iniquity of the depraved, and the power of the
Devil is fast giving way and losing its hold on this people. The
power of God is in the ascendant, and the faith of the Saints
holds the powers of darkness at bay, so that they cannot carry
out their evil designs in the midst of Zion. This is a
consolation to me, and my heart rejoices in these things, and I
can say truly that I feel happy and comfortable, and I pray that
the Lord will sustain and uphold those that are set to lead us.
The Lord is their guide, and there is not a man or woman in
Israel but who knows that they are governed and controlled by the
power of God, if they are living up to their privileges.
271
Israel was not always led with the same degree of clearness and
understanding that we enjoy in our day. This is a great blessing
to us, and we ought to be faithful and full of thankfulness. I
feel happy in saying that I know our leaders are upheld by the
prayers of the brethren and sisters, not only in this Territory,
but throughout the world. This is right, and just as it should
be; for it is our duty in our secret places, in our family
prayers, to remember the Lord's anointed and chosen servants; and
we should not only pray for them, but for each other, be full of
faith, prayer, and confidence, and manifest our faith by carrying
out the counsel that is given by the leaders of this people. Yes,
brethren and sisters, it is a good day and generation in which we
live. It is a good time to worship God and live faithful to our
religion; and this is a most splendid place, in these valleys of
the mountains, for us to live and improve. We are blest with good
land, with water, and timber; and here we have the privilege of
saving our children, and this is a great blessing unto us. If we
set a good example before our children, and try to instruct them
from their childhood to maturity,--teach them to pray and to
honour the Almighty--teach them those principles that will
sustain them in the midst of all trials, that the Spirit of the
Lord may rest upon them, then they will not easily be led astray.
Good impressions will follow them through life, and whatever
principles may be presented, those good impressions will never
leave them.
271
I have long been satisfied that the Devil was making great
exertions to drive a wedge in between parents and
children--trying to inspire and instill into the minds of the
sons and daughters of the Saints those corrupting notions that
will prevent them from following the footsteps of their fathers
and mothers; but this cannot be done! The sons and daughters of
this people, if we do our duty, will be held by the strength and
in the name of Israel's God.
271
I have looked upon this matter a great deal, and I have concluded
that there never was a generation of the people upon whose
shoulders rested greater responsibilities than rest upon this
people and than must rest upon their sons and daughters. If this
be true, how important it is that we should be wise fathers and
mothers, and that we should act wisely in instilling into their
youthful minds all those principles that will lead them to that
which is just, and to carry out in their lives the principles of
righteousness and truth. Many of our children have not had
experience in the world; they know nothing of the scenes and
corruptions that are among the wicked; they do not realize their
present positions, nor the blessings conferred upon them be their
parents having obeyed the fulness of the Gospel.
271
We who have gained experience see the darkness and abominations
that are in the hearts of men; but our children, not being able
to contrast the evil with the good, cannot see and realize the
blessings they enjoy in being under the influence of teachers in
Israel. I do not refer to their parents alone, but those who lead
and govern in the midst of Israel.
272
I have felt for a long time, and I think I have realized to some
extent that the duties resting upon us are very great, and that
we ought to strive to improve in wisdom and knowledge and in the
principles of government, in order that we may know how to be
fathers, mothers, and saviours, and learn how to be counsellors
and how to preside, not only in our own family circles, but
wherever we may be called to act. It is a great thing to know how
to act. It is a great thing to know how to act so as to gain the
feelings and affections of our families, that will lead them in
the path wherein they may be saved. This is a study and a work
that should not be laid aside by parents, nor by the Elders in
Israel. Many times we may consider business so urgent that it
must crowd these things out of our minds, but this should not be.
Any man's mind that is open, and who looks forward to the work
that lies before us, will see and feel that the responsibility
that rests upon him concerning his own family, and especially in
the rearing up of his children, is very great.
272
We want to save our children, and to have them partake of all the
blessings that encircle the sanctified--to have them receive the
blessings of their parents who have been faithful to the fulness
of the Gospel. We do not want them to go through all the routine
of false doctrines and erroneous systems that we have had to wade
through in our generation.
272
This is the way we feel in regard to our present position, and I
feel that God will bless us, inasmuch as we strive to improve and
listen to counsel. It is our duty to pray before the Lord, and to
teach those principles whenever we have an opportunity. And I
feel to thank the Lord, and to rejoice in seeing as many as there
are willing to listen to the counsel of their parents; for I
realize that when they are called upon to act in their priesthood
and ministry, they would be ready and willing to listen to the
counsel of their brethren, and thus they will be the means of
saving the rising generation.
272
I pray that the Lord may bless us and give us largely of his
Spirit, that our minds may be clear to see and comprehend this
great work. This kingdom is but yet a very small stone,
comparatively speaking. It is not yet a great mountain, neither
has it filled the whole earth; but, as the Lord lives, it will,
This is how I feel; and I sincerely desire that we may have our
minds opened upon the subject of the building up of the kingdom
of God. In this we shall have joy, no matter whether in
prosperity or adversity. So long as we do our duty, the Lord will
protect us, and the powers of evil will have no dominion over us,
but our hearts will be buoyant and we shall rise step by step in
wisdom, knowledge, and power, until we shall be able to build up
the temples of our God. "Behold, the law shall go forth from
Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." This law he
intends that we should receive to prepare us for the coming of
the great bridegroom. In both our temporal and spiritual labour
we should seek to know the mind and will of God concerning us. We
should have the Spirit of the Lord with us continually, and our
meditations should be righteous and holy before the Lord.
272
We cannot go to reap our crops and worship the Devil one day, and
then the next go into the Tabernacle or Temple of the Lord and
worship him. That is not our religion; it does not admit of this.
We cannot feel justified in such conduct; but if we live our
religion, the blessings of Almighty God will be with us, and he
will multiply them upon our heads.
272
I hope and pray that each and all of us may do this--that we may
seek to sustain each other, and those whom the Lord has placed
over us; which may God grant, for Christ's sake. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, June, 3, 1860
Heber C. Kimball, June, 3, 1860
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, &c.
Remarks by Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, June, 3, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
273
Brethren and sisters, I will try to speak a few words to you. I
have spent the last three or four months in my room sick, and I
will assure you that I feel grateful for this opportunity of
addressing you. I have desired thousands of times that I might
have the privilege of again meeting here with you to express my
feelings and tell of my reflections. Brother George Halliday has
been preaching to you this morning and expressing his feelings:
it is all good. Although I have been sick and prostrate, more so
than I ever was in my life, which originated with a hurt that I
received in my side about a year ago, still I have been happy.
273
I have been very sick indeed, but I have never had the first
feeling, from the day I was taken sick till now, that I should
die: I never thought of such a thing; but I have been thinking of
living, and as brother George has said, of living to God, of
living the religion of Jesus Christ--the religion that you and I
believe in, and which I have believed and verily known to be true
for twenty-eight years--almost half of my life--that is half of
the days that I have lived here in the flesh. I knew it then, for
it was revealed to me from heaven by the manifestation of the
Holy Spirit. By revelation it was made known to me that God had
set up his kingdom in these last days, according to his word, and
in fulfilment of his promises, even that kingdom which is to
stand for ever; and I also know that all people who dwell upon
this earth will have to bow to it,--yes, both the living and the
dead. God has set to his hand again the second time to recover
the remnant of his people, which are of the house of Israel, and
to gather his elect from the four quarters of the earth. That
kingdom is established with its authorities and powers agreeably
to the will of God, and they are in the mountains, and all the
combines powers of earth and hell can never get them out. They
will never leave this land until the Lord God Almighty commands
them to go, and then they will go where He directs them. You may
set your hearts at rest upon this subject, for I have told you
the truth about it, brethren and sisters; and you need not falter
by the way, nor find fault about anything that transpires; for
this kingdom will stand, whether you do or not. I want you to
understand that this is my testimony: it is what I know. I am not
telling what I believe, but I am telling you what I know.
274
I wish you to understand also that the United States will not
overcome this kingdom, neither will Great Britain, nor all the
powers of Europe combined, for it is that kingdom which is to
stand for ever. The seed has taken root, and all the powers of
the earth cannot root it out. It is not merely established in
America, but it has a place in Europe, and its principles will be
sent to every kindred, tongue, and people, and to every island of
the sea, and there are many thousands of them; and this Gospel
will penetrate those islands.
274
Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the living God, for the Lord
Almighty revealed it to me more than twenty-eight years ago; and
I have never had a doubt upon my mind of the truth of my religion
from that day to this. That man was sent to set up this kingdom,
to organize it, and to give you a law, not for his benefit only,
but for yours; and God spake through him. He has been killed, it
is true,--I mean his natural tabernacle: his house has been
destroyed, but he liveth in the heavens. He dictates this Church
and kingdom, and will continue to do so for ever. Brigham Young
is his legal administrator and successor, and Joseph speaks
through him, and the angels that dwell in the heavens are
assisting him; and I will say that if there are any of our
enemies here, they need not try to overcome this work, for they
cannot do it: they might as well try to overthrow the heavens or
the throne of God--things which you know they could never
accomplish. And I want to say that if there are any here who have
come for this purpose, they had better go home again, and the
quicker the better. If you do not do this, but continue to pursue
an opposite course, the worse it will be for you, and the better
for us.
274
Now, mark it, gentlemen, I am not dead yet; I live, and shall
live to see our enemies, God's enemies, and the enemies of
Joseph, Brigham, and Heber overthrown by the power of God.
Supposing I do not continue to live in this house, why I will get
into another, and I will have a sharper sickle than I have now.
274
Brethren, this is the work of the Almighty God. Do the world
believe it? No. Well, it is true, gentlemen; and the truth will
prevail. I am bearing my testimony this morning, and it is for
you to do the same thing when you have the opportunity. Those who
have not laid a foundation for repentance had better not begin
from dead works, but begin again, renew your repentance, and be
baptized in water for the remission of sins, and do not forget to
forsake them. Then you must receive the laying on of hands for
the gift of the Holy Ghost; and these ordinances must be
administered by a man having authority. This is what all have to
do, whether they be in America, Europe, Africa, or Asia, inasmuch
as they love the truth and desire salvation in the celestial
kingdom of our God, and all nations must bow to the sceptre of
the King of kings and Lord of lords.
274
Brethren, do you suppose that a little sickness is going to
affect my spirit? No, not at all: I have never seen the day but
my spirit has been as bright and as full of light as the sun in
his meridian splendour; still, if it had been better for my
spirit to have leaped out of my body and gone into another state
of existence, I could have done it. You have prayed for me and
interceded with the Father for me, and I thank you for it--for
your mediation and intercession that I might live and continue
with you and with President Brigham Young, and be a co-worker
with him in the cause of human redemption.
275
This work is true, and brother Brigham is our President--the
legal successor of Joseph Smith, and God speaks through him as he
spoke through brother Joseph. The world may wiggle and twist as
much as they please. Suppose they should prevail as they did with
Joseph Smith, would this work stop? No: if they were to kill a
man everyday, it would not affect it a particle. There will
always be a head, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, and the kingdom of God. The organization and
authorities are complete, and the work will roll forth, and the
more the world oppose it the more brilliant it will grow; and it
will purge out those that have an apostate spirit, and those who
remain will rejoice. A few of our people have gone to Carson
Valley, but it will hurt them more than any one else. It will
weaken them in a similar manner to what I was weakened by my late
sickness; and the more disease and death there is purged from the
body of Christ, so much more brilliant and powerful it will
become.
275
We are all in the hands of God, and he will lead us by his Spirit
in the way of life, and he will lead our enemies in that way that
will subserve the interests of the kingdom of God; and all those
who have had their minds open for the last two years can see that
the Almighty has done this. A little while ago we picked up our
goods and moved away, and what did we do it for? We moved away to
stay, and you know a man must be willing to die in order to live.
Now, my sickness has been unto life, and I shall feel better when
I get my strength than I have done for twenty years. Some of the
brethren and sisters came in occasionally to see me, and nearly
all of them said they were very sorry to find me so sick. I think
brother Taylor said so. I replied that I was not, for I
considered it was only resting my body, and it is about the first
rest I have had for years.
275
Now, brethren, do not be alarmed, but let everything pass away
that is corrupt: for the Almighty says that everything that can
be shaken will be, and that which cannot be shaken will remain.
The work of our God will move on, let the world do as they
please, and they won't be able to riddle out anything except that
which ought to be riddled out. "Well, but," says one, "Joseph's
successor has arisen." I would not care if all the heirs to the
Priesthood that are in the world were to arise, I know that
President Brigham Young will lead this people till the time comes
for a change. If the Lord wants another man to take the oversight
of this people, he will know it, and in due time make it
manifest. But is the Lord going to move upon a man to go and
establish his kingdom among apostates? Why a man must be a fool
to believe it. President Brigham Young is the man to lead this
people, ladies and gentlemen; and he will lead them aright, and
God will speak through him, and it will be like the trump of
Jehovah. God will lead him, and it is for us to follow him and
live our religion--to be one with him, as the members of a man's
body are one. If you live your religion, there are no
dishonourable members in that body, for God says through
Paul--"And those members of the body which we think to be less
honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour, and our
uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness." God will turn all
things to the glory of his people and for the good of them that
do right.
276
I travelled and associated with Joseph Smith, the Prophet, almost
from the beginning. This work first began in the State of New
York, and shortly afterwards the few Saints who had received the
Gospel moved to Kirtland, Ohio, at which place I first visited
the Prophet Joseph. I went with the first mission to England, and
when I returned and settled with the Saints in Missouri, I had
not much rest, for I had not been there long before our enemies
requested us to leave. I went there as a gentleman, and I came
away as one, and I have so remained. I went with the Saints to
Nauvoo, and from thence I went to England again, and from England
back to Nauvoo. Then I had not been there long before they
requested us to leave the State of Illinois. Well, we came along
to Winter Quarters; and we found very good quarters: and from
there we came to this Territory, and his Satanic Majesty has
requested us to leave here: but we shan't do it, and you may tell
the whole world so, if you please, gentlemen. The old gentleman
has requested us too many times to leave our homes. Heretofore we
obeyed, because we were obliged to; but that day has gone by.
276
There was an army sent here, also certain gentlemen as judges and
other civil officers, and many of them really thought that they
were going to kill us all off, and they were very hot and rabid
about it. But the Lord said, through his servant, "Keep them out
in the snow, and they will cool off;" and they remained there
until we said they might come in. They went to Cedar Valley and
remained there, and they have been very civil. I never saw an
army more civil than they have been, with the exception of a few
of their officers. The civil officers were sent here to be our
servants; but did they serve us? Yes, some of them served us like
the Devil would. Excuse me for the expression.
276
I will now say that all those that rejoiced in the death of
Joseph and Hyrum Smith partook of the spirit of their murderers.
And further, the people between here and Nauvoo, who have mocked
at us, will be brought into subjection, and be made to bow the
knee to God and to this kingdom, and repent of their sins in the
flesh, or they will meet them in another place. When I lay down
this body I shall take a new one, and I shall be where they won't
like to see me. You need not try to step in between me and my
President, for you cannot do it without hurting yourselves. My
name is Faithful!--my name is Integrity! and that too in my God
and in his work; and I know that his work will roll on until his
will is done on earth as it is in heaven.
276
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, June 3, 1860
Brigham Young, June 3, 1860
PRIVILEGES OF THE SAINTS--BUILDUP OF ZION, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, June 3, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
277
I delight to meet with my brethren; it is my chief joy--it
affords me great consolation and comfort. But whether I am alone
or in the midst of the Saints, the spirit of my religion is
continually a sacred consolation to me; I hardly ever see the
time when I do so have a flow of it.
277
One of the greatest blessings I enjoy is the privilege of meeting
with the assembled Saints. Do you realize that there is not
another denomination, professing Christianity, that enjoys this
privilege in so great a degree as do the Latter-day Saints? There
is not another society or community professing to believe the
Bible, embracing it in their faith, would consent, for one
moment, to sell or give away all they have and travel half-way
over the earth for the sake of assembling together. The position
of all other professing Christians causes them to mingle more or
less with the ungodly--with those who take the name of God in
vain--with those who delight in unrighteousness. Were they called
to make the sacrifices required of this people, they would refuse
and abandon their religion rather than comply.
277
The Latter-day Saints are called to separate themselves from the
wicked--to assemble together and associate with each other; and
this is one of the greatest blessings bestowed upon me--that I
may not be obliged to mingle with the ungodly. My business, my
course of life, does not call me where I am under the necessity
of hearing the name of that Deity whom I worship
blasphemed--where his character, name, place, and attributes are
held in the deepest derision, as they are in the world. I am not
under the necessity of mingling with such characters. Is not this
a blessing? It is. True, in travelling and preaching, I have
mingled either more or less with the ungodly since I have been in
this Church; though, when I have fallen into such society, I have
passed along as speedily as possible.
278
In Kirtland, in 1833, the Prophet Joseph told the Elders that if
they would do right--would promote the kingdom of God upon the
earth, as they professed they desired to do, they would take his
counsel to never put forth their hands to do another day's work
to build up a Gentile city. From that day to this, I do not know
that I have done one hour's work contrary to that counsel. You
have frequently heard me refer to my poverty when I moved to
Kirtland in the fall of 1833. Not a man ever gathered with the
Saints, so far as I have known, but had more property than I had.
When I came into the Church I distributed my substance and went
to preaching, and when I gathered with the Saints I had nothing.
I then said I would not work to build up a Gentile city. Other
mechanics went from Kirtland to different cities to get
employment. I said to them, I will work here, if I do not receive
one farthing for my labour and have to beg my bread, and I will
assist in building up this place, and will make many dollars to
your one by so doing. I did; for when I started to the West, on
the 5th of the following May, I could have bought what almost the
whole of them had made during the winter. They told me that it
often cost them more to get twenty dollars they had earned than
it did to earn it. I went to work for brother Cahoon, one of the
Kirtland Temple Committee. He had little or no means, and only a
shell of a house. I helped him, and the Lord threw things in his
path, and he paid me for my labour. I worked day by day, and when
spring came I had more in my possession for my labour than any
who had gone out in search of work during the winter.
278
If they had waited for me to have lifted up my hands to build a
city at Fairfield and its neighbourhood, they would have waited
until the judgment day. I said, when they came here, and I now
say, if they had loaded every one of their waggons with gold and
offered it to me, they could not have bought me, and I would not
have worked for them. You may ask, "Have you not helped them?" I
have sold them a considerable amount of lumber. But in that
operation, which received the most help--they or me? They paid my
price, and I do good with it, and intend to continue doing good.
278
Were I residing in a gathering-place where I knew I could remain
for two years, and had fifty thousand dollars to spare, I would
expend it in the best improvements I could, and labour to improve
until the last day of my remaining. The Lord is gathering his
people, and this is a city for the Saints. A great many here are
satisfied with a log hut. Some act as though they expected to be
driven, and others say--"We will soon go back to the centre Stake
of Zion, and this house will answer my purpose till then." Let
every mechanic and every scientific man of all classes and
occupations, and every woman, improve to the best of their
ability, faithfully living their religion, and we shall be none
too well qualified to build up Zion when that time arrives. I
never saw a stone-mason who thoroughly understood his trade. We
have not a quarryman who fully understands getting out rock for
the Temple walls. Then how, amid such ignorance, are you going to
properly lay the foundation of the New Jerusalem--the Zion of our
God? What do you know about building the great Temple that is yet
to be built, upon which the glory of God will rest by day and by
night? Where is the man that knows how to lay the first rock in
that Temple, or to get out the first stick of timber for it?
Where is the woman that knows how to make a single part of its
interior decorations? That knowledge is not now here; and unless
you wisely improve upon your privileges day by day, you will not
be prepared, when called upon, to engage to the best advantage in
building up Zion.
278
No nation possesses any wisdom but what it has received from the
same God that we worship. He is the best mechanic and the most
scientific personage that we have any knowledge of. There is not
a principle in astronomy, known by men of science, but what has
been revealed from heaven. All true knowledge among men, in
relation to agriculture, the arts, science, commerce, and every
avocation in life, has been given from our Father in heaven to
his children, whether they acknowledge and obey him or not.
279
Brother Wells was just speaking about the Lord's having a
foothold on this earth. He holds dominion over the winged tribes
of heaven: they obey his law. He holds dominion in the depths of
the sea, where man cannot pollute it. But there is not a
mountain, valley, continent, island, or other portion of earth
where mankind dwell, but what thereon they more or less pervert
the ways of the Lord, and have done so nearly all the time,
though his providences are over them all, and he will cause the
wrath of man to praise him. Enoch was the only man that could
build a city to God; and as soon as he had it completed, he and
his city, with its walls, houses, land, rivers, and everything
pertaining to it, were taken away.
279
God does not violate the agency he has given to man; wherefore
let this be in the mouth of every Saint, "The Lord shall have
perfect dominion in my heart and affections;" then he will begin
to reign in the midst of the people; but he cannot do so now.
When we have faith to understand that he must dictate, and that
we must be perfectly submissive to him, then we shall begin to
rapidly collect the intelligence that is bestowed upon the
nations, for all this intelligence belongs to Zion. All the
knowledge, wisdom, power, and glory that have been bestowed upon
the nations of the earth, from the days of Adam till now, must be
gathered home to Zion.
279
The wicked will become more and more weak and ignorant as they
increase in wickedness. See the trifling, childish foolishness
now among the nations of the earth. Brother George Halliday said
this morning--"Mormonism has made me what I am." That is true.
"Mormonism" embraces all truth in heaven, earth, and hell;
consequently, all we have received that is calculated to make us
of any worth is from the principles taught by it. Look at the
world! Where is the wisdom of the emperors, kings, and rulers of
the nations? Imbecility and weakness are fast creeping into high
places and spreading among the people. They love lies, and choose
darkness rather than light, and the Lord will grant them their
desires until they dwindle into degradation and utter
destruction, when the government will rest upon those who are
faithful to God and their country.
279
This is my country. I am a native-born American citizen. My
father fought for the liberty we ought to have enjoyed in the
States, and we shall yet see the day when we shall enjoy it. Had
we the power, would we hold the wicked down and whip them? No;
for, except in self-defence, it is our duty to plead with them
and offer them the terms of life and salvation--to give them all
the opportunity God has designed them to have. But what would
they do, if they could get the advantage of this people?
According to brother Kimball's comparison, they would hug us
close and tight--they would oppress, corrupt, afflict, and
destroy us. If they could but realize the generosity there is in
the Gospel of salvation, they would not hate us as they do now.
But in their ignorance they would destroy a Saint, because they
imagine that a Saint would take no unjust advantage, but the
Devil will. That is what he tried to do in heaven.
280
Brother Kimball asked whether there were liars and thieves in
heaven. It is recorded that the Devil is somewhere there,
accusing the brethren and finding fault with them. Men in the
flesh are clothed with the Priesthood with its blessings, the
apostatizing from which and turning away from the Lord prepares
them to become sons of perdition. There was a Devil in heaven,
and he strove to possess the birthright of the Saviour. He was a
liar from the beginning, and loves those who love and make lies,
as do his imps and followers here on the earth. How many devils
there are in heaven, or where it is, is not for me to say. Does
the Accuser of the brethren dwell with the Father and the Son?
No: but he is somewhere; and when we go through the vail we shall
know much more about these matters than we now do, for we shall
possess all the sensibilities we now possess, brightened and
increased in intensity by the visions and power of the
spirit-world, to an extent of which you now have no idea.
280
I will now say a few words upon matters that immediately concern
us. I believe it to be the duty of all sisters who profess to be
Saints to make apparel, and, if they want ornaments, make them.
It is the duty of the brethren to know how to build a house, how
to make a garden, and how to do everything that can be
accomplished by the ingenuity given to man. Why? That we may know
how to build and beautify Zion. Let us improve and gather all the
knowledge and faith we possibly can, both from heaven and earth,
being diligent and fervent in all our duties, private and public,
and striving to gather the wisdom of God, as bestowed on the
nations, home to Zion.
280
I feel much encouraged with regard to our academy: it is well
attended, and the scholars are interested and energetic in their
studies. Schools are becoming numerous and well attended, and the
spirit of improvement is among the people.
280
Let all, in the coming harvest, which promises abundance, strive
to secure their breadstuff; and especially do not part with it to
feed your enemies.
280
Much depends upon mothers in regard to improving the rising
generation. Let us all try to improve from the many and rich
blessings we enjoy. The Priesthood is here. God is beginning to
reign on the earth. Open your hearts and let him reign therein
predominant. God bless you, every one! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, June 7, 1860
Brigham Young, June 7, 1860
KNOWLEDGE--OBJECT OF MAN'S EXISTENCE ON THE EARTH, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at Box Elder,
June 7, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
280
I am happy, brethren and sisters, for the privilege of again
meeting with you here, and speaking to you. I hope the Spirit of
truth dwells with you, and that you have received an increase of
that Spirit since I last saw you.
281
The mind that is stretched out in searching after the things of
God--that is searching after wisdom--is quick and active, and a
great many reflections pass and repass; and it queries how things
are, and would like to know much that it does not now know.
Probably we know quite as much as we should at present. Were I to
ask the question--"Do each of you live up to all you know?--do
you magnify every principle of God and godliness--every principle
of the holy Priesthood, as well you know how, day by day, hour by
hour, and from moment to moment?"--what would be your answer? Do
you think that you improve every moment of your time to the best
advantage? Or would you rather be ready to acknowledge that in
many instances you come short of the blessings of the knowledge
we are in possession of? I believe that you would say at
once--"Until we can live nearer to the light, and better improve
upon the blessings of the knowledge that God has bestowed upon
us, it would probably be better for us not to know any more of
heavenly things than is already taught."
281
Do you know this work which you have embraced, commonly called
"Mormonism," to be the Gospel of life and salvation? If you do,
you know a great deal that pertains to principles of life
eternal. If you do not know this work to be true, it is your
privilege to know it; and at all times you have the privilege to
know it; and at all times you have the privilege of doing as much
good as your hearts can desire. If you are satisfied that there
is such a place as Ireland or England, without going there, that
is all the knowledge you at present wish on that subject. If you
are satisfied, in your sensitive powers and faculties, that God
has revealed the holy Priesthood, established his kingdom upon
the earth, restored the fulness of the Gospel, and set to his
hand to gather the house of Israel, this will answer your purpose
just as well as though you went into heaven to see for
yourselves. If you believe with all your hearts, you are entitled
to the blessings of the things of the kingdom.
281
It is for yourselves to know and judge with regard to enjoying
the fruits of the Spirit. You are pretty well conversant with
them; you know pretty well when you see those fruits. They are
enumerated in the Scripture, and more has been revealed by the
manifestation of the Spirit than has yet been written. If you are
satisfied that "Mormonism" is true, and that you have the
enjoyment of the spirit that accompanies the Priesthood, you can
rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in everything give
thanks. You will overcome every evil passion that tends to bring
darkness instead of light, hatred instead of love, which should
reign predominant in your bosoms. Instead of walking in the dark,
not knowing where you are going, or what your lives are for, you
will walk in the light and rejoice in your present existence; and
instead of spreading sin and iniquity, you will do good and
spread intelligence among your families and neighbours and
throughout your cities, and continue to increase in the wisdom
that promotes the happiness of the children of men and causes
them to rejoice in and profit by their present existence.
282
It is not enough for us to have the good Spirit sufficiently to
satisfy us that we are prepared to enter into the kingdom of
heaven, though this is all that some people desire; but that will
not answer the purpose of a Latter-day Saint. You have the
privilege to receive the Spirit of the kingdom, and to rejoice in
that Spirit. Then you have the privilege to exercise your faith
to live. The first principle that pertains to the intelligence
God has bestowed upon is to know how to preserve the present
organization with which we are endowed. It is man's first duty to
his existence, a knowledge of which would cause him to use all
prudent efforts for the preservation of his life on the earth
until his work here is completed. We have formerly been
accustomed to hear such expressions as--"I feel great concern
about my eternal salvation. I feel very much troubled
to-day--very lonely, dark, and gloomy. I have fearful dreams. I
want to hear something about my salvation." "Come to the anxious
seat. Come and give all to Christ; give your soul to Christ."
"What shall I do to be saved?" "Come forward, and we will pray
for you. Give yourselves to Christ. Come and be prayed for, and
give yourselves wholly, unreservedly, to the Supreme
Being,"--when they do not know where he is, what he is, nor what
he is doing, nor whether he created us, or not. Yet at times,
under that system, the cloud of gloom, of darkness, and terror
that has rested on their understandings is removed in a greater
or less degree, and they are filled with joy and peace, and
exclaim, "I know that my Redeemer lives." They do not know where
they are from, nor what they came to this world to do, only as
they have been taught by their parents. "My soul rejoices, and I
am ready to die," seems to be the ultimatum of their religion.
282
We are here to live to spread intelligence and knowledge among
the people. I am here to school my brethren, to teach my family
the way of life, to propagate my species, and to live, if in my
power, until sin, iniquity, corruption, hell, the Devil, and all
classes and grades of abominations are driven from the earth.
That is my religion and the object of my existence. We are not
here merely to prepare to die, and then die; but we are here to
live and build up the kingdom of God on the earth--to promote the
Priesthood overcome the powers of Satan, and teach the children
of men what they are created for--that in them is concealed the
germ of all intelligence. Here is the starting-point--the
foundation that is laid in the organization of man for receiving
a fulness of eternal knowledge and glory. Are we to go yonder to
obtain it? No; we are to promote it on this earth.
282
Our neighbours, who have driven us from them, wish to civilize
us. You have had a little experience in the lessons of their
civilization--in the drunkenness, quarrelling, debauchery,
fighting, and tumbling into ditches. They wish to civilize us!
But I do not want to talk about it. They are to be pitied, for
they are ripening for destruction.
282
The Latter-day Saints throughout the valleys in these mountains
and throughout the world ought to be learning what they are on
this earth for. They are here to increase and multiply, to
enlarge, to gather the house of Israel, redeem Zion, build up the
Zion of our God, and to promote that eternal intelligence that
dwells with the Gods, and to promote that eternal intelligence
that dwells with the Gods, and to promote that eternal
intelligence that dwells with the Gods, and begin to plant it in
this earth, and make it take root downward and bring forth fruit
upward to the glory of God, until every obnoxious principle in
the hearts of men is destroyed, and the earth returns to its
paradisiacal state, and the Lord comes and dwells with this
people, and walks and talks with them as he did with Father Adam.
That is our business, and not to suffer all our energies to be
expended in merely preparing to die. Jesus says, "He that liveth
and believeth in me shall never die." His body may be laid away
to rest for a short time, but he shall not taste of death. When
his spirit is released from this mortal tabernacle, the body
drops back to mother earth; but the spirit departs with an
assurance that the body will not always remain the dust. The body
has merely fallen asleep for a while, to be again quickened and
united with the spirit to live forever.
283
It is recorded, you are aware, that in former days mankind lived
to a great age--to over nine hundred years. It is written the
Methuselah lived to the greatest age--969 years; and perhaps many
others lived to a like age. And would not you like to live long
upon the earth, with power to overcome diseases, to overcome your
enemies, to enjoy life, to plant gardens, build cities, and adorn
and make them beautiful, set out shade trees, orchards, and
vineyards, make walks, parks, and ornamental grounds, and have
schools, academies, and universities, living six, seven, or eight
hundred years and more to enjoy these blessings?
283
A few thousand years ago mankind outlived many of the present
generations. Could you live to see twenty, thirty, or more
generations come and go, see kings rise and fall or pass away,
for many hundred years observe the rise and fall of governments,
and enjoy all the pleasure and comfort of making a portion of
this earth bloom as the garden of Eden, would you not like it?
You would; for even now you cling to the earth, insomuch that if
you thought you were going to die before to-morrow morning, it
would be, "Send for the Elders!--run for a doctor and some
medicine!"
283
It is written that in the latter days the age of man shall be as
the age of a tree, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. The
Prophet understood that what had been would be again; also that
mankind would become blinder in the understandings, and make
their days shorter and shorter, until they would become almost
extinct; and that then the Lord would begin to revive his Spirit
and power and Priesthood among his children; and when he could
get a people that would hearken to his voice, he would begin to
add to their days, to their intellect, to their intellect, to
their stature, and to every power and virtue of life, as at first
bestowed upon the human family. How are we to magnify the
Priesthood, unless we begin to perform our part towards bringing
to pass this restoration? This is a work in which the female
portion of the Latter-day Saints can be efficient co-labourers.
The sisters may inquire, "What can we do?" Rule your own
passions, and exercise faith until you can govern and control
your appetites, instead of drinking tea, coffee, and hot drinks.
That is one of the smallest duties I can think of. Permit your
bodies to have natural forms; also take pains to have the bodies
of your daughters grow naturally, and teach them what they are
made for, and that they, through faith, must overcome every
besetting sin and every unholy passion and appetite.
283
Sisters, have faith, and begin so far as lies in your power to
assist in raising a posterity that the Lord will delight to own
and bless, that their days may begin to be lengthened; and teach
them good, wholesome, and holy principles. Much can be said in
reference to the duties of parents in regard to their posterity.
It is our duty to approximate in all things towards the day of
perfection, and to constantly reflect and act upon the best
course to pursue for the attainment of that blessing.
284
You probably wish to know what I think about the Latter-day
Saints in this northern country. I think of you as well as ever,
and a little better. I care but little as to the outward
appearance, if I can know that there is at heart a true feeling
to do the will of God--to be honest before God and with one
another. And in addressing a congregation, though the speaker be
unable to say more than half-a-dozen sentences, and those
awkwardly constructed, if his heart is pure before God, those few
broken sentences are of more value than the greatest eloquence
without the Spirit of the Lord, and of more real worth in the
sight of God, angels, and all good men. In praying, though a
person's words be few and awkwardly expressed, if the heart is
pure before the God, that prayer will avail more than the
eloquence of a Cicero. What does the Lord, the Father of us all,
care about our mode of expression? Mankind have fallen into the
deep vortex of darkness. They know not from whence they came.
They have sprung from their Father, God, and Saviour, and have
all gone out of the way. The simple, honest heart is of more
avail with the Lord than all the pomp, pride, splendour, and
eloquence produced by man. When He looks upon a heart full of
sincerity, integrity, and child-like simplicity, he sees a
principle that will endure forever--"That is the spirit of my own
kingdom--the spirit I have given to my children."
284
Be honest. I love the Latter-day Saints, and think as much of
them as I ever did. It is three years since I was here, and I
will tell you what I think of some things that have happened in
that time. I think that those who undertook to civilize us have
learned that the undertaking did not answer their expectations. I
also think that some of the brethren have been wild, crazy,
bewildered, apparently not knowing their right hands from their
left. Waggons have passed through Great Salt Lake City with the
inscription, "To Cache Valley, or Carson, we don't care a d--n
which." What does that prove? That some are reckless, and would
just as soon go to hell as to heaven. What do they know? Have
they seen Jesus? Do they know that this is the Gospel of
salvation, and know their Father and God who dwells in eternity?
Do they know that they are his offspring? No, no more than Israel
did, when the Prophet said the ox knows its owner, and the ass
its master's crib, but Israel does not know their God. Such is
the case with some who call themselves Latter-day Saints. Their
feelings are--"I don't know whether Carson or Cache Valley is the
best place--whether I should go to California or to the States to
trade;" and they are as ignorant of heavenly things as are our
mules that we hitch to our waggons. This is the case with only a
very few of the Saints; but there are a few who have sunk into
darkness.
284
"What do you think, brother Brigham, of our conduct during the
move, and under the circumstances since that time?" I think that
the very great majority of you have done extremely well. And I do
not think that many moved from here but what were perfectly
willing to do so. A very few say they have been broken up, and
they do not know what they shall do. The great majority say, "All
is right." Those few do not understand the true principle of
increase. You may plough, sow, plant, irrigate, &c., and you have
not power, and will not have for a long time, to produce one
kernel of wheat. Some do not seem to realize that the Lord gives
or takes away, increases or diminishes at his pleasure. After the
Devil, by permission, had stripped Job of his possessions, in a
short time the Lord blessed him with a greatly-increased
abundance. The Lord suffered the Devil to strip him of what he
had blest him with, and then increased those blessings. Thus it
is with his people in all ages.
285
The people here are rich. Look at those who were in Missouri, in
Nauvoo, and in Winter Quarters, and there are only a very few but
what are now worth more than they ever expected to be. The Lord
has increased our flocks and herds until some are sorry they have
so many for the Indians and thieves to drive away. Look at the
fields, the settlements, the good houses, and the numerous
comforts and conveniences calculated to make home happy.
Throughout the Territory you see a people more industrious than
any other people in the world, and one that produces more than
any other we are acquainted with.
285
I used to be rather scrupulous with regard to the Nephites doing
so much in so short a time, as stated in the Book of Mormon.
After being plundered and driven by their enemies, they would
soon increase again and become wealthy. This puzzled me a little,
though I did not feel to say it was not true; but now it has
opened to my understanding upon natural principles. You may
search the history of the world, and see whether you can find the
equal of this people's progress; it exceeds all that is written
in the Book of Mormon concerning the prosperity of the Nephites
under like circumstances. The facts are now before us, but for a
time it was difficult for me to understand the record of so great
prosperity's following so quickly upon adversity.
285
You may inquire--"Do you think we are doing right?" Yes, as well
as you know how. If you do not fully live up to the knowledge you
have, I can say that you have done about as well as you could. We
have a warfare on our hands. Evil is here; the Devil reigns on
the earth, and has held dominion on it for thousands of years.
That reign we have to break and cast him out, with the help of
God; but we cannot do it at once. Thousands of temptations
assail, and you make a miss here and a slip there, and say that
you have not lived up to all the knowledge you have. True; but
often it is a marvel to me that you have lived up to so much as
you have, considering the power of the enemy upon the earth. Few
that have ever lived have fully understood that power. I do not
fully comprehend the awful power and influence Satan has upon the
earth, but I understand enough to know that it is a marvel that
the Latter-day Saints are so good as they are. They are improving
in the southern settlements, between here and there, and in other
places.
285
Those who live their religion will enjoy the Spirit, and that
enjoyment will increase; and if we will be faithful, the Lord
will make our feet as firm in these valleys as are the
everlasting riches in these mountains, and no power can remove
us. He will give us a sure place in these mountains until we go
forth and redeem Zion. Do right, be faithful, and make no
calculations about removing before the time comes.
285
From the States' newspapers, one might imagine that "hell was out
for noon" there--that hell is boiling over. They are nigh unto
destruction, and it is for us to so live that we can gain the
goodness, glory, and mercy of our God. It is our right to claim
his mercy, and our duty to labour to gather all the honest home
to Zion.
285
I bless you with everything that is good, in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, if you live for it. Amen.
286
JOURNEYINGS OF THE SAINTS--TEMPORAL SALVATION, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young,
made at Wellsville, Cache Valley,
June 7, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
286
What to say in a short time, when so many ideas present
themselves, is somewhat difficult to decide.
286
The Gospel of salvation, which is an astonishment and a
stumbling-block to the world, is true. The journeyings of the
Latter-day Saints and their communications one with another and
with the world are astonishing to the people. They wonder what
causes us to gather into these valleys in the mountains, what
causes us to become one, to hearken to the voice of one man, to
be controlled, dictated, and governed by one individual. This is
marvellous in the eyes of the world; but is it marvelous in your
eyes, brethren? Were there no other proof than the oneness
exhibited in the midst of this people, that alone is enough to
condemn the world. That oneness cannot be found anywhere else; it
is produced only in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints, and is
not manifested in any other community. No other people will pick
up such portions of their substance as they can, and travel
thousands and thousands of miles--fathers and mothers leaving
their children, husbands leaving their children, husbands leaving
their wives, wives leaving their husbands, children leaving their
parents, brothers and sisters leaving each other--after this
"strange delusion," as it is called, and, when they are gathered,
hearken to one man.
286
This circumstance created the deepest regret in the hearts of our
enemies, more, seemingly, than all other acts of the Latter-day
Saints.
286
When I was in England did I, apart from the Priesthood, exercise
an influence over any of your minds cause you to come here and
locate in Cache Valley? Was I the instrument that caused you to
forsake your friends in your native country, and gather with the
Latter-day Saints? Your enemies will tell you that it was the
influence that I held over you which prompted your movements; but
that is not true. I have no more influence over the Latter-day
Saints, aside from the Priesthood, than you have over each other.
If the Spirit of truth does not speak through me and dictate my
words, they are no better than the words of another man. If the
Holy Ghost manifests to you, one thousand or ten thousand miles
from here, that this is the time the Lord has fixed for building
up his Zion--that this is the time spoken of by the Prophets in
which the Saints are commanded to gather out from the wicked,
then it is the Spirit of the Most High that has influenced and
controlled you, and not me nor any other man.
287
Are you satisfied with your location? Are you satisfied with
yourselves? Are you satisfied with the brethren? Are you
satisfied when your minds revert to your native lands, your
former friends, and the old homesteads where you spent your
childhood? Are you satisfied to make these sterile plains your
adopted home, to live here in the mountains, forming new
associations with those who are entire strangers to you--those,
perhaps, of other countries and other tongues? Are you satisfied
with all this? If you are, it is evidence to you, so far as it
goes, that you are accepted of the Lord. It is evidence to you
that you have chosen the good part. It should be satisfactory
evidence that you are in the path of life, if you love God and
your brethren with all your hearts. You may see, or think you
see, a thousand faults in your brethren; yet they are organized
as you are; they are flesh of your flesh, bone of your bone; they
are of your Father who is in heaven: we are all his children, and
should be satisfied with each other as far as possible. The main
difficulty in the hearts of those who are dissatisfied is, they
are not satisfied with themselves.
287
How many have moved here this spring, I know not. Some have gone
to Carson Valley, and a great many have come here. And, as I told
the brethren last night, a part did not seem to care much, if at
all, which way they went, and had written on their waggons, "To
Carson or Cache Valley, we don't care a d--n which." Are such
satisfied with themselves? No, nor with anything nor anybody
around them.
287
I will say to you, my brethren, those of you who are from the
Eastern States, and from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland,
or any other part of the north of Europe, that you have a far
better country here than you had in your native land. You have a
beautiful valley, though some of you, perhaps, are discouraged.
Perhaps some will not live here because they have to irrigate the
ground, or because they have to go into the mountains after wood.
There are many throughout the valleys who were raised where it
was much more difficult to get wood in winter than it is here. I
have know farmers obliged to cut down their orchards for fuel,
because they could not haul wood a mile, on account of deep snow.
The house in which I was born was so covered with snow, one
winter, before I was two years old, that there was no way to get
out only by cutting steps and beating a path to the surface.
Almost every year the snow would cover the ground from four to
six feet deep; and often, when a crust formed on the snow, stone
walls and high fences were no impediment to sleighing in any
direction.
287
Some may feel a little discouraged because their cattle will not
live here without being fed more or less during winters. How many
are there in the mountains of Europe that would be thankful for a
privilege to go out to the sides of these mountains and make
little gardens by packing soil from the bottoms? Thousands in the
old country obtain their living that way. My brethren and sisters
from Italy, for instance, are my witnesses that many in that
country would be glad to get a few square rods of rock on which
to pack soil from the low lands and make gardens, and to gather
feed from the bottoms to keep a cow through the winter.
288
Though many have moved here this spring with but limited supplies
of provision, how many do you think I could count in this
congregation who go hungry day by day? Do you think there is even
one person who has not as much as he can eat, at least as often
as once a day? These are temporal things, but over which the
Devil causes many to stumble. Go to your native lands in foreign
countries, many of you, and ask men there who are thirty years
old, and probably women too, "How often in your lives have you
had all you wanted to eat?" "Never." You may find thousands who
could tell you that they never saw a day in which they had all
they wanted to eat. Are there such times in Cache Valley? No. Is
there anything connected with this locality that should
discourage you? No. Reflect, and ask yourselves whether you have
the least cause for complaint in the exchange of your countries.
288
You may inquire why this land has been so long held in
reserve--the design in this country's not being settled by white
people until recently. Until the Latter-day Saints came here, not
a person among all the mountaineers and those who had travelled
here, so far as we could learn, believed that an ear of corn
would ripen in these valleys. We know that corn and wheat produce
abundantly here, and we know that we have an excellent region
wherein to raise cattle, horses, and every other kind of domestic
animal that we need. We also knew this when we came here thirteen
years ago this summer. Bridger said to me, "Mr. Young, I would
give a thousand dollars, if I knew that an ear of corn could be
ripened in these mountains. I have been here twenty years, and
have tried it in vain, over and over again." I told him if he
would wait a year or two we would show him what could be done. A
man named Wells, living with Miles Goodyear, where now is Ogden
city, had a few beans growing, and carried water from the river
in a pail to irrigate them.
288
Reflect upon these matters, read the writings of the Prophets,
search the world over, and can you learn of any location to which
the words of the Prophets can so justly apply, where the people
of the Lord were to be hid up, in the latter days, in the
chambers of the mountains? You cannot. No man here has any good
reason to be discouraged--no good reason to complain. And those
who will so live that they are satisfied with themselves will be
satisfied with the country and with the brethren. This is a
splendid valley, and is better adapted to raising Saints than any
other article that can be raised here. Compare the tombstones
with the number of those living in any other city, district,
place, or country, for the same length of time, and you will find
here less grave of persons from one day to ten, fifteen, or
twenty years old, than in any other country you were ever
acquainted with. It is the best country in the world for raising
Saints.
288
Many may inquire, "How long shall we stay here?" We shall stay
here just as long as we ought to. "Shall we be driven, when we
go?" If we will so live as to be satisfied with ourselves, and
will not drive ourselves from our homes, we shall never be driven
from them. Seek for the best wisdom you can obtain, learn how to
apply your labour, build good houses, make fine farms, set out
apple, pear, and other fruit trees that will flourish here, also
the mountain currant and raspberry bushes, plant strawberry beds,
and build up and adorn a beautiful city. The question now
rises--"Do you think it best for us to live in cities?" Lay out
your cities, but not so large that you cannot readily raise the
whole city, should an enemy come upon you.
289
Your houses are now scattered, and you have not closed up your
fort. When they are exposed to the Indians, settle so that they
cannot get the advantage of you. This has always been my counsel.
The settlements in this valley have been exposed to Indian
depredations; but now there are so many here that, if they build
in a prudent form, they are able to defend themselves. First
secure your lives, and then your property, against Indian
depredations. We do not wish to hear of any of you being killed.
When the Indians become cross, and you see in them a wish to stir
up difficulty, the brethren should immediately be on their guard;
and in going into the kanyons, be careful that enough go to be
able to defend themselves, and have each one take his fire-arms
with him.
289
There is peace now, and probably will be for some time; though we
do not know but that next week the marauding Indians about you
may kill a few men in the kanyons, be careful that enough go to
be able to defend themselves, and have each one take his
fire-arms with him.
289
There is peace now, and probably will be for some time; though we
do not know but that next week the marauding Indians about you
may kill a few men in the kanyons. Take care of yourselves, and
build up a safe and beautiful city. Make good houses; learn how
to build; become good mechanics and business men, that you may
know how to build a house, a barn, or a store-house, how to make
a farm, and how to raise stock, and take every care of it by
providing proper shelter and every suitable convenience for
keeping it through the winter; and prove yourselves worthy of the
greater riches that will be committed to you than this valley and
what it can produce. Those who are slothful of the things
committed unto them in a temporal point of view--the blessings
pertaining to the world--how can they expect eternal riches to be
committed to their charge? On the other hand, the neighbourhood
or community that adorns its city, farms, gardens, and supremely
loves and sets its affections upon these things, had better never
have seen or had anything to enjoy.
289
Learn to improve the earth, and to sustain and preserve
yourselves upon your inheritances, and then pray and exercise
faith that the Lord will make our feet fast here--that they shall
never be removed until we have the privilege of going to build up
the centre Stake of Zion. Let your faith bear a holy life. Enjoy
the Spirit of the Lord, and you have satisfactory enjoyment and
solid consolation, and are ready to go here or there, to do this
or that, as the Lord shall require at your hands. His Spirit is
what has called you here. Live and enjoy it; continue to enjoy it
and its increase, and your hearts will be comforted, and you will
grow in grace and enjoy the truth.
289
We have come to pay you a visit, for we wanted again to see Cache
Valley and other places. We wished to see you, and to have you
look at us. Do you think we are "Mormons?" "Yes." Some of you saw
me and others of the brethren in England. What do you think of us
today? Do we talk to you as we did in other countries? "Is
'Mormonism' as good to me as it was then?" Yes; and every year I
am in in it is better, because I learn and understand more of the
dealings of the Lord with his children on the earth--more of the
design in the organization of the earth, in its being peopled,
and what the Lord intends concerning its future. All these things
are before us.
289
I will not detain you, for I purpose speaking but a short time,
to tell you that I feel as well as I ever have. My spirit is full
of joy and comfort, and I feel to bless you all the time, and to
pray for you continually, and day by day to bear you in my faith
before my Father in heaven. I long to see a people pure and holy,
and to be so myself,--to see the day when sin and vile corruption
will cease on the earth--when man will cease to hunt his
fellow-man--when every man shall try to assist his fellow, and
add joy and comfort to his friends, neighbours, and all around
him. This is what I live for and intend to live for, the Lord
being my helper, and to pray and persevere.
290
Shall we, like the Presbyterians, Methodists, and others, simply
prepare to die, and then depart? No: I intend to persevere in
fighting the Devil until he is driven from the face of the earth,
and it is turned into a paradise, and so prepared that angels and
Jesus will come and dwell here. May the Lord bless you. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, June 9, 1860
Brigham Young, June 9, 1860
APPOINTMENT OF BISHOP FOR CACHE VALLEY--COUNSEL TO THE PEOPLE.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, Franklin, Cache Valley,
June 9, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
290
I understand that no Bishop has yet been appointed for this
place. I would like to learn the feelings of the brethren here in
regard to this matter, and will be pleased to have you inform us.
290
[Bishop Maughan moved "that President Brigham Young nominate the
man to be Bishop, and we will say Amen."
290
This unanimously met the feelings of the brethren.--Reporter.]
290
The instructions to the people of this settlement will be
committed to paper, that they may be constantly before them.
290
I propose that brother Preston Thomas be ordained Bishop of this
settlement. He is residing in Lehi, but came with us intending to
visit Bear River Lake and Soda Springs, but has since concluded
to settle here. I propose that he settles here, and that we make
him your Bishop and presiding officer.
290
It is understood that brother Peter Maughan is Presiding Bishop
for this valley; and Elder Ezra T. Benson, one of the Twelve, has
been appointed to be one of his Counsellors, and probably he will
choose me for the other.
290
If it meets your minds to have brother Preston Thomas settle
here, and you feel that you can hearken to his counsel, raise
your right hands. [The vote was unanimous.--Rep.]
290
Brother Preston Thomas will select his own Counsellors. I have no
question but that there are excellent, good men here, and they
will be willing to hearken to his counsel.
290
I propose to the brethren here, and wish them to take my counsel,
to build a good strong fort. If you have not material for
building a wall, you can make a strong stockade by putting
pickets into the ground, which will answer a good purpose against
Indian attacks. The stockade can be easily repaired by replacing
decayed pickets. I wish you to build a stockade large enough for
corraling your cattle outside the town. Let your grain also be
stacked away from your buildings, and so arranged that if one
stack takes fire all the stacks will not necessarily be
destroyed.
291
You are very much exposed here. The settlements in this valley
are, as it were, a shield to other settlements: you must
therefore prepare as speedily as possible to make yourselves
secure. You have a beautiful location and a plenty of excellent
water. This valley is capable of sustaining a multitude of
people: it is the best valley we have.
291
Strive to stop the thieving that is carried on by some renegades
who have been in this valley, and do not in the least suffer
stealing to be practised in any of your settlements. There is
probably not a man here but that, if he saw an Indian taking his
horse, and had a loaded rifle, would kill the Indian. That Indian
has been taught, form his youth, to steal. His fathers before him
taught their children to steal: it is in their blood, bone, and
flesh. But there is not a white man or woman here but what has
been taught that it is wrong to steal, and I want an end put to
stealing. The boys who are brought up in our community know
better than to steal. They have been taught the principles of
life and salvation; and the people from the Christian world have
been taught better than to steal.
291
Do right, be just, love mercy, hearken to the Spirit of that
Gospel that you have embraced, keep the Spirit of the Lord with
you, and you will be very apt to be led right and do right.
291
We have come to see you: we will leave our blessing with you, and
will pray for you constantly. I heard the prayer just now offered
in your behalf. It is the constant prayer of the Saints that they
may be preserved.
291
Serve the Lord, and try not to find fault with each other. Live
so that you will not have any fault to find with themselves, and
never mind the faults of your brethren, for each person has
enough of his own to attend to.
291
I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
291
COUNSEL TO THE SAINTS SETTLING IN CACHE VALLEY.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at Richmond, Cache
Valley,
June 9, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
291
I will speak to you a short time, and then we will proceed on our
journey.
291
So far as I know, no other valley in this Territory is equal to
this. This has been my opinion ever since I first saw this
valley, and I greatly desire that it may be filled with Saints,
and not with rowdies--not with horse-thieves, murderers, and
rioters, who roam over the country regardless of right. Can I
have my desire gratified? If the Saints here will be faithful,
will not contend one with another, and will sanctify the Lord God
in their hearts, the Spirit of the Lord will reign here, and make
your settlements too strait for the ungodly. But if you are slack
and neglectful of your duties--if you forsake your covenants and
wander into darkness, the power of Satan can reign here.
292
Fill this valley with those who love and serve God--make your
settlements as it were a Zion, and earthly paradise, and you will
in the highest degree gratify my feelings and desires. It all
depends upon us, brethren, whether Satan shall gain dominion over
us in this kingdom God has set up, or whether he shall not. My
faith is, and my prayers day by day are, that the Lord will reign
in the midst of his Saints. The inquiry may rise, "Does the Lord
reign upon the earth?" We could answer, "Yes; for it is his
earth, and he controlleth according to his pleasure, and it will
yet be devoted to those who serve him. But, in consequence of the
agency that is given to the intelligent children of our Father
and God, it is contrary to his laws, government, and character
for him to dictate us in our actions any further than we prefer.
If we cleave to him and enjoy the light of his Spirit, he will
lead us day by day; but it is left to our agency--is in our
option, whether we seek the counsel that comes from heaven, or
take the counsel suggested to us by our common foe. This is an
act of our own responsibility, independent of God or the Devil.
292
The Lord will rule the acts of the children of men, and bring out
the results of those acts, but will not dictate them in their
acts contrary to their own wishes. This he has already done, of
which we are witnesses for him. Survey the travels of this
people, and you will see that the acts of the wicked have been to
destroy this kingdom, and yet God has ruled the result to promote
and extend the kingdom, to exalt it, and bring it into note. If
the wicked had had their desire, they would have obliterated this
kingdom years ago; it would have been blotted out of existence.
They acted on their own will--from their own choice, but God has
produced the result; and wherein they have tried to destroy us,
they have built us up. Of this we are witnesses.
292
A few words with regard to your situation here. I discover that
this is a new settlement: you have come here this spring to make
a commencement, and you are rather scattered. What would you do,
provided the Indians become angry and suddenly attack you?
Suppose a few of them should come down here at a time when the
men are scattered at their labours, what could they do to these
women and children, when there is a man here, another there, and
another yonder? An Indian comes to the door of a house, and,
before the man can arrive from a distance, his wife and children
are laid low by the rifle, tomahawk, or knife. Should a small
band of hostile Indians come suddenly upon your settlement, every
woman and child might be destroyed during the absence of their
protectors. Ten Indians could kill every woman and child here,
and break you up. Is this good policy? No. I will give you my
counsel: build good stockades. Move your families and waggons
close together; then, if you are disturbed, you are like a hive
of bees, and every one is ready, and knows at once what to do.
292
The Indians are wicked and ignorant; they are taught to steal,
and to kill each other and the whites, and it is nonsense for you
to expose yourselves--it is a weakness and error. You say that
you wish to be on your lots. Then unite and build some kind of
common defence, that your women and children may be safe. So
arrange your stacks of hay and grain that, if one is burned, the
rest need not be set on fire by it. This is my counsel to you,
and you can do with it as you please.
293
As you get able, put good fences around your city lots, and build
houses that any person may be justly proud of. When you have done
this, you have exhibited your talents in providing some of the
comforts of life. But do not set your hearts on your buildings;
for I would rather have you remain in your waggons and dug-outs
than do that. We have to learn how to build up Zion, and to
realize, when it is built, that it is not ours, until it is given
to us by our Father as our eternal habitation. We own nothing but
the talents God has given to us to improve upon, to show him what
we will do with them.
293
When you have built splendid habitations, be as willing to leave
them as you would to leave a dug-out. Say, "The Lord gave me
ability to complete this building. It is not mine. He can dispose
of it; and if wishes me to burn it, all right--I am willing."
These are the feelings every Saint should have.
293
Improve this valley. Perhaps many hundred more persons will move
here this season, and many more settlements be made. Do not be
anxious to have large farms, more than you can till; but divide
your lands with your brethren; and make yourselves humble and
happy. This is temporal advice, so to speak; but, above all, so
live that the light of the Spirit of the Lord will dwell in you
day by day. If you do not do this, it is hard to live
"Mormonism;" but take this course, and it is the easiest path to
walk in. There are many here to-day who can say, in all truth and
sincerity, that the words of Jesus, as the disciples have written
them, are true--"My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Many
of you can say that the yoke of the Gospel is the easiest a
person can bear, and its burden the lightest.
293
I feel to bless you, and pray that you may dwell here and have
wisdom to preserve yourselves and raise your children to be
Saints, and sanctify yourselves, that you may be prepared for the
things that are to come; for great events await us.
293
I have not time to say more. God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, June 12, 1860
Brigham Young, June 12, 1860
SALVATION AND CONDEMNATION--IMPROVEMENT, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made at Willow Creek,
June 12, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
293
Brethren and sisters, I will occupy a short time, and then give
way for others who may wish to address you.
294
We are trying to be Saints, and intend to keep trying. We are for
the kingdom of God, and are not going to the moon, nor to any
other planet pertaining to this solar system; but are determined
to have a heaven here, and are going to make it ourselves, by the
help of God and his angels. We have been traditionated that when
we were prepared to be saved, we ought them to pass from this
stage of existence, and that then we never would have anything
more to do with this earth; for all our connections and
associations with it, as pertaining to this life, also passed
away, and we should see and know nothing about it in the future.
This is not according to the design, as we believe, of God and
his providences and works. It is not the work of the Lord to
organize an earth and destroy it. That is not the system he has
devised. His plan is to organize an earth, people it with
intelligent beings, present to them the principles of eternal
life, and bestow upon them the keys thereof, that they may be
able to prepare themselves to dwell to all eternity, and to bring
forth their increase to dwell with them. This is our belief.
294
When the light of the Gospel came, truth sprang out of the
ground, and the heavens were opened. The plan by which God works
is rational, and meets the capacity of his children. This earth
is the home he has prepared for us, and we are to prepare
ourselves and our habitations for the celestial glory in store
for the faithful. None will be destroyed except those who receive
the oracles of truth and reject them. None are condemned except
those who have the privilege of receiving the words of eternal
life and refuse to receive them.
294
From Adam to the least and last of his posterity, none will be
condemned and suffer as we were taught in our youth. The
Christian world teach that the heathen and everybody else, except
a few belonging to the Catholic church, the Church of England, or
some of the orthodox sects of the day, are to be cast into a lake
of fire and brimstone. The Bible teaches that the wicked will be
turned into hell, with all the nations that forget God. That is
true. How many nations do you think have forgotten him? The Lord
will save all, except those who have the privilege of life
everlasting and reject it.
294
What is our duty? To promote the kingdom of God on the earth.
Every person that confines his thoughts and labours to happifying
his own family and immediate friends will come far short of
performing the duties devolving upon him. Every sentiment and
feeling should be to cleanse the earth from wickedness, to purify
the people, sanctify the nations, gather the nations of Israel
home, redeem and build up Zion, redeem Jerusalem and gather the
Jews there, and establish the reign and kingdom of God on the
earth. Let that be the heart's desire and labour of every
individual every moment.
294
I am extremely happy, and my joy increases according to my
understanding and the sensibility God has given me, that this
people, called Latter-day Saints, are improving,--that they
improve every year, and increase in the knowledge and
understanding of the dealings and providences of God, and
understand themselves more and better. You may ask, "How do you
know this?" Because it is before me, and plain to be seen. True,
there are some rude persons within our borders, and too much
stealing is carried on. How is it with you? Are you in the
stockdriving business? Do any of you belong to the class of
marauders, pilferers, drunkards, or swearers? The very great
majority of this people are striving to improve themselves before
their God and their brethren. The wicked seek to destroy the
kingdom of God, and it is for us to build it up, and promote
righteousness upon the earth. When we do this, we shall promote
honesty in all our conduct and transactions.
295
As we increase in understanding we shall increase our efforts to
adorn our minds, our families, our possessions, and our
neighbourhoods, and seek to promote every pure, holy, graceful,
and delightful principle, custom, habit, or whatever else
pertaineth to correct human conduct. This will increase the
Spirit of life in the people, and will make the aged beautiful as
well as the young. Without the Spirit of truth, without the
Spirit of Christ, people will become hateful and disagreeable, or
what the English term ugly, and the Yankees, homely; or, as
others express it, ordinary-looking. The Spirit of truth
beautifies and lights with intelligence an otherwise forbidding
countenance. We need it to beautify both the body and mind.
295
I do not see much, if any, improvement in this settlement during
the past three years. True, you lost time and labour in moving
south; but if you labour all your lives, and God does not bless
your labours, they are in vain. He can give you possessions and
great wealth, as he gave Job. In a short time he added to Job
much more than he had even previously possessed. If your hearts
are pure and holy, the Lord can in a short time restore to your
settlement fourfold.
295
How many times have I asked the Latter-day Saints what they could
do with regard to building the New Jerusalem? Suppose the word
were to come to us that Jesus had appointed a certain time in
which he would again visit this earth, and that he wanted a place
prepared for him; or the command, "Go forth, ye Latter-day
Saints, and begin to build the New Jerusalem, and prepare to
receive the city of Enoch that will come down out of the heaven;"
where is the man competent to go and collect stone fit to lay in
the first tier of the foundation of the walls of that city? To
judge from their improvements, there is hardly a man capable of
judiciously directing the labour of even two men--hardly a man
that can properly erect a grist-mill or a building for carding
machines. Where are your useful machinery, your beautiful
habitations, your fertile gardens, your lovely walks, and
magnificent palaces? You may reply, "We are not going to stop
here, but are going to the centre Stake of Zion," and so you pass
on in comparative inactivity, and attempt only to build log
houses or mud shanties. If you had the spirit of your calling,
you would be anxious to build the best gardens, fields, and
vineyards, though you knew that you would not enjoy them one day
after they were completed.
295
I will here quote the words of the Saviour--"And I say unto you,
Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that
when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in
much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
If, therefore, ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous
mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye
have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall
give you that which is your own?" Now, he that is unfaithful in
building a house, or in making a garden, an orchard, a farm, or
in beautifying what is in his possession, who will commit to that
man or people the great things of the kingdom of God that are to
be attained on this earth?
296
I cannot preach upon the words quoted more effectually than I do
in building, improving, and occupying upon the talent God has
given to me. If it is ability to dictate the making of a road,
dictate it, or make it as others dictate. Where is the man that
made a road in a kanyon as it should be made, until I dictated
it? Men go into kanyons and drive up and down hills where it
requires six horses to haul up or hold back an empty waggon, and
break their animals' legs, and kill men and boys. Who has broken
waggons on roads that I have dictated? No one. In such kanyons
persons soon save more in cattle, waggons, time, and labour, than
the roads cost. Why do not the rest of the brethren learn this? I
know how to build a meeting-house--how to place the first and
last stone and piece of board, and how to put on the first and
last touch of paint. I know how to build a mill and put the
machinery in it, and I intend to keep improving as long as I
live. There are mechanical branches that I do not understand, but
I am constantly trying to learn. Should I live--and I would not
then be a very old man--to hear the command, "Return and build
the centre Stake of Zion," I intend to know how to build it.
296
You may say, "If you know all about it, there is no necessity for
our learning anything concerning it." We cannot be in every
place; and though we could, every man, woman, and child should
improve as rapidly as possible. Parents should know how to teach
their children, women should learn to make the most beautiful
cloth, and men should become skilled in raising sheep, and in the
improvement of all kinds of stock, and in making all kinds of
useful machinery. It is said we are yet young. True; but we ought
to, at least, make a beginning. Not one woman in ten, that I ever
saw, thoroughly understands keeping a house.
296
Why do not women learn to be housekeepers? They may
reply--"Brother Brigham, if you will teach us, we will keep your
houses according to your instructions." I could into your houses
and tell you item by item. Your husbands may furnish fine
furniture and glass and chinaware, and some of you suffer your
children to mar and break it. Give children such playthings as
they cannot break, and with which they cannot hurt themselves.
Were I now to go into one of your houses, perhaps I should hear
the mistress inquiring for the dishcloth; but Sal does not know
where it is: the last she saw of it little Abraham or Joe was
playing with it out-doors. Where is the milk-pail? Turned
bottom-side up on the hog-pen.
296
What I say of housewives will fully apply to farmers and
mechanics. I laboured many years as a mechanic, and in the
darkest night I could put my hand upon any tool I used. You may
call this boasting, but it is not. It is merely mentioning the
order in which I kept my shop. When a farmer has done with his
plough, he should put them under shelter until they are again
wanted. When harness is taken off, it should be so hung up that
you can go at any time of night and find it, or a saddle, bridle,
saddle-blanket, or any other trapping, and be ready at once,
without a hostile Indian's being able to see you, or being made
aware of your preparations, through your being obliged to take a
light to hunt scattered articles.
296
We have been toiling and delving at home, and now you see us
enjoying ourselves, without one word of discord. A week ago
to-day we passed this settlement, with several men, women,
children, horses, mules, and vehicles; and I ask the company
whether a single person has been found out of his place? We have
travelled in order and peace, notwithstanding our dispensing with
a formal organization. "Where is the captain of the company?" I
do not know, unless I am he. We have travelled in the order in
which persons joined us, and I do not think a rash word has been
spoken by any man, woman, or child since we left Great Salt Lake
City. What does this prove? That when the law of God is written
on the hearts of a people, every person will know his place. It
proves that we are improving.
297
Law is for the disobedient and lawless. When a people are made
free in Christ, and come to understanding, they will know that
there is a place for everybody, and every one will seek to fill
his own place, and every hand will be reached forth to promote
the kingdom of God on the earth. Our business is not merely to
prepare to go to another planet. This is our home. We are to
purify our hearts, our habitations, our families, associations,
settlements, states, and country, until improvement circumscribes
the whole earth, and sanctifies it, and prepares it to be brought
back into the presence of our Father and God.
297
When your eyes are open, you will see that this earth has fallen
from the glory and presence of the Father, to pass through
certain ordeals, together with the people upon it. And by and by,
when Jesus reigns and rules King of nations, he will say to his
Father--"Here is my work! Here are my brethren! Here is my
redemption--the fruit of my labour! I have ceased not to contend
with the Enemy until I have put him under my feet. I have
destroyed death, and him that has the power of death."
297
You work hard. Study to apply your labour to advantage, and you
will accomplish much more, without wearing yourselves out so
fast. If you have to roll a log, cut down a tree, etc., study how
to take advantage of the work. Contrive to accomplish your work
with the least expenditure of strength.
297
You have rich land, good water, a pure atmosphere, and one of the
pleasantest locations in the Territory. Adorn your houses and
your city. I marvel to see you contented to live as you do. I
have passed much of my life in a log-house, but do I like
bed-bugs and darkness? No. I love light. Were I obliged to live
in a log-house, I would have it plastered and whitewashed, that
it might be neat and pleasant.
297
Study order and cleanliness in your various occupations. Adorn
your city and neighbourhood. Make your homes lovely, and adorn
your hearts with the grace of God.
297
May the Lord bless you. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / George
Q. Cannon, September 9, 1860
George Q. Cannon, September 9, 1860
PRIVILEGES ENJOYED BY THE SAINTS--CONFUSION
EXISTING IN THE WORLD, &c.
Discourse by Elder George Q. Cannon, delivered in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 9, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
298
I rejoice this morning, brethren and sisters, in having the
privilege of assembling with you under such favourable
circumstances. While I have been sitting here listening to the
singing, and looking around at the attention of the congregation,
the thought has arisen in my heart, how is it possible for the
Elders of Israel, who have partaken of the spirit that emanates
from and surrounds this people, to remain so long absent from the
society of the Latter-day Saints? I have never returned without
having similar feelings; and now, to contemplate another mission,
and the probability of being absent as long as I was on that
mission from which I have just returned, seems, at the first
view, terrible.
298
There is nothing but the Spirit of God--the comforting and
sustaining influences of that Spirit which is promised to be
given unto the Elders, that would enable a man to absent himself
from society that is so pleasing, to go out into the world and
labour to proclaim the Gospel unto the children of men.
298
I feel to rejoice that I am here; and when I look around me and
see the comfortable circumstances of my brethren and sisters that
have been gathered out from the nations to worship God according
to the dictates of their own consciences and the revelations of
Jesus Christ, my soul is filled with joy and rejoicing. I feel
this to be a glorious privilege that we enjoy, and I do not think
that the people generally appreciate it, although there may be
some expectations.
298
If an Elder should go forth after residing here, and have for
years to come to mingle among the inhabitants of the earth, if he
be animated and led by that Spirit which prevails here, he will
realize that holy influence to a very great extent. He will
realize that God has gathered out a people whom he has filled
with union and love, such as he does not witness or experience
among other people or nations abroad. This he will realize, if
filled with the spirit that prevails here; for, wherever you go
throughout the length and breadth of the earth, you find that
there is a spirit of hatred, envy, malice, and everything that is
in opposition to the Spirit of God. Spirits of this kind and
feelings of this character prevail throughout the length and
breadth of the land. There are exceptions to this: there are men
and women who are animated with a good spirit and influence; but
it is not so with the majority. There is a contrary feeling and
influence that will destroy and pull down and completely break up
everything that is pleasing in the sight of God. It is a spirit
and influence that will break down and destroy every gift that is
calculated to bind man to man, and that would enable them to live
in union and peace.
298
This is not the worst feature in the case. The people themselves,
though filled with this spirit and surrounded by this influence,
do not seem to be aware of the dangers that threaten their peace
and the perpetuity of their institutions, or that threaten the
blessings that they have received from their fathers, and that
they hope to hand down to their children. This is the worst
feature of them all, in my estimation. If they could only be made
aware of it and the power of the Evil One, they would give heed
to the words of those bearing the everlasting Priesthood. By
faith and diligence, those going forth holding this authority may
escape these threatening dangers.
299
I know this from my own observation; and so far as my own
experience has gone, these are the feelings that have animated my
own bosom. If I find people that are faithful to their own
creeds, and who are diligent in what they undertake to do, I have
then hope in my bosom. Under these circumstances, I have had
faith to lay down the ancient Gospel as taught in the Bible and
Testament. This, however, is the difficulty under which the
inhabitants of the earth labour at the present time: they are not
true to that which they profess, and this causes the hearts of
the Elders to mourn. I have been able many times to account for
the saying in the revelations, that the heavens weep over the
children of men, and the bosom of the Almighty is filled with
sorrow because of the condition of the human family.
299
I believe that an Elder who goes forth can to some extent realize
the deplorable condition of fallen men, and it fills him with
compassion; and instead of killing them off and destroying them,
he feels willing to lay down his own life, if, by so doing, he
could bring them to the knowledge of the truth.
299
I have sometimes heard the brethren indulge in harsh expressions
when they have been tried; but when we consider the condition of
the inhabitants of the earth as it really is--view them from the
standing-point which we occupy, instead of having these feelings
of vengeance towards them, we should feel that their punishment
has already commenced, and that that which they suffer while they
tabernacle in the flesh would be sufficient for many things that
they have done.
299
During my absence on my recent mission to the Eastern States, I
found but few willing to listen to the truths I had to proclaim
to them. There were, however, a few who were anxious to learn
what we believed in--what our views were; but the great majority
of the people were so completely filled with newspaper stories
which go forth week after week and day after day, that they were
not disposed to listen to what a "Mormon" had to say; and if
there were any who were willing to converse, all their talk would
be about brother Brigham's wives, or some miracle of which they
had heard; but they would not be willing to say anything about
our faith.
299
This originates through a vitiated appetite which has taken
possession of the people throughout the United States. There were
some few who were disposed to investigate and inquire into our
principles--to reason and reflect.
299
There is something connected with this system, and with the power
that is exercised by the Presidency of this Church, that the
world cannot understand. I found many men who were anxious to
investigate, and, if possible, ascertain what produced this
oneness of feeling, and what enabled President Young to sway such
influence over the people during our times of difficulty.
299
The reflecting men over the whole land, however much they may be
led to believe that we are a corrupted people, consider this one
of the great mysteries. If there is anything in newspapers about
the "Mormons," it is very apt to be read with avidity. There is
something which I do not suppose they can account for. We have
gone forth, from the time of the inception of this Gospel, and so
signally triumphed over our enemies, that in the minds of many
men who are posted in regard to the events of the age, there is
an anxiety to form some idea of the features of the system: they
are anxious to know whether it is going to be a permanent power
in the United States, or whether it is going to crumble to pieces
as has been talked of by our enemies.
300
There is one thing they will give us credit for--namely, that we
are united, that we will give heed to authority, and that we are
in possession of some of the best modes of getting along that are
known in the world. But there is a difference of opinion about
the origin of this union. What is the cause of it? Some attribute
it to a wonderful power which the President exercises over the
whole people, and which the Elders exercise when they go forth
into the world to preach the Gospel: others say there are
inducements held out by which the people are completely blinded,
and this grows so strong that the people become willing to be led
by the Elders; and then, when they get here, they are so
surrounded by the Danites that they cannot go away, if they want
to. Others entertain a different idea, and have a better opinion
than to suppose that illiterate, unlearned men, like many of our
Elders, can go forth and exercise such power.
300
I have had men admit to me that the advance of the age demanded a
new revelation--that the old fogyism of the past age was not
suited to the wants of this generation--that the people required
a new revelation, a new influence,--that there was nothing to
bind the people together or cause them to believe in their
leaders. And some are willing to believe that "Mormonism" is the
religion that is best calculated to take the place required to be
filled, and become the dominant religion. But, like other
religions, it has to fight its way. All systems of religion had
to do this in early days; but to acknowledge there is anything
revealed from heaven that is inspiring the hearts of the people
would be the first step towards associating religion with
fanaticism!
300
It is singular to go out into the world and converse with people
with regard to the opinions of men of influence respecting the
Latter-day Saints. Some suppose that the power that is exercised
by the leaders of this people will be short-lived; and many of
them supposed, when the army came in here, that that would be the
time when the system of fanaticism would be crushed. They hoped
that the long-expected period had arrived when we should be
obliged to succumb, and no longer have an existence as a distinct
people upon the earth. The failure of that expedition, and of
every other expedition to bring upon us the trouble designed, has
changed the opinion of many, and they are now to some extent in
doubt. The Adversary who influences them has been foiled. He is
willing now to let them have a resting spell, and they are
resting, not knowing what course to pursue. This is the feeling
that is possessed by many. How long this feeling may last, I
cannot tell; but that the fire of persecution that is now
smouldering will again arise, there can be no doubt.
300
If we suppose that the future is peaceful, it is a delusion: the
efforts of our enemies will be continued. They are encouraging
their hatred and increasing their determination to bring
destruction upon us, and they do know themselves that they are
wicked in this respect; but they have an idea that we are a
blotch upon the civilization of the nineteenth century; but they
do not know the influence that guides them and that directs their
determination.
300
A man who goes forth at the present time, if he be filled with
the spirit of Zion, will find continually evidences upon the
right hand and upon the left to strengthen him in the work in
which he is engaged. This is not confined to the religions
abroad, but it is to be found among the Saints here, and we see
it every day. A man whose heart is open, and who is clear to
behold the evidences that are to be gleaned during our
experience, will have abundant cause of thanksgiving for having
extended unto us the helping hand in time of need.
301
A man who goes among the people of the world is soon made to
realize the confusion that exists, the spirit that controls them,
and the doubt and uncertainty that they are in. Experience of
this kind gives strength to the Latter-day Saints--to the Elder
who may be labouring among the people. During the difficulties
that arose here some years ago, I frequently heard the Saints
express themselves thankful that God had given them a knowledge
of the future. They knew, through the knowledge, how it would be
with those who sought to oppress them. The whole of the United
States are now in trouble. They have been excited about the
Latter-day Saints; but lately they have had difficulties enough
at home to occupy their thoughts. The attempt of John Brown, last
fall, to overthrow slavery, engendered feelings of hatred between
the North and the South which never will be allayed. For a long
time after Congress met, it seemed as though they never would be
able to elect a Speaker or do any business, and that a split
between the North and South was inevitable. Editors were
troubled, and all men who made any pretence whatever to knowledge
of the signs of the times, were at a loss to comprehend what the
future of the United States would be, if these difficulties
continued. They looked upon it superficially, and supposed that
the panic of those times was only temporary. They view things in
the same light now; they believe that the obstacles will be
removed, that the Government will go on and press forward to that
position which they believe it will attain to. But there were
many, previous to that time of difficulty to which I allude,
maintained that there was no such thing as dissolution to the
United States. But now, after all their hopes in relation to the
greatness of this Government, they are willing to admit that
possibly it may be dissolved, and that the difficulties at
present in the nation between the two extreme sections will
produce the dissolution.
301
There has been an attempt during the last session to remove this
feeling, and to some extent it has been done. Men are so ready
and willing to be deceived in regard to that which will produce
their destruction, that they put far off they day of dread.
301
Although Joseph Smith and the Elders of this Church have
proclaimed both by their own voice and by publications, the
downfall of this Government, the downfall of this Government, and
set forth things so plainly to those that would look at them, yet
the people have closed their eyes and have pressed forward in
their own way; and they will so continue until every word shall
be fulfilled.
301
Brethren and sisters, if there were no other cause of
thankfulness and of gratitude within us to God our Heavenly
Father for the blessings that he has bestowed upon us, we should
be thankful for this blessing--the blessing of
foreknowledge--that he has revealed unto us, by his own voice and
that of the holy angels, those things that are coming upon the
nations of the earth; and that while uncertainty, doubt, and
gloom prevail from one end of the land to the other, we are in
the possession of a feeling and of knowledge which enables us to
bear up. While the hearts of others are filled with fear and
dread, ours are filled with hope and bright anticipations that we
are privileged to live in a day and age like this.
301
If there were no other cause of thankfulness, this furnishes us
abundant reasons. We can read in the newspapers, if we cannot
ascertain it any other way, that they are filled with these
influences, and that these feelings, of fear pervade the mind.
You know the feelings that now prevail, and that instead of dread
and sorrow controlling the minds of the Saints, there is on the
contrary a feeling of thanksgiving and joy that our lot has been
cast in this day and age of the world. Where calamity and sorrow
were, there are thanksgiving and joy; and when we bow our knees
before our Father in heaven, we thank him for these blessings.
302
If the nations of the earth could realize that there were such
feelings prevailing here, there would be hundreds and thousands
that would associate themselves with us, especially, if they
could believe it possible for them to attain to the same
privileges. But lies have prevailed to such an extent, and have
been so industriously circulated, that thousands of men and women
now believe us to be the worst people upon the face of the earth.
If they come here, although they may not profess our faith, but
will submit to the regulations that are established here, they
can be comfortable and enjoy themselves.
302
Our enemies, by the course they are taking, are bound to remove
the stigmas they have tried heretofore to place upon us; for they
have slandered us, told lie after lie about us, and predicted
what would become of us; and many who believe in the stories
published in newspapers will ere long be convinced that we are an
injured people. Many of their stories have already been proven to
be false. This result will produce its own fruits, and the
reaction produced will be the overthrow of God's enemies. And
when the time of difficulty and sorrow overtakes them because of
their iniquities, and they will be to a certain extent fearful of
the consequences, the way will be prepared for the fulfilment of
the words of the Prophet, that those who will not take up their
sword against their neighbours will have need to flee to Zion.
This will be the result of the action of those who are now our
enemies--those who should be our enemies--those who should be our
neighbours, and who are now operating to bring about our
downfall.
302
But let me say unto you, my brethren and sisters, that all their
efforts and all the moves that they have made have produced a
contrary effect to what they intended, and all they do in future
will be far more striking in its effects than anything that has
previously transpired. They began in the first organization of
this Church to tell so many falsehoods, and they have told them
so long and circulated them so widely and so very rapidly, with a
design to destroy our character, and with a design to make the
world believe that we were a bloodthirsty people--a people guilty
of every species of crime, that they think credence must still be
given to all they do and say. Those who have circulated these
unfounded stories are filled with the very spirit which they
accuse us of possessing; and they do this for the purpose of
creating difficulty and bringing trouble upon us.
302
I have seen this myself. I have seen men who knew when they were
writing that they were writing statements that were not true.
Some of these were men that have been associated with us in the
bonds of fellowship, and the spirit which they sought to infuse
into others they had received by transgression. This spirit has
caused editors and other men who have laboured in this manner to
bring about our destruction, to lay the foundation for their own
damnation.
303
Fear is taking hold of the hearts of men, and it will doubtless
increase until that will be fulfilled which was spoken by the
Prophet--"Let us not go up against Zion, for the people thereof
are terrible." Men do not realize that they are fulfilling the
words of the Prophet of God. No: they labour diligently and
assiduously, as they think, to prevent that. Therefore not only
are the good brethren and sisters and the pure and the holy
labouring for the fulfillment of the word of God and the
spreading abroad of the truths of heaven, but the wicked who are
labouring for the overthrow of the kingdom of God have all their
efforts turned to good account, and the fruits thereof are
beginning to be apparent. This, as I before observed, will
increase and be more apparent every year that we live upon the
earth. This is not a dead letter which I am speaking to you, but
it is a truth which has been uttered by the inspiration of the
Holy Ghost many years ago. Remember the saying--"We cannot do
anything against the kingdom of God, but for it;" for God himself
will control the result. It is not only true so far as we are
concerned, but the nations that undertake to send their armies to
fight against Zion will find everything turned in favour of the
Saints, give them success, and enable them to overcome the
difficulties with which they are surrounded; and they will
continue to overcome until they attain that position which our
Heavenly Father intends all his faithful people shall occupy.
303
The warning of the nations of the earth and the labours of all
the faithful Elders among the nations all contribute to the
accomplishment of this work and the preparing of the Saints for a
high and exalted position in the kingdom of God, to reign as
kings and Priests of the Most High, according to the promises of
the Father.
303
I have felt during my absence this time, as well as upon other
missions, that it did not matter much where I laboured; but I
felt to mourn that I could not do more than I did for the kingdom
of God. I was ambitious and felt a desire to hasten forward the
purposes of our Father in heaven; but when I looked upon it in
another light, I considered that whether the fruits of my labour
were much or little, if I and all my brethren and sisters would
only labour where we were wanted, we should be sure to accomplish
that which our Father wished us to do.
303
It does not matter what we are doing or where we are
labouring--in the adobie yard, in the kanyons, preaching the
Gospel, or doing anything else that God through his servants
directs us to perform,--if we labour faithfully, we are
contributing to the accomplishment of a great and good work, and
are really doing much more than we think, and labouring to bring
to pass all those predictions that have been delivered respecting
the generation in which we live.
303
I know, however, that this is a difficult lesson for us to
learn--that it is difficult to get the idea into our hearts. It
is so natural for a man to be desirous to do something--to have
the name, to have the credit of having done something upon the
earth. And it is the desire of an Elder to do something in
preaching the Gospel, and it is very difficult to curb the
inclination that many have for preaching; but if we labour in the
way and in the position in which the authorities have put us and
directed us, we may rest assured that we are labouring for the
accomplishment of all that which is required to be done by our
Heavenly Father, and we are laying up treasures in heaven; and
although we may not do as much here as we suppose we ought, there
is an eternity before us in which we can labour. There is no end
to our opportunities for doing good, and we are not going to
labour here for the last time; and although we are making
adobies, labouring in the kanyons, or sawing lumber, yet if we
labour as our Father in heaven wants us, we have before us a
destiny far greater than we can at present imagine: we have
before us a field of usefulness much more extended than it has
ever yet entered into our hearts to conceive of. There is yet a
vast eternity in the future in which we can labour, and we are to
press forward until we attain the fulness of our desire.
304
It is so with the wicked in one sense--with the enemies of truth.
All that they do contributes to the rolling forth of this great
and mighty work. In our expulsion from Illinois, our journeyings
across the Plains, our settlement in this Valley, all has
contributed to make us what we now are. Our enemies see this, and
they regret that they did not leave us to be mixed up with the
world, so that civilization might have surrounded us, and its
surges eventually have destroyed our organization. But we are
here, and it is now too late. We are now established, and we are
growing here in the mountains, and are beginning to be
acknowledged and called a nation in the midst of the earth, and
everything that the wicked have done and will do will be a source
of regret to them, because they will see, as they have already
seen, that they have worked into our hands. Then, to use a
familiar expression we will say, Let it blow hot or cold--let
them do just as they please, persecute us, send armies here or
keep them at home, it will make no difference as to the final
result. It may enable us to progress the faster in the good work
in which we are engaged; but all that our enemies do, with a
design to thwart the operations of the people of God, will be
unsuccessful. I have felt grateful many times for the possession
of this knowledge; and when I have walked among the people and
seen how determined they were to take steps to overcome us, and
then have considered that to our God and Father in heaven they
were mere toys--playthings to accomplish that which is
intended--and that they might labour and toil and concoct schemes
for the injury of God's chosen people, that all would be
unavailing, I have then realized the goodness of our Father.
304
In my reflections upon these things, I have ever realized that
God has spoken from the heavens, and said that this kingdom
should fill the whole earth, and that the kingdom and greatness
of the kingdom under the whole heavens will eventually be given
to the Saints of the Most High. I have realized that the work
will spread, though the wicked do all they can to stop it. Then
let us rejoice in this knowledge which God has given unto his
people.
304
I feel, in relation to the United States, that there is now an
opening for the Elders to labour. While in the city of New York,
there was a disposition to come and hear our people preach. I had
the pleasure of baptizing a number. I was not often there; but
when I was, our hall was crowded, not by Saints only, but by
those who had been, and by others who were inquiring after truth.
There was a disposition manifested to learn our doctrines, and I
have no doubt but great good can be done in the future. I have no
doubt but there are hundred in the United States that are honest,
but their eyes are now blinded by the influences that are around
them. Among editors and public men generally there is not this
feeling that you find among the poor and middle classes. They
have said that we are wicked, and they are determined to wipe us
out.
305
During my last mission I have had many opportunities of
conversing with the leading editors of the most popular journals
in the States, and I have frequently had the evidence in my hands
to disprove the lying stories in circulation about us. They would
acknowledge it--say our views appeared to be correct, and that
the evidence we presented was of such a character as to give them
reason to doubt the stories that were in circulation about us.
But would they take that evidence we presented as an offset for
the lies they had published? No: they would tell you that their
readers expected something different from them. You could not
hire their columns only for advertising purposes. There were some
who would express a willingness to write something about us of a
political nature, but they would not like to have anything said
in favour of our religion. For instance, they were quite in
favour of the Territories electing their officers; but of Utah,
they could not think of it. They would be willing to write
something for the benefit of the people of Utah, they would say;
but when it came to be written, you could easily see that they
were very willing that the other Territories should have this
privilege, but they could not think of giving it to Utah! It was
a determined hostility to us, and they were resolved that we
should not have the privilege which they designed to give it
other people. You go to them and talk about crime--tell them what
was in our nation, they would colour about it; but they had not
the manhood to rebut our statements or to expose the guilty. This
is the feeling that prevails in the United States; and while this
prevails, it cannot be wondered at that the people should
partake, to a certain extent, of the influences that prevail.
305
Men and women would acknowledge unto me that this work was true,
and that they had been blinded by the lies and wicked stories
that had been in circulation about us. How long this will
continue I cannot say, but I presume until judgment and calamity
will overtake the people, as a punishment for their driving and
persecuting the Saints of the Most High.
305
There are some of the people, however, with whom the Spirit of
God is pleading. I received a letter by the last mail from the
States. The person has had a misfortune in his family, and writes
to me to know what consolation there is in "Mormonism"--what
consolation there is in the doctrines of the Saints. He
acknowledges that the systems of religion by which they are
surrounded in the States are entirely inadequate for the purposes
for which they are established.
305
Of course we understand that they are not blest with the same
light that we are: in fact, they confess themselves that there is
a power and a degree of light in the principles of the Latter-day
Saints, so far as known, that is not among the religions of this
generations, under many trying circumstances? Why, there is no
consolation; all is dread before them: there is an eternity of
apparent darkness and woe, whence there is no deliverance, and
from which they recoil with horror.
305
On the other hand, there is not a case comes under our
observation of trouble, of suffering, or misfortune, but in the
doctrine of Christ there is something to stimulate us, and to
encourage our further exertions. This truth is plainly set forth
in the doctrines of Christ, that every man shall reap the reward
of his works, whether they be good or evil. If a man has not
merited an eternity of punishment, there will not be such a
punishment awarded to him. This is the hope, this is the
consolation of the Saint, in the midst of sadness and despair,
that he will eventually be rewarded for all his labours. This is
not to be found in the religions of the world, and the
consequence is that infidelity is getting a strong hold upon the
minds of men. This is being felt at the present time by many of
the more enlightened.
305
I have many times thought that the labours of the Elders were not
so productive of good as they might be. We ought to labour more
earnestly to prepare the people for the day of calamity that is
coming. I believe that we, so far as our relatives are concerned,
have no cause of sorrow, if they are honest, though they may not
have received the influence of truth; yet the day may come when
they will receive the Spirit of God; and if they do not come to
these valleys to obey the Gospel, they may come here as to a
place of refuge!
306
My prayer is that we may be faithful, humble, and obedient to
that Priesthood and those living oracles which God has placed in
our midst, and ever labour for the upbuilding of that kingdom
which he has setup, never more to be thrown down.
306
This is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Orson
Pratt, September 16, 1860
Orson Pratt, September 16, 1860
TRUE SOURCE OF HAPPINESS--RICHES, TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL, &c.
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, September 16, 1860.
Reported by J. V. Long.
306
I arise to address myself to the congregation of the Saints who
are here assembled with a degree of pleasure and satisfaction,
feeling that it is a great privilege that we enjoy of meeting
together in this bowery, from Sabbath to Sabbath, for the purpose
of hearing from and worshiping the Lord our God.
306
It has always been a great satisfaction to my mind, and a source
of pleasure, to speak of things of the kingdom of God, especially
on those occasions on which the Lord has condescended to bless me
with a portion of his Spirit; for the Spirit of the Lord gives
joy and satisfaction to all those who are made partakers of it,
whether it be the speaker or the hearer; and without that Spirit
no person can expect to enjoy any great degree of happiness in
this life or in that which is to come. It is contrary to the
nature of happiness for us to undertake to enjoy ourselves
independent of the Holy Spirit which the Almighty pours out upon
those who are honest and upright before him. There is no
happiness in anything else; there is no place worthy of being
called a place of happiness only in the enjoyment of the favour
of God and of his Holy Spirit. And those persons are truly
blessed who have the greatest share of that Spirit abiding with
them; and when that Spirit withdraws from the hearts of mankind,
they are truly cursed. In the Spirit of the Lord there is peace,
there is joy, there is light, there is truth, there is hope, and
there is faith. Without that Spirit all is darkness, all is
wretchedness, and all is shut up and closed as it were to the
human mind, and future hope, or hope of future blessings and
exaltation, is cut off.
307
Perhaps this may be the last opportunity, for some time to come,
at least, that I shall have of addressing the Saints in Utah. In
a few days I expect to be wending my way, in company with some of
my brethren on another mission to the United States, for the
purpose of doing whatever the Spirit of the Lord may direct in
those lands. Whether I shall return again to Utah, it matters
not, if it so be that I keep the commandments of God and do his
will. All flesh is in His hands, and He governs and controls all
things according to his own righteous will and purposes, and
preserves in life whomsoever he sees proper, and takes away his
servants whenever it seems to him good to do so. Whether I shall
be spared many years or few, it matters not to me, if I am only
faithful to the end. This is my object; this is the foremost
thing in my mind; and it should be the foremost in the minds of
all the Latter-day Saints. Many great and good men have fallen by
the power of their enemies, by the Destroyer, by sickness, and by
accidents; but this is the lot of all mankind, to pass through
the vail--to go from this stage of existence to another,
altogether a different state of existence that we now enjoy is a
pleasure to the righteous; it is a great satisfaction to those
that keep the commandments of God. Life is sweet, and there are
but very few individuals who are willing to part with it, even
though they knew with the perfect knowledge that when leaving
this mortal state of existence, where we are subject to toil and
fatigue, to pain and sorrow,--though they knew that they would
enter into the presence of God, and enjoy complete happiness in
his kingdom henceforth and forever; yet there are many, who
although they might know this with the most perfect knowledge,
they would pray in their hearts that they might abide here a
little longer. There are but very few individuals upon the earth
among the Latter-day Saints who desire to die; and I doubt very
much whether there have been many persons of that kind, in the
past ages of the world, among the true-hearted servants of God,
who desired to die. When they reflected upon the work that they
might accomplish and perform in this world, they would still feel
to pray for life, even immortal life to be continued unto them.
308
Why do we desire to live? Is it to accumulate riches? No; this
ought not to be the cause of the desire in our hearts; for if we
should have power to heap up gold as the sands--if we should have
power to collect the treasures of the earth together to a very
great extent, and have power to have everything, so far as this
world's goods are concerned, to the fullest extent of our
desires, what is it even then? Can we take those things into the
grave with us? Can we carry our farms, our houses, our carriages,
and other property, behind the vail with us? No, we cannot. Then
why should this be in the hearts of so many of those who profess
to be Saints as the uppermost desire? Why should the people lie
awake to study how to collect an abundance of the things of this
life? Why should they cling to the things that must perish and be
done away? This is one of the great temptations that beset the
pathway of mortal man. He desires to heap up the riches of this
world, as though he were to stay here forever. But he may inquire
if the original desire is not placed in the heart of man for a
good purpose? Yes, it is; but that desire should be controlled
according to the law of God and the will of Heaven. We should
seek for nothing in this dispensation and in the kingdom in which
we are engaged--we should seek for nothing, I repeat, that would
be calculated to lead our minds astray from the great purposes we
have in view as Latter-day Saints. Nothing should be permitted to
lead our minds from God and his kingdom, and from worshipping him
with the fulness of our hearts. Desires are very good in their
places: when dictated by the Spirit of God, they will be
gratified in due time. Every man and woman should seek in a
lawful way to procure the things that are necessary in this life
to benefit themselves, their neighbours, and the poor around
them, and make a good use of the blessings God bestows, and the
things he instructs them with in this world. But how many there
are among the Saints of the living God, whose hearts and minds
are almost overwhelmed with the things of this present life! They
covet gold and silver, houses and lands, and other riches in
abundance; and they know not why. I should delight to see the
Saints of God rich; yes, I should be pleased to see the poorest
Saint among us have in his possession all that his heart could
desire, if he would use those things properly that were committed
to his charge and according to the will of Him that made him. I
should also desire to see no poor in the midst of Zion, but that
all might be blest with a good supply of the things of this life.
I desire to see the day come when all the Latter-day Saints who
have suffered shall have everything which their hearts can desire
in righteousness of the things of this world, when they will be
good for them, and when they can use them for the glory of God.
Until that period shall come, I doubt whether riches will benefit
the Saints of God. If, peradventure, any of you, by your
diligence and perseverance, should happen to accumulate riches to
some extent, if you should use them for the purposes which God
has ordained, all will be well; but if not, they will prove a
curse to you, instead of a blessing. And I will add that there is
one thing that I am confident of--viz., that in Utah there is not
much danger of the Latter-day Saints becoming very rich. If they
accumulate by their perseverance a sufficiency of breadstuffs and
those things that are necessary for their present sustenance and
future security against the famines that are to spread desolation
in the earth, they will do well. I think there are no people upon
the face of the earth that need to envy the Latter-day Saints, so
far as their temporal prospects are concerned. In other respects
they have great cause to envy them.
308
There is not much chance for the Latter-day Saints to grow rich
in this Territory--I mean according to the meaning of the term in
the world. There is and ever will be too much to done in various
kinds of labour for the building up of the kingdom of God. Your
land, of course, yields abundantly where it is well cultivated;
but it requires a great deal of toil to accomplish it. About
three or four times the labour is required of the farmers and
agriculturists than is required in other countries. Why, it takes
a man almost one-half of his time to get his fuel from the
kanyons, about one-quarter to irrigate the soil, and of course
the rest is well occupied with the other duties of life. This
being the case, then, there is not much prospect of soon becoming
very rich. We ought, nevertheless, to be thankful for the
blessings we enjoy; for the Almighty has brought us into a
country where we have not the privilege of heaping up riches and
ruining ourselves forever. It takes a people a long time to
prepare themselves for riches. The old principle which was
planted in the hearts of our ancestors, which was a principle of
covetousness, as practised by the Gentiles in all ages, has
become a part of the nature of the human family, by tradition; so
much so, that it seems to be one of the most difficult things to
root out of the hearts of men. To accomplish this, the Lord has
to train the people, year after year, in order to get it out of
their minds; and he has given us a very thorough training and
experience in order to deliver this people from this covetous
feeling and principle.
309
If we reflect back upon our past history--and I believe that the
Latter-day Saints are acquainted with that history, either by
actual experience, by reading, or by hearing it verbally recited;
suffice it to say that they are pretty well acquainted with the
history of this Church for the last thirty years;--what hast he
Lord been trying to accomplish since the rise of this Church? Has
he not been trying to accomplish one of the greatest events and
one of the greatest works ever accomplished among mankind? Yes,
he has been trying to eradicate from the people the old leaven of
the Gentiles that has been established in the hearts of men so
many generations, and to prepare the Saints for the great work of
the last days. In regard to heaping up a multitude of the riches
of this life, all our past history shows that the Lord was so
determined to rid us of this principle as far as possible, in
order that we might enjoy riches when he shall see fit to bestow
them upon us, that he suffered us to be driven from our
inheritances to undergo many privations, and thus be prepared for
the vicissitudes of future life.
309
We need not be faint-hearted nor discouraged in regard to the
riches of this life, for this people are bound to the be the
richest of any people upon the face of the whole earth, in the
Lord's own due time. That will be in fulfillment of prophecy, and
no people that ever dwelt upon this earth ever came up to what
the Latter-day Saints will be in the accumulation of the things
of this life. But when we reflect upon these things, we ought to
pray earnestly that we may never be put in the possession of
those things until we are rid of those feelings of selfishness
and covetousness. (President B. Young: We shall not be; for the
Lord knows that wealth would certainly be a curse to us.) It
frequently looks very curious to me, looking at it naturally, and
causes me some astonishment, when I see the pride and arrogance
of the children of men; for I see that the whole bent of their
minds is upon the wheat and corn, that they may grow: their
contemplations seem to be upon the plans and means by which they
can best accumulate the treasures of this world. Who would place
their minds in his direction when they see thousands and millions
perishing and annually going into their graves? and who would
believe that they would be so exceedingly anxious to heap up
millions more than they actually need? They see scores of their
neighbours cut down upon their right hand and upon their left:
they have the experience before them to prove that all must go
into their graves without carrying with them the goods and riches
of this world. Why is it that it does not take away this feeling
from them, either morning or night? Men of this kind are awake
during many of the silent hours of the night to calculate how
they can the easiest accumulate riches.
309
We have brought these principles and notions with us; we have
inherited them from our fathers; they were instilled into us by
our parents; and we have to get rid of them as soon as we can, in
order that we may be prepared to receive the true principles in
the proper spirit. We ought to be thankful that we are in a
country where we cannot get rich as easily as we desire to--a
country where it takes from morning till night in hard labour to
get the common necessaries of life, and that this will continue
until the Lord says that our hearts are prepared, and we are
capable of enjoying the good things of this life.
310
We, as Latter-day Saints, not only have the promise of earthly
riches and temporal comforts; but, what is far more joyful to us
and more satisfactory to our minds, is, that we look forward to
an eternity of riches--to a perpetual increase of wealth to be
given unto us, if we are faithful before the Lord, to be enjoyed
upon righteous principles--to be enjoyed where no covetousness
shall mar our feelings--to be participated in by the Latter-day
Saints when they have clean hands, pure hearts,--when they can
use the blessings bestowed upon them according to the mind and
will of God and in peace, where riches will impart the most
perfect happiness to the Saints of the living God.
310
These are the riches we should seek after first--these the
treasures that our hearts should be set upon--the riches that are
behind the vail, that extend beyond this mortal sphere--the
riches that are as endurable as eternity. It is these riches that
will be able to endure and stand when all earthly riches shall
vanish away like the dream of a night vision.
310
Thirty years ago next January, by a revelation that was given
through the Prophet Joseph, we were told to seek earnestly for
the riches of eternity; and the Lord said it must needs be that
my people shall be tried and proven, that they may be prepared to
receive that which is in store for the faithful. Seek first for
the riches that are in the future life. Seek first, as our
Saviour bade his disciples, the kingdom of God and its
righteousness, and all things shall be added to you, that are
needful and necessary.
311
It will be thirty years next Wednesday since I was baptized into
this Church--almost one-third of a century since I have had an
opportunity of understanding the things of the kingdom of God in
some measure--of being baptized into that kingdom which shall
endure for ever. How shall I look back upon these thirty years?
In many respects I look back with exceeding great joy; in some
respects, with exceeding great sorrow. I can see where I have
failed in many things, and that if I had lived as faithful as I
might have done, I might have done more to the honour and glory
of God. I might have been a person more humble and diligent in
obeying counsel--more faithful in the discharge of many duties
that are required of a person holding the Priesthood; I might
have taken a course that would have been better for myself in
many respects, better for mankind, better for my family, and for
the cause and kingdom of God. You can easily perceive, then, that
reflection upon these things gives me a degree of sorrow. But
after considering all these matters, when I reflect upon the
little good that I have done, and upon the travels and labours
that I have performed, the success that has attended my efforts,
and the few good desires that I have had to build up the kingdom,
I certainly have great joy. I feel a satisfaction in my own mind
in contemplating my past life. I feel a joy and satisfaction that
I would not part with for all the luxuries and honours of this
present life. These would be nothing in comparison with it. I
ever expect to look back upon the past period of my history with
joy, so far as the good is concerned. I shall have to reflect
with pleasure that I have preached the Gospel to so many--that I
have so often borne my testimony to the great work of the last
days in which we are engaged. I shall never regret any of the
testimonies that I have borne in regard to the future events that
are coming upon the earth; I shall never have to regret exhorting
mankind to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to repent of their
sins, to believe in the laws, doctrines, and ordinances of the
Church and kingdom of God, and in the holy Priesthood restored to
man in this generation. Have I any reason to regret these things
now? No; and I should very much dislike being placed back thirty
years in my history, and to have to live my life over again. I
should be exceedingly fearful that I might not live it as well as
I have done; I should be afraid of taking a step that would prove
my overthrow. How long I shall live hereafter it matters not. I
desire to live, if it is the will of my Heavenly Father; and if
it is his will, I desire to die. I desire to be perfectly
submissive. Death has lost its terrors to me. I feel no fear of
pain, for it is only momentary. There is pain in yielding up this
mortal tabernacle in many cases, but what is it? It only lasts
for a few minutes, a few hours, days, or weeks, and then all is
over.
311
The great object of our existence is to have the mind and the
spirit right, the feelings and passions under control,--to have
the mortal man that dwells within led and dictated by the Holy
Spirit. If that is right, the pain and suffering of the body is
but small. If we have hope of eternal life,--I do not mean that
kind of hope that exists among the Christian world at large, or
that which exists among the Pagans or Mahomedans,--but I mean
that kind of hope that is based upon a sure foundation--a hope
that we can really depend upon--a hope that is not built upon a
sandy foundation, but one that takes hold of the things in
eternity, that lays hold of the things of the Most High God--a
hope founded upon the promises of the Almighty, upon the
Priesthood which is after the order of an endless life, and
obedience to the laws of heaven and those of the kingdom of God
on the earth,--a hope that blooms with immortality and eternal
lives.
311
This is what imparts confidence to man and takes away the fear of
death, distress, and terror from the minds of the Saints.
311
Have I this hope? I have to some degree, and I would to God that
I had it to a greater degree. Promises have been showered upon my
head; blessings have been pronounced upon me by the Priesthood at
different times; other blessings have been sealed upon me,
through the holy ordinances of the Gospel, by the proper
authority: but I contemplate that these are conditional. There is
a small degree of trembling and fear that, after all, I may prove
unfaithful, and that I may not be able to endure unto the end.
311
The great promises of our Saviour to his Apostles have been made
upon this condition. It is true there are some promises that God
has made upon some subjects without conditions. We might mention
the following in the revelation upon marriage, concerning sealing
blessings upon persons, and sealing them up to eternal
life--sealing upon them blessings for time and for all eternity,
at the time when the man and woman go forth and are sealed
unconditionally; at least, the revelation says, if such a one
transgresses, he shall be destroyed in the flesh and suffer until
the day of redemption; and then they shall come forth and inherit
all that was placed upon their heads by the servants of God, on
the condition that they have not committed the sin against the
Holy Ghost or shed innocent blood. This would seem to be as near
as unconditional promise as can well be made to mortals. But this
is not altogether unconditional, for there are some exceptions;
but it would come as near as anything we have ever read of.
312
This ought to be a comfort to the Saints, and not a license for
them to sin and commit all manner of blasphemies; but it should
be a comfort and a consolation to those that may, in the hour of
temptation, be overtaken in a fault, to encourage them to turn
unto the Lord their God with all their hearts, minds, might, and
strength. Then they can lay hold of these promises, and with them
come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, and inherit
all that was placed upon their heads. But when we reflect upon
pain in this life, it is grievous to be borne and to think of.
When we think that a man may be buffetted, not only in this life,
but until the morning of the first resurrection, this ought to
cause the heart of every Latter-day Saint to shrink from
everything that is sinful. What! shall we offend God who has made
these great and precious promises? Where is our life, if we
should offend God, the giver of all these good things? If we
should dare to sin upon such a promise, we should indeed be
deserving of the severest punishment. Let no Latter-day Saint,
then, try to claim these great and precious things, if they
wilfully commit sin, and because the Lord has promised that they
should only be punished for a season. The time of their
punishment is here in this life, and it is sure not to extend
into the other for any great period. Yet there is far more
satisfaction in being perfectly honest before God and men,--yes,
far more satisfaction, joy, and consolation here in this life, to
live without any threatening and punishment in this or in the
next life. Every man that has the right spirit within him will
feel that he ought to keep the commandments of God; and it is the
great source of our happiness and the fountain from which we draw
all these great, glorious, and honourable tokens of the approval
of our Heavenly Father. Obedience produces enduring happiness in
our minds. Then let us love God and love righteousness, because
it is right; let us love honesty, love to do good, because there
is pleasure in doing so; let us hate wickedness because it is
hateful in its nature; let us hate that which has the appearance
of evil, and do that because we know it to be the feeling of God,
of angels, and of all good men.
312
These should be the feelings of every Latter-day Saint; they
should study to discriminate between the right and the wrong, and
be determined to walk continually in the path of virtue, or
righteousness, and of truth. Let us study to make ourselves
approved before God, that we may have smiles and approbation
continually.
313
We are fallen beings, and are not aware how deeply the prejudices
of our forefathers have been visited upon our minds. When we
think ourselves free from the bondage of our fathers, we then
imagine that we become perfectly untrammelled, and we are not at
all aware how deeply these prejudices have entwined themselves
around our hearts. How diligent we should be to root them out,
and get every feeling of our nature in the proper direction for
that new state of society into which we have entered. The Lord
does not prompt his servants to love the manners and evil customs
of the world, and you can scarcely put your finger upon the
custom that is not evil; and although the passions of human
nature have been planted in the breasts of men for wise and good
purposes, yet they have become so changed by associating evil
with them that we do not appear to realize the influence they may
exert over our minds. We therefore ought to study and to seek
diligently for that light which comes from heaven, to look into
our own hearts as we look into a mirror, that we may be enabled
to see our foolish practices, turn from them, and feel that we
are not only in the presence of man, but that we are in the
presence of God, that we may become sensible of our
responsibility, and act consistently in all things, that our
government may be righteous and holy in all things. Let us ask
ourselves the question, Are we practising as though we were in
the presence of heavenly beings, and enjoying what they enjoy,
and being with them day after day, and night after night
throughout all eternity? Are we prepared to stand up before God,
angels, and before holy and celestial beings, with confidence and
a oneness of feeling, being assured that there is nothing the
matter in our hearts, but that we are upright as they are
upright--that we hate iniquity as they hate it? We may feel that
we are trying to do this; but a little more light of the Spirit
from heaven--of the Holy Ghost shed forth upon our hearts--would
enable us to see many imperfections and follies that are gathered
up by the traditions of our forefathers and from the acts of our
neighbours.
313
This being the last time, probably, that I shall have the
opportunity of speaking to you in this place for some time to
come, although I almost consider it unnecessary to bear my
testimony before a people that have so often heard it, yet it
seems it would be a satisfaction to my own mind, if it is not so
to you, to bear testimony concerning the kingdom and work in
which you are engaged as well as myself. Do I know that this
Church and kingdom that is established here in the Territory of
Utah, and whose branches extend abroad in England, in France, and
in various parts of the earth,--do I know that this is the
kingdom spoken of by the Prophets of old--that this is the great
Latter-day Kingdom of the Most High God? Yes, I do. How do I know
this? Not by miracles that my eyes have beheld, though I have
seen many; not by manifestations in healing the sick, although I
have seen many healed; not by the testimony of others, although I
have heard many, but that would not give me a living and an
abiding witness. How do I know that this Latter-day Kingdom,
organized by the inhabitants of this Territory, as well as the
Branches that are abroad, are all included in that great and
glorious kingdom of the last days that is to stand for ever? Have
I seen the face of the Almighty in open vision? No; this is great
privilege that I have never attained to. Have holy angels come
down from heaven when I was awake and conversed with me as one
man converses with another? No; I have not had so great a
privilege--I have not attained to that. But I know by the power
of the Holy Ghost shed forth in my heart from time to time; for,
notwithstanding all my faults, all my weaknesses, my
imperfections, and failings, through the past thirty years, I do
know one fact, and that is that God has from time to time,
through his infinite mercy and goodness, shed forth upon me his
Holy Spirit, unworthy as I was to receive it, and that has borne
testimony, time and again, that this is the work of God: it has
given me a knowledge which it is impossible for me to doubt. If I
had seen angels, I might doubt, without having the Holy Ghost. I
might doubt if I had seen great miracles, without the Holy Ghost
accompanying them; and I might doubt if I saw the heavens opened,
if I heard the thunders roll; and I might go and build a golden
calf and worship it: but when the Holy Ghost speaks to me and
gives me a knowledge that this is the kingdom of God, so that I
know it just as well as I know anything else, then that knowledge
is past controversy. By that knowledge I know this work to be
true; by it I know that this kingdom will roll on until it shall
attain its high destiny, and the kingdoms of this world become
the kingdoms of our God and his Christ.
314
I feel truly thankful for this knowledge that I have been counted
worthy to receive, and the greatest desire of my heart is that I
may always retain this knowledge within me. The Spirit may depart
for a little season, but it will return again, if we are
faithful. How miserable, how unhappy would every person be to
have this knowledge remain and the Spirit be taken from him. It
would be calculated to make a man one of the most wretched beings
upon the face of the earth. What! a knowledge that this is the
work of God, and at the same time lose the Spirit that imparted
it?
314
Now, brethren and sisters, if all of you have this knowledge, and
have had the Spirit to bear this witness, beware how you grieve
the Spirit of the living God, and how you turn from the
influences of that Spirit to evil, unless you want to become
miserable all the days of your lives.
314
I am going forth shortly to the United States, and I pray that
the grace of God may sustain me. What is the desire of my heart?
It is, O Lord my God, let thy servant have thy Spirit to direct
him while upon this mission. This is the chief desire of my
heart. I do not care whether I preach much or little, or whether
I administer much or little, so that I perform those duties that
may be required at my hands. As for poverty or affliction, they
matter not, if I only have the Spirit of God to accompany me. If
it were not for this, I would not give anything for the testimony
of this work. All those holding the Priesthood without the Spirit
to accompany them can do nothing. Without a man's testimony is
accompanied by the Spirit, it will do nothing. He may multiply
words--he may study, as the revelations says; and after he has
done all this, without the Spirit is with him to carry conviction
to the hearts of the people, all his labours will be in vain.
314
They have systems in the world; they have the best books that are
published amongst themselves; but they do not make a right use of
them; and when a man goes to preach without the Holy Ghost, to
bear testimony, to be in his heart to give him utterance, it will
be all in vain. Nothing can be done satisfactory either to
himself or to this people.
314
Then I do hope and pray that not only myself, but all the
Missionaries that are going across the Plains may have this
Spirit all the time to be with them. Give me the Holy Spirit, and
I can work the work of the Lord. Let this be promised, and all
will be well.
314
May God bless you all! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, October 6, 1860
Brigham Young, October 6, 1860
TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT--COUNSEL TO THE BISHOPS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
315
I fee quite thankful for the comfortable circumstances we
enjoy--for our blessings, spiritually and temporally, which I
realize to be the free gift of our Father and God. All the
wisdom, ability, and talent displayed among the children of men
are the gift of God to them. He has given us ability to make
ourselves comfortable and happy, for which I am extremely
thankful.
315
I am happy in hearing the voices of the brethren, and would be
very much gratified if we had time, and it would meet the minds
of the brethren, to give them an opportunity to speak as the
Spirit might dictate, and bear their testimony. It has been a
source of comfort to me to hear the speeches of my brethren, and
to observe the variety of capacity, of reflection, and manner of
communication displayed by them. I should be very glad if we
could have the privilege of hearing many of them speak during
this Conference. Whether we shall or not, I am not now able to
say. Our Conference commences to-day. To-morrow is the Sabbath,
and probably many who have come from the country will wish to
return home on Monday. Whether we shall continue our Conference
longer than to-morrow, I do not know. We shall continue it until
we finish the business to be transacted and fully answer our
feelings, and then we will close. I wish to present several
ideas; but I have been more edified in hearing the music in
brother Kimball's remarks this morning than I would have been in
speaking myself.
315
When the authorities of the Church are present, if we are
possessed of the true spirit, we are ready to sustain the
faithful, and to wish them to continue in the faithful, and to
wish them to continue in the faithful discharge of their duties.
And the brethren who rise to testify of the things of God, if
they enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, know that "Mormonism" is true.
No person can receive a knowledge of this work, except by the
power of revelation.
316
All the world are ready to tell you that this work is not of God.
Kings, princes, dukes, lords, and other great men of the earth
are all combined in this testimony. Why do they fear this work,
if it is the work of men? The very sound of it carries conviction
to all the inhabitants of the earth--a conviction that it is
ordained of God. Were this not so, you would not see it contended
against by the priests in the pulpit, who are bitter against it,
and are most vigilant in circulating all manner of falsehood
concerning it, picking up the sayings of corrupt, debased,
abandoned characters to swell their catalogue of lies against it,
which they publish throughout the world. All this would sleep, if
this work was not of God. They would never think enough of it to
say one word about it. But they are pricked by the conviction of
its truth when they hear the sound of it. When false reports go
out against Joseph Smith and his brethren, against the Book of
Mormon, and the kingdom of God, a conviction goes with them to
the hearts of the people that this is the work of the Almighty.
Were this not so, we should not have been persecuted--we should
not have been driven as we have been. But we have been driven for
the last time, thank God my heavenly Father. But our persecutions
are a subject that I do not wish to speak about. We have the
power in our hands, if we live with our lives hid with Christ in
God. We are here where the Lord wants us to be; and if we will be
as he wants us to be, the kingdom is ours--the greatness, the
glory, power, excellency, light, intelligence, and eternity of
the kingdom of God are ours, and no power can hinder it.
316
When men lose the spirit of the work in which we are engaged,
they become infidel in their feelings. They say that they do not
know whether the Bible is true, whether the Book of Mormon is
true, nor about new revelations, nor whether there is a God or
not. When they lose the spirit of this work, they lose the
knowledge of the things of God in time and in eternity; all are
lost to them. Contemplate the things of God and his present
condition, and you may clearly comprehend that we are now in the
midst of eternity. When we preach, or pray, or exhort each other
to good works, if we could realize it, we are in the midst of the
kingdom of God, and his all-searching eye is here. You may
readily comprehend this; for, when I look at you as you are now
assembled, I can see several hundred faces at once. Now, suppose
that I had power to see as the Spirit sees, I could then look
through the earth and see our antipodes as well as I can look
through what some term empty space. My eyes would be eternal, and
I could see the vast eternities of God as I can now see your
faces. God sees us; and if we had eyes like his, we could behold
him as we sit here as easily as we can now see each other's
faces,--no matter where he dwells, whether in Kolob or anywhere
else; for his glory and light fill the sun, and we could behold
it as we now behold each other's faces. God has the power to look
at his vast works; and if we had power and eyes like his, we
could behold him as he does us. He is in the midst of eternity.
His kingdom is here, a portion of his glory is here, eternity is
here, and we are in the midst of them. Let us live worthy of
them, and not dishonour our being upon the earth.
317
There are many of the Bishops here to-day, and my advice to them
is for them to be honest with me, to be honest with their God, to
keep their covenants sacred, and to make a clean breast of all
their business transactions, that their consciences may be void
of offence towards God and man. I am not searching only the
course of the Twelve, or that of the High Priests and Seventies,
but I am searching after all the authorities whose conduct is not
in accordance with the best interests of the Church; and from
this time forth, if they do not do different from what many have
done, they shall do wrong knowingly, with their eyes open. I want
the Bishops to remember the counsel I have given them. I shall
learn whether they are strictly honest or not; and if they are
not honest, I will expose them. If they come out and own things
as they are, and honestly prove that their pst errors have
proceeded from the head, and not from the heart, they can be
placed upon the right track and magnify their calling. Some may
not understand the cause of these remarks concerning the Bishops,
and I will explain. For instance, when tithing-chickens, butter,
&c., are brought in, a Bishop says to his clerk--"You need not
trouble to take an account of these chickens; my wife will keep
an account of them;" and the Bishop's wife takes the chickens,
the ham, the butter, the cheese, &c., and puts them away; and
when the clerk wants to know what has been brought in by such a
brother, "O never mind," says the Bishop; "my wife will give an
account of it;" and the wife forgets it. "Are such things done?"
Yes, more or less, all the time. This example was set long ago,
and some of the Bishops have followed it.
317
At the death of Joseph, when the Twelve returned to Nauvoo, to
use a comparison, the horses were all harnessed and the people
were in the big carriage, and where were they going? They did not
know. Who would gather up the lines and guide the team? No man
would step forward, until I did. There was not one of the Twelve
with me when I went to meet Sidney Rigdon on the meeting-ground.
I went alone, and was ready alone to face and drive the dogs from
the flock. When I got hold of the lines, and began to direct the
team, I found tithing-butter spoiled, potatoes rotted in the
cellars, and pork spoiled in the barrels, while the brethren at
work on the Temple would come to their labour without breakfast,
and pork, butter, beef, &c., rotting under the feet of the Temple
Committee. Said I, "Empty these barrels, or I will walk into your
cellars and empty them for you: let these workmen have something
to eat." "Oh," said the committee, "we are afraid there will not
be enough to last a year." Then, if we starve, we starve
together; and if we live, we live together. I ordered the wheat,
the pork, the butter, &c., to be issued to the workmen. Too many
of the Bishops here have taken pattern from those who have gone
before. I have been to Bishop' houses when they had hams and eggs
during months in they ear, while our hands on the works were not
able to get one; for the Bishops had eaten all the hams, every
egg and chicken, and all the butter. I will trace out those who
conduct in this manner and expose them, unless they honestly
report their transactions and strive to do right. Brethren, you
may think that I am a little extravagant in my talk; but time
will prove.
317
When a good, handsome cow has been turned in on tithing, she has
been smuggled, and an old three titted cow--one that would kick
the tobacco out of the mouth of a man who went to milk her--would
be turned into the General Tithing Office, instead of the good
cow. If one hundred dollars in cash are paid into the hands of a
Bishop, in many instances he will smuggle it, and turn into the
General Tithing-Office old, ring-boned, spavined horses, instead
of the money. I am inquiring after such conduct, and will
continue until I cleanse the inside of the platter.
317
Brother Heber has been speaking about discipline. Elders in
Israel, I am as willing and ready to be closely examined and
scanned as I am to examine and scan you. Walk into my office,
examine my books, and scan every act of my life. I am as ready to
have it done as I am to search into your practices. you may say
that you have not been dishonest, or, if you have been, that you
were ignorantly so. I am glad, if such statements will prove to
be correct. I never saw the day in this Church that I could
consider it honest to take one cent of tithing and turn it out of
its legitimate channel; but some of our smart men do not know as
much as that, though they would seem to know more of the great
things of the kingdom than I do. I want to instruct you in the
little things. It is the little foxes that spoil the vine; it is
the little acts of men that make up the sum of their lives and
form their characters for eternity.
318
Some may think that I am rather too severe; but if you had the
Prophet Joseph to deal with, you would think that I am quite
mild. There are many here that are acquainted with brother
Joseph's manner. He would not bear the usage I have borne, and
would appear as though he would tear down all the houses in the
city, and tear up trees by the roots, if men conducted to him in
the way they have to me.
318
I am required by those who sit here to-day and by the whole
Church to bear off this kingdom, to see that it is preserved
inviolate, and that the Priesthood is honoured; but it seems, on
the right hand and on the left, as though there is a concerted
plan among nearly all the Elders and High Priests to keep every
dime of money out of my hands, make me pay the debts of the
Church, do the work, and they keep the means and use it for their
own purposes. The ancient Apostles and ministers of Christ could
not live without eating. They had to eat, drink, and wear,--to
have sustenance while on earth. So do I, though I do not require
the rich luxuries of life. I am not so fond as many are of high
living, but I have to eat and rest. And when a Church debt comes
from England, New York, Missouri, St. Louis, or elsewhere, the
money has to be paid. I cannot chew paper and spit out bank-bills
that will pass in payment of those debts, neither shall I
undertake to do it. I want the gold and silver that are paid on
tithing, and the identical horses, cows, and young stock that are
brought in on tithing; or, if stock and other products are
retained, give us better than what you keep, and not keep the
good and give us the bad. Neither do I wish a person owing
tithing to offer an old hipped horse at forty dollars, and ask me
to pay him twenty dollars in cash and let the balance go to pay
tithing, when the old animal is not worth ten dollars.
318
Pour means into the storehouse of the Lord, and prove him, and
see whether he will not pour out greater blessings than you can
contain. You have not room enough this year in which to store the
abundance of grain the Lord has given you: you have to store it
in waggon-boxes, &c., and much of it goes to waste, and the
people are not blessed for it. You ought to carefully save every
kernel. As for prophesying that a famine will come upon you, I
shall not do so. Should it come, we will do the best we can. We
have had a light famine here, and dealt out provisions to the
brethren as long as we could, and got along very well.
318
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, February 10, 1861
Brigham Young, February 10, 1861
HUMAN INTELLIGENCE AND FREEDOM--NATIONAL
ADMINISTRATIVE MOVEMENTS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, February 10, 1861.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
319
I have no doubt with regard to the good work of the Lord,
referred to by those who have spoken, and it will continue among
the nations of the earth. The Lord will bring out the results to
his own honour and glory; but are we ready?
319
The Lord has bestowed great knowledge and wisdom upon the
inhabitants of the earth--much truth and knowledge in the arts
and sciences. Those nations that deny their God and Saviour will
have those principles of intelligence taken from them. Are the
Latter-day Saints prepared to receive them, enjoy them, or will
those principles have to go to some other kingdom? There is great
wisdom in the world; their knowledge in mechanism and the exact
sciences is very great. This wisdom will be taken from the
wicked. Who will receive it? Is there a people upon the earth
prepared to receive this knowledge and this wisdom? There should
be. Is it reasonable to suppose that the wisdom God has bestowed
upon the nations of the earth should continue upon it? Or should
it be taken from the inhabitants of the earth and carried back
from whence it came? May faith and my desire are that there
should be a people upon the earth prepared to receive this
wisdom. It should not be so forfeited as to be taken from the
earth, for I question whether it would return again. There should
be a people prepared to improve upon their knowledge and wisdom,
for all knowledge and wisdom come from God. All true intelligence
is the gift of God. He is the true fountain of all knowledge and
wisdom.
319
The query arises in the minds of many with regard to their
capability. Is there a principle inherent in the man that loves
liquor to let it alone? Or is he compelled to follow his
appetite? Is there ability in the man or woman that is inclined
to handle that which is not their own, to resist that temptation
and learn to be honest and honourable? Is this inherent in the
people, or not? I have my own belief about it--my own views. I
conceive that man is framed, formed, created, made, fashioned,
after the image of his God, with a germ in him of that
independence that belongs to the Gods; and that independence is
to be acted upon, to prepare every person that is exalted to
enjoy the society of the sanctified, by a strict obedience to the
principles of right. And each and every individual has the
ability, the power, to overcome every passion within him, subdue
every evil, and ride triumphantly over those passions.
320
"But," says the man that is addicted to evil, "If I refrain for a
day, the temptation haunts me; if I refrain for a week, I yet am
inclined to sip at the poisonous cup. I could hardly endure to
see my neighbour drinking the poison draught without joining with
him: it is almost impossible for me to resist it." This is folly
in the extreme, for you deny your own senses. There is not a man
on the earth but what denies his own judgment when he reasons
with himself in this way. I can take or refuse, partake or
reject, at my own will and pleasure. That power is inherent in
every man and woman upon the earth, to a greater or less degree.
In proportion to the intelligence people are endowed with, so do
they possess are the qualification for bettering their condition
by improving their lives and receiving truth for error, light for
darkness. And if they continue to overcome every temptation and
every evil appetite, they will become masters of them, and will
conquer at last, and be counted worthy to be crowned; otherwise
they will miss the glory they anticipate.
320
Cannot people refrain from taking that which is not their own?
Speaking of moral religion alone, they can. Cannot an individual,
who is in the habit of taking the name of God in vain, resist
that temptation. He can, if he chooses. If he cannot easily do
so, let him do as a boy who came to this country with me said
that he did. He was addicted to swearing, and got a piece of
India-rubber to chew when tempted to swear. That person, I think,
has not been heard to swear for years. No boy, in his youth, was
more addicted to that habit than he was. He did not beat his
brains out, but he acts as though he has more brains in his head
than he used to have. I was brought up as strictly as any child
ever ought to be, with regard to morality; yet, when I went into
the world, I was addicted to swearing, through hearing others. I
gave way to it, but it was easily overcome when my judgment and
will decided to overcome it.
320
Now, brethren, are you prepared to receive the wisdom that God
has bestowed upon the nations? You recollect that this forenoon,
we had a few remarks from brother Simms, in which he stated that
the greater portion of the inhabitants of the earth were inclined
to do right. That is true. There is a monitor in every person
that would reign there triumphantly, if permitted so to do, and
lead to truth and virtue.
320
There is not a man living upon the earth but when he hears the
truth, is earth but when he hears the truth, is inclined to
believe it and reject error. What prompts them to receive the
evil? They yield to the temptation of that Evil One that lies in
wait to deceive. The pride of the earth is in wickedness--in the
abominations and corruptions of mankind. They delight themselves
in their proneness to wonder from their God and from the path of
rectitude, and pride themselves in their iniquity of every kind.
It has become the fashion of the nations of the earth to do evil.
321
Where is there a nation that acknowledges the Supreme God to be
their President and their King? The best form of man-made
government upon the earth is that of a nation now breaking to
pieces. Have they ever acknowledged God? No. They spurned from
their presence the man who would acknowledge that God should
reign King of nations as well as King of Saints. Have we proof of
this before us? We have. When Joseph Smith rose in the majesty of
his calling before God, he saw what we are now hearing of through
despatches received from week to week. The nation is ruined, and
will crumble to pieces. They will destroy themselves. Joseph rose
up and said--"I will save them, if they will let me." He stepped
forth like a man and proffered his services to save the nation
that is now breaking; and he would have saved it, if they had
permitted him. What did they bestow upon him in return? They made
a martyr of him--I would not like to say a saviour, although he
is our benefactor. He is the man through whom God has spoken and
revealed some of the most glorious principles that every were
revealed to the children of men; yet I would not like to call him
a saviour, though in a certain capacity he was a God to us, and
is to the nations of the earth, and will continue to be. He was
not the Only-Begotten of the Father, who died for the sins of the
world; but he was the Prophet of the lord, through whom God spoke
to the nations and dictated laws by which they were to be
governed to secure to themselves eternal life. And when he would
have saved the people of the nation, they crowned him a martyr of
Jesus. They performed an act that secures to him crowns of glory,
immortality, and eternal lives. They succeeded in shedding his
blood and that of the Patriarch Hyrum. They shed the blood of the
innocent, and that nation said amen to it. Were they aware of it
at the seat of Government? I have no doubt they as well knew of
the plans for destroying the Prophet as did those in Carthage or
in Warsaw, Illinois. It was planned by some of the leading men of
the nation. I have said here once before, to the astonishment of
many of our own countrymen, that there was a delegate from each
State in the nation when Joseph was killed. These delegates held
their council. What were they afraid of? You and me? No. They
were afraid of those eternal principles God has revealed from the
heavens; they trembled and quaked at the sound of them. Joseph
would have saved the nation from ruin.
322
Some have inquired, "Will they patch up the old garment?" let
them apply their new cloth, if they please. Mr. Crittenden has
reported a patch to put on the old garment. Let them put it on,
and the rent will be made worse. Let them remain as they are, and
the garment is worn out. Is the form of the Government ruined?
Has its form become evil? No; but the administrators of the
Government are evil. As we have said many times, it is the best
form of human government man ever lived under; but it has as
corrupt a set to administer it as God ever permitted to disgrace
his footstool. There is the evil. Can they better the condition
of our country? No; they will make it worse every time they
attempt to do so. What is the difficulty? Brother Carrington says
there is no noble-minded master-spirit to lead out--one whom the
rest will follow. They are all master-spirits! They are all smart
men! This is the difficulty. They used to have men whom they
looked up to, though but very seldom. I can recollect almost
every President of the United States. There never was a wise man
that was much looked up to or revered until after his death: then
the people could revere him--a Jefferson, a Monroe, an Adams, &c.
The administration of Andrew Jackson was as good as that of any
one that ever occupied the presidential chair, and he had a great
many enemies. What do you think of that, you gentlemen who are
acquainted with the United, or rather the once United States--you
who have age and experience? You remember the struggle at the
election of Andrew Jackson, and so do I. I repeat that his
administration was as good as that of any man that ever
administered the government. Some of his opponents did not like
him very well for some of his political moves. I like his moves,
only he did not go far enough in removing the deposits and
spoiling the United States Bank. But the administration of King
James Buchanan, what an administration! Brother Carrington
alluded to William H. Seward of New York. He is considered by
many as one of the smartest men that ever was in this Government.
Were it not that he had the advantages of the learning and wisdom
of one of the best men in the Government--had he been a mechanic
or farmer, I doubt whether he would have possessed an extra
amount of knowledge. "What of his natural abilities?" I do not
consider him a man of great ability. He came to Auburn, N. Y., to
study the law with a gentleman I well knew. That gentleman took
him into his office and house a boy, and made a man of him. He
was one of the most influential and best men in the country; he
was a man of brain and heart, and he took all the pains possible
to make something of the boy. After Mr. Seward had been with the
Judge a few years, he began to be looked upon as one possessed of
a considerable degree of smartness. What would he be, if he was
the President? Judging from his late speech, as received in a
despatch, I would suppose that he hardly knew enough to find his
way across the little city of Washington. The prospect of his
lofty position appears to have nearly ruined his brain.
322
What is the difficulty with King James? His high position and
exalted opinion of himself so addled and bewildered him, that he
said, "I am the greatest man in the nation! I am the Chief
Magistrate!!
322
What shall we do with such men? Perhaps we may call them
honourable men in the earth, in order not to hurt the feelings of
some by speaking lightly of such talent in our nation. They are
so wonderfully smart! That is the difficulty. Every man in
Congress is so smart that he is looking to the presidential
chair. The boys of West Point and the boys studying law in the
nation have their eyes on the presidential chair. The general
feeling is--"I am intending to sit there." They are all looking
to the presidential chair, and have been for years--the boy, the
middle-aged Congressman, and the grey-headed Senator. The boys
says--"I am the best council I can get. I am at West Point, and I
shall soon graduate. Generals Washington, Taylor, and Jackson
reached the chair of state, and I shall soon be there." Could he
be counselled by anybody? No. Every man is his own counsellor,
his own general, and his own governor. We used to say, when we
were boys--"Hurrah! Every man for himself, and the Devil for us
all!" and they will find it to be so.
323
They are too wise. They will prove, by their conduct, whether
they are capable of forming and sustaining a government for the
Southern States that have seceded. There is no more a United
States. Can they amalgamate and form a government? No. Will they
have ability to form a government and continue it? No, they will
not. Hear it, Jew and Gentile. Suppose there is a division
between the North and South, and the fifteen slave States try to
form a permanent government, can they do it? I tell you they
cannot. They are too smart. South Carolina is taking the lead,
and says she--"We will sit as kings and queens, or revolt from
you." Says Georgia--"We have as smart men in our State as you
have, and we will have a President for our State." "But you
cannot," says South Carolina. How long will it be before some
other State, perhaps New York, forms a separate government? And
if a State has a right to secede, so has a Territory, and so has
a county from a State or Territory, and a town from a county, and
a family from a neighbourhood, and you will have perfect anarchy.
King James is not so prompt now as he was three years ago, when
he sent troops to Utah. South Carolina comes out and boldly
declares her secession from the compact of States, and takes
possession of all the public property within her borders, except
Fort Sumter. There is no Latter-day Saint engaged in this act.
One of the most contemptible of characters we ever had here could
swear falsely in Washington, and the Government could receive his
oath, and make it a basis, with other lies, of sending an army
here. William Drummond went to Washington and swore that we were
treasoners, and to many palpable falsehoods; and King James could
act upon that and send an army here at an expense of, probably,
fifty million dollars. Says King James--"Those lies are true."
"What! receive a lie?" Yes, go and swear to a lie, and the
Government can hear that and act upon it. But when South Carolina
takes possession of the public funds, of the custom-house, of the
arms, arsenal, dock-yards, forts, cannon, &c.,--"You must not
coerce. Do not infringe upon them: they have the right to do
this." What a reign is the reign of King James! It is enough to
astound and throw into the shade the wisdom of all nations upon
the earth!
323
What will King Abraham do? I do not know, neither do I care. It
is no difference what he does or what any of them do. Why? God
will accomplish his own purposes, and they may do or not do; they
may take the road that leads to the right, or they may take the
road that leads to the left; and whichever road they do take,
they will wish they had taken the other. King James pledged
himself, at Cincinnati, that on his election to the presidential
chair he would take the Island of Cuba, annex a portion of
Mexico, and so obliterate the "Mormons," that "Mormonism" should
not be known at the end of his reign. These three things he
pledged himself to his party to do. Some gentleman may say that I
am mistaken. I am not mistaken; I am telling the truth, and you
may believe it or not.
323
Did he take Cuba? He did not. Did he annex Mexico, or any portion
of it? He did not. Did he destroy "Mormonism?" He did not. What
has he done? Ruined the nation, as far as he had influence to do
so. He began at the wrong end of the race: the course was marked
out for him, but he ran the wrong way. He ought to have begun by
taking Cuba, then annexed Mexico, or such portion of it as he
wanted; and then he might have considered a little about
"Mormonism." If he had just reflected for a moment, he knew
Joseph Smith. If he had reflected upon the career of Joseph and
the career of this people, he would have seen at once that every
time the enemies of this kingdom undertook to trample it under
their feet and obliterate it from the earth, the more they spread
it abroad and brought it into note and character. But he began at
the wrong end, and he has wished, every step he has taken and
everything he has done, that he had taken some other step and
done something else. One reason of this is, that his will is such
that he will ride over his friends and tread them in the dust,
and not make the first apology to them. I attribute this to his
ignorance. This is not wisdom; it is not greatness, nobility, or
magnanimity; but it is sheer ignorance, wilful ignorance,
know-nothing ignorance; and that is the difficulty.
324
What will Abraham do? King James says that if Mr. Lincoln takes
the oath of office, and enters into the administration of the
Government with as great pleasure as he resigns his official
duties, he will be a happy man. If I could advise King James, and
have him take my counsel, it would be to resign tomorrow morning,
and let Mr. Breckenridge be crowned king for three weeks, that
another king might come before King Abraham to see what the
administration of that king would be. I do not know of anything
better that I could advise him.
324
"Mormonism" will live, and God will promote it; but shall we be
prepared to be promoted with it? That is the question with me. It
is in my thoughts by day and by night, Shall I be prepared for
the things that are coming upon the earth? I will try to be; and
if I have an evil appetite, I will overcome it. If I have a
disposition to do that which is morally wrong, I will reject that
disposition; I will subdue and overcome it. Will you? Then you
who drink, lie, steal, or do anything that is morally wrong, or
break the commandments of God in any way, or injure your
fellow-men, cease to do that evil and learn to do well.
324
I exhort the brethren not to boast over our enemies' downfall.
Boast not, brethren. God has come out of his hiding-place, and
has commenced to vex the nation that has rejected us, and he will
vex it with a sore vexation. It will not be patched up--it never
can come together again--but it will be sifted with a sieve of
vanity, and in a short time it will be like water spilled on the
ground, and like chaff upon the summer threshing-floor, until
those wicked stewards are cut off. If our present happy form of
government is sustained, which I believe it will be, it will be
done by the people I am now looking upon, in connection with
their brethren and their offspring. The present Constitution,
with a few alteration of a trifling nature, is just as good as we
want; and if it is sustained on this land of Joseph, it will be
done by us and our posterity. Our national brethren do not know
how to do it. They are capable of controlling their own passions,
to say nothing of ruling a nation. What is the reign of a king
who cannot control his passions? Will not his subjects sorrow?
Yes, they will feel the weight of his wrath, and their backs will
ache, and their heads will ache, and they will receive the lash
from a heavy hand.
324
We are serving a King who can control his passions; and who, as
brother George Simms remarked in the forenoon, can be touched
with the feelings of the infirmities of the weak. Who can be thus
touched, except those who have suffered in like manner? None. And
no being knows how to control or govern on earth, unless he has
been a subject on an earth. No being is fit to rule, govern, and
dictate, until he has been controlled, governed, and
dictated,--has yielded obedience to law, and proved himself
worthy, by magnifying the law that was over him, to be master of
that law. We are serving a King who wisely controls himself and
his subjects. If we are permitted to rule, govern, and control,
in the first place we must control, in the first place we must
control our passions until they are in perfect subjection to us.
When we have controlled one and got in perfectly mastered, we
shall be prepared to control two; and if we can properly rule
over two, we can reign over two thousand or over millions as well
as two. If you can control one, you are then prepared to control
your family; and if you are prepared to control a family, then
you are able to control a city; and if a city, then a nation,
upon the same principle. That is the way that God hath obtained
his power, and that is the way that we shall obtain power.
325
A large share of the ingenuity of the world is taxed to invent
weapons of war. What a set of fools! I wonder if they think that
they will never die, unless they kill one another. Is there any
danger of their living here forever? Not a bit of it. Let the
people alone, and they will die of themselves, without killing
them. But much of the skill, ingenuity, and ability of the
Christian nations are now devoted to manufacturing instruments of
death. May we be saved from the effects of them! As I often tell
you, if we are faithful, the Lord will fight our battles much
better than we can ourselves. We should be apt to get nervous in
fighting battles, and sometimes get into corners where we might
almost have to take a little gunpowder to encourage us--to nerve
up our energy--or have to burn some under our noses to become a
little used to it. When the Lord fights the battles of the
Saints, he does it so effectually that nobody gets nervous but
the enemy. We might become nervous, and perhaps give way to
passion.
325
We are never going to destroy the enemies of God by the evil
passions that are in us--never, no never. When those who profess
to be Saints contend against the enemies of God through passion
or selfwill, it is then man against man, evil against evil, the
powers of darkness against the powers of darkness. But when men
who are sanctified, purified, do anything, they will do it with a
coolness as if conversing at their firesides with each other;
they will do it with the power of the living God. If they are
ever called to wipe out their enemies, they will do it without
excitement; they have to do it without excitement; they have to
do it by the power of Gods, or not at all. They are not going to
do it with wicked hands. Are we prepared to receive the
blessings, and let the fighting alone? I do not believe much in
fighting, and my faith is to escape such a calamity as to war and
fight with either friends or enemies. I want to so have power
with God, that he will govern and control and guide and direct
the steps of our enemies, until they drive into the ditch. How
easy it is for the Almighty to direct the steps of our enemies,
until they fall off the precipice and are dashed in pieces,
without the efforts of his servants.
325
Let us be faithful, live our religion, govern our passions, and
boast not against our enemies because we live to see the
commencement of the fulfilment of this prophecy in our day. The
prophecies must be fulfilled. Boast not, then, over your enemies.
One might say, "Is it not a delight for us to speak to the
Saints; but do not boast to the wicked and ungodly that the Lord
is coming out his hidingplace to vex the nation. They will learn
that soon enough. I have heard Joseph say, "You will see the
sorrows and misery that will be upon this land, until you will
turn away and pray that your eyes may not be obliged to look upon
it." Said he, "There are men in this Council that will live to
see the affliction that will come upon this nation, until their
hearts sink within them." He did not live here to see it, though
he will see it. Can you endure the sight of it? No. Boast not
over the misery of your fellow-men. god will fulfil his purposes.
326
Be ready at all times and in all places to do your duty, and be
the friends of God. Cease to mingle with the wicked. Many of our
Elders seem to believe that Christ and Baal can yet be made
friends. How many times Elders of Israel try to make me
fellowship the Devil, or his imps, or his servants; also try to
make you fellowship your enemies, to amalgamate the feelings of
the Saints and the ungodly! It cannot be done; it never was done,
and never can be accomplished. Christ and Baal never can be
friends. One or the other must reign triumphantly on the earth,
and I say that Jesus Christ shall reign, and I will help him; and
Baal shall not reign here much longer--the Devil shall not have
power much longer upon the land of Joseph. I will be the friend
of God and his Son Jesus, my Saviour. Let the Elders of Israel
and all the Saints be the friends of Jesus and our Father in
heaven, and cling to them. Now, take one side or the other.
Either be for God, or else walk out and show that you are re for
the Devil and believe that he will come off conqueror, and that
you are going to stick by him. Here are the two powers on the
earth--the evil and the good, not to speak of the ten thousand
paths they make through the earth, and the various spirits that
go to-and-fro. It is the good and the evil. Will you have the
good and refuse the evil? Then be moral Christians, as we
frequently say, and was alluded to this morning. There are moral
Christians among the heathen, among the Hindoos, and among all
nations. God has laid a plan to save all such. His name be
praised!
326
Can you learn a little, and treasure it up in good and honest
hearts? Be honest before God and with yourselves, and let that
monitor that God has placed within you take the preeminence; and
when persons say they are inclined more to evil than good, tell
them it is a falsehood. Until they sin away the day of grace,
there is something in all persons that would delight to rise up
and reject the evil and embrace the truth. There is not a person
on the earth so vile but, when he looks into his own heart,
honours the man of God and the woman of God--the virtuous and
holy--and despises his comrades in iniquity who are like himself.
There is not a man upon the earth, this side of saving grace,
unless he has sinned so far that the Spirit of the Lord has
ceased to strive with him and enlighten his mind, but delights in
the good, in the truth, but delights in the good, in the truth,
and in the virtuous, and despises his own comrades that are with
him day by day. Look into the world and into the hearts of the
people, and see what they see in their secret reflections, and
they will manifest to you that they delight in and reverence that
character that lives a virtuous and holy life. "What do you think
of your comrades that drink, curse, swear, carouse, and follow
all manner of abominations?" "My heart loaths them," will be the
reply, though they will not tell this only a whisper in the ears
of their fellow-beings. But you speak into their hearts, and
there it is; and every time they have the privilege of thinking
and holding converse with themselves, there is the good that
leads to happiness: the evil and misery you all know.
326
Let truth bear sway, and true integrity shed a charm around your
whole being. Rise up for the right in the strength of your won
ability. God has bestowed upon you the power to reject the evil
and receive that truth; the good, the light, and the virtuous.
Cleave to God with all your hearts, that we may be ready for the
day that is fast approaching.
326
May the Lord bless us! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, January 6, 1861
UNITY--COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, ETC.
Discourse by Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 6, 1861.
Reported by J. V. Long.
327
It would be very gratifying to me this afternoon if I could speak
freely of those things that I have been meditating upon for the
last few days. It would be a great satisfaction to me, and
doubtless instructive to this congregation, if I could lay before
them those things that are revolving in my mind. But instructions
to the Saints only appear to be given a word or two at a time,
here a little and there a little; and I do not understand that
the Lord will ever manifest his will in any other way. This is
because of the weakness of humanity and the great variety in the
minds of the Saints.
327
I can say as I have said for years, the religion of Jesus Christ
professed by the Church of Latter-day Saints, which Church I have
entered into, and of which I have been a member twenty-nine
years,--I can truly say that it is a hundredfold more precious to
me than it was when I first embraced it. My mind was contracted
at that time, and I knew but little of the things of God. I will
here remark that I do not profess to know much more; still I
understand them more perfectly, and I take a more comprehensive
view of God and godliness than I did, or was capable of doing
when I first received the light of truth. Instead of becoming
dark in my mind and growing stereotyped in my ways, I have
expanded with the increase of my experience. I feel more acutely,
I see more clearly, and I comprehend more perfectly the
principles that pertain to life. The older I grow in the Church,
the riper I become in my mind, and the more I discover of the
beauty and excellency of the plan of salvation.
328
In regard to treating upon the mysteries of the kingdom, and what
are commonly called the great things, or, in other words, going
into the top of the tree, or doing as some do who take the tree
and cram it down the people's throats top foremost, I do not
believe in anything of the kind, neither have I been taught so to
treat the people. I consider that the Elders of Israel should
understand principles of the doctrine of Christ, for obedience to
them will prove the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believes and practises them. You know it is written that the
Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth. I can tell you something in connection with this: you
may believe what you please--it will do you no good unless you
practise it. We are required to manifest our faith by our works,
and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is
the Lord that worketh in us to will and to do his good pleasure.
If we seek with all our hearts and observe those things that
pertain to righteousness, working diligently in his kingdom, he
will feel after us and inspire our hearts with his Holy Spirit;
and the influence thereof will rest upon us continually: it will
enter into every muscle, sinew, and fibre of the body, in
proportion to our fitness to receive it. If we render ourselves
susceptible of the nourishment that is imparted by the Spirit of
God to the spirits that dwell within these mortal bodies, we
shall have sufficient light and power to enable our spirits to
dictate our bodies, and lead them unto eternal life.
328
"And behold, he that is faithful shall be made ruler over many
things. And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things,
that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and
he goeth forth deceiving the nations; wherefore he that prayeth,
whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me, if he obey
my ordinances. He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose
language is meek, and edifieth, the same is of God, if he obey
mine ordinances. And again, he that trembleth under my word shall
be made strong, and shall bring forth fruits of praise and
wisdom, according to the revelations and truths which I have
given you." (Doc. and Cov., sec 66, par. 4.)
328
In the great day of accounts all men will be judged according to
the works that are wrought in their natural bodies; and it is of
the highest importance that we should consider the final result
of our acts.
328
I am always for the consideration of these little minute things
that concern us to-day. We should always be engaged in doing the
things that belong to to-day. There is but one course that you
and I can pursue and be right, and that is, to be sufficiently
humble to look at the most minute fibres. The large roots of a
tree receive their nourishment through the little fibres, and
they receive it from the fountain; and then that nourishment is
sent through the mains trunk of the tree into the limbs,
branches, and twigs. It is just so with the Church of Christ. A
similar figure might be made use of in regard to people studying
languages. There is no man who has got a good education in the
English, French, or German languages, but who has got that
knowledge by going into the roots, or what they choose to term
the etymology of language.
328
It is just so with the man who becomes educated in the science of
the Gospel of Christ: he begins at the first principles; he
learns them thoroughly and practically; and by carrying them out
in his daily walk and conversation he becomes educated in the
religion of Jesus Christ, which is the only perfect science
revealed to man.
328
When Jesus Christ was upon the earth, he taught the people,
saying, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and
every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have
spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can
ye, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide
in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me
ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as
a branch, and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into
the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words
abide you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you." (John, chap. 15, verses 1-7.)
329
This is precisely the position we occupy in the Church of Christ.
If we do not abide in the vine, we shall be cast out; and all the
inhabitants of the earth that do not connect themselves to the
true vine, Jesus Christ, will become as stubble, and they will be
burnt up and become ashes under the soles of the feet of the
Saints that will come upon the earth to trim it, adorn it, and
make it like the garden of Eden, that they may dwell upon it
forever.
329
If we are in the vine of Christ, we shall bring forth the fruits
of righteousness, and our works will be performed daily according
to the requirements of the law of God. Except we live daily in
the line of our duty, and keep the platter clean inside as well
as out, we cannot obtain the blessings promises. If we take this
course, we shall live and prosper, and bear off the kingdom
independent of those that do evil, for God will nourish and
cherish those who do right.
329
Supposing we compare this Church to a tree, and suppose that
one-fourth of the limbs are dead, what use are they to the tree?
They are lifeless; and, consequently, the sooner they are taken
away the better for the health of the tree. Is there anything
lost by lopping off those lifeless limbs? No; for the power and
strength that was formerly in the whole tree will enter into that
part which is left. Do you not go and clip off the small sprouts,
and sometimes some of the bunches of grapes from your vines, in
order to make the rest of the vine and the fruit grow larger and
stronger? Upon the same principle, this Church has to be proven;
for the work of God must and will roll on, and all the opposition
in the world cannot stop it. It is a kingdom that is established
to remain upon the earth until it subdues every other kingdom and
brings them into subjection to the law of God. I know this just
as well as I know that I stand here to-day, and my desire is that
you may know it also, and that you may become as the heart of one
man. Jesus says, If you are not one, you are not mine. For
instance, suppose I come into this stand and offer up a prayer,
it is the duty of all present to join with me not only in the
sentiments, but to actually allow the very words to pass silently
through their minds. In this way we become one; our faith is
united, and we answer the requirement of the law of God.
329
I have frequently said in your hearing that I would give a good
deal if I could unfold to you the secret feelings of my heart. I
do not know of any better way to get at this than by comparison.
I have not language to soar above and spread myself like an
eagle, but I desire to present my sentiments in such a way that
all will understand. There are none of you but what know right
and wrong just as well as I do, and you are obliged to carry out
the principles of right.
329
Has there been any change in the first principles of the doctrine
of Christ as revealed by Jesus himself? No: that doctrine stands
good, and will forever remain so. Some suppose that the ten
commandments given through Moses have been done away; but I can
inform you that they are still in force. It will do no harm for
me to read those commandments as contained in the 20th chapter of
Exodus. They are as follow:--
330
"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God,
which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not
bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and
keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that
taketh his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work. But the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt
not do any work, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant,
nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day;
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
330
Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon
the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt
not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's
wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor
his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.
330
And all the people saw the thunderings and lightnings, and the
noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the
people saw it, they removed and stood afar off. And they said
unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God
speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear
not; for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be
before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar
off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
330
And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the
children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from
heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall
ye make unto you gods of gold.
330
An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice
thereon thy burnt offerings and thy peace offerings, thy sheep
and thine oxen. In all places where I record my name. I will come
unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an
altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone; for if
thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither
shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be
not discovered thereon."
330
You will find in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants that these
commandments have been renewed unto us. The Lord says in one
place, All old covenants have I caused to be done away; and this
is a new and an everlasting covenant. It is even that which was
in the beginning; it is that covenant which was made in the days
of Jesus. It is that same covenant which the Almighty revealed to
Father Adam in the garden of Eden; but it has been renewed in
these last days, and hence it is a new and an everlasting
covenant. If you would only think of it for a little while, you
would remember that we imitate many of those things that were
done in former dispensations.
331
Jesus told the people in his day to seek to enter in at the
narrow gate, or, as the New Testament calls it, the "strait
gate." He also told them to seek not to counsel God, but to walk
in that path which leads to life; for narrow is the gate that
leads to life, and few there be that enter in thereat. And he
further says that the wicked will come and say, We have
prophesied in thy name, and in thy name done many mighty works.
And I will add to this that many of them will have to say, "We
have stolen hundreds of cattle from the Mormons, and driven them
from their homes, because they preached a new religion." Still
the Lord will say, "I know you not." Those covenants that we have
made with God were also made in the beginning of the creation.
They are now renewed to us; and revelation of this kind are just
as binding upon you and me as the words and counsels that come
from President Young and others. We are acting in the same
capacity that the Apostles and Prophets of former dispensations
have acted, and our word will have the same effect upon this
generation that their had upon the generations in which they
lived. We have the same God to worship; the same Jesus lives to
save, and he has spoken and renewed this covenant to us and for
us, and to remain with us forever and forever.
331
Brethren, reflect, look at yourselves and see what you are about,
consider the positions you occupy, and ascertain if you are
acting well your part--if you are speaking the truth and guarding
against all manner of evil.
331
The Book of Mormon informs us that the Devil will come along with
all manner of deceitfulness, and persuade the people to lie a
little, to steal a little, and to rob your neighbour of anything
that lies within your reach. Such a course leads to death and
dissolution, and will cause those to mourn hereafter that follow
it.
331
These are mysteries that are worth finding out; and although you
may have read them from your childhood, and your mother may have
taught them to you from your infancy, yet still they apply to
you, and it is very important that you should not forget these
small things and many other good lessons; and when they get into
these mountains they forget all their claim to the blessings that
flow through obedience to the requirements of heaven and the
requirements of their parents. Men who hold the Priesthood, and
dishonour their fathers and mothers are the servants of God, will
see sorrow. But some do this and still consider themselves good
men, and they claim that they honour their calling and
Priesthood. I will tell you how I feel: when my son turns away
from the truth and disregards my counsel, he turns away from God.
Why is this so? It is because I am a branch of the vine. I am a
limb that is attached to the great tree, and when my son
disengaged himself from the tree he dishonours me, and by
dishonouring me he dishonours the God whom I serve. It is a most
excellent thing to find children listening to the admonition of
their parents, and especially if they are blest with good ones.
Those whose parents are not in the Church should strive to get
within them the righteousness of Christ.
331
When the Adversary begins to tempt a person, he persuades him to
do a little thing here, and a little wrong yonder, and persuades
him to walk in that course that will cause the disposition to do
wrong to increase upon him. The best way to do is to let alone
that which is wrong.
332
These are some of the small things. I am down among the little
roots and little vines, entering minutely into the subject of
keeping them clean. I wish all to understand who believe on Jesus
Christ, that they should repent of all their evil deeds; and the
only way that a man can prove his penitence is by forsaking his
evil practices and being baptized for the remission of his sins.
But what good does it do for a man to come and be baptized--to be
overwhelmed in water in the likeness of the death of Jesus
Christ, and then to go and partake of those cursed old sins that
they have just been washed clean from? I tell you that baptism in
such cases brings greater condemnation. When people are baptized,
they should then receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of
hands: he will show them things to come, he will dwell with them,
and comfort their hearts, and cheer up their spirits.
332
There never should be a limb upon a fruit tree that is not
bearing fruit. But you will see a great many members in this
Church who are not bearing much fruit. Where is there an Elder,
High Priest, Seventy, Apostle, or Prophet that is not required to
bring forth the fruits of Christ, and those that will redound to
his glory? Let us pursue that course of life that will make us
the friends of our Father and God, friends of his servants
Joseph, Hyrum, Peter, Paul, Jesus, and all the Apostles of
Christ, and let our friendship extend back to those who are in
the spirit-world.
332
Don't you suppose that the Lord will send his angels to sustain
this people? Yes, he will; and if he has to knock these
mountains, by which we are surrounded, into ten thousand pieces,
in order to accomplish his purposes, he will do it.
332
It is very easy to be seen that the nation that has
oppresses us is going down. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith
something about the judgments that await the inhabitants of the
earth, and he said in the revelations that the judgments should
commence at the house of God. I will read to you parts of the
revelations which speak of these things.
332
"But, behold, I say unto you, that before this great day shall
come, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall be turned into
blood, and the stars shall be turned into blood, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and there shall be great signs in heaven
above and in the earth beneath, and there shall be weeping and
wailing among the hosts of men, and there shall be a great
hail-storm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth. And it
shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of the world, that
I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will not repent;
for the cup of mine indignation is full; for behold, my blood
shall not cleanse them, if they hear me not.
332
Wherefore I, the Lord God, will send forth flies upon the face of
the earth, which shall take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and
shall eat their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come in upon
them; and their tongues shall be stayed that they shall not utter
against me, and their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and
their eyes from their sockets. And it shall come to pass that the
beasts of the forest and the fowls of the air shall devour them
up; and that great and abominable church, which is the whore of
all the earth, shall be cast down by devouring fire, according as
it is spoken by the mouth of Ezekiel the Prophet, which spoke of
these things, which have not come to pass, but surely must, as I
live, for abomination shall not reign." (Doc. & Cov.,sec. 10,
par. 4, 5.)
333
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment
to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those
sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to
perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their
enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work,
behold it behoveth me to require that work no more at the hands
of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings; and the
iniquity and transgression of my holy laws and commandments I
will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work, unto the
third and fourth generation, so long as they repent not and hate
me, saith the Lord God. Therefore, for this cause have I accepted
the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a
house unto my name in Jackson County, Missouri, and were hindered
by their enemies, saith the Lord your God; and I will answer
judgment, wrath, and indignation, wailing, and anguish, and
gnashing of teeth, upon their heads, unto the third and fourth
generation, so long as they repent not and hate me, saith the
Lord your God." (Doc. & Cov., sec. 103, par. 15)
333
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and
gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become
corrupt before my face. Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon
the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a
day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation;
and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth,
saith the Lord.
333
And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go
forth, saith the Lord. First, among those among you, saith the
Lord, who have professed to know my name, and have not known me,
and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith
the Lord." (Doc. & Cov. sec. 104, pars. 9,10.)
333
"Let them importune at the feet of the Judge; and if he heed them
not, let them importune at the feet of the Governor; and if the
Governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the
President; and if the President heed them not, then will the Lord
arise and come forth out of his hiding-place, and in his fury vex
the nation, and in his hot displeasure and in his fierce anger,
in his time, will cut off those wicked, unfaithful, and unjust
stewards, and appoint them their portion among hypocrites and
unbelievers, even in outer darkness, where there is weeping and
wailing and gnashing of teeth. Pray ye, therefore, that their
ears may be opened unto your cries, that I may be merciful unto
them, that these things may not come upon them. What I have said
unto you must needs be, that all men may be left without excuse,
that wise men and rulers may hear and know that which they have
never considered, that I may proceed to bring to pass my act, my
strange act, and perform my work, my strange work, that men may
discern between the righteous and the wicked, saith your God."
(Doc. & Cov., sec. 98, par. 12)
333
And do you hear it, O Israel? and you have seen it, and felt the
pangs of war, when they have sent their army to this Territory,
intending to drive us from our homes? As they commenced it upon
the house of God, it must go forth upon themselves; for as they
measured out to us, it must be measured unto them fourfold.
333
The nations are already convulsed. Not only the United States,
but many of the European nations are feeling the effect of the
judgments of the Almighty; and they will continue to be afflicted
more and more, until the above revelations are fulfilled. There
is no evading the judgments of the Almighty; their only escape is
in obedience to the Gospel we have to preach. But do they believe
what we have said? No, they do not believe a word of it; and
therefore there is but little hope in their case.
334
Brethren and sisters, let your hearts be open to receive the word
of truth, that the Spirit of the most High may be in you as a
well of water, springing up into everlasting life. God bless you
for ever, and all those that hear these sayings and will render
obedience unto the law of God. Peace be upon the righteous, that
they may multiply and increase in wisdom and knowledge. I know,
as well as I know that I am here, that the Priesthood will be
taken from those who dishonour it; for they have no power to hold
the oracles of God who do wickedly. They may not all be cut off
from the tree, but they are dead, and the Spirit of God does not
dwell with them, and therefore there is no life in them.
334
May the blessings of the Lord our God attend you all, is my
prayer. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, February 17, 1861
Brigham Young, February 17, 1861
SELF-KNOWLEDGE--FUTILITY OF ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY "MORMONISM," &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, February 17, 1861.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
334
Brother Joseph W. Young, in his remarks, alluded to the
intelligence to be dispensed to the intelligence to be dispensed
to the people here--that which they do not get elsewhere. The
brethren come here from the States and from the old countries:
they gather from different parts of the world, expecting to learn
the great mysteries--the secret things of our God. What do you
learn, brothers and sisters? If you are good scholars, you learn
to treat your neighbours as they should be treated, and to have
the same affections for a person from Ireland or England as you
do for one from your own native land. You come here to learn to
drive oxen into a kanyon, and return without sinning. You come
here to learn that every person you see is a little different
from you.
334
Brother Kimball most beautifully compared this people to a tree,
remarking that we all receive nourishment from the same fountain.
A tree shoots forth; it soon begins to have branches; but you
cannot find two limbs precisely alike. A branch puts forth to
bear fruit; the tree continues its course upwards; another branch
starts out; and if it is a little different from the first
branch, should it find fault and complain of the tree because of
that difference in shape and capacity? You cannot find two twigs
alike. You may examine any tree of the forest and see whether you
can find any two leaves that are precisely alike. You cannot.
Then you may go to a meadow, and see whether you can find two
spears of grass just alike in shape and form. There are no two
precisely alike. Examples of that endless variety are now before
me.
335
The greatest lesson you can learn is to learn yourselves. When we
learn ourselves, we learn our neighbours. When we know precisely
how to deal with ourselves, we know how to deal with our
neighbours. You have come here to learn this. You cannot learn it
immediately, neither can all the philosophy of the age teach it
to you: you have to come here to get a practical experience and
to learn yourselves. You will then begin to learn more perfectly
the things of God. No being can thoroughly learn himself, without
understanding more or less of the things of God: neither can any
being learn and understand the things of God, without learning
himself: he must learn himself, or he never can learn God. This
is a lesson to us; and you cannot learn that abroad which you can
learn here.
335
How simple it appears, how trifling at the first thought, to the
noble mind of man that is reaching after eternity and eternal
things, to come here to learn to drive oxen, to learn to build
houses, to learn to mingle his feelings with his neighbour and
treat that he must not expect every person around him to be
precisely like himself; for we see that endless variety renders
it impossible. Let every man learn to properly treat his
fellow-man for this we come together to learn.
335
There are a great many other things that it is important to
learn, and one in particular is to learn to live and operate on
the principle brother Kimball spoke of, that "The earth is the
Lord's and the fulness thereof." I am a witness to what brother
Kimball said. When I asked him to build a house in Nauvoo, he had
not five dollars to begin with. Do you want to know how poor he
was? I might tell you that he was as rich as I was, except,
perhaps, in his feelings: in that respect I do not thing that he
was quite so rich as I was there, for I felt like asking no odds
of anybody. He had not a farthing when he returned to Nauvoo from
England. Upon our return, we found our families comparatively
naked and barefoot as we had left them. Who was ready to step
forth and help to administer to the comfort and relief of brother
Kimball? A certain Apostle managed to take the fleece of the
flock that we had raised. Would he let brother Kimball have a
dress pattern for his wife Vilate? No. Sister Kimball had not a
second dress, and yet brother Kimball could not get a dress
pattern from his brother Apostle. He began to build a house, and
when it was finished he owed no one. Suppose he had sat down and
counted the cost.
335
There are words said to have been spoken by the Saviour--"For
which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first
and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it?"
No matter whether he said this or not: it is only a question
asked: he did not give it as his counsel or advice. I have built
a great many houses, and never counted the cost before I built
them. I never wanted to know anything about it. What is to be
done? I want some rock. Go and get it. I want a mason: I hire
him, and pay him to lay up the walls. I hire my carpenters and
painters, and pay them. I want something to put on the walls. Get
it and put it on: if it is a frame building, get the timber and
put it up. In short, when I want a house, I go to work and put it
up, and do not stop until it is done, and never count the cost.
"The earth is the Lord's," with all its fulness.
335
When I hear of the brethren and sisters going after gold--the
riches and wealth of the earth--I think that if they had it in
the spirit-world they could not do anything with it there. There
are no merchants there with their merchandise--no grog-shops
there in which to spend money. Those who possess wealth must
leave it here for the Saints, and the Saints will become heirs of
it; and we wish the people to be ready to receive these and all
blessings the Lord has in store for them. Be ready. We were ready
when King James Buchanan sent his friends here to initiate us
into Christianity. If we had not been ready, your heads and mine
might have been cold ere to-day. We were ready, and we said,
"Stop--stay your sad career, until you think."
336
Did Thomas H. Benton aid in gathering the Saints? Yes, he was the
mainspring and action of governments in driving us into these
mountains. He obtained orders from President Polk to summon the
militia of Missouri, and destroy every "Mormon" man, woman, and
child, unless they turned out five hundred men to fight the
battles of the United States in Mexico. He said that we were
aliens to the Government, and to prove it he said--"Mr.
President, make a requisition on that camp for five hundred men,
and I will prove to you that they are traitors to our
Government." We turned out the men, and many of them are before
me to-day; among whom is father Pettigrew--a man that ought to
have been asked into the Cabinet to give the President counsel;
but they asked him to travel on foot across the Plains to fight
our country's battles against Mexico. We turned out the men, and
Mr. Benton was disappointed. He went to his grave in disgrace,
and shame covered him. Was he a man of influence in his last
days--in the latter portion of his career in public life? When he
could not be President, nor be returned again to the Senate,
after much exertion he succeeded in being elected a member of the
House of Representatives, and at the close of his public career,
because the hands of the clock in the Representatives Hall were
turned back, and the hands of his watch did not agree with it
when at twelve o'clock, said he, "Mr. Speaker, I am not a member
of this legislative body." The Speaker said, "Sergeant-at-Arms,
show that gentleman to the door," and there was scarcely a man in
the House that so much as turned his eyes to look. The ground he
walked on was disgraced by step, and his acquaintances shunned
him: and so it will be with others.
336
Brother Kimball says that King James will have to pay the debt he
has contracted. He has more on his hands that he will settle for
many generations. you will see the old man go down to the grave
in disgrace. He has cast off his political friends, and they will
all cast him off as a thing of naught, and he will become a hiss
and a by-word, and has already.
336
The London Times speaks of the old man's being incapable of
magnifying the office bestowed upon him. They complain of him
now; but, when he was minister from our Government to England,
did they not in secret council induce him to pledge himself to
destroy the "Mormons," if they would assist in electing him
President? Did they not connive with Buchanan to destroy the
"Mormons" from the earth? Did they not send their armies to the
north to head us in our retreat, provided King James succeeded in
routing us from our homes? I spoke of this to Captain Van Vleit,
when he was here. I merely ask these questions, that those who
are acquainted with political moves may draw their conclusions
upon the workings of governments. But the Lord has given his
people power to elude the grasp of our enemies; for he led them
in a way they knew not, turned them hither and thither, diverted
the blow aimed at our heads, and brought disgrace and ruin on
those who sought to bring ruin and destruction upon us. It will
take them a great while to pay the debt they have contracted.
That Government known as the United States' has become like water
spilled on the ground, and other governments will follow.
337
"Kings become nursing fathers," indeed? Not King James: no.
Queens become nursing mothers?" Will Queen Victoria become a
nursing mother to the Saints? I have not one word of fault to
find with her as an individual; but the Government holds here;
she is fettered. She is a good woman, but she will never nurse
the Saints. Will the Queen of Spain? Never. But the kings and
queens I am looking upon to-day will belong to that class; they
will be the fathers and mothers to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. There are many sheep on the earth that we have not yet
found. We consider ourselves the flock of God--the kingdom of
God; and when you travel upon the islands of the sea and among
the nations who will learn that there are thousands and millions
of the sheep that have not heard the voice of the Good Shepherd.
They are to be entered into the fold, and we have it to do.
337
Remember that "the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof."
And I can say to the Bishops and brethren of this city, that, in
rating teams to send to Florence, they have answered our
expectations and more. We shall send and bring up the poor, and
shall build, and continue to increase in our ability. Every time
we put forth our ability. Every time we put forth our ability to
do good and build up the kingdom of God, according to the means
the Lord bestows upon us, our means and ability will be doubled
and trebled. Yes, we shall receive tenfold, and, as Joseph said,
an hundredfold. Have we witnesses of this? Yes, plenty of
witnesses. I will mention one little circumstance. When we were
finishing the Temple in Nauvoo, the last year of our stay there,
I rented a portion of ground in what was called the Church farm,
which we afterwards deeded to sister Emma. Brother George D.
Grant worked for me then, and planted the corn, sowed the oats,
and said this, that, and the other must be attended to. They
called for teams to haul for the Temple, and could not get them.
Said I, Put my team on the Temple, if there is not a kernel of
grain raised. I said I would trust in God for the increase, and I
had a good corn as there was on the farm, though it was not
touched from the time we put the seed in to the time of
gathering. I proved the fact. I had faith.
337
The poor miserable apostates there prophesied, and the Gentiles
prophesied, and all creation of wickedness seemed to agree that
that Temple should not be finished; and I said that it should,
and the house of Israel said that it should, and the angels and
God said, "We will help you." Many of you remember my setting my
foot on the capstone and addressing the people. We completed the
Temple, used it a short time, and were done with it. On the 5th
or 6th of February, 1846, we committed the building into the
hands of the Lord, and left it; and when we heard that it was
burned, we were glad of it.
337
How many circumstances could I relate to the brethren that God
does hold the purse-strings of the world! Brother Kimball has
slightly alluded to a circumstance, without mentioning the
particulars. When brother Heber C. Kimball and I were on the way
to England, and were left in a little place called Pleasant
Garden, I know, as I know I live, that we had no more than
thirteen dollars and fifty cents. This was all we had, that we
knew anything about. In the course of the journey, we paid out
just about eighty-six dollars, as near as I can recollect, for
conveyance, food, and lodging, always finding just money enough
in my trunk to pay each bill; and when we arrived at Kirtland
Corners, we had just the York shilling left.
338
I might stand here and relate to the brethren incidents, until
you would be tired of hearing. I merely wish to impress upon you
the feeling that God holds your purse-strings. You may hoard up
your gold, keep your cattle on the ranges for the Indians to
steal or the winters to destroy, and tie up your hearts as tight
as you please; the Lord will let the Indians steal your cattle
and thieves your purses--will let calamity come upon you, or
permit you to roll in wealth until you go to your own place.
338
It has been told you that we want to bring the brethren here and
give them their endowments, and then let them apostatize if they
will, and have done with them. Those who are stedfast and
faithful, we will teach to work in the adobie yard, in the
quarry, &c.; and learn them to be cleanly and prudent, and teach
them what their organization is, that they may understand the
things of God.
338
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, January 20, 1861
Brigham Young, January 20, 1861
DUTIES OF THE SAINTS--ORGANIZATION OF ELEMENT--ECONOMY, ETC.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 20, 1861.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
338
It is a great blessing to be able to understand things
aright; and how precious the gift of communication! How
delightful it is to a person, whose mind is stored with rich
ideas, to have power to communicate them to his fellows--to his
family, friends, and acquaintances with whom he associates. I
really think we do not fully appreciate this blessing and gift as
we should. If I can communicate to the audience what I wish to,
so that they can understand it perfectly, I shall be very
glad--it will satisfy me.
339
Before me is a sea of faces, and, with but few exceptions, all
are professedly Latter-day Saints belonging to the kingdom of
God, and are numbered with the family of heaven. They are heirs
of God, and are expecting to become joint-heirs with Jesus
Christ. Were I to ask these Latter-day Saints what they are
willing to do to build up the kingdom of God, bear it off to the
nations, gather the house of Israel and the honest in heart among
the Gentiles, and redeem the Zion of our God, what would be their
answer? "Anything we can do we are willing to do--any thing we
are counselled to do." Would not every heart respond in this
manner? It would. You are frequently told that the Latter-day
Saints are as free to confess with the mouth as any people that
ever was upon the earth. You are further told that they are
willing to sacrifice everything for their religion, and to travel
the earth around without purse or scrip; but will they do one
thing that is essentially necessary? Yes, a great many will. Will
they do one necessary duty that is devolving upon them, which is
the starting-point--the gate or way to all other duties; that is,
seek unto the Lord their God with all their hearts? All are not
willing to do this.
339
This people must be pure in heart. The necessity for this rests
upon me day by day, week in and week out, year after year. This
people must be sanctified, or they will not be prepared to meet
their Lord and Master. This is first of all. It is taught us in
all the revelations that we have received in various ways,
according to the understanding and gift of communication in those
who have communicated this principle to us. But the greatest and
most important of all requirements of our Father in heaven and of
his Son Jesus Christ, is, to his brethren or disciples, to
believe in Jesus Christ, confess him, seek to him, cling to him,
make friends with him. Take a course to open and keep open a
communication with your Elder Brother or file-leader--our
Saviour. Were I to draw a distinction in all the duties that are
required of the children of men, from first to last, I would
place first and foremost the duty of seeking unto the Lord our
God until we open the path of communication from heaven to
earth--from God to our own souls. Keep every avenue of your
hearts clean and pure before him. You may inquire whether we
would do away with the ordinances of the house of God. This leads
you to them, and it is the only thing that can lead the people to
a true knowledge of the reality of facts as they exist.
339
We are aware that the Christian world cling to this one item,
passing by every one of the ordinances of the house of the Lord,
treating every commandment with lightness. They will pick up
perhaps one or two of the ordinances and a few of the
commandments; but they are opposed to the residue, and look upon
them as a thing of naught. Through the kingdom of God and all the
attributes he has dispensed to the children of men are ours, (he
has placed them upon our heads by ordinances,) yet if I should
rise up here and tell you that I would rather have these than all
the ordinances, the statement would need explanation. First of
all, have the mind of Christ within you, and know that we are
governed and controlled by his Spirit--by the Comforter, the Holy
Ghost--by the influence of heaven; and this leads us to every one
of the ordinances of the house of God; wherefore we by no means
do them away.
339
Some of you may ask, "Is there a single ordinance to be dispensed
with? Is there one of the commandments that God has enjoined upon
the people, that he will excuse them from obeying?" Not one, no
matter how trifling or small in our own estimation. No matter if
we esteem them non-essential, or least or last of all the
commandments of the house of God, we are under obligation to
observe them. Nothing will lead us to them, short of the mind of
Christ within us to lead us understandingly to observe them to
our own benefit. This is what I want of the people, so that we
may be prepared, each and all of us, for the things that are
coming upon the earth.
340
We might mention a great many circumstances that are transpiring.
We might refer to the prophecies and their fulfillment in these
our own times; but this does not bear with so much weight upon my
mind to tell the people what the Lord is doing and what his is
going to do, as it does to urge the Latter-day Saints to
faithfulness, to strict obedience, to every requirement of the
Gospel of the Son of God, that we may be prepared for every event
as it transpires, no matter whether the prophecies are fulfilled
under our eyes or on the other side of the earth. No matter
whether we live to see them fulfilled or fall to sleep before
they are fulfilled, we must live prepared for the events that
will take place preparatory to the coming of the Son of man.
340
I ask the people what they are willing to do? "All we want to
know is what we should do." My mind is continually exercised to
urge the people to faithfulness, that they may have the Spirit of
Christ; and being in possession of this mind, everything comes to
us naturally. We understand these things we call natural. There
is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. All things are
natural, and all are spiritual. Every duty of life, no matter
what it is, every requirement necessary to sustain and exalt man,
is incorporated in the kingdom of God and in the ordinances of
his house--in the duties God requires of his children. It is all
in the Church and kingdom of our God. "What! our labour?" Yes. I
sometimes take the liberty of preaching upon economy to this
people. Perhaps some are inclined to think that in so doing I
transcend my own duties and obligations. I do not. I instruct the
husbandman how to till his farm, because I know and understand
the nature of the elements that produce grain better than he
does. I know how he should prepare the elements for the seed to
produce the increase which he desires in the things necessary to
sustain himself and family. It is my duty to instruct my
brethren, if I understand any branch of business better than they
do. If I understand how to make myself comfortable--if I
understand better than others do the organization of the elements
God has given us ability to operate with for our benefit, it is
my duty to instruct them. Here are the elements. They are not
made in vain, but are made for the benefit, comfort, convenience,
and happiness of God's children.
341
There is an infinitude of elements; and if you know more than I
do with regard to bringing them together and organizing them for
the comfort and happiness of man, it is your duty to impart that
knowledge to others. This may appear to some of the Saints as
though it was out of the pale of our duty, not strictly
incorporated in the ministry; and I want to inform all such that
there is not a labour performed under the sun but what we have to
render an account of it to our Father and God. There is not an
act of man, in any case, in any circumstance, but what is by the
gift of God. Every power, ability, capacity, and gift that man
possesses is the gift of God; and man must render an account to
him for the improvement he makes, no matter what the labour is.
No element that we see, no part of the earth, no part or portion
of the starry heavens, or of the deep above or below, but what is
God's creation. He organized it. Do we realize this, that every
element that now is in existence, that we have any knowledge of,
that we can conceive of, is organized by our Father in heaven,
and is his property? It is his in time and in eternity. The earth
and its fulness are his, and the heavens are his; the height, the
depth, the length, and the breadth, all are his. Every capacity
that the children of men possess is the gift of God.
341
Many might ask whether God is the author of sin and iniquity. I
have told you many a time that everything is good, is perfect;
everything is right, is lovely to look upon, to enjoy; for we
received it from our Father and our God. Properly use it, and
there is no gift, no blessing, no enjoyment, no happiness in the
heavens or on the earth, but what belongs to our Father in
heaven; and he is willing to bestow these blessings upon his
children. But whence comes evil? It comes when we make an evil of
a good. Speaking of the elements and the creation of God, in
their nature they are as pure as the heavens. When we see the
vanity that is around us, the magnanimity of the Deity, and
contemplate the extent of his knowledge, we can enjoy him as
supreme in every act, in every path of life, in every portion of
life that belongs to the children of men, if we can understand
things as they are. Was there ever a spear of grass, or a single
grain upon this earth, or in any other kingdom, but what was
produced by that beneficent Being? Not one. Behold the vanity and
extent of his knowledge in the creation of the elements! Every
element is His. The gold? Yes. "He organized and made it" is a
common term used. The silver? Yes. He made it. The diamond? Yes.
And every other precious stone? Yes. The rude rock? Yes. The land
and all are his. The earth that we walk upon, the air we breathe,
and the water we drink are his creation. He organized them and
placed them here for our good. Take all the elements that God has
created, and do you think we use them, and not abuse them?
341
What do we see? All the elements that we have any knowledge of
are the handiwork of our Father in heaven, and then you see poor,
pusillanimous man rise up--a worm of the dust, whose breath is in
his nostrils; and if God should say the word and withdraw his
supporting hand, he is no more,--and says, "This is mine." He has
a purse obtained through the blessings of God, and says, "This is
mine." He has a sack of silver, and says, "This is mine." He
builds a house, and calls it his house. He makes a farm, and
says, "This is mine." This poor, weak man does, who is not
capable of making a spear of grass. He cannot sustain his own
existence one moment with being dependent on God for the next
breath, and yet he says, "These possessions are mine," and he
clings to them with the tenacity of death. This you see in
mankind; they hold to the earth as though it was their all. You
see this every day of your lives.
341
When I carefully scan the subject, we cannot, neither in this
time nor in the spirit-world, possess the least particle of
element or our own beings, and call them ours, until we pass the
ordeals the Gods have passed, and are crowned with crowns of
glory, immortality, and eternal lives. And when we pass through
the spirit-world and hear the trump of Gabriel sound, and our
bodies rise from the dust and again clothe our spirits, even then
we are not our own. We have not passed through all the ordeals
until the Father crowns a son and says, "You have passed so far
in the progression of perfection that you can now become
independent, and I will give you power to control and organize
and govern and dictate the elements of eternities. There is a
vast eternity stretched out before you; now organize as you
will." Not until then shall we possess one particle that is
really our own, and yet we see people clinging to the earth.
342
I am going to reduce my remarks to practical life, and perhaps I
shall introduce ideas that some would naturally take exceptions
to. I, in the providence of God, am here before you again, and I
wish to instruct this people. They say they are willing to do
anything for salvation, to buildup the kingdom of God on the
earth. They are willing to forego everything they can, and
undergo all that is possible, to save themselves and the children
of men, and bring the day of peace and righteousness upon the
earth. Then let all learn that the earth is not ours. Let us
learn that these elements are put into our possession to work
with and improve, and to determine whether we know how to improve
upon them. We wish to see Zion built up--the earth beautified and
prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. We are looking forth
to the day when Zion will spring into existence and stand forth
like a bride prepared to meet her husband, with all the beauty
and glory that belong to the kingdom of God on the earth. We
shall then see Zion in its beauty. We are looking for this. We
look forward to the day when the Lord will prepare for the
building of the New Jerusalem, preparatory to the city of Enoch's
going to be joined with it when it is built upon this earth. We
are anticipating to enjoy that day, whether we sleep in death
previous to that, or not. We look forward, with all the
anticipation and confidence that children can possess in a
parent, that we shall be there when Jesus comes; and if we are
not there, we will come with him: in either case we shall be
there when he comes.
342
To think of all this, and then think of the course the Latter-day
Saints are taking--the life they live! How do the brethren feel?
Is there a feeling that "This is mine, and that is mine?" Yes; it
is as natural for them to say so as to breathe. They are of the
earth, earthy. Can we school our own feelings and judgments, our
hearts and dispositions, really to be the children of God, and
ask our Father whether this is ours, or not, which he puts into
our possession? Do we ask him what we shall do with the abundance
he has put into our possession? I am in possession of houses and
lands--I have legally obtained them by my economy. The earth is
here, and there is no end to the elements we are using day by
day. We look to the right and to the left, and see poverty and
distress, though there is less in this community than in any
other upon the earth. We all see more or less a lack of wisdom
and judgment in providing for the wants of the body; yet there is
not that family in this community but what would feed a brother
or sister that was hungry, and do so from day to day, so long as
might be necessary. With all the lack of wisdom manifested by the
people, and their covetousness, there is no community in the
world that suffers so little as this.
343
In distress among a people caused by the want of element? No. It
is through want of ability to bring the elements home to our use
and benefit. There is a great scarcity of gold, and you hear some
brethren, throughout this Territory, complain of taxation. Really
I want to say to all the brethren here, with the Bishops and
representatives from different parts of this Territory, and to
all the people, that your legislators are very easy--their hand
is very light upon you, in the matter of taxation. "Well," say
some of the brethren, "I thought they were hard, rigid,
extravagant in establishing a territorial tax of five mills on a
dollar." There must be in the neighbourhood of eighty or ninety
thousand persons in this Territory, and there are probably more
than fifteen thousand men who are subject to taxation. How much
tax money do you get? Shall I tell you how much coin was received
in taxes last year? Less than twelve hundred dollars from some
fifteen thousand men. Do you call this paying a heavy tax? Was
this all they were taxed? No; the tax amounted to some twenty odd
thousand dollars, and some complain and feel that they are hardly
dealt with.
343
Some complain and say that the tithing is too hard on the people,
while at the same time some of our legislators rise up and say,
"Considering that we pay such a tax in tithing, we think the
Church should make all our public improvements." The whole amount
of coin paid in on taxes last year was in the neighbourhood of
twelve hundred dollars. In what was the residue of the taxes
paid? In wheat, chickens, eggs, butter, city scrip, county and
territorial scrip, auditor's warrants, labour, &c., &c. Is this
hard on the people? No. Is there any lack of gold or silver here?
These are matters I wish you to understand. How can you
understand them in the kingdom of God? You cannot, only through
the light of revelation, just as you see anything else in truth
and with the Spirit of truth, by which means only can you discern
truth from error. I want you to learn by the Spirit of truth.
There are a good many legislators here, and I want them to go
home with these instructions, and put in practice some things
they already understand. They are active men, men of wisdom, men
of ability and good judgment, men of strong minds; and yet in
some thing they are more ignorant than children ought to be. The
gold is not yours, nor the sliver, not the cattle that roam over
these hills and plains; neither are they mine. They are put in
our possession, but they belong to Him who owns the whole of
them. All we want is the ability to convert them to our own
benefit. There is no lack. Has there been a lack of money here?
Some of the legislators have been opposed to taxation. I have a
right to talk about these things, though I am not Governor, and
do not sign nor veto bills passed by the Assembly. I ask again,
Is there any lack of money? I will propound one other
question--"Will five hundred thousand dollars cover the amount
that has been paid by this people to the merchants during last
year?" I presume not, though if you had the statistics before
you, you would probably find this sum to be not far from the
amount. Since 1849, we have probably paid to them at the rate of
nearly a million of dollars each year. Is there any scarcity of
money? No. Are you fearful that one man is going to get all the
gold in the world and sift it to the four winds, so that it never
can be gathered? You need have no such fear, for it cannot be
destroyed. Are you fearful that all the silver is going to be
destroyed, so that we cannot have it? Such fears are groundless,
for you cannot destroy a particle of it. What is the difficulty?
A want of judgment--a want of true knowledge pertaining to the
earth and to the heavens, to the elements and their
organization--a want of the power to master the elements, to
handle them advantageously and make them useful, and devote them
to our own comfort and happiness.
344
I frequently take the liberty to teach economy to the people.
This is natural to me; it agrees with my feelings, experience,
and faith. I do not know that, during thirty years past, I have
worn a coat, hat, or garment of any kind, or owned a horse,
carriage, &c., but what I asked the Lord whether I deserved it or
not--Shall I use this? Is it mine to use, or not? If I had my
will satisfied, I would not use a farthing's worth of anything
without its being put to the best use my judgment could dictate,
increasing and multiplying it, and bringing forth those things
that make men comfortable and happy, using my means in the fear
of the Lord for the building up of his kingdom and glory upon the
earth. My experience is that this people have too great a
tenacity for the goods of this world, and the Enemy thinks he can
get the advantage over them in this respect, and he is improving
the time.
344
It is different with us now from what it was three years ago.
Then it was, "What is the news from Bridger? from Echo kanyon?
from the Plains?" We are not destroyed; but are the Latter-day
Saints preparing themselves for the calamities that are coming
upon the earth? or are they covetous? There is no trait in the
character of man but what the Devil, the opposer of all good,
understands. Our common foe is an ingenious workman; he is a
master at his business. Bunyan speaks of a city that was
perfectly given up to idolatry, and needed only one devil to
watch the whole of it; but one Saint, a poor old man walking
through the streets, required a score of devils to watch him. The
city was already in possession of the Evil One, and it needed no
care or watching. There are scores of evil spirits here--spirits
of the old Gadianton robbers, some of whom inhabited these
mountains, and used to go into the South and afflict the
Nephites. There are millions of those spirits in the mountains,
and they are ready to make us covetous, if they can; they are
ready to lead astray every man and woman that wishes to be a
Latter-day Saint. This may seem strange to some of you, but you
will see them. As soon as your spirits are unlocked from these
tabernacles, you are in the spirit-world, and you will there have
to contend against evil spirits as we here have to contend
against wicked persons.
344
This people lie down in carnal security, and complain of this and
of that. You know that apostates, who rise up and deny their
religion, complain of being oppressed, and find fault with this,
that, and the other, and call this imperfect, and that imperfect,
and the other imperfect. How many have complained of taxation? Go
to Nebraska, Washington, and New Mexico. Is there a Territory
that has as light taxes as this? Not one, so far as I know. A
great many complain of the taxes in this city; but go to Chicago,
St. Louis, or New York, or any other city in the States, and you
will find the taxes greater, I think, without exception, than
they are here. I know that taxation is complained of in those
cities, and that too justly in many instances. In many places the
people are taxed to that degree that they never can rise out of
their poverty. In London, a watchmaker said to me, "When I earn
ten pounds and receive it, eight pounds of it has to go for
taxes, which leaves me only two pounds with which to pay my
house-rent, buy fuel, and feed and clothe my family." They there
complain of taxation, and it is right they should. What do they
do with the revenue? In too many instances feed a horde of lazy
officers, though I cannot accuse England of this so much as I can
some other countries, so far as I know them. The taxation more or
less goes in many countries to feed cut-throats, loafers,
gamblers, blacklegs, &c. Many of the people who have immigrated
to this Territory come from countries where they have been ground
down by taxation. We are more lightly taxed than are the people
in any other country, so far as I know.
345
But what I dislike most is, that when the officer requests the
taxes, some will lie from morning until night to escape paying
them. If any man ought of right to be exempted from paying his
taxes, let him refer his case to the Country Court and have his
taxes remitted. There is a provision in the law for this. I tell
you what I say to tax-gatherers: I would sell every improvement,
every ox, cow, mule, horse, sheep, hog, &c., but what I would
have the taxes in the kinds prescribed by law. You may call that
hard; but what would the cash portion be, compared to the money
that is paid to these merchants? This is what I do not like. Go
to a man, and he will declare that he cannot pay his taxes; then
go into his house, and he has taught his family to lie; but begin
to sell his cow, &c., and it will be, "Stop, Sally; go and bring
out that old stocking." I have proved this. That is what I do not
like. I can put up with poverty. If I have only a little
buttermilk and salt to my potatoes, I can be satisfied; but a
liar I cannot be satisfied with.
345
Sell every house and every particle of property there is in the
Territory, but what you have the proportion in gold and silver,
and you will find that there is plenty of money; and it may far
better go to do good than to go for nonsense. Much money is spent
for paper shoes. Have you any? Yes; and I presume that more than
one score of women in this congregation have on that kind of
shoes. A large amount of money is paid for ribbons, ruffles,
fringes, gewgaws, and baubles in general. These are unnecessary
expenses, as they are not incurred particularly for the body's
comfort. I find no fault with them. I like to see women prettily
dressed, as well as anybody; but save a portion of the money that
is laid out for useless articles, and pay your taxes.
345
What I am saying is for the benefit of the community. Some of our
legislators would vote down every particle of tax, if they had
the power. Are they conscientious in this? Yes. But are they
wise? No. They have no wisdom on this subject; they do not
understand national affairs.
345
Some complain and say that they are taxed by tithing. We ask no
tithing of any man. In this we are as independent as the Lord is.
I say, Do not pay another dollar in tithing unless you want to.
And to those who say that tithing should defray all classes of
public expenditure, I will pay every dollar of expenses for
territorial, county, and city purposes. But do I, as
Trustee-in-Trust, receive one-fiftieth, or one-hundredth? No. I
do not get the tithing on the tithing that is due, and which it
is my province to dictate. Are you afraid that I will make a bad
use of it? I have plenty of money for my private use. You may
wish to know how I get it. I believe I will tell you how I get
some of it. A great many of these Elders of Israel, soon after
courting these young ladies, and old ladies, and middle-aged
ladies, and having them sealed to them, want to have a bill of
divorce. I have told them, from the beginning, that sealing men
and women for time and all eternity is one of the ordinances of
the house of God, and that I never wanted a farthing for sealing
them, nor for officiating in any of the ordinances of God's
house; but when you ask for a bill of divorce, I intend that you
shall pay for it. That keeps me in spending money, besides
enabling me to give hundreds of dollars to the poor, and buy
butter, eggs, and little notions for women and children, and
otherwise use it where it does good.
346
You may think this is a singular feature in the Gospel, but I
cannot exactly say that it is in the Gospel. Hear it, O ye Elders
of Israel; and ye sisters, hear it: There is no ecclesiastical
law that you know anything about, to free a wife from a man to
whom she has been sealed, if he honours his Priesthood. I do not
want you to run after bills of divorce. I would rather be without
the money you pay for them. I know where there is plenty of gold.
The earth is full of it, and the heavens are full of every good
thing; and the heavens and the earth are created for us:
therefore be prudent and not covetous; do not cling to property
because it is in your possession. Do I own a house? No. I am in
possession of houses. I left a good many houses that were in my
possession in Nauvoo. I left a number in like manner in Kirtland.
I did not leave many houses in Missouri, but I left a number of
pieces of land, and there they remain. I received nothing for
them, neither do I want anything. Why? Because the Lord has blest
me with ability to bring forth the elements and organize them for
my own convenience; and if I was stripped and kicked out now, I
would be richer in ten years than I ever was. When the gold or
silver dollar goes into my pocket, it is not mine: the Lord in
his providence places it there, and it is for Him to say what I
shall do with it. Do you practise this course? If you do, you do
not complain. If our legislators understood this, they would
never complain for the people. You ask why I take up this
subject. That you may be instructed--that a legislator may not be
so unwise as to introduce a bill that taxes be paid in anything
that cannot be sold for money.
346
The people are not as they used to be in regard to tithing. In
the days of Joseph, when a horse was brought in for tithing, he
was pretty sure to be hipped, or ringboned, or have the
pole-evil, or perhaps had passed the routine of horse-diseases
until he had become used up. The question would be, "What do you
want for him?" "Thirty dollars in tithing and thirty in cash."
What was he really worth? Five dollars, perhaps. They would
perhaps bring in a cow after the wolves had eaten off three of
her teats, and she had not had a calf for six years past; and if
she had a calf, and you ventured to milk her, she would kick a
quid of tobacco out of your mouth. These are specimens of the
kind of tithing we used to get. If you give anything for the
building up of the kingdom of God, give the best you have. What
is the best thing you have to devote to the kingdom of God? It is
the talents God has given you. How many? Every one of them. What
beautiful talents! What a beautiful gift! It is more precious
than fine gold that I can stand here and give you my ideas, and
you can rise up and tell me what you think and feel, and thus
exchange our ideas. It is one of the precious gifts bestowed upon
human beings. Let us devote every qualification we are in
possession of to the building up of God's kingdom, and you will
accomplish the whole of it.
347
A few Sabbaths ago, brother Wells was strenuously talking to you
in regard to temperance. No man has a right on the earth, and
certainly not in this kingdom, to spend his means and time in
drunkenness. Every moment of time belongs to the Lord, and the
people demand it. Here are young men stepping on to the stage of
action, of whom you have never heard an evil. And every little
while one begins to come into note, and it seems as though he had
dropped from unfathomable space. "Who is he?" "Such a brother's
son." "I never heard of him." What are my calculations? That he
is a good man--that he is not a rowdy in the streets. A host are
growing up in this way: they spring up like lovely plants, trees,
or flowers. Now, young brothers and sisters, is there anything
against your characters? Not anything. If you were in possession
of all the wealth in the world, it is not worth so much to you as
your good characters. Preserve them. If you have a happy
influence with your brethren and sisters, preserve it, for it is
more choice than fine gold. How many times have I told the
Elders, "When you go on missions, be careful to preserve your
Godlike dignity and integrity." I have an experience that is
probably equal to that of any man in this kingdom, and no person
can say, man nor woman, but that in the dark hour my angelic
character has been preserved; and it is more precious to me than
all the riches of the earth. The name of king or emperor has
always sunk into insignificance when I contrasted it with the
character of a man of God--of a person who holds the destinies of
men in his hands, and the issues of life and death, and can
dispense them to the people. Such a man should preserve himself
like a God, or an angel of God.
347
Hear it, men and women, young and old. Preserve yourselves, and
be ready to do what is required at your hands. And Elders of
Israel, when you say you are ready and willing to dedicate all to
God, never be covetous and selfish; never shrink back at anything
you are called to do; but by the help of God become sons of God
and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. If you revolt in your feelings
against the ordinances and commandments of God, and against the
counsel given you by his servants, and continue to do so, you may
become angels to the Devil, and it will be through your own
conduct. But by the help of God you can be prepared to dwell in
the presence of the Father and the Son, and be crowned with him
with crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal lives.
347
I have given you some of my views in regard to tithing, taxation,
and yielding willingly to every requirement for building up the
kingdom and for the salvation of the people. May God help
everyone of us to live up to our profession, that we may be saved
in the kingdom. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Heber
C. Kimball, February 17, 1861
Heber C. Kimball, February 17, 1861
GATHERING OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN THE LAST DAYS--RETURN
TO JACKSON COUNTRY, &c.
Discourse by Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, February 17, 1861.
Reported by J. V. Long.
348
You have all heard what has been said by brother Joseph W. Young,
and you know it to be true, just as well as I do. You also know
that it is necessary for us to observe and practise, in order
that we may become Saints. He has told us a great many things,
and they are all very good.
348
If all the people would magnify their callings and honour the
positions for which they were created, they would do a great deal
better than they do. This is considered by some to be but a small
matter; but still there is a great deal contained in the
expression.
348
Man is an independent creature, as you were told this forenoon;
but every man is accountable for his own acts. Every debt you
contract you have got to pay. I shall never pay any of your
debts, except I order you to contract them. If you will take
counsel and do as you are told, you never will contract any debts
that will affect you much. Every sin that I commit while in this
tabernacle of flesh I have got to settle; and if any debt is not
settled while I am in the flesh, I shall have to pay it
hereafter. This will apply to you as well as me, and therefore
you need not try to avoid it, for you will have to meet all your
accounts.
348
We are considered to be the saviours of men; we are appointed to
save, and not to destroy. We are gathered here in the mountains.
Some have gathered themselves by the help of God, others have
been gathered by the Church funds. It is not every man that has
got the ability to manage his own emigration, though he may have
the means; for some men are not capacitated for that kind of
business.
348
Perhaps you will now refer to the Bible to prove that the time is
to come when the kings of the earth will gather the Saints
together, and when they will bring the sons and daughters of God
from afar, and when they will protect and sustain them,--when the
queens of the earth will have them by their sides and become
nursing mothers unto them. We shall not send queens from here to
the nations of the earth to teach the people, but the people have
got to be brought here up to the heights of Zion; then the kings
and queens will instruct them and nurse them, when we have them
gathered together.
349
Now, a great many suppose that this applies to the kings and
queens of the various nations; but I can tell you that the kings
and queens of the Gentiles will never gather the Saints. I want
to know how many of the Latter-day Saints were gathered to these
mountains by king James Buchanan? [President B. Young: There were
a few teamsters came with the army.] How many did Tom Benton
gather? The most of us: that is to say, he was the means of
driving us from our homes to this place, which was then a
wilderness; but he never helped us. James Buchanan never put
forth his hands to aid this people. Will he ever strive to
restore this people and make right that which he has made wrong?
I don't suppose he ever will; but as the Lord God liveth, he will
have to pay the debt he has contracted with this people. [A voice
in the stand: It will take him a great while to do it.] If you
wait for him, or for any of the wicked, to take you back to
Jackson County, Missouri, you will have to wait some millions of
years. And if we should wait for the rotten-hearted kings and
queens of the wicked nations to gather us home, we shall have to
wait a long time. Possibly some of them may come and look at the
place, but they will never come to stay and assist in building up
Zion. Many of them will yet drive the Saints from their lands and
homes, just as the wicked have driven us from the United States
into these mountains of Deseret.
349
Then who is to gather the people of God? You all say that we are
to become a kingdom of kings and priests--of queens and
priestesses; and the Bible supports this doctrine. Now, the truth
is, you are the very kings and priests that have got to gather
the Saints, and your wives have got to school them and nurse
them. I might put this in different language, but this will
answer the purpose and convey to you the true meaning of the
text.
349
We are informed in the Bible that in the last days the sons of
God shall be brought from afar, and his daughters from the ends
of the earth; and also that the elect will be gathered from the
four quarters of the globe. Now, this will most assuredly be
fulfilled, and this is the work which you and I have got to
perform. How shall we bring them together? The Scriptures say
they shall come upon swift beasts and dromedaries; and I will add
mules and oxen.
349
I tell you honestly that I do not believe that the corrupt kings
and queens of the earth will ever gather the Saints of God; but
still I acknowledge that they cannot do anything but what will
tend to promote the interests of the kingdom of God, any more
than James Buchanan could. Every step he took tended to promote
this cause and give influence to this people. That very
Expedition has opened your eyes so that you can see a great deal
farther than you could before, and your perception will increase
with your experience. Now, brethren, if you could see the thing
just as it is, there is not one of you but what would put forth
your means, your hands, and your minds like men and like saviours
upon Mount Zion. It is as brother Joseph said--"If you have the
right spirit, you will be ready to lend your ability towards the
gathering of Israel."
349
The Scriptures say that with what measure ye mete it shall be
measured to you again. Then let us all sow good seeds. Let us
strive to do good, learn to be one, and to be firmly connected to
the Church and kingdom of God--every member partaking of his
attributes, and of the spirit of those men who lead us. By
pursuing this course we shall be prospered and blest in all
things.
350
You need not wait for any of the kings to gather Israel; you need
not wait for anybody else to perform the duties that devolve upon
you. We have got to gather the people, and our wives and sisters
will become the nursing mothers, for they are the queens spoken
of in Scripture. If we will all take this course, we shall be
blest of the Almighty; his Spirit will be with us to impart joy
and consolation continually. There is one thing that brother
Joseph omitted to tell you. It was presented to his mind, but he
did not like to say it; but I will say it. Have your rifles and
muskets ready. Keep your powder dry, and have your balls and
duck-shots ready; for you know not what a day may bring forth. It
is our duty to be ready for every change and for every attack of
the enemy; for the Lord's people were always subject to
opposition and persecution from their enemies, and they will
continue to be so until the kingdom of God triumphs.
350
Brother Joseph W. Young is going to the Missouri river to fetch
the people who are gathering from Europe and various parts of the
United States. I intend to do everything I can for the
accomplishment of this laudable enterprise. If I could raise oxen
sufficient, I would send ten teams and waggons; but if I cannot
do this, I will at least send three or four. It is far better to
do this than let the Indians steal your cattle, and then you
waste your time and property in hunting for them.
350
When I say anything of myself, there are some people who think it
is egotism; but I have always been accustomed, since I came into
this Church, to do all I could for its advancement. I am always
willing to give anything that is required of me for this kingdom.
I have lived in this Church almost thirty years, and I have never
been in any situation, however difficult, but the way has been
opened for me. I never failed to accomplish anything I set about,
and I never shall, if I continue to pursue this course.
350
I am speaking this by way of encouragement, and brother Brigham
knows that I am telling the truth; for when we have been poor,
the Almighty has placed means in our hands, and oftentimes so
mysteriously that we did not know where it came from. For
instance, in Nauvoo we were commanded to build the Temple; and in
order to accomplish that, we had to build a great many big
houses. Brother Brigham told me to go and build a good house. I
had scarcely anything to begin with; but when I got through
building I had a span of horses, a waggon, and a yoke of oxen. I
could prove this, if it were necessary; for many others did
similar things; and the more we built, the more means we had to
build the Temple with. In the following February we left. My
house was sold for seventeen hundred dollars, intended to be used
to help to gather the Saints; but Almon W. Babbitt put it in his
pocket, I suppose. I have still got some buildings in Kirtland
and in some other places; and if I don't have them again, those
who drove me from them will have to pay a high price for them.
350
Brethren, I shall go to Jackson County with thousands of this
people who will be faithful to their integrity; but we cannot go
back until we have built some good houses. Let us honour the plan
of salvation, that we may become one. My constant prayer is that
the Spirit of oneness may descend upon this people; first upon
the Presidency of this Church, and then upon every Quorum and
authority thereof.
350
How is it with a tree? Does it not all partake of the same
nourishment, and that sap go to every limb, branch, fibre, and
leaf? It does; and it should be so with every man and woman in
the Church and kingdom of God.
351
Let us gather up the Saints, then. Let us also build some good
houses. We want to build the Seventies' Hall, and several other
large buildings the present season. We also want to devote a
portion of our means to the building of the Temple, that thereby
we may have an increase to the blessings of the heavens and of
the earth.
351
I feel very cheerful and happy today. I do not feel any of that
contractedness of mind that makes men selfish, penurious,
cold-hearted, and of a sad countenance. I find that the more that
I have of the Spirit of God, the more cheerful I am; and it is so
with all men of God. I know that those Prophets who have lived in
my day loved to tell stories and be cheerful: they delighted in a
glad heart and a cheerful countenance. Father Smith was one of
the most cheerful men I ever saw, and he was harmless as a child.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, March 3, 1861
Brigham Young, March 3, 1861
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD--GATHERING THE POOR, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 3, 1861.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
351
There are a number of subjects I wish to say a few words upon,
and I will first make a few remarks pertaining to the kingdom of
God on the earth.
351
It is told us that the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness
thereof. It is also told us that ere long the Lord will possess
the earth. Christians are exhorted to be faithful, for eventually
Jesus will crown his brethren as kings and priests,--not only the
Twelve Apostles that brother Broderick referred to this morning,
but also all that keep his commands and live faithfully to the
requirements of the holy Gospel. We are exhorted to be stedfast
and immovable, always abounding in good works. This is our
tradition; it is the doctrine we have heard from our youth. Many
of you are acquainted with the various doctrines of the Christian
world. Some believe, "Once in grace, always in grace." Others, "A
Saint to day, a sinner to-morrow, and next day again a Saint,"
&c., &c. "The kingdom of God on earth? "Has not this kingdom been
established long and long ago?" "Why does not the Lord Jesus come
to take possession of the earth, as it is his?" These are
questions that arise, especially in the minds of critics--of
those who are inclined to be infidel in regard to revealed
religion; and they inquire of the Christian, "Why does not your
God do thus and so? Why does he delay? Why does he permit the
enemy to hold possession of the dominion of the Saviour?" with
many other inquiries that rest in the minds of the people.
Perhaps some of you have satisfactorily answered these questions
to yourselves, and perhaps you have heard them satisfactorily
answered to your minds and understanding by the Elders of Israel.
352
There is a reason for all this. I have not time this afternoon,
and do not wish to confine myself, to say all that my mind would
be led to say on the subject. I can say at once, If Jesus had
taken the kingdom in the days when he was upon the earth, he
would have spoiled the whole plan--he would have ruined the
object for which he came into the world. If he had established
his kingdom directly after the flood and reigned triumphantly on
the earth, the earth could never have answered the ends of its
creation--the inhabitants of the earth could not have been
accountable. If he had to take possession of the earth at this
present time, he would ruin his own scheme--thwart his own plans.
It may be a mystery--it is with the many--why the Lord permits
this and that, and dictates thus and so. This is for want of
intelligence in the intelligent beings that are upon the earth.
If they understood the object of the creation of this earth and
the inhabitants upon it, these matters would be an easy and
pleasing theme to their understandings; they would become natural
principles to them, easy to be understood. They would comprehend
the design of the Almighty in the formation of these intelligent
beings, in the direction of them, the object of the creation of
the earth, and the final issue in the end, when all that has been
designed of this earth and all consigned to this earth have come
upon it, and the work is completed--the winding-up scene has
come, when Jesus shall have finished his work pertaining to man
and his agency,--you will then see that the kingdom will be taken
possession of, and that very quickly.
352
Every mortal being must stand up as an intelligent, organized
capacity, and choose or refuse the good, and thus act for
himself. All must have that opportunity, no matter if all go into
the depths of wickedness. Whether they sustain the kingdom of God
and promote the Gospel of salvation, or not, the earth must
remain in the hands of men, liable to be acted upon continually
by a superior power and authority. Man's independence must be
held inviolate; it must be reserved to each and every individual:
all must have the privilege of acting upon it. Until the last
spirit that has been designed to come here and take a tabernacle
has come upon the earth, the winding-up scene cannot come. I have
not time to say what I would like to upon this subject, but will
leave it to your own reflection.
352
Marvel not that the kingdom of God is not in its fulness. Marvel
not that you see every man and woman subject to the passions that
belong to fallen nature. There never was a Prophet on the earth
but what was subject to passions, as we are. Every son and
daughter of Adam that has come into this world has been subject
to sin, and prone to wander. They must have their times and
seasons; and when the day has come in which all things are to be
gathered in one, the Lord will gather those things. When the day
comes in which Jesus will take possession of the earth, (he will
take possession of it when the time comes that Satan will be
ejected from the inheritance of the children--of the legal
heirs,) you will find that ejectment will be served, and it will
be effectual. It will be effectual upon every tenant or occupant
upon the premises of the Almighty, and they will be forthwith
removed. But the time is not yet come--the work is not yet
finished. Be patient--be co-workers with our Saviour and Master
until this work is accomplished, and we shall be blessed in our
deeds.
353
I wish to make a few remarks to the brethren in this city in
regard to reaching forth their hands and means to assist in
gathering the poor Saints. At first, some deemed it inexpedient
to call upon the people in this city to assist in sending teams
for the Saints; but we have otherwise concluded. We expect that
we have more power here than they have in any other place in all
the Branches and associations of the Church of Jesus Christ upon
the whole earth. We here see for the whole of them, we speak for
the whole, and, comparatively speaking, we have more power than
is possessed in any other part of the body. If we wish to have a
great thing performed, we must take the lead. And when we feel
that we are weak and feeble, incapable of doing this or that,
with poverty staring us in the face, and the want of means is
felt, let every person rise up and consider his calling and
standing, and the design of the Almighty.
353
I will present a comparison from our mechanics. You will find
mechanics here who can go to work and build a beautiful house,
but they must have all the necessary tools and materials. Another
can build a carriage, but he must have the necessary tools and
materials. You can find a man who can build a steam-engine, but
he must have the tools and materials. But you find the mechanics
that can go to with an old three-cornered file, a jack-knife, a
spike-gimlet, and an inch augur, and build a waggon in a
workmanlike manner, and you would say that he is a superior
workman. As the fisherman says, "It is no trick to catch fish, if
you have the tools and know how it is done." It is no development
of skill for us to preach the Gospel to the nations, if we have
our pockets full of money, and Bible societies and tract
societies and missionary societies gathering it for us to pay our
expenses--scraping up for us the filthy lucre. I suppose that in
such cases we should feel as others do. You know how some of
those feel who can go from one side of the earth to the other,
and have the privilege of gathering means to go with. The way
they feel is shown forth very forcibly in an anecdote of a
priest, after a collection had been made. He gathered up the
money, and while putting it in his pocket gave out the
hymn--"This is the God that I adore."
353
You see Elders who start from here without purse or scrip, and
cross the Plains with handcarts, and they have ingenuity enough
to go from city to city, from country to country, from nation to
nation, and circumscribe the earth. In that there is certain
skill, talent, and ability, great zeal, or excellent good luck:
you must attribute it to something. It would be no great affair
for us to gather the Saints, if we had plenty of gold. How many
times I have thought I would like a handy place to go to for gold
with which to gather the Saints; but where would be our glory and
reward, to go from here to Europe, and travel East to China and
home again, having been preaching several years, with our pockets
full of gold? Where, then, is your great ability? In your
pockets--in the god so much adored. But take the men that can
travel the earth over, preach the Gospel without purse or scrip,
and then go to and lay their plans to gather the Saints. That
looks like the work of angels. Does it not look like the work of
beings superior to the common people? Do you know that we are
called to this work?
354
If the Lord had called upon some great man, some rich man, some
one of the prominent Bishops in the Roman Catholic Church or in
the Church of England, or the Pope, to dig the plates out of the
earth, and translate them, and publish the Book of Mormon, and
then have furnished them with plenty of gold and other means to
distribute to the disciples--plenty of wealth, honour, fame, and
good name in the midst of the people--would there have any
particular manifestation of a superior being in all this? There
would not. The Lord chose Joseph Smith, called upon him at
fourteen years of age, gave him visions, and led him along,
guided and directed him in his obscurity until he brought forth
the plates and translated them, and Martin Harris was prevailed
upon to sustain the printing of the Book of Mormon. All this was
done in the depths of poverty, obscurity, and weakness. The Book
has been translated, printed, and handed to the world; and every
time that a man of letters, rhetoric, or profound worldly
learning, comes into this Church and undertakes to preach the
Gospel, relying upon his worldly wisdom, that man will fail. No
matter where upon the earth he undertakes to start this kingdom
according to the customs, feelings, fashions, and pride of the
world, it will sink as sure as he undertakes it.
354
I recollect one remark that brother Joseph used to make
frequently, when talking to the Elders. No matter what he set
them to do, whether he wanted them to go to a foreign land on a
mission, or to go into business, he would say, "When you
commence, go in at the little end of the horn; for if you do not,
but enter at the big end, you will either have to turn round and
come out at the end you went in at, or go out at the small end
and be squeezed nigh unto death." Let an Elder hire the best
halls in large cities to begin with, and go to lecturing, and it
will take him a long time to raise a Branch of this Church. But
let him begin among the poor of the earth--those who live in the
cellars, and garrets, and back streets; "for," says the Almighty,
"I am going to take the weak things of the earth, and with them
confound the wisdom of the wise." You will see that trait in
every step of "Mormonism." God has chosen the obscure and weak,
to bring them up and exalt them. Is not that the work of a God,
the performance of this work without money and without price? The
Gospel is sent to all the inhabitants of the earth--to the high
and the low, the noble and the ignoble, the young and the old.
"Here is the Gospel; you are welcome to it." "Don't you ask
anything for it?" Not a farthing. It has to go to the world
without money and price." Now, compare this with carrying the
Gospel with your pockets full of money; and in the latter case
where is your glory and honour?
354
As an instance, we have men who quarry rock out of the mountains;
and we would say to those men, Can you go and quarry rock without
the suitable instruments? Says one, "I must have so many picks
and wedges, and I must have so many drills of different sizes,
and so many sledges and hammers." Another man says, "I am going
to make the tools; I have the ability, and I will make the
instruments from the ore in the mountain." You remember what
Nephi did. When he came to the sea, and prepared to build his
barge, the Lord showed him the ore, and Nephi made the tools with
which he formed his barge. He did not have to go back to
Jerusalem to get tools. I would like to see a little more of that
skill displayed here than I do at the present time. I am using
this comparison to show that we, in our poverty, have this work
to do.
355
As was observed this morning, in a wholesome, lovely, excellent
discourse, we will have to go to work and get the gold out of the
mountains to lay down, if we ever walk in streets paved with
gold. The angels that now walk in their golden streets, and they
have the tree of life within their paradise, had to obtain that
gold and put it there. When we have streets paved with gold, we
will have placed it there ourselves. When we enjoy a Zion in its
beauty and glory, it will be when we have built it. If we enjoy
the Zion that we now anticipate, it will be after we redeem and
prepare it. If we live in the city of the New Jerusalem, it will
be because we lay the foundation and build it. If we do not as
individuals complete that work, we shall lay the foundation for
our children and our children's children, as Adam has. If we are
to be saved in an ark, as Noah and his family were, it will be
because we build it. If the Gospel is preached to the nations, it
is because the Elders of Israel go in their poverty, without
purse or scrip, to preach the Gospel to the uttermost parts of
the earth.
355
If the Elders of Israel could see the true track and thread of
faith, they never would say they could not do this or that, but
would see at once that we are the head, the law-giving
department. We are the eyes, the ears, the mouth; we dictate, and
it is for us to lead out in every good work. If we build a Temple
here, it will be because we need one; and if we really need one,
go to work and build it. Will we count the cost? No. If I am
going to build a temple, I am not going to sit down and count the
cost. I care not what it will cost. So long as we are occupied in
doing a good work, it keeps us out of mischief and
unrighteousness, and at the same time enhances the value of our
whole property, and beautifies our cities.
355
If we wish to send for the poor, gather up teams. "But," say you,
"I have not got any." Then prepare yourselves to go as teamsters,
to do anything and everything. As I have not time to make many
remarks upon this, let me say to the Elders of Israel, and also
the sisters, One-third or one-fourth of the time that is spent to
procure a living would be sufficient, if your labour were rightly
directed. People think they are going to get rich by hard
work--by working sixteen hours out of the twenty-four; but it is
not so. A great many of our brethren can hardly spend time to go
to meeting. Six days is more time than we need to labour. Sixteen
hours out of twenty-four is more time than we need to labour, or
even ten hours, if that labour is rightly directed. If we labour,
let us labour to advantage, so as to accomplish what we design.
356
I wish to say to the brethren and Bishops here, When we concluded
that we would call upon this city for help, we got all we asked
for, and more. I say, Credit is due to them. Let me say to you,
brethren, I am satisfied; the Spirit that is within me is
satisfied. And one thing in particular let me say to you, In all
your transactions in these public matters, do not do, unless you
want to. As we say to the Saints, Do not pay Tithing, unless you
want to; do not help to build up this Temple unless you want to;
do not put forth your hands to one day's work, unless you want
to; do not help to build up this Temple unless you want to; do
not put forth your hands to one day's work, unless you want to;
do not put forth your hands to help build the Seventies' Hall,
unless you want to. If you grudgingly put forth your means to
help to gather the Saints, it will be a curse to you; it will
mildew, and every effort you make will wither in your possession.
If you do not wish to help, let it alone; but if you really want
to help to gather the Saints, turn out with your teams, as you
agree to. If you wish this Temple built, go to work and do all
you can this season. Some say, "I do not like to do it, for we
never began to build a Temple without the bells of hell beginning
to ring." I want to hear them ring again. All the tribes of hell
will be on the move, if we uncover the walls of this Temple. But
what do you think it will amount to? You have all the time seen
what it has amounted to.
356
I can say, for my comfort and consolation, and for yours too,
that we did build two temples, and commenced another. We
completed a temple in Kirtland and in Nauvoo; and did not the
bells of hell toll all the time we were building them? They did,
every week and every day. For our consolation I will say, We are
here and not there. You cannot ride from here to Carthage, in
Hancock County, Illinois, before breakfast, if you try; and
everyone that now tries to come from Warsaw or Carthage to the
headquarters of "Mormonism" will have to put more crackers in
their pockets than they used to. What did they accomplish? They
magnified the work of the Lord in the eyes of the nations. They
are more afraid of our union than of any other power. They are
afraid of the God that is within us. If that union and the power
of God is with ten men, they fear that in them more than they
fear a hundred thousand men that are not united. We are here, and
I am satisfied.
356
In regard to the acts of this city in turning out teams, we shall
send them this season to bring the poor across the Plains; and
what will we do another season? Send a great many more. Will the
way be hedged up by the wars and distress of nations? I neither
know nor care. I am looking for the words of Joseph to be
fulfilled. The time will come when men and women will be glad to
catch what they can, roll up in a small bundle, and start for the
mountains, without team or waggon. That day will shortly come.
Hundreds of people in this house are my witnesses, who heard
Joseph say, when asked whether we should ever have to leave
Nauvoo, "The Saints will leave Nauvoo. I do not say they will be
driven, as they were from Jackson County, Missouri, and from that
State; but they will leave here and go to the mountains. And the
next time the Saints remove, or are caused to remove, they will
be turned out of the frying-pan, not into the fire, but into the
middle of the floor." If this is not the middle of the floor, I
do not know where you will find it. When we left Missouri, we
were turned out of the frying-pan into the fire; and the next
time our enemies succeeded in their warring against us, they cast
us into the middle of the floor. I think this is the middle of
the floor. Can we look to the back side of it, or to the front
side of it? I can look to the south and to the north, and it is a
great way to the bed or to the table. I think we are in the
middle of the floor. We are here, and not there. "Do you think
there will be war, so that we cannot gather the Saints?" I do not
know, nor do I care. They must come.
357
I want to say a few words to those of my brethren who are apt to
prophesy evil. Some of the brethren are all the time foreseeing
evil that the Saints are going to suffer, and saying that we are
going to see harder times than ever before, and that the armies
of the Un---hold on--the armies of the nations will they gather
against us. Let them gather: the Lord will perform this work.
"But don't you think we shall be afflicted again?" What if we
are? I am not sorry that the army came here. "What are you sorry
for?" I am sorry to see so many foolish persons in our midst. If
I possessed the influence over this people that it is my right to
possess in the midst of the Latter-day Saints, I would have made
our enemies pay well for what they bought. But to see the sisters
run with butter, eggs, and chickens, and the brethren with their
flour and wheat, to their enemies who came here to cut their
throats, or else make them renounce their religion, is what pains
my heart. Our enemies are ruined, the gold is spent, and we are
here where we can procure more. Who has made the money in what is
called the "Utah War?" Mr. Floyd, Secretary of War, expected to
make a large amount. When he started his crusade, I considered
that he would make some five millions of dollars. He has probably
done so, and he will lose the whole of it, and will become a
stink and a by-word among his friends, and will rot; and very
many of you will see it come to pass. This will also come to pass
upon every one of those that came here to destroy "Mormonism," as
very many of you will see. The likeliest class that did come here
were the gamblers, and they were most of them broke; and all who
engaged in the crusade will be broken. When they undertook the
job, they did not count the cost.
357
It is seldom I think of them; but when I get to talking about
them, the times we have passed through come up, which were good
times. I felt remarkably well through them all. "You, Brigham
Young, are a Mormon; you believe in Joseph Smith, and you are not
fit to live on the earth." "You, John, Peter, and Paul, ought to
be killed, because you believe in Jesus Christ." How do you think
I feel towards them? One of our sisters lay sick in bed in Far
West; and when the mob came in there, one of them took a
pitchfork and threatened to stab her with it. She said, "Stick it
into me as quick as you please, for you will not do any great
things in killing an old woman like me--one who is not able to
get off from her bed." When they hunted us into this desolate
wilderness, if you will permit me to use a vulgar figure, I had
to put on scores of old-fashioned Pennsylvania breechings; I had
to keep putting on another, and another, to hold them within
bounds. The Lord said, "Hold on." He can fight our battles far
better than we can. Anger towards them is a poor, miserable
feeling; and I am trying to get rid of it. But to reflect on what
they have done! Hundreds and hundreds of fathers, mothers, and
children have been wasted by the wayside, through their hellish
persecutions! I feel that I want to live until I see the earth
emptied of such characters. Are all thus mean? No, only those
that feel to persecute and destroy the kingdom of God from the
earth.
357
I will tell you another prophecy of Joseph's, of which both Jews
and Gentiles are my witnesses. Joseph said that the bones of
hundreds of the Missouri and Illinois mobocrats, who drove the
Saints from those States, should bleach on the plains, and their
flesh should be meat for wolves. Are you witnesses to that, in
coming over the Plains? Yes, hundreds and hundreds of those
characters that started to go to the gold mines, their flesh was
meat for the wolves, and their bones are there bleaching to-day,
so far as they have not been buried, or entirely rotted away.
That is another prophecy of Joseph's. I do not say that all who
differ with us in matters of religion are mobocrats. No: there
are as honest men in other churches as there are in ours.
358
Go into the world among the infidels and the Universalists: they
are two good classes of men. Then visit the members of the Church
of England, and the Roman Catholic Church, the Baptists,
Methodists, Presbyterians, Quakers, Shakers, &c.; and millions of
them are as honest as we are. Shall I call them mobocrats? Who
are the evil doers? Those who have had the light presented to
them, and rejected it. I do not feel as I have represented
towards all the children of men, only towards those who have
hunted our lives from the beginning--who have hunted the life of
every Saint from the beginning. But they have not the power,
neither will they have it, to divide this kingdom. This Church
will prosper and increase. You understand that, when I talk about
those men, I talk about those who have been active, in what? In
trying to bring destruction upon us. Have we injured them? No, we
have not; at least, I have not, and I hope you have not. Have
they any great reason for their usage to us? They have not. I
will leave them in the hands of God; and when the time comes, as
I have told you, for the present occupants and tenants to be
disinherited, the writ of ejectment will be served, and they will
be forthwith hoisted from their position, and Jesus will take
possession. And, as has been observed this morning, though a
terrific thought for all men to be under the control of one, that
man will never live on the earth that will not control the
inhabitants of the earth, until he can do it with justice and
mercy. Do not be afraid: the enemies of God and his Christ will
be divided and subdivided all the time, and Jesus will come to
reign and rule. You say, "We all like the reign of Christ." The
wicked will not like the Saviour half so well as you like me. He
would tell them to go to their own place. I honour no other being
in heaven and earth more than him; and no man can rule
triumphantly until he rules in righteousness. Wherefore have no
fears in the least. I will leave this subject.
358
We want to build this Temple. Now, brethren, shall we do so? Yes;
and we will do all that is necessary. The Bishops talked over the
matter, and thought sending teams from this city would prevent
out putting forth our strength upon the walls of the Temple. But
let me tell you that we can do far more on the Temple this year,
if we touch it at all, than we could if we did not send our
cattle and waggons East. Perhaps some of us cannot understand
this, but I trust you will so live that you will see the time
when you will understand that God rules in heaven, and does his
pleasure upon the earth; and that the cattle upon a thousand
hills are his; and that he will control all matters to your
benefit, if we are co-workers with him, with a pure heart, and an
eye single to the building up of his kingdom, and do what is
wanted to be done; and that the more we do the more means we
shall have. Let the wicked continue to fight and quarrel, and the
Lord will open the path for us, and we can gather the poor Saints
for a good while yet. No matter what is done among the States,
the earth is the Lord's, and He will dictate, govern, and control
where he pleases; and by-and-by he will take possession of the
whole farm--of the whole earth.
358
It is now time for us to wake up to business. We have had a
pleasant winter, and have enjoyed ourselves in the dance, in
concerts, and parties. I want to say to the Bishops, Now wind up
these amusements, and let us go to work. You have often been told
that all the amusement Latter-day Saints enjoy, or will enjoy, we
have to make. One of the most useful amusements we could have
would be for the Seventies and High Priests to meet here, instead
of in their small halls, and lecture. Which is the most
delightful, to satisfy the wants of the natural body, or those of
the intelligent part within us? Which is the most precious? Both.
359
Little boys play with their waggons, tops, marbles, &c.; little
girls with their dolls, cradles, and skipping ropes. They are in
the height of their enjoyment, while there sits the mother, whose
mind comprehends all the children can enjoy, and then she can see
enjoyment far beyond what they are then capable of enjoying.
Perhaps her vision is open to see forward into the eternity
before her, and that she will be able to preserve her identity in
the future existence. Do you not see how easy it is for her to
circumscribe all those little children can enjoy? Her feeling is,
"I am delighted: it is a great satisfaction to see my children
enjoy themselves." But how would she like to engage in their
plays? "It is my joy to see them enjoy themselves." Do you like
to get together in your parties? How are you looked upon by
beings in the eternal worlds? Precisely as a mother looks upon
her children when they are enjoying themselves and passing their
time so kindly with each other. Says the mother, "I do delight in
seeing my children enjoy themselves." I also delight in enjoying
myself with the brethren and sisters, and giving to my natural
organization the food that the natural body requires. The body
requires food, and the immortal spirit requires food; the whole
organization requires something to feast upon, and we get up
amusements to satisfy it. I say to the Bishops, Now wind up the
dancing parties. What do you think, brother Woolley? What do you
think, brother Hoagland? ["Yes."] I presume all the rest feel the
same.
359
I think we will stop dancing parties for a time. Now make your
parties around your ploughs; see that your teams are where you
can get them, and that your fences are in order, and have your
teams and waggons ready to go East. And when you wish to enjoy
yourselves with your brethren, you are welcome to this room, to
lecture in and present any public business requisite to be done.
We have much public work laid out to be done this season. We
intend to make some improvements on this Tabernacle, and do
something at the Temple, and build the Seventies' Hall, besides
lecture rooms, assembly rooms, &c., in this city; and if we are
let alone, in thirty years we shall make quite a city of this
place. We also expect to build a theatre this season, as a place
of amusement for the brethren and sisters. I am not going to have
the devils make fun for me: they have fun that will keep them
pretty busily occupied. I will never go to hell for fun; and if I
have any fun, I wish my brethren and sisters to make it. God
bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / George
Albert Smith, July 4, 1861
George Albert Smith, July 4, 1861
CELEBRATION OF THE FOURTH OF JULY.
As Address delivered by Hon. G. A. Smith, in Great Salt Lake
City,
July 4, 1861.
360
Fellow Citizens,--The circumstances under which we are now
assembled are those of no ordinary character. The display made on
the present occasion and the vast assemblage on this ground
indicate in a great degree, I might say perfectly, the result of
liberty, of honest industry, and of adherence to the principles
of the Constitution of the United States, of which we have been
hearing, and the result of strict obedience to those declarations
made by our fathers and transmitted down to their posterity.
360
Although we as a people are placed under circumstances entirely
different from those of every other part of our common country,
we were forced to come here unprepared, comparatively, for such
an undertaking, and have had to contend with the sterile soil and
inhospitable climate. We have had to encounter and overcome a
great many difficulties arising from our isolated situation; but
still we can here successfully pursue the arts of peace: we can
enjoy the blessings of liberty.
360
While almost all the inhabitants of every portion of our common
country from north to south, from the Rio Grande to the St.
John's, are engaged to fratricidal strife, and almost every city,
town, village, and hamlet to-day echoes with the sound of fife
and drum, calling men to war, we are all enjoying peace.
360
The procession to-day was a display of mechanical skill, of
agricultural industry, a display of tools and ingenuity of almost
every kind, and men at work with them. What little powder we burn
is simply in honour of our country's flag--not to destroy our
fellow-countrymen.
360
We have heard something of the hostile preparations that are
going on in the Eastern States. I know of no language adequate to
describe the true character of the present civil war. It is the
height of folly--the extreme of madness, without a parallel in
history; and it does seem like illustrating the maxim of Grecian
mythology--"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make
mad!"--North and South rushing to battle over an idea or whim,
perfectly heedless as to the consequences.
360
It was the result of that spirit of oppression and violation of
the principles of our national Constitution which drove us here;
it is the natural result of the training; the education and the
foolery with which priestcraft has blinded the people.
360
We are at the present time the only people in the United States
that are willing to be governed by the Constitution, and to grant
to all men the same liberties that we ourselves enjoy--the same
privileges and protection which are in accordance with the
guarantees in the Constitution and the laws of the United States
made in accordance therewith. To be sure, there are a great many
who pretend to honour the Constitution; but they are determined
in the North and the South that they will fight each other,
Constitution or no Constitution.
360
Now, if the Constitution of the United States was actually the
supreme law of the land, we could go back to our possessions in
Missouri and Illinois, and enjoy our religion, our property, and
the blessings of peace and liberty, and our wives and children,
in Jackson county, Missouri, and in Hancock county, Illinois,
just as well as we can here, and none would dare to molest us.
And until the Constitution becomes the supreme law of the land,
no man or people having the misfortune to be unpopular can enjoy
liberty, or even be protected outside of these mountains.
360
Now, brethren, are we not thankful that, at least, we can see the
providence of the Almighty in suffering us to be driven into
these valleys, where we can enjoy the sweets of true
liberty--where none dare molest or make afraid? These are
abundant reasons for us to be thankful.
360
I am aware that many of the school children in this vast
assemblage have been detained long enough. I have been pleased
with what I have seen and heard. I simply say a few words because
my name was on the programme for an address.
360
May the blessings of Israel's God rest upon you all! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, March 10, 1860
Brigham Young, March 10, 1860
CONFESSION OF FAULTS, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 10, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
361
I wish to bring before your minds what brother Hyde began to
state in a portion of his remarks, that he was sorry to see
certain conduct, and yet he does see it; that if a person is
overtaken in a fault, he is very much inclined to hide it, if he
can. I think this trait to be very natural. Brother Hyde is sorry
for the same things that I am. If I have injured any person, I
ought to confess to that person and make right what I did wrong.
But suppose that I have sinned against God, and no being on earth
but myself knows anything about it, should I conceal that sin, or
reveal it to the public?
361
It is just as natural for us to dissemble as it is for us to
breathe. This is what brother Hyde had on his mind. Where
brethren, though they be in high standing or low, are in fault
and have injured their brethren, they should make full
restitution. There are a few who will frankly acknowledge their
faults, though only a few will do so. Is not this our experience?
It is mine. If I am faulty towards my God, I will keep my faults
from the people as long as I can. Is there any good reason for
this? There is. Were I to relate here to you my private faults
from day to day, it would not only do you no good, but it would
injure you. If you were to relate your private faults to one
another, it would tend to injure you; it would weaken and not
strengthen either the speaker or the hearer, and would give the
enemy more power. Thus far, I would say, we are justified in what
some call dissembling. I will also say, so far as I am concerned,
that I pray the Lord Almighty to so preserve me that you cannot
find fault with me righteously. Do you not desire the same?
362
I have my weakness, and you have yours; but if I am inclined to
do that which is wrong, I will not make my wrong a means of
leading others astray. Many of the brethren chew tobacco, and I
have advised them to be modest about it. Do not take out a whole
plug of tobacco in meeting before the eyes of the congregation,
and cut off a long slice and put it in your mouth, to the
annoyance of everybody around. Do not glory in this disgraceful
practice. If you must use tobacco, put a small portion in your
mouth when no person sees you, and be careful that no one sees
you chew it. I do not charge you with sin. You have the "Word of
Wisdom." Read it. Some say, "Oh, as I do in private, so I do in
public, and I am not ashamed of it." It is, at least, disgraceful
to you to expose your absurdities. Some men will go into a clean
and beautifully-furnished parlour with tobacco in their mouths,
and feel, "I ask no odds." I would advise such men to be more
modest, and not spit upon the carpets and furniture, but step to
the door, and be careful not to let any person see you spit; or,
what is better, omit chewing until you have an opportunity to do
so without offending.
362
But if you have stolen your neighbour's cattle, own it, and
restore the property, with fourfold if it is requested. If you
have taken your neighbour's spade, own it, and return it, with
fourfold if he requires it. I believe in coming out and being
plain and honest with that which should be made public, and in
keeping to yourselves that which should be kept. If you have your
weaknesses, keep them hid from your brethren as much as you can.
You never hear me ask the people to tell their follies. But when
we ask the brethren, as we frequently do, to speak in sacrament
meetings, we wish them, if they have injured their neighbours, to
confess their wrongs; but do not tell about your nonsensical
conduct that nobody knows of but yourselves. Tell to the public
that which belongs to the public. If you have sinned against the
people, confess to them. If you have sinned against a family or a
neighbourhood, go to them and confess. If you have sinned against
your Ward, confess to your Ward. If you have sinned against one
individual, take that person by yourselves and make your
confession to him. And if you have sinned against your God, or
against yourselves, confess to God, and keep the matter to
yourselves, for I do not want to know anything about it.
362
It has been the doctrine of some Elders in this Church (whence
they got it I do not know, without they got it from the Devil,)
that all the sin you can hide from your brethren and sisters, no
matter what its nature and magnitude, will not be brought against
you in the day of judgment. Such person are greatly mistaken. For
the sins you commit against yourselves and your God, unless
repented of and forgiven, the Lord will hold his private council
and judge you according to the degree of guilt that is upon you;
and if you sin against others; he will make that public, and you
will have to hear it. You need not think that you can hide your
sins. Confess your secret sins to your God, and forsake them, and
he will forgive them; confess to your brethren your sins against
them, and make all right, and they will forgive, and all will be
right. The doctrine of hiding sin is a false doctrine. If such
doctrine be true, how will any be brought into judgment? and how
is it that their secret words and thoughts and idle words will be
brought into judgment? The Scripture saith--"But I say unto you,
that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou
shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Be
careful not to have evil words and evil thoughts, "For the word
of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart."
362
Keep your follies that do not concern others to yourselves, and
keep your private wickedness as still as possible; hide it from
the eyes of the public gaze as far as you can, and make the
people believe that you are filled with the wisdom of God. I wish
to say this upon this particular point in regard to people's
confessing. We wish to see people honestly confess as they should
and what they should.
363
I can say, as far as my knowledge extends, that there is a
decided improvement among this people. When the Elders go forth
and preach to the world, they see the weaknesses of the people
and the improvement that is required at their hands. Though we
see many weaknesses in this people, yet we can see that the
kingdom of God is rolling and increasing; and it is no matter
what becomes of the world, if they will not repent of their
wickedness.
363
Brother Hyde has remarked that State after State is leaving the
Union, but there is no Union to leave; it is all disunion. Our
Government is shivered to pieces--it is in fragments, as will
still more be made manifest. But the kingdom of God will
increase. Then let every person that desires truth and
righteousness increase in all the wisdom and knowledge they can
gather from every source in the heavens and on the earth, from
one another, from the angels, and also from the wicked. Gather
the wisdom they have, and treasure it up in good and honest
hearts, and increase continually. And let us righteously guide
our own minds and feelings, and guide the people in the ways of
all righteousness. Take people in every capacity of life, and
their wills are first and foremost. You can gain and lead the
affections of the people, but you cannot scare them, nor whip
them, nor burn them to do right against their wills. The human
family will die to gratify their wills. Then learn to rightly
direct those wills, and you can direct the influence and power of
the people.
363
I have frequently thought, looking at the inhabitants of the
earth, matters would be different, were it not fashionable to be
sinful--were it, as it was in the beginning, a disgrace for a man
to be sinful, and a credit to do good. I expect to see the time
when the inhabitants of the earth will pride themselves in doing
good. But not goodness, truth, and virtue are publicly frowned
upon. The time will come when we shall be proud to have it said
of us that we are good persons. Even now the wicked world, in
their sober reflective moments, honour a just, righteous, and
truthful person a great deal more than they do a person who
falsifies his word; but they generally keep that secret. The time
will come when the people will be proud to be Saints; it will be
an honour to them. Will that be their feeling in regard to this
Church? Yes. But the Lord will suffer this people to be afflicted
until they are made pure and holy, so that when people feel a
pride in being virtuous, truthful, and Godlike, it will be a holy
pride, an angelic pride, a delightful, heavenly pride, to exalt
and praise the name of our God and acknowledge him wherever they
are.
363
Suppose the eyes of the inhabitants of the earth were opened to
see the heavenly things and the earthly--to understand the evil
that is attached to the earth and to the children of men--which
do you think they would choose? Do you not think the whole world
would choose the good? Yes, as readily as a hungry person would
choose to go into a dining-room and eat a good dinner. Would he
not rather do this than go naked on the ice in the dark and
wander hungry all night? Every person would delight in doing
good, if his eyes were opened to see. This people are increasing
in knowledge and heavenly wisdom; they are willing to do whatever
we require of them. Only let them know what is required of them,
and they will perform it with alacrity.
363
May the Lord bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Brigham
Young, March 17, 1861
Brigham Young, March 17, 1861
REBUKING EVIL, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 17, 1861.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
364
I wish to present to the people a saying of Solomon's--"Open
rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a
friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." I want to say
a few words upon the principle contained in this scripture. It is
a matter that concerns all people, and is one of the most
delicate points in the dispositions of the human family. The
inhabitants of the earth are sensitive--their feelings are acute.
Infringe upon their judgment, interrupt their tastes, and you
disturb the equilibrium of the whole system. To receive a rebuke,
to be chastised, to be interrupted in our course, is not pleasant
to our feelings. Though we may have ten thousand wrongs that we
understand, you know perfectly well that we do not like to have
any one tell us of them. It is one of the worst whirlpools, I may
say, for the inhabitants of the earth to get into, and leads
directly to destruction--casting down thrones and kingdoms--the
very abhorrence we have to be rebuked. No matter what the king
does, we as his subjects must say that the king does right and
cannot do wrong. That you know very well to be the feelings and
teachings of the nations of the earth. The king cannot do wrong,
and of course he is not to be rebuked. And when he sends his
princes, his ministers, his messengers, to perform duties for
him, they say to the people to whom they go--"The king can do no
wrong; his agents can do no wrong." Observe, and you will now see
this trait among the nations of the earth.
365
Who are willing to acknowledge that they are wrong? The feeling
of the inhabitants of the earth has been and is--"I will receive
no rebuke from you: my judgment, my will, my discretion, my
wishes, my passions must reign supreme." I do not much care what
Solomon did in his day--how many individuals he rebuked; but I
wish the inhabitants of the kingdom of God to learn, when they
are rebuked kindly, and kiss the rod, and reverence the hand that
administers it,--to learn that the rebuke of a friend is for our
good. This principle is not practised in other parts of the
earth, though I will confine this remark to the civilized
nations, more than to the barbarous. In the world the principle
of rebuking is walked under foot. No matter what the character of
a king is--no matter what the character of a President is--no
matter what are the characters of rulers, governors, and other
officers,--"They can do no wrong," and they wish to have it so
understood. These are the feelings and these the teachings and
belief, and not only the belief, but the practice. It is not so
in this kingdom; it must not be so; it cannot be so; it has not
been so; and I presume many a man has gone out of this Church,
because he has been rebuked in his evil course. All such will
have the supreme satisfaction, as brother George A. Smith
remarked, last Sabbath, when they lift up their eyes of hell, of
reflecting upon their former connection with this people, and
saying, "We are abused." What a comfort! What a satisfaction!
365
We wish the Elders of Israel to understand that when evil is
presented, that evil must be rebuked. Could we attribute all the
mistakes or evils that we see in men to total depravity, and
conclude that there is nothing good within them? Not by any
means. If we see one of our brethren out of the way in word or in
deed, learn, in the first place, whether that person designs a
wrong, or whether he has a desire to do good. Learn whether the
spark of the Spirit of God is left within him; and when there is
one particle of the light of God within him, and he wishes to do
right, do not attribute that wrong word or deed to total
depravity. It is a weakness--it is a fault--it is a want of
better judgment--it is the want of a correct understanding of
things. Attribute it to his weakness; tell him of it kindly,
fatherly, brotherly; take him by the hand and tell him the evil
he must leave.
365
How many I have seen, when you tell them of a few of their
faults, and say, Why, brother, you are so and so: do you see how
you have missed it here and there? Can you perceive that you have
wanted better judgment? What a wrong you have committed in this
or that!" who will be at once cast down in their feelings, and
will say, "I believe I am good for nothing; I really think I am
not worthy of a name in the kingdom of God." You will hear wise
men make this expression. Tell them that they have reported that
which is false, not designedly; tell them that they have said
thus and so to their friends, or that they have committed this or
that act that is unwise, foolish, sinful in its nature; and you
will see a wise man, perhaps, rise up and say, "If I am guilty of
this, I am not worthy of a name in the kingdom of God." That is a
most unwise expression. Do you expect you are perfect? No. Do you
expect to see people that are perfect? No, not for a great while.
Do you expect that every trait of your character is perfect? I do
not. You may expect this, that if I see a wrong in you, I shall
tell you of it. I shall rebuke that wrong, and do it with all
kind feelings. What do you say, High Counsellors, Bishops, High
Priests, and all the officers of the kingdom of God on the
earth,--will you rebuke a wrong? Yes, most of the Elders of
Israel will, and too many will do so in the spirit of malice and
personal enmity. When this Elder, and that Elder, an another
Elder sees a man do wrong, but his wrong is with his neighbours,
a little outside the Elder's immediate path, (the Elder says, "It
does not directly infringe upon me, though he is doing wrong with
his neighbours,") will he rebuke him? No; he waits until he
infringes upon him, and then the Elder rises up in the malice of
his heart, and rebukes him in the spirit of anger. That will do
hurt: it is not the rebuke of a friend; it is the rebuke of one
that has become an enemy.
366
When you see a person out of the way, no matter whom the injury
is inflicted up, rebuke the individual who commits the evil. Will
this do good? Yes, if you rebuke in the spirit of the Gospel--in
the spirit of meekness. Rebuke as a father should reprove his
children, not as a tyrant rules his servants or slaves. Take this
course with your brethren, and you will learn that "Open rebuke
is better than secret love," and that the wounds you make are
better than the deceitful kisses of an enemy. This is a principle
I have thought much upon. I have talked some about it, and have
tried to comprehend the principle, and I have sought to have the
people comprehend it. If your neighbour commits an evil upon
another of your neighbours, you are under obligations to see that
the person who has committed the evil be suitably chastised, as
much so as though the wrong had been committed upon you. Now this
is hard to believe; but if you wish to correct people, and lead
them to life and salvation, what difference is it where the evil
is committed, or upon whom? Is it not the duty of a minister of
God to correct evil and take it from an individual or from the
people, and place them upon saving ground, whenever an
opportunity presents itself? It is the duty of every individual.
366
You need not wait until somebody infringes upon you--until he
comes and intrudes upon your premises. If you see your neighbour
John turn his horse into the wheat-field of your neighbour
William, you pass along. That, I may say, is the road that too
many of the Elders of Israel travel in, as well as the great
majority of the world. "Oh, it is not my wheat; it is William's:
it is no matter of mine." When you know that John has turned his
horse into William's wheat, or in any way disturbed his property,
or berated his character, or done him an evil, will you wait
until he commits an evil upon you? If you do, you are as sure to
meet evil with evil as you are to breathe; you will meet wrong in
a wrong spirit. But if you will meet evil when it does not
personally concern you as an individual, but only as a member of
community, you will feel all that fatherly kindness to John that
an earthly parent does for his son, and will go to him and point
out the wrong, and show him the correct path to walk in, and give
him a suitable chastisement. But if you wait until he takes one
of your poles from your fence--till he turns a horse or an ox
into your wheat--until he picks up a stick of wood from your
wood-pile, and burns it, and you then meet him, you meet him in a
spirit of wrath. You are indignant at such conduct, and you say
that you will not put up with it. Is this true? I do not wish to
say much about the matter, but I wish to have you understand that
the principle of correcting the people--taking their wrongs from
them, giving them true principles, instead of their imbibing
wrong principles--errors, and practising them in their lives, is
the way for us to be purified and set right.
366
I have seen Elders covenant to sustain each other at all hazards,
under all circumstances, and in all places. Now, what will this
amount to? You make the covenant to sustain each other without
any reservation whatever, and the first you know, one of the
number has done wrong. You meet him, and he says, "You covenanted
to sustain me, and that too with an uplifted hand; you promised,
in the name of Israel's God, to sustain me; and now do it. I will
hold you to your covenant." Another does wrong, and you wish to
have him rebuked before your Quorum. Says he, "No; you have made
a solemn vow that you will sustain me: now do it, or break your
covenant." It amounts to just this, and you will lead from step
to step in evil.
368
I have observed, many and many a time, a feeling among the people
that "I will not receive this rebuke from you." I have had quite
a number of the brethren tell me--"Brother Brigham, I will not
bear this rebuke from you." My reply is, What are you going to do
about it? I will chasten you until I am satisfied. I believe that
I have proved to every person that my chastisements have not been
in anger, malice, or wrath, but in the spirit of a father; and I
believe that all good men I have chastened are satisfied of this
fact. I do not know but that some have apostatized whom I have
chastened, but they are very few. Once in a while you will find a
person, that must have a severe chastisement, leave the kingdom
of God; but this is very seldom.
368
True, there are degrees of feeling and degrees of chastisement,
and you are led to chastise one man differently to what you do
another. You may, figuratively speaking, pound one Elder over the
head with a club, and he does not know but what you have handed
him a straw dipped in molasses to suck. There are others, if you
speak a word to them, or take up a straw and chasten them, whose
hearts are broken; they are as tender in their feelings as an
infant, and you will melt like wax before the flame. You must not
chasten them severely; you must chasten according to the spirit
that is in the person. Some you may talk to all day long, and
they do not know what you are talking about. There is a great
variety. Treat people as they are.
368
When you consider that you are not worthy to belong to the
kingdom of God, wait a moment. Would you like to be a Saint?
"Yes; I would give anything in the world--yea, my life, to be a
true Latter-day Saint." What, and then say you are not worthy to
have a name in the kingdom of God? That is the most unwise
expression you have uttered. We are making Saints of just such
characters. I expect to be made a Saint myself, though I have
many weaknesses about me. I am going to get rid of them as fast I
can. Have I not a desire to do right? Yes; and the Gospel is
designed to make us better and bring us to understanding. When
you are rebuked by each other--when brethren meet you and say,
"This is wrong in you," you should receive it kindly, and express
your thanks for the reproof, and acknowledge the wrong frankly,
and admit that you may frequently do wrong when you do not know
it, and say, "I wish you to enlighten my mind, to take me by the
hand, and let me go along hand-in-hand, and strengthen and
sustain each other." What, in your weaknesses? Yes. Do you expect
to see a perfect man? Not while you stay here.
368
To the capacity you are now in, as mortal beings, a certain
degree of perfection belongs. Many attain to this, and they have
as good desires to be Saints as ever the angel Gabriel had. Then,
will you cast a person off for his weaknesses? No. Rebuke him for
his weaknesses, and convince him of them, and point out the right
path, and see whether he will not walk in it. This is the way I
wish the Elders to treat each other. Do not be afraid, nor
hesitate, if you can possess the Spirit of Christ, to meet your
brother, or your wife, or child, and reprove a wrong in the
spirit of meekness. Never be afraid to testify against evil, and
you will remove the wrong and do good. But when you have the
spirit of envy, and feel, "Such an individual has trampled upon
my toes--he has sought to injure my character by speaking evil of
me," you are more or less out of the way. I wish all the Elders
thought as I do about character; then they would never trouble,
themselves about what others said of it. But if you rightly gain
influence, preserve that. And if you have been wrong, and that
wrong is taken from you, it will create influence for you, and
give you favour before God and with the Saints; but if you cling
to the evil, it will deprive you of gaining that influence you
desire.
368
I do not know but that kings of the earth would give half their
kingdoms, if they could have the affections of their subjects:
they know they have them not. No President of the late United
States ever had the affections and sympathies of half his
constituents. Rulers in the nations would give worlds, if they
could have the influence of the people they preside over that I
have in the midst of this people. They have not got it. And the
man that is now inaugurated President of a part of the States of
America would give half of his power, if he could have the
influence among his constituents that I have in the midst of the
kingdom of God. He cannot get it. Rebuke him, and he will resent
it in a moment. Let one of his cabinet--I would not care if it
was William H. Seward--go to the President and tell him that he
is wrong, and he will at once resent it. He would say, "I think I
know as well as you." And perhaps he does know more than Mr.
Seward, upon all points of sound intelligence. James Buchanan
would resent it; and even as good a man as Washington was would
resent it. He would believe that his dignity was infringed upon,
if he had been told that he was in fault.
368
If you gain a righteous influence, preserve that as you would the
apple of your eye. As for your good name before the people, if
your brother tells you of your wrongs and shows your faults, what
are you going to do about it? Your best plan will be, if you have
done wrong, to repent and refrain from that wrong, and ask
forgiveness of your brethren and of God, and do wrong no more,
and you will regain your influence. If you have done wrong,
though all creation says you have not, what does that amount to?
Nothing; for they would all be wrong on that point.
368
Do not throw away a man or a woman, old or young. If they commit
an evil to-day, and another to-morrow, but wish to be Saints and
to be forgiven, do you forgive them, not only seven times, but
seventy times seven in a day, if their hearts are fully set to do
right. Let us make it a point to pass over their weaknesses and
say, "God bless you in trying to be better in time to come," and
act as wise stewards in the kingdom of God.
368
I have spoken longer than I expected to, and wish brother Kimball
to address you.
368
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Ezra T.
Benson, April 6, 1861
Ezra T. Benson, April 6, 1861
TESTIMONY AND RELIGION OF THE SAINTS.
Remarks made by Ezra T. Benson, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1861.
Reported by J. V. Long.
369
I feel truly thankful, brethren and sisters, for the opportunity
I enjoy this morning. I trust that we have come together with
prayerful hearts before the Lord our God, that his Spirit may be
upon us, and that our prayers and all our devotions during this
Conference may be acceptable in his sight. If I understand my
duty as an Elder in Israel, this should be my object and my
desire, not only in coming to Conference meetings, but also in
all my associations with the people of God. I feel well in
beholding your faces and in having the privilege which I now
enjoy of standing before you. I feel that it is a blessed
opportunity, and one that should be appreciated by us all. We
have the privilege twice in each year of coming up to
headquarters to visit the First Presidency and leading
authorities of the Church in G. S. L. City; and inasmuch as we
have come with pure hearts and clean hands, we shall all have
confidence before God and his people who reside here. Our
anticipations will be realized. We shall receive such
instructions and counsels from our brethren who are called to
preside over us as will be for our best good.
369
I do not feel competent to teach this people; hence I merely rise
to bear my testimony to the truth of the Gospel of the Son of
God. I testify that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the Most High,
that he was a minister of life to the nations, that he revealed
the will of the Father concerning his sons and daughters, that
many of the revelations which he gave concerning this nation have
already been fulfilled, and that others are being fulfilled
before our eyes. I know that he revealed the future destinies of
the nations of the earth, and his predictions are being fulfilled
to the joy and satisfaction of every Latter-day Saint, and there
is no doubt upon our minds in regard to those that are still
unfulfilled. Then what shall I do? Shall I cease to bear any
further testimony? or shall I continue to aver the truth of the
Gospel we have espoused, and the teachings we have received from
Presidents Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Daniel H. Wells?
Yes; these counsels and teachings have been just as good, just as
true as the counsels given by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
369
I now want to ask you a question. What more do you want? What
greater things can you ask for than those gifts and endowments
which you have received? If we have rejected, or treated coolly
and walked underfoot the blessings of the Almighty, remember that
we are on the Devil's ground.
370
While some are grovelling in the dark, drying up in the things of
God, and striving to lead into other channels, and doing that
which will gratify their own corrupt dispositions, we should be
endeavouring to increase in the light and knowledge of the truth,
and to set an example that is worthy of all imitation.
370
Seeing that I have been called upon to make a few remarks, I feel
disposed to take for my text, "Latter-day Saint." If you take up
the character of an Elder in Israel--one who has received the
Gospel in humility, been ordained to the Holy Priesthood because
of his faithfulness, who has preached to the nations of the
earth, borne a faithful testimony to the truth of our holy
religion, what more do you want? and what more can you ask in
proof of that man's integrity? Do you want to search in the
kingdoms of this world for any other testimony than that which we
have received? No. Neither do we want to inquire, except in the
household of faith, respecting the character of our brethren. The
very moment that a man lets go his testimony and the spirit of
his religion, where is his faith? and where is his power? They
pass into the shade: the testimony first given is laid by; it is
put aside--his faith, his wisdom, the power--to receive something
else; and the vacuum is filled up with darkness. Is not a man in
that situation a suitable subject for the Devil to work upon?
Yes, he is. Having set aside the Gospel, closed up the channel of
light and the medium through which he received intelligence, he
cannot comprehend the things of eternity. He has turned his
attention to something else, gone after other gods, become
subject to other spirits, from which he receives dreams and
visions that lead him on to destruction.
370
If we who profess to be Saints expect to keep the light of heaven
within us, and the candle of the Almighty shining round about us,
we must hold fast the beginning of our confidence and strive to
increase in the principles of life and salvation.
370
If I were to go and pray to another God, I should expect that he
would give me revelations to suit his own purpose, and that he
would lead me out of the path in which I am now striving to walk.
He would lead me away from the true and living God, and he would
lead me into doubt and darkness.
370
If we are led by the Spirit of the true and living God, we are
always led aright, we are always happy--always cheerful, we
rejoice evermore, and pray without ceasing. We need not fear in
regard to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is as true to-day as
it was when we first heard it. We have more light, more faith,
more knowledge, and consequently more power than we ever had
before; and God has just as much right, and he is just as willing
to reveal his will unto us as he was twenty years ago.
370
Let us be prayerful, let us cleanse our hearts from every
impurity, and sanctify ourselves before our Heavenly Father, and
we shall surely win the prize; but we cannot upon any other
condition. This is the promise made to us by the Elders who
brought the Gospel to our doors. We were told to cultivate
brotherly kindness, virtue, and charity. We were told to nourish
and cherish the spirit of wisdom, and to be constantly striving
to add to our faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge
temperance, to temperance godliness, to godliness brotherly
kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity; and we were told
that, if these things were in us, we should neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
370
May God bless us all, and enable us to do these things, is my
earnest prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 8 / Daniel
H. Wells, April 6, 1861
Daniel H. Wells, April 6, 1861
KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE GOVERNMENTS OF MEN
Remarks made by President Daniel H. Wells, in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1861.
Reported by J. V. Long.
371
The text taken by brother Benson, I think, is a very good one;
and he has portrayed before us what is necessary to enable us to
be one in following out those virtues and principles which are
Godlike, and which are calculated to make us one, that we also
may become like God. This is our duty and our privilege--to be
Godlike in our ways, to imitate the virtuous, the true, and the
good, and, inasmuch as it is possible, to become ultimately as
pure and holy as our Father and God. This is the privilege of the
human race in our day and generation. We have the light of
revelation to guide the souls of men aright--to make ourselves
like our Father in heaven.
371
We have not known these things until within the last few years,
since the revelation of the fulness of the Gospel. It is one of
the greatest privileges and blessings ever made known to man,
clothed with the light of truth and knowledge from the heavens,
having a channel of communication opened up, through which we get
intelligence from the Father of light, with whom there is no
variableness nor the least shadow of turning. This light and
knowledge has been imparted to the children of men, and by
obedience to its directions they can make themselves like Gods in
the eternal worlds. What beauty, what love, what greatness and
power, and what exceeding great glory lie before the true-hearted
Saint! Let your minds open up to behold in vision the greatness
thereof for the moment that you can see what light, greatness,
and glory are strewn in, and now illuminate your pathway to cheer
you onward through the shifting and varied scenes of life, to the
haven of bliss and glory hereafter, continually enlightening your
minds, solacing you through life, and enabling you to overcome
every difficulty which you may have to encounter in life's
journey.
371
As sorrow and distress are in the world, we expect that every one
will, more or less, have to drink of the bitter cup. This light,
these great gifts, this promise of reward, of happiness, and
exaltation, the lovely principles that are unfolded to our view
are enough to inspire in the human heart, every day, joy that
could not be conceived of by the natural man.
372
As was asked by brother Benson, what more could we ask to prove
to ourselves that this is the work of the Almighty? What more
could we have to induce us to pursue the right way? Still, how
little are these blessings appreciated by the world at
large--yes, and by the Saints of the Most High, in comparison
with what they should be. It seems as though we often forget what
our real blessings are, and thereby let darkness creep into our
minds and cover up the little light that is in us. We should
remember that our religion is designed to redeem a lost world
from sin, from the bondage of iniquity, and also from the rule
and thraldom of Satan, which have enveloped it for generations,
and covered it, as it were, with a thick pall, and well nigh
desolated the earth. It is designed now to restore it to and
place it in the light, to fill it with intelligence and sanctify
it through the truth. Our religion teaches us to draw wisdom from
the fountain of wisdom, and to extend it to the minds of others;
it opens up to its adherents every privilege which the heart of a
righteous man can desire, and it leads on the faithful to glory
and honour in world of light.
372
But what is the reverse? What is the other side of the picture?
It is confusion, distress of communities, division in families,
distress of nations, a fearful looking forward into the future
because of the judgments of the Almighty, which they apprehend
are near at their doors. Have they any desire to do any better?
No. But the wicked are striving to see how they can get more
advantages over their neighbour, and thus do worse and serve the
Devil better, and almost with railroad speed, that they may see
wickedness predominate throughout the length and breadth of the
land. The conduct of the wicked leads to darkness and misery in
the present as well as in the future.
372
How thankful, then, we should be that this Gospel and the light
of revelation have reached out minds, and caused our bosoms to
vibrate with the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. The welcome
sound and accompanying power have plucked us as brands from the
burning, Then do you not feel thankful that we have this blessed
privilege, and that we had understanding enough left with us when
this Gospel reached our ears to embrace it? It has been the
privilege of the world to do the same; our contemporaries in all
nations have the opportunity of becoming acquainted with its
blessings. The light of this Gospel has been shed forth, more or
less, among all nations of the globe; thousands and millions have
heard it, but many only to reject it, because of the pride of
life and the lust of the world. Friends and relatives who have
dared to differ in opinion with their connections, and to join
themselves to an unpopular people, have found that it has cost
them their name in society, their character among their fellows,
their fortune, and all they possessed. This view having been
taken of it by many who have examined its principles, has caused
them to reject it.
373
It is the privilege of the people of this nation, as much so as
it has been ours, to receive the benefits of this Gospel: it is
also the privilege of our Government to do good to this people;
but it is left with them to act according to the dictates of
their own consciences. It is not only their privilege, but it is
their duty to foster this kingdom; and it was one of the main
objects of the Government in laying the whole structure thereof,
that it should afford succour and support to the kingdom of God.
It was the wish of the Almighty that the principles of liberty
and of righteousness should underlie the flag of the Union and
the institutions that flow from that Government. "Who could dare
to question often asked in revolutionary times. How has the
Government of our country performed that important duty towards
this people? We only need refer to our past history to answer
this question. It ignored the privilege that we claimed, and
refused to do its duty. That neglect on the part of our
Government caused thousands to be ruined--to be driven forth into
the trackless wilds, and for want of ordinary subsistence many
weakened and died. The wilful neglect of our Government caused
the best blood of this generation to be shed; it caused hundreds
to die through exposure, and in every respect it has failed to
come out and maintain the rights of conscience towards the Saints
of the Most High. It would have been far better for us if we had
had no pretensions to government at all, than for it thus to have
encouraged the hand of the plunderer and of the murderer. We
should have fared much better than we did, to say nothing of
their finally concentrating their power and their influence to
wipe us out of existence, after we had gained a foothold in these
dreary deserts.
373
Then, so far as we are concerned, we should have been better
without a government than with such as one. It is a principle in
political economy that no government shall be bound together any
longer than it is good for its subjects. Whenever any government
fails to protect and preserve the rights and interests of its
people, they can no longer be expected to render unto it their
allegiance and support; hence we see the people occasionally
shaking off the chains of tyranny that bind them. Through all
this abuse and neglect on the part of the present Government,
this people has shown the most devoted loyalty, and they never
have breathed a word or exhibited a desire to throw it off. When
administered in its legitimate channel, it is one of the best
governments upon the face of the whole earth; and if it had been
used for the purposes for which it was originally designed, it
would have been both stronger and better.
373
We find no fault with its institutions, neither do we
particularly object to its form of government; but it is its
administration, and the way its institutions and laws have been
abused. The way it is now and has for years past been
administered has founded the cause of complaint. It recognises
the principle of self-government, that the people have the right
to control. Of that principle we have long been apprised, but it
has never been extended to us as a people. Through the arts and
plans of politicians, they have managed to deprive Territories of
that which is given to the States. This is contrary to the genius
of the Constitution which gives the people the right to choose
their own rulers: taxation should only be exacted where
representation is allowed. These privileges have been withheld
from this, as well as from other Territories; and the pattern
given for this Territory in the organic act is not materially
different from any other. Our offence has been that we have asked
for those of our own choosing to rule us. It has been the case,
it is true, that they have chosen persons from the States to hold
offices in all the Territories, and ostensibly they have made no
difference; but this should be considered, that the appointing
power has given others the opportunity of making known their
preference, and such wishes have generally been considered, with
the exception of the people of this Territory.
374
I am now speaking of the past. Hitherto it has been as I have now
mentioned. This Government has been partial in this and in many
other respects, and has no real claim upon our affections; but
still we seek to preserve those institutions and to keep sacred
those wise provisions which are embodied in the Constitution as
it was formed by our fathers; and perhaps we are the only people
that do seek the salvation of our country at the present time;
and it will finally be shown that we are the only people that
will stand by its principles, and make it what it was intended to
be--an asylum for the oppressed of all nations.
374
It is truly a strange crisis to which the country has now
arrived. It is something like a statement I saw the other day,
very truly depicted, though very humiliating to receive, to be
compared with an old rotten government like that of Austria--a
government naturally crumbling to pieces--a government notorious
for its oppression of its subjects for many generations. Another
and a new one that has not yet attained its full size presents
the same picture to the enlightened world; it also is crumbling
to pieces from the same cause--corruption from the centre to the
circumference. I do not think there is a more corrupt government
upon the face of the earth. It seems that when they commenced
their war upon us, they commenced to glide the downward road to
destruction.
374
It is patent everywhere that the Government does not look for
anything from their public servants but corruption and robbery.
They settle all their accounts with this understanding of the
subject, and the whole machinery has become corrupt in the sight
of Heaven and all good men.
374
In departing from the principles of truth, of life and mercy, in
rejecting the message of salvation that has been sent to them,
through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the
Most High God, who was chosen to open up the work of this last
dispensation, they paved the way for their own destruction. They
have rolled up against this people in their wrath and in their
hatred, and have striven to destroy the Priesthood from the
earth. We now begin to see the results. In the days of our
tribulations they said to the mobs, "Go on." Yes, they encouraged
our enemies in the perpetration of all their abominable acts. The
Prophet of the Lord spoke and told them they should have mobs to
their heart's satisfaction, but it should be among themselves,
one State against another, until the whole land should be deluged
with the blood of its inhabitants.
374
When our people applied to the Government to compel the State of
Missouri to restore us to our lands, they pretended they could
not interfere with a sovereign State; and, as a reward for their
conduct, they have now got State's sovereignty to their heart's
content; and this will continue to be poured back upon them: they
will have to walk in the road which they laid out for us, and
that which they would have put upon us is now fast coming upon
their own heads. What more striking illustration could be brought
to bear upon the minds of this people? What course could the Lord
pursue that would seem to satisfy mankind more that these are his
people, and that this is his work, than that which is being daily
acted before all the world? It is as was said of old--this work
is as a light set upon a hill. This cause and kingdom are a
living, perpetual, and final testimony to the nations that God is
with us, though we are despised by the world.
375
The wicked reject this Gospel and this message from the Almighty,
which is given in much mercy for their salvation. The fault must
rest upon their own heads; they have certainly been warned time
and again. They live in the time of final warning, and they begin
to feel the reaction which is coming upon them. They have sent
forth their thunderbolts against the Lord's anointed ones, and
the rebound is beginning to take effect upon their own heads. It
does seem to me that, if they were honest, they would acknowledge
this. But we do not expect them to do it at the present time:
they are too far steeped in the follies and wickedness of the
world to confess that God has thwarted their designs. Many,
perhaps, do see it; but the pride of life and their own wicked
desires may prevent them from acknowledging the hand of God in
the midst of this people.
375
We have been sent forth into the world to preach the Gospel, and
the Almighty has been with us to take care of us. We need not
fear when nations are crumbling to pieces; we need only press on
in the way of our duty, and there will always be sufficient light
given in this kingdom to lead every Saint of God in the path of
duty and of right. It is, then, for every soul to cleave to God,
walk in the way of righteousness, to be united in doing good, to
be one in heart and in mind--one in purpose and in faith, to live
our holy religion, and let outside things take their course; and
let us be true to the cause we have espoused, and be ready at a
moment's notice to do anything that may be required of us. Let
our hearts and minds swell with thanksgiving to God, strive to
obtain his Spirit, and we shall see the propriety of his working
among the children of men.
375
Did any of you ever do anything contrary to your own feelings
because you were set to do it? I have one request to make, which
is, that when he whom we have all known to be the chosen of God
to lead this people requires anything at our hands, let us not
only do it, but strive to see a propriety and a consistency in
all his plans, that we may thereby increase in our faith to work
with his for the redemption of Israel; and we shall soon see the
benefit and beauty of doing things with our whole heart. It is
very easy to find fault with an enterprise--much more so than to
introduce one that would be better. It is much easier to object
than to originate. There is evil growing out of this: it breeds
division, encourages contention; and hence the necessity of
striving to get a right conception of all things.
375
Let us seek for light from on high, that our actions may be more
productive of union. Do you not know that when the earth is
redeemed from sin and iniquity, and from the degradation that
desolates the whole face thereof, that this people have the
promise of inheriting it forever, and that they have now the
privilege of establishing the principles of truth upon a firm
foundation, never again to be thrown down? Do you not know that
it is the privilege of the Saints to take the kingdom and possess
it as an everlasting inheritance? And how is this to be done? Is
it to be by going forth in martial array, and taking it by force
of arms? No. Not so fast: wait a little. It is to be done by
snatching from the Devil every inch of ground that we can, and
then keeping it. It is to be brought about by observing the
principles of salvation which have been revealed from the heavens
for the exaltation of the people; it is to be by uniting together
that we may become a mighty phalanx against which the surges of
iniquity may strike in vain.
376
I always feel happy by going into a settlement and seeing a few
faithful Saints. They are more precious to me than would be the
crowns of nations. All this fearful and dark influence that is
being gathered together among the wicked, for the purpose of
destroying God's kingdom, is going to be rolled back upon the
wicked nations that dwell upon the earth's surface; and they will
be swept off, and the light of truth and the knowledge of God
will increase among the faithful inhabitants that remain, until
the whole earth will be illuminated by the righteousness of the
Saints, and the elect of God will enjoy all the benefits of
redemption, unmolested for a thousand years. This, then, is a
great and a glorious work--one that will cheer the heart of man;
and there is nothing that a man can be engaged in that will at
all compare with it.
376
Let us be faithful before the Lord our God; let us live our holy
religion, and be cheered with these heavenly ideas, and with this
influence that enamates from our Father and God. Let us go on our
way rejoicing; let us be faithful and true, virtuous and holy;
and let us, above all things that we do upon the earth, strive
with all our power and might to advance the interests of the
kingdom of our God. That this may be our purpose, and that in the
end of our probation we may be found worthy of the society of the
sanctified and redeemed of all ages and nations, is my prayer, in
the name of Jesus. Amen.