Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6
Journal of Discourses,
Volume 6
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Joseph
Smith, April 6, 1844
Joseph Smith, April 6, 1844
CHARACTER AND BEING OF GOD--CREATION--SALVATION OF THE DEAD--THE
UNPARDONABLE SIN--RESURRECTION--BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT, ETC.
A Discourse, by President Joseph Smith,
delivered at the Conference held near the Temple,
in Nauvoo, April 6, 1844.
Reported by W. Richards, W. Woodruff, T. Bullock, and W. Clayton
Smith
Beloved Saints,--I will call the attention of this congregation
while I address you on the subject of the dead. The decease of
our beloved brother, Elder King Follett, who was crushed in a
well by the falling of a tub of rock, has more immediately led me
to that subject. I have been requested to speak by his friends
and relatives; but inasmuch as there are a great many in this
congregation who live in this city, as well as elsewhere, who
have lost friends, I feel disposed to speak on the subject in
general, and offer you my ideas so far as I have ability and so
far as I shall be inspired by the Holy Spirit to dwell on this
subject.
Smith
I want your prayers and faith that I may have the instruction of
Almighty God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, so that I may set
forth things that are true and which can be easily comprehended
by you, and that the testimony many carry conviction to your
hearts and minds of the truth of what I shall say. Pray that the
Lord may strengthen my lungs, stay the winds, and let the prayers
of the Saints to heaven appear, that they may enter into the ears
of the Lord of Sabaoth; for the effectual prayers of the
righteous avail much. There is strength here; and I verily
believe that your prayers will be heard.
Smith
Before I enter fully into the investigation of the subject which
is lying before me, I wish to pave the way and bring up the
subject from the beginning, that you may understand it. I will
make a few preliminaries, in order that you may understand the
subject when I come to it. I do not calculate or intend to please
your ears with superfluity of words, or oratory, or with much
learning; but I calculate to edify you with the simple truths
from heaven.
Smith
In the first place, I wish to go back to the beginning--to the
morn of creation. There is the starting-point for us to look to,
in order to understand and be fully acquainted with the mind,
purposes, and decrees of the great Eloheim, who sits in yonder
heavens as he did at the creation of this world. It is necessary
for us to have an understanding of God himself in the beginning.
If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we
start wrong, we may go wrong, and it will be a hard matter to get
right.
Smith
There are but a very few beings in the world who understand
rightly the character of God. The great majority of mankind do
not comprehend anything, either that which is past or that which
is to come, as respects their relationship to God. They do not
know, neither do they understand the nature of that relationship;
and, consequently, they know but little above the brute beast, or
more than to eat, drink, and sleep. This is all man knows about
God or his existence, unless it is given by the inspiration of
the almighty.
Smith
If a man learns nothing more than to eat, drink, and sleep, and
does not comprehend any of the designs of God, the beast
comprehends the same thing. It eats, drinks, sleeps, and knows
nothing more about God: yet it knows as much as we, unless we are
able to comprehend by the inspiration of Almighty God. If men do
not comprehend the character of God they do not comprehend
themselves. I want to go back to the beginning, and so lift your
minds into a more lofty sphere and a more exalted understanding
than what the human mind generally aspires to.
Smith
I want to ask this congregation--every man, women, and child, to
answer the question in their own heart, what kind of a being God
is? Ask yourselves; turn your thoughts into your hearts, and say
if any of you have seen, heard, or communed with him. This is a
question that may occupy your attention for a long time. I again
repeat the question--What kind of a being is God? Does any man or
woman know? Have any of you seen him, heard him, or communed with
him? Here is the question that will peradventure from this time
henceforth occupy your attention. The Scriptures inform us that
"This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."
Smith
If any man does not know God, and inquires what kind of a being
he is,--if he will search diligently his own heart--if the
declarations of Jesus and the Apostles be true--he will realize
that he has not eternal life; for there can be eternal life on no
other principle.
Smith
My first object is to find out the character of the only wise and
true God, and what kind of a being he is; and if I am so
fortunate as to be the man to comprehend God, and explain or
convey the principles to your hearts, so that the Spirit seals
them upon you, then let every man and woman henceforth sit in
silence, put their hands on their mouths, and never lift their
hands or voices or say anything against the man of God or the
servants of God again. But if I fail to do it, it becomes my duty
to renounce all further pretensions to revelations, inspirations,
or to be a Prophet; and I should be like the rest of the world--a
false teacher, be hailed as a friend, and no man would seek my
life. But if all religious teachers were honest enough to
renounce their pretensions to godliness, when their ignorance of
the knowledge of God is made manifest, they will all be as badly
off as I am, at any rate; and you might just as well take the
lives of other false teachers as that of mine, if I am false. If
any man is authorized to take away my life because he thinks and
says I am a false teacher, then, upon the same principle, we
should be justified in taking away the life of every false
teacher; and where would be the end of blood? and who would not
be the sufferer?
Smith
But meddle not with any man for his religion; and all governments
ought to permit every man to enjoy his religion unmolested. No
man is authorized to take away life in consequence of difference
of religion, which all laws and governments ought to tolerate and
protect, right or wrong. Every man has a natural and, in our
country, a constitutional right to be a false prophet as well as
a true prophet. If I show, verily, that I have the truth of God,
and show that ninety-nine out of every hundred professing
religious ministers are false teachers, having no authority,
while they pretend to hold the keys of God's kingdom on earth,
and was to kill them because they are false teachers, it would
deluge the whole world with blood.
Smith
I will prove that the world is wrong, by showing what God is. I
am going to inquire after God; for I want you all to know him and
to be familiar with him; and if I can bring you to a knowledge of
him, all persecutions against me ought to cease. You will then
know that I am his servant; for I speak as one having authority.
Smith
I will go back to the beginning, before the world was, to show
what kind of a being God is. What sort of a being was God in the
beginning? Open your ears and hear, all ye ends of the earth; for
I am going to prove it to you by the Bible, and to tell you the
designs of God in relation to the human race, and why he
interferes with the affairs of man.
Smith
God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and
sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret. If
the vail was rent to-day, and the great God who holds this world
in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his
power, was to make himself visible,--I say, if you were to see
him to-day, you would see him like a man in form--like
yourselves, in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for
Adam was created in the very fashion, image, and likeness of God,
and received instruction from, and walked, talked, and conversed
with him, as one man talks and communes with another.
Smith
In order to understand the subject of the dead, for the
consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it
is necessary that we should understand the character and being of
God, and how he came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God
came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God
from all eternity, I will refute that idea, and will take away
and do away the vail, so that you may see.
Smith
These are incomprehensible ideas to some; but they are simple. It
is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the
character of God and to know that we may converse with him as one
man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us;
yea, that God himself the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth the
same as Jesus Christ himself did; and I will show it from the
Bible. I wish I was in a suitable place to tell it, and that I
had the trump of an archangel, so that I could tell the story in
such a manner that persecution would cease for ever. What did
Jesus say? (Mark it, Elder Rigdon.) The Scriptures inform us that
Jesus said, "As the Father hath power in himself, even so hath
the Son power"--to do what? Why, what the Father did. The answer
is obvious--in a manner, to lay down his body and take it up
again. Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down my life, as
my Father did, and take it up again. Do you believe it? If you do
not believe it, you do not believe the Bible. The Scriptures say
it, and I defy all the learning and wisdom and all the combined
powers of earth and hell together to refute it.
Smith
Here, then, is eternal life--to know the only wise and true God;
and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be
kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before
you,--namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from
a small capacity to a great one,--from grace to grace, from
exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of
the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings and to
sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power.
And I want you to know that God, in the last days, while certain
individuals are proclaiming his name, is not trifling with you or
me.
Smith
These are the first principles of consolation. How consoling to
the mourners, when they are called to part with a husband, wife,
father, mother, child, or dear relative, to know that, although
the earthly tabernacle is laid down and dissolved, they shall
rise again, to dwell in everlasting burnings in immortal glory,
not to sorrow, suffer, or die any more; but they shall be heirs
of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? To inherit
the same power, the same glory, and the same exaltation, until
you arrive at the station of a God and ascend the throne of
eternal power, the same as those who have gone before. What did
Jesus do? Why, I do the things I saw my Father do when worlds
come rolling into existence. My Father worked out his kingdom
with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get
my kingdom, I shall present it to my Father, so that he may
obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt him in glory. He
will then take a higher exaltation, and I will take his place,
and thereby become exalted myself. So that Jesus treads in the
track of his Father, and inherits what God did before; and God is
thus glorified and exalted in the salvation and exaltation of all
his children. It is plain beyond disputation; and you thus learn
some of the first principles of the Gospel, about which so much
hath been said.
Smith
When you climb a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend
step by step until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the
principles of the Gospel: you must begin with the first, and go
on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will
be a great while after you have passed through the vail before
you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in
this world: it will be a great work to learn our salvation and
exaltation even beyond the grave. I suppose I am not allowed to
go into an investigation of anything that is not contained in the
Bible. If I did, I think there are so many over-wise men here,
that they would cry "treason" and put me to death. So I will go
to the old Bible and turn commentator to-day.
Smith
I shall comment on the very first Hebrew word in the Bible. I
will make a comment on the very first sentence of the history of
creation in the Bible--Berosheit. I want to analyze the word.
Baith--in, by, through, and everything else. Rosh--the head.
Sheit--grammatical termination. When the inspired man wrote it,
he did not put the Baith there. An old Jew, without any
authority, added the word. He thought it too bad to begin to talk
about the head! It read first, "The head one of the Gods brought
forth the Gods." That is the true meaning of the words. Baurau
signified to bring forth. If you do not believe it, you do not
believe the learned man of God. Learned men can teach you no more
than what I have told you. Thus, the head God brought forth the
Gods in the grand council.
Smith
I will transpose and simplify if in the English language. Oh, ye
lawyers, ye doctors, and ye priests, who have persecuted me, I
want to let you know that the Holy Ghost knows something as well
as you do. The head God called together the Gods and sat in grand
council to bring forth the world. The grand counsellors sat at
the head in yonder heavens, and contemplated the creation of the
worlds which were created at that time. When I say doctors and
lawyers, I mean the doctors and lawyers of the Scriptures. I have
done so hitherto without explanation, to let the lawyers flutter,
and everybody laugh at them. Some learned doctor might take a
notion to say the Scriptures say thus and so; and we must believe
the Scriptures; they are not to be altered. But I am going to
show you an error in them.
Smith
I have an old edition of the New Testament in the Hebrew, Latin,
German, and Greek languages. I have been reading the German, and
find it to be the most correct translation, and to correspond
nearest to the revelations which God has given to me for the last
fourteen years. It tells about Jachoboy, the son of Zebedee. It
means Jacob. In the English New Testament it is translated James.
Now, if Jacob had the keys, you might talk about James through
all eternity, and never get the keys. In the 21st verse of the
fourth chapter of Matthew, my old German edition gives the word
Jacob instead of James.
Smith
The doctors (I mean doctors of law, not of physic,) say, "If you
preach anything not according to the Bible, we will cry treason."
How can we escape the damnation of hell, except God be with us
and reveal to us? Men bind us with chains. The Latin says
Jachabod, which means Jacob; the Hebrew says Jacob, the Creek
says Jacob, and the German says Jacob. Here we have the testimony
of four against one. I thank God I have got this old book; but I
thank him more for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have got the
oldest book in the world; but I have got the oldest book in my
heart, even the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have all the four
Testaments. Come here, ye learned men, and read, if you can. I
should not have introduced this testimony, were it not to back up
the word Rosh--the head, the father of the Gods. I should not
have brought it up, only to show that I am right.
Smith
In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the
Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the
world and people it. When we begin to learn in this way, we begin
to learn the only true God and what kind of a being we have got
to worship. Having a knowledge of God, we begin to know how to
approach him and how to ask so as to receive an answer.
Smith
When we understand the character of God and know how to come to
him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us and to tell us all
about it. When we are ready to come to him, he is ready to come
to us.
Smith
Now, I ask all who hear me, why the learned men who are preaching
salvation say that God created the heavens and the earth out of
nothing? The reason is, that they are unlearned in the things of
God and have not the gift of the Holy Ghost. They account it
blasphemy in any one to contradict their idea. If you tell them
that God made the world out of something, they will call you a
fool. But I am learned, and know more than all the world put
together. The Holy Ghost does, anyhow; and he is within me, and
comprehends more than all the world; and I will associate myself
with him.
Smith
You ask the learned doctors why they say the world was made
out of nothing; and they will answer, "Don't the Bible say he
created the world?" And they infer, from the word create, that it
must have been made out of nothing. How, the word create came
from the word baurau, which does not mean to create out of
nothing; it means to organize--the same as a man would organize
materials and build a ship. Hence we infer that God had materials
to organize the world out of chaos--chaotic matter, which is
element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an
existence from the time He had. The pure principles of element
are principles which can never be destroyed: they may be
organized and re-organized, but not destroyed. They had no
beginning, and can have no end.
Smith
I have another subject to dwell upon, which is calculated to
exalt man. But it is impossible for me to say much on this
subject. I shall, therefore, just touch upon it; for time will
not permit me to say all. It is associated with the subject of
the resurrection of the dead--namely, the soul, the mind of man,
the immortal spirit. Where did it come from? All learned men and
doctors of divinity say that God created it in the beginning. But
it is not so. The very idea lessons man in my estimation. I do
not believe the doctrine. I know better. Here it, all ye ends of
the world; for God has told me so; and if you don't believe me,
it will not make the truth without effect. I will make a man
appear a fool before I get through, if he does not believe it. I
am going to tell of things more noble.
Smith
We say that God himself is a self-existent being. Who told you
so? It is correct enough; but how did it get into your heads? Who
told you that man did not exist in like manner upon the same
principles? Man does exist upon the same principles. God made a
tabernacle and put a spirit into it, and it became a living soul.
[Referred to the old Bible.] How does it read in the Hebrew? It
does not say in the Hebrew that God created the spirit of man. It
says, "God made man out of the earth, and put into him Adam's
spirit, and so became a living body."
Smith
The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is coequal with
God himself. I know that my testimony is true; hence, when I talk
to these mourners, what have they lost? Their relatives and
friends are only separated from their bodies for a short season:
their spirits which existed with God have left the tabernacle of
clay only for a little moment, as it were; and they now exist in
a place where they converse together the same as we do on the
earth.
Smith
I am dwelling on the immortality of the spirit of man. Is it
logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and
yet that it had a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no
beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic. That
which has a beginning may have an end. There never was a time
when there were not spirits; for they are co-equal with our
Father in heaven.
Smith
I want to reason more on the spirit of man; for I am dwelling on
the body and spirit of man--on the subject of the dead. I take my
ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man--the
immortal part, because it has no beginning. Suppose you cut it in
two, then it has a beginning and an end; but join it again, and
it continues one eternal round. So with the spirit of man. As the
Lord liveth, if it had a beginning it will have an end. All the
fools and learned and wise men from the beginning of creation,
who say that the spirit of man had a beginning, prove that it
must have an end; and if that doctrine is true, then the doctrine
of annihilation would be true. But if I am right, I might with
boldness proclaim from the housetops that God never had the power
to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create
himself.
Smith
Intelligence is eternal and exists upon a self-existent
principle. It is a spirit from age to age, and there is no
creation about it. All the minds and spirits that God ever sent
into the world are susceptible of enlargement.
Smith
The first principles of man are self-existent with God. God
himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory,
because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws
whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself.
The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to
advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct
the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with himself,
so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that
knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence which is requisite in
order to save them in the world of spirits.
Smith
This is good doctrine. It tastes good. I can taste the principles
of eternal life, and so can you. They are given to me by the
revelations of Jesus Christ; and I know that when I tell you
these words of eternal life as they are given to me, you taste
them, and I know you believe them. You say honey is sweet, and so
do I. I can also taste the spirit of eternal life. I know it is
good; and when I tell you of these things which were given me by
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are bound to receive them as
sweet, and I rejoice more and more.
Smith
I want to talk more of the relation of man to God. I will open
your eyes in relation to your dead. All things whatsoever God of
his infinite wisdom has seen fit and proper to reveal to us,
while we are dwelling in mortality, in regard to our mortal
bodies, are revealed to us in the abstract and independent of
affinity of this mortal tabernacle; but are revealed to our
spirits precisely as though we had no bodies at all; and those
revelations which will save our spirits will save our bodies. God
reveals them to us in view of no eternal dissolution of the body,
or tabernacle. Hence the responsibility--the awful responsibility
that rests upon us in relation to our dead; for all the spirits
who have not obeyed the Gospel in the flesh must either obey it
in the spirit or be damned. Solemn thought!--dreadful thought! Is
there nothing to be done? No preparation--no salvation for our
fathers and friends who have died without having had the
opportunity to obey the decrees of the Son of Man? Would to God
that I had forty days and nights in which to tell you all! I
would let you know that I am not a "fallen prophet."
Smith
What promises are made in relation to the subject of the
salvation of the dead? and what kind of characters are those who
can be saved, although their bodies are mouldering and decaying
in the grave? When his commandments teach us, it is in view of
eternity; for we are looked upon by God as though we were in
eternity. God dwells in eternity, and does not view things as we
do.
Smith
The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon
us is to seek after our dead. The Apostle says, "They without us
cannot be made perfect;" for it is necessary that the sealing
power should be in our hands to seal our children and our dead
for the fulness of the dispensation of times--a dispensation to
meet the promises made by Jesus Christ before the foundation of
the world for the salvation of man.
Smith
Now, I will speak of them. I will meet Paul half-way. I say to
you, Paul, you cannot be perfect without us. It is necessary that
those who are gone before and those who come after us should have
salvation in common with us; and thus hath God made it obligatory
upon man. Hence God said, "I will send Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he
shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the
hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite
the earth with a curse."
Smith
I have a declaration to make as to the provisions which God hath
made to suit the conditions of man, made from before the
foundation of the world. What has Jesus said? All sins, and all
blasphemies, and every transgression, except one, that man can be
guilty of, may be forgiven; and there is a salvation for all men,
either in this world or the world to come, who have not committed
the unpardonable sin, there being a provision either in this
world or the world of spirits. Hence God hath made a provision
that every spirit in the eternal world can be ferreted out and
saved, unless he has committed that unpardonable sin which cannot
be remitted to him either in this world or the world of spirits.
God has wrought out a salvation for all men, unless they have
committed a certain sin; and every man who has a friend in the
eternal world can save him, unless he has committed the
unpardonable sin. And so you can see how far you can be a
saviour.
Smith
A man cannot commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolution of
the body, and there is a way possible for escape. Knowledge saves
a man; and in the world of spirits no man can be exalted but by
knowledge. So long as a man will not give heed to the
commandments, he must abide without salvation. If a man has
knowledge, he can be saved; although, if he has been guilty of
great sins, he will be punished for them. But when he consents to
obey the Gospel, whether here or in the world of spirits, he is
saved.
Smith
A man is his own tormentor and his own condemner. Hence the
saying, They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and
brimstone. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as
exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone. I say, so is
the torment of man.
Smith
I know the Scriptures and understand them. I said no man can
commit the unpardonable sin after the dissolution of the body,
nor in this life until he received the Holy Ghost; but they must
do it in this world. Hence the salvation of Jesus Christ was
wrought out for all men in order to triumph over the Devil; for
if it did not catch him in one place, it would in another; for he
stood up as a Saviour. All will suffer until they obey Christ
himself.
Smith
The contention in heaven was--Jesus said there would be certain
souls that would not be saved; and the Devil said he could save
them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave
their vote in favour of Jesus Christ. So the Devil rose up in
rebellion against God, and was cast down, with all who put up
their heads for him.
Smith
All sins shall be forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost;
for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a
man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy
Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then
sin against him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost,
there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun
does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ
when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan
of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it; and from that
time he begins to be an enemy. This is the case with many
apostates of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Smith
When a man begins to be an enemy to this work, he hunts me; he
seeks to kill me, and never ceases to thirst for my blood. He
gets the spirit of the Devil--the same spirit that they had who
crucified the Lord of Life,--the same spirit that sins against
the Holy Ghost. You cannot save such persons; you cannot bring
them to repentance: they make open war like the Devil, and awful
is the consequence.
Smith
I advise all of you to be careful what you do, or you may
by-and-by find out that you have been deceived. Stay yourselves;
do not give way; don't make any hasty moves: you may be be saved.
If a spirit of bitterness is in you, don't be in haste. You may
say that man is a sinner. Well, if he repents, he shall be
forgiven. Be cautious: await! When you find a spirit what wants
bloodshed--murder, the same is not of God, but is of the Devil.
Out of the abundance of the heart of man the mouth speaketh.
Smith
The best men bring forth the best works. The man who tells you
words of life is the man who can save you. I warn you against all
evil characters who sin against the Holy Ghost; for there is no
redemption for them in this world nor in the world to come.
Smith
I could go back and trace every subject of interest concerning
the relationship of man to God, if I had time. I can enter into
the mysteries; I can enter largely into the eternal worlds; for
Jesus said, "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."
(John 14th chap., 2nd v.) Paul says, "There is one glory of the
sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the
stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also
is the resurrection of the dead." (1st Cor. 15th chap., 41st v.)
What have we to console us in relation to the dead? We have
reason to have the greatest hope and consolations for our dead of
any people on the earth; for we have seen them walk worthily in
our midst, and seen them sink asleep in the arms of Jesus; and
those who have died in the faith are now in the celestial kingdom
of God. And hence is the glory of the sun.
Smith
You mourners have occasion to rejoice (speaking of the death of
Elder King Follett); for your husband and father is gone to wait
until the resurrection of the dead--until the perfection of the
remainder; for at the resurrection your friend will rise in
perfect felicity and go to celestial glory, while many must wait
myriads of years before they can receive the like blessings; and
your expectations and hopes are far above what man can conceive;
for why has God revealed it to us?
Smith
I AM AUTHORIZED to say, by the authority of the Holy Ghost, that
you have no occasion to fear; for he is gone to the home of the
just. Don't mourn; don't weep. I know it by the testimony of the
Holy Ghost that is within me; and you may wait for your friends
to come forth to meet you in the morn of the celestial world.
Smith
Rejoice, O Israel! Your friends who have been murdered for the
truth's sake in the persecution shall triumph gloriously in the
celestial world, while their murderers shall welter for ages in
torment, even until they shall have paid the uttermost farthing.
I say this for the benefit of strangers.
Smith
I have a father, brothers, children, and friends who have gone to
a world of spirits. They are only absent for a moment. They are
in the spirit, and we shall soon meet again. The time will soon
arrive when the trumpet shall sound. When we depart, we shall
hail our mothers, fathers, friends, and all whom we love who have
fallen asleep in Jesus. There will be no fear of mobs,
persecutions, or malicious law-suits and arrests; but it will be
an eternity of felicity.
Smith
A question may be asked--"Will mothers have their children in
eternity?" Yes! yes! Mothers, you shall have your children; for
they shall have eternal life; for their debt is paid. There is no
damnation awaits them, for they are in the spirit. But as the
child dies, so shall it rise from the dead, and be for ever
living in the learning of God. It will never grow: it will still
be the child, in the same precise form as it appeared before it
died out of its mother's arms, but possessing all the
intelligence of a God. Children dwell in the mansions of glory
and exercise power, but appear in the same form as when on earth.
Eternity is full of thrones, upon which dwell thousands of
children reigning on thrones of glory, with not one cubit added
to their stature.
Smith
I will leave this subject here, and make a few remarks on the
subject of baptism. The baptism of water, without the baptism of
fire and the Holly Ghost attending it, is of no use: they are
necessary and inseparably connected. An individual must be born
of water and the spirit in order to get into the kingdom of God.
In the German, the text bears me out the same as the revelations
which I have given and taught for the last fourteen years on that
subject. I have the testimony to put in their teeth. My testimony
has been true all the time. You will find it in the declaration
of John the Baptist. [Reads from the German.] John says, "I
baptise you with water; but when Jesus comes, who has the power
(or keys), he shall administer the baptism of fire and the Holy
Ghost." Great God! where is now all the sectarian world? And if
this testimony is true, they are all damned as clearly as
anathema can do it. I know the text is true. I call upon all you
Germans who know that it is true to say aye. (Loud shouts of
aye.)
Smith
Alexander Campbell, how are you going to save people with water
alone? For John said his baptism was good for nothing without the
baptism of Jesus Christ. "Therefore, not leaving the principles
of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of
faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on
of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. And this will we do, if God permit." (Heb. 6th chap.,
1st to 3rd v.)
Smith
There is one God, one Father, one Jesus, one hope of our calling,
one baptism. All these three baptisms only make one. Many talk of
baptism not being essential to salvation: but this kind of
teaching would lay the foundation of their damnation. I have the
truth, and am at the defiance of the world to contradict me if
they can.
Smith
I have now preached a little Latin, a little Hebrew, Greek, and
German; and I have fulfilled all. I am not so big a fool as many
have taken me to be. The Germans know that I read the German
correctly.
Smith
Hear it, all ye ends of the earth--all ye priests, all ye
sinners, and all men. Repent! repent! Obey the Gospel. Turn to
God; for your religion won't save you, and you will be damned. I
do not say how long. There have been remarks made concerning all
men being redeemed from hell; but I say that those who sin
against the Holy Ghost cannot be forgiven in this world or in the
world to come: they shall die the second death. Those who commit
the unpardonable sin are doomed to Gnolom, to dwell in hell,
worlds without end. As they concoct scenes of bloodshed in this
world, so they shall rise to that resurrection which is as the
lake of fire and brimstone. Some shall rise to the everlasting
burning of God; for God dwells in everlasting burnings; and some
shall rise to the damnation of their own filthiness, which is as
exquisite a torment a the lake of fire and brimstone.
Smith
I have intended my remarks for all, both rich and poor, bond and
free, great and small. I have no enmity against any man. I love
you all; but I have some of your deeds. I am your best friend;
and if persons miss their mark, it is their own fault. If I
reprove a man and he hates me, he is a fool; for I love all men,
especially these my brethren and sisters.
Smith
I rejoice in hearing the testimony of my aged friends. You don't
know me: you never knew my heart. No man knows my history. I
cannot tell it: I shall never undertake it. I don't blame any one
for not believing my history. If I had not experienced what I
have, I could not have believed it myself. I never did harm any
man since I was born into the world. My voice is always for
peace.
Smith
I cannot lie down until all my work is finished. I never think
any evil, nor do anything to the harm of my fellow-man. When I am
called by the trump of the archangel and weighed in the balance,
you will all know me then. I add no more. God bless you all.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Orson
Hyde
Orson Hyde
THE WORK OF REFORMATION--THE UNITED STATES' ARMY--LABOURS
OF "MORMON" MISSIONARIES--JUDGMENTS OF GOD, ETC.
A Discourse by Elder Orson Hyde.
11
Dear Brethren and Sisters,--I am highly pleased with the
privilege I now enjoy of speaking to you. I wish to call your
attention to a subject which, to me, is of vast importance, and
no less so to you.
12
The commencement of what has been termed our reformation was more
than a year ago; and first attended with the desire only of
correcting some irregularities among us and of awakening the
Saints to righteousness, to purity of life, to sanctification,
and holiness before the Lord. Our efforts were attended with
results highly satisfactory to the upright and the good. We were
led on by this spirit of reformation to expose and rebuke the
evils of those among us who did not belong to the Latter-day
Saints. This kind of preaching made them angry; yet their anger
did not cause us to soften our speech or to modify the tone of
high moral sentiment which we wished and were determined should
be enforced. "Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you; but rebuke
a wicked man, and he will hate you." This truth we saw abundantly
exemplified. Their pens were then set in operation against us,
and many false accusations were sent to the States by them, over
fictitious names, no names at all, and also over their own real
names. But the latter class, not being fortified with truth and
honesty, felt unable to endure the just frowns of a community so
belied. They had recourse to flight; and then told the awful and
pitiful tale in the States, that they barely escaped with their
lives,--a fine cover for their unrighteous deeds. They hoped by
this feint and hypocritical pretension to excite public sympathy
in their favour, and to arouse indignation against the Saints.
Jesus spoke plainly of just such persons, saying: "Ye are they
who justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts;
for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in
the sight of God."
12
For this very plain preaching, which they were compelled to hear
or hear of, they threatened us with troops of the United States;
and they left no stone unturned to excite the Government to send
troops. This idea was a momentary damper upon some spirits; but
sober second thought asked the question--"Shall I, through fear
of an army being sent here, be guilty of collusion with sin and
of failure to expose and rebuke it?" The noble-minded and
fearless servants of God said, "No! No!! No!!!" The work of
reformation and purification went gloriously on; and by-and-by
the word of assurance and comfort came to us through our Prophet
and Seer--the fearless Brigham, who dares to do right--"Sanctify
yourselves before me; put iniquity far from you; assert your
rights, and stand up to them; and behold, and lo! I will fight
your battles, and the children of Zion shall be victorious; and
the name of your God shall be magnified in the eyes of your
enemies. Trust in me; be valiant and fear not, and the kingdom is
yours." I may not repeat the word of the Lord through his servant
verbatim, but give it according to memory. I am not, however, far
wrong.
12
On the 24th day of July last, rumour came to us that United
States' troops were actually being fitted out to come here to
chastise us. Just ten years ago that very day, when the pioneers
first entered the valley, brother Brigham said, in view of the
injustice and cruelty inflicted upon us by our enemies, "If the
United States will now let this people alone for ten years to
come, we will ask no odds of them or any one else but God." The
saying passed out of his mind and out of the minds of the
pioneers who heard it, until ten years from the very time, when
he and some thousands of others were in Big Cottonwood Kanyon,
celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Saints' entrance into
this valley.
13
This announcement of troops by the express brought the saying
vividly to many of the minds of the old pioneers. No heart
appeared sad--no countenance gloomy; but the lamp of joy was
evidently lit in every heart and blazed in every countenance. We
regarded it as an omen of deliverance by the arm of the Almighty.
From that very hour the prayers of this entire people, old and
young, male and female, by day and by night, have been and still
are offered up unto the God of heaven, in the name of his son,
Jesus Christ, that the army sent here by the United States may
never be able to accomplish their design; for the design of the
Government in sending them, and that too, upon evidence known to
be incorrect, proved to us that iniquity was to be sustained and
righteousness suppressed. Will our prayers be heard and answered?
I believe they will. I do believe that God is about to come out
of his hiding-place and to vex the nation according to his word
through the martyred Joseph (See Book of Covenants, second
European edition, page 282.) Do I believe that the United States
will be divided? Yes, I do; and the prayers of all the Saints
throughout the world should be to that effect; for they wage war
against the kingdom of God, and have fallen upon that stone with
an army; and let them be broken, even according to the words of
Jesus.
13
"If the army now invading Utah should be overthrown," says an
unbeliever, "are you not fearful that a much larger one will be
sent to chastise you?" No sir; I am not. If we honour our God by
keeping his law, no army of this world can ever prevail against
us; and the greater its numbers, the greater and more complete
its overthrow. If the Red Sea be not the trap in which the enemy
will be caught, there will be a snow or hailstorm, a whirlwind,
an earthquake, fire from above or from beneath, or the sword of
the Lord and of Brigham. I only fear that we may not live so that
God will hear and answer our prayers. If we get any important
petition granted by any legislative body, we must have some
influence enlisted in its favour; and if we expect God to grant
our petitions, we must so live before him as to have influence
with him. To have influence with the king is next to being king
ourselves.
13
We do not desire to shed the blood of our enemies. We have never
desired it. But our prayers should be, that the power and
strength arrayed against us may be broken by the providence of
God, or by the arm of his power; that they may be smitten with
confusion and darkness; that the means they may adopt for their
success may be providentially overruled for their overthrow; that
they may be wasted away like the early frosts, and be scattered
about like chaff before the wind, until, as the martyred Joseph
said, just before he was murdered by Governor Ford's mob, there
shall not be a potsherd of them left. This prayer should not be
confined to our enemies on our immediate borders; for they are
only the blind tools of a power that has decreed our overthrow;
but should extend, with increased faith and zeal, to that very
power that handles these tools.
13
Brethren, the army sent to operate against us has been stopped in
the vicinity of the ruins of Forts Bridger and Supply. By what
power or agency were they stopped? Col. Alexander assured
Governor Young that he had abundant means or power at his command
to come into Salt Lake Valley. Add to this the fact that one
Mormon was taken prisoner by the Colonel's order, and it is said
that orders were found on his person to annoy the enemy in every
way he could, but not to kill any or fire a gun. I know nothing
of any such orders. Still the enemy claim that they found such
orders upon the person of their "Mormon" prisoner. Now, if
Colonel Alexander really believed his own statement to Governor
Young, that he had abundant means at his command to force his way
into the city, and if he believed the pretended orders said to be
found with his "Mormon" prisoner to be genuine--that nobody was
to be killed nor a gun fired, why did he not march in with his
army? He had plenty of force to do it, and the assurance,
according to his showing, that the "Mormons" were not to kill any
nor fire a gun? What kind of reason or apology can he make to the
Department for not marching directly into the city. That is his
business, however, not ours.
14
It was not "Mormon" numbers, according to his views, neither
"Mormon" bullets that arrested the progress of the army; but it
really was the united faith and prayers of the Saints of God that
set bounds to their progress. Having, therefore, this evidence
that God Hears and answers our prayers, it should inspire us with
redoubled zeal, union, faith, and energy to continue to call upon
the Lord until every power that lifts an arm against his kingdom
crumbles and falls like the mighty image that the Babylonish
monarch beheld in the visions of the night.
14
Our enemies have eyes, but they cannot see. They may say that the
tardy movements of the forces in concentrating, together with an
unexpected snowstorm, in which many of their animals perished,
were the causes of their hindrance on Ham's Fork; but who caused
the tardy movements of the collecting forces? and who sent the
snowstorm? The same invisible hand that forced off the wheels
from Pharaoh's chariots that caused them to drag heavily. The
prayers of the Saints by day and by night are more potent that
the multitude of soldiers, armed with Sharp's and the Minie
rifle. Yet the Saints should be liberally endowed with both.
14
If we continue in all humility before the Lord, full of faith and
diligent in prayer, with hearts full of integrity, and honour the
words of our Prophets and leaders, and the United States continue
their hostile movements against the Saints, it shall be with them
as it was with the man upon the scaffold lifting at the granite
rock, when the scaffolding gave way and fell, and with it the
man; and the stone, falling on the top of him, ground him to
atoms.
14
The United States' army is sent by the President. He is the
highest power which they know or recognize. Did they know any
higher, they would never have come here. Has that army a chaplain
Prophet that can obtain the word of the Lord for them, or one
whose prayers the Lord hears? We say no, and they cannot say yes;
neither dare they. The policy of the Government will not allow of
a chaplin Prophet to lead its armies; and a man inspired of the
Lord--one who can say, "Thus said the Lord"--would not lead them
under their present policy.
14
The whole army and nation are blind enough to be led by mere men
who lay no claim to the inspiration of the Almighty, and not one
among them that can receive the word of the Lord. The man whose
prayers the hears can obtain his word touching the duties of the
sphere in which he is legitimately called to act. Yet the nation
despise the "Mormons" because they are led by a man who can
receive the word of the Lord for them, and whose prayers the Lord
hears and answers. The evidence of this is before us, day by day,
and year by year. A fashionable chaplin, who is master of much
flowery language, may formally tell the Almighty how great and
glorious he is--how high is his throne, and how vast are his
dominions; and yet the God of Israel will never thank him for the
information, neither praise him for his sweet rhetorical
sentences. But the man that is chosen of God, and armed with the
power of revelation and the visions of heaven, is the man to lead
the Latter-day Saints. No less will satisfy them. To the rule of
no other will they willingly submit. Govern Utah who will,
Brigham Young or his duly chosen successor can alone govern the
"Mormons." Freemen have the right to choose their own rulers. The
world often will the men whom God appoints, but the Saints choose
them. Here is the difference. The Saints may be killed--that is,
their bodies; but their spirits can never yield to the powers of
this world. And our God says that, if we will be valiant, pure,
and faithful, we never shall, worlds without end.
15
What is the real design of the Government in sending troops to
Utah? This winter, or during this session of Congress, special
legislation is contemplated; a stringent law against polygamy to
be enacted; and the troops are sent here in advance to the
passage of such an act to make themselves comfortable and
strongly establish themselves in these valleys and hold
themselves in readiness to enforce that law when enacted. Then
they would say, "Now, Mr. Mormon, we have got you!" Anything for
a lawful pretence to raise a fuss with the "Mormons," to destroy
them from the earth! But everlasting thanks to Zion's God! He has
said, "Sanctify yourselves before me, assert your rights, and I
will back you up and fight your battles. You have long pleaded
with the Government and people of this nation, and they would not
hear you; and now, verily, said the Lord, I will plead with the
nation for you."
15
According to our faith in God is our boldness to meet whatever
may come. Brethren, let us be valiant. A mighty host may gather
against us; but if God be with us, we may have a seven months'
job in burying their dead; and their weapons of war may furnish
us fuel for years, so that we shall not have to go to the kanyons
for this indispensable auxiliary to our domestic comfort and
happiness. A mighty slaughter is to occur in the armies of the
Saints' enemies in some country where firewood is scarce, and a
high value placed upon their weapons of war for that purpose.
15
It is said that a new Governor has been appointed for Utah,
judges, secretary, &c. I do not pretend to know much about
governmental usages or etiquette; but, to my coarse
understanding, it would seem no more than proper for some
department at Washington to have notified Governor Young of such
appointments direct, and also of the object in sending an armed
force with them, if, indeed, such force be really sent by the
order of Government. The fact of our mail being unanimously taken
away from us, in connection with the silence on the matters
before spoken of, left us to conclude that death and destruction
were determined on as the let and portion of the "Mormons" in
Utah. The public papers that happened to reach us seemed also to
breathe this kind of spirit, which were our main index to the
real intentions of the Government. If, therefore, persecution and
death must come, we concluded that we might better make the job
cost our enemies all in our power, by selling our lives and
liberties as dearly as possible. These were and are the feelings
of the masses. Our leaders speak for themselves. In this position
we have been greatly encouraged from a source that we deem
infallible, provided we live in obedience to the commands of Him
who holds all power both on earth and in heaven. I deem it
unnecessary, however, to argue the merits of the case, but
patiently await its issue,--at the same time to be active in the
vigorous discharge of every known duty to God and man.
16
Our Elders and missionaries have laboured throughout the nations
of the earth incessantly for the last twenty-seven years. We have
endured and suffered shame. The great ones of the earth have
generally spurned us from their presence. The holy and sanctified
clergy have been most bitter against us. We have been very often
like our Master, without a place to lay our head. We have slept
by the wayside, under the trees of the forest, in sheds, and in
barns, without money, and often without food; yet we have been
cheerful, and in reality have lacked nothing. Our feet have bled
with walking, and our hearts with sorrow over the blindness of
the people; yet we have been joyful in our God. The four quarters
of the globe and the islands of the sea have heard our voice and
testimony. We have laboured and have not fainted. Though weak,
combatting the world, the flesh, and the Devil, and though our
enemies have reproached us with being a set of ignoramuses,
dupes, villains, impostors, and fools, we have cried aloud and
spared not.
16
In the midst of all this, our Prophets have been murdered, our
brethren and sisters, friends, and families mobbed and driven
from place to place, and from time to time living in tents,
waggons, and in the open air. They have been maimed, crippled,
and slain without mercy; and none have laid it to heart. "Your
cause is just, but we can do nothing for you," is the heartless
sentiment of an unbelieving and persecuting world. These are some
of the circumstances under which the "Mormons" and "Mormon"
missionaries have carried the Gospel to the nations of the earth.
But those few that have ministered to the wants and necessities
of these labourers and of these persecuted people shall in nowise
lose their reward.
16
These missionaries and labourers are now called home. The Lord
says, "It is enough." "Come out of her, my people," is now the
voice of God to his servants in every land and nation. The vials
of his wrath cannot be poured out until you, like Lot, flee from
the countries doomed to feel the vengeance of God. To you, my
faithful brethren abroad, the Spirit of Christ has often
whispered, during the last six months, "Go home--go home." Your
guardian angels have said it to you in dreams and in visions, and
we expect to see you come. Scores have already arrived. God bless
them and you too, if you listen to the whisperings of that voice
that speaks truth to the heart.
16
What now remains to be done? Your testimony is borne--your words
have bone into all the earth. Read in the Book of Covenants, page
102, and you will find the answer in part--"After your testimony
cometh wrath and indignation upon the people; for after your
testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause
groanings in the midst of her; and men shall fall upon the ground
and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of
the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the
voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving
themselves beyond their bounds; and all things shall be in
commotion; and surely men's hearts shall fail them, for fear
shall some upon all people," &c.
16
Again, the sign given in the Book of Mormon, showing when the
times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled and they abandoned to
the judgments and wrath of Almighty God, and showing also when
the covenants of the Father with the house of Israel shall be
fulfilled, is this important declaration--"I will take the
fulness of my Gospel from among the Gentiles," &c. It might be
considered treason to quote further. With our Elders and
missionaries comes the fulness of the Gospel from among the
Gentiles, who, like the leaky ship, are abandoned to the mercy of
the winds and the waves.
17
I, for one, care but little about the stoppage of the mails; yet
it would afford me some satisfaction to have the current news of
the day. There is, however, an upper telegraph which the powers
of this world cannot cut, neither suspend in any way. By that we
can know all the news that are really essential to us as a
people, if we strive to be in communication with it. This upper
telegraph is the revelation of God. All things that are really
essential for us to know will be made manifest unto us by the
Lord; "for he doeth nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his
servants and Prophets." This is the sort of mail that we should
patronize. It is conveyed with despatch and with safety. It goes
at all times of day and of night, and is sure to bring an answer
to our communications. The Government would think it strange to
read from our records, made and penned more than twenty years
ago, the very things which it is now doing in relation to us. But
to read the issue, it would think stranger still. I read both
more than twenty years since; and when I see things fulfilling
every day and every year, it inspires me with assurance and joy.
Have light in yourselves, says Jesus; and if our eye be single,
our whole bodies will be full of light. God knows all things that
are going on in the universe; and if we possess his mind, his
Spirit, and his will, we may know at least some things that are
going on in the world, even without a mail.
17
Brethren, the Lord is hearing and answering our prayers. The time
to favour Zion is come. And now, I beseech you, let there be no
contentions or disputations in your midst; for Jesus says,
"Blessed are ye, if there be no disputations among you.:
Dishonesty, covetousness, nonsense, and folly should all be
purged from our hearts and purged from our wards; and if the
guilty will not cast away such principles, let him go to the
army, to the States or wherever he likes, so that he does not
abide in our midst. "He shall gather out of his kingdom all
things that offend and that do iniquity." Cleanse the inside of
the platter or territory, so that God and angels may dwell with
us for our defence. Bishops, High Priests, and Seventies, arise
in the majesty Jehovah's strength, and cause the moral atmosphere
that surrounds you to be pure and healthful, if you have to raise
a storm of thunder and lightning to effect it. Fear not! only
hurt not the oil or the wine. Be wise, and yet be strong.
Remember that a good man does not steal, neither lie. He is not
an idler, suffering his family to want. He does not take the
advantage of his neighbour. He does not absent himself from your
ward meetings, neither decline bearing his part of the burdens
that are laid upon you. You will generally find a good man right
where you want him, in person, in spirit, and in the means that
he controls. He never has many excuses to make, but is on hand.
He is always ready. A good man pays his Tithing, pays his
devotions to God in all sincerity and faith, pays his just debts
so far as he is able, is careful about contracting debts, lives
well, yet prudently, and generally has something to bestow for
charitable purposes. He never has much difficulty with his
neighbours, readily yields to the counsel of his Bishop or other
superior officer, worships no horse, ox, mule, ass, farm, or
house, but worships the true God of heaven. Remember that all
victory and glory that God is well pleased with are obtained by
our diligence and prayers of faith.
17
Remember your fasts, your solemn assemblies, sacraments, and
charities. Mark those in your wards that do not attend your
meetings. Thieves and iniquitous persons do not, as a general
thing, like to attend the house of worship. Slothful, prayerless,
and worldly-minded persons often calculate to go to or return
from the kanyons on the Sabbath, or go visiting on that day, or
manage to hunt cattle on the range, or transact some business by
which they can have a plausible excuse for not attending the
house of worship. The flaming truths which they would be
compelled to hear--the rebukes and chastisements there dealt out
to such characters are not agreeable to their ears.
18
The persons that cannot profit by merited rebukes and
chastisements cannot profit by blessings and communion with the
Saints. Priests, Teachers, and Deacons, be active in the
discharge of your duties. You are watchmen in your wards, and
stand in a similar relation to your Bishops that the Apostles do
to the Presidency. Great responsibility rests upon you. Every
person in your wards should be known to you, and his business or
occupation also. You should not only know the man or the woman
and his business, but should likewise know his spirit and be able
to weigh it in the balance of truth.
18
Shepherds of Israel, watch well your flocks. Keep them healthy
and vigorous. Encourage good with kind and generous words, and
fear not to deal with offenders or rebuke sin in a manner that
corresponds with the nature thereof and also with the dignity of
your high and holy calling. The great object is to be alive and
awake to every duty, and to be "armed with righteousness and the
power of God in great glory."
18
Our enemies are trying to come here to teach this people
civilization and pure Christianity by killing our men and
sleeping with our women. It seems that we have been prejudged and
condemned to death. The halters are prepared by the waggon-load,
and knots already tied (so says report). If they had the chance,
they would probably go through the forms of law trials with us,
with great kindness and moderation affectedly; but death is in
the pot, and we must eat it. As we have been foreordained in
Washington to be hung or shot, we must suffer it, built or not
built. If we repent, we must be damned; and if we do not repent,
we must be damned. The ropes are all prepared! But if we do our
duty, that proud Haman will yet see the despised Jew in a
position which he will have cause to envy. Though the course of
our enemies stands in their power and not in their justice, yet
they shall come to an inglorious end, and none shall help them;
and let all Israel say, Amen.
18
May the blessings of the Highest be and abide with the upright in
heart, now and for ever! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / John
Taylor, November 1, 1857
John Taylor, November 1, 1857
"THE KINGDOM OF GOD OR NOTHING."
A Sermon by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 1, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt
18
I shall take the liberty, this afternoon, of selecting a text. In
the Second Epistle and last verse of the Gospel according to St.
Brigham to Colonel Alexander, will be found the following
words:--"WE SAY IT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD OR NOTHING."
19
We revere the testimony of ancient men of God, as recorded in
what are often termed "the Scriptures of divine truth;" and it is
quite common for men to refer to what the Prophets have said and
to reason from their words. Now, I have been of the impression,
for some length of time, that the sayings of modern men of God
are of as great importance as the sayings of ancient men of God,
and a great deal more applicable to our condition.
19
In looking at the Epistle to Colonel Alexander, and considering
the important things said in it, I was particularly struck with
the last words, which compose my text--"The kingdom of God or
nothing."
19
In other days, men have had their theories and their ideas about
Christianity, Paganism, &c., which were referred to this morning.
But we believe in living Priesthood--in present revelation--in
the Church and kingdom of God as it now exists on the earth, as
well as in things that were spoken of by ancient Prophets:
consequently we believe in adapting our lives and actions to the
position that we now occupy as servants of the true and living
God--as God's representatives on the earth--as those who are
destined to lay the foundation of that kingdom which shall stand
for ever.
19
What is the kingdom of God? This is a question that is in almost
everybody's mouth. Every Saint is interested in this question. We
need not go into the nonsense of sectarianism: we will let it go
entirely, hook and line; for we know enough about it to care
nothing about it, nor about the absurd ideas entertained by
sectarians of the Kingdom of God.
19
The question is, What is the kingdom of God? How do we stand
related to it? What is our position and what are the duties
devolving upon us to-day, tomorrow, and every day of our lives,
as servants of the living God?
19
In the Epistle I have referred to, there is something said about
the struggles we have endured, the privations we have suffered,
the difficulties we have passed through, the wrongs and
indignities that have been heaped upon us continually, and the
persecutions that have been multiplied upon us as a people, even
from the day of the organization of this Church to the present.
There was in it a strong, marked, and determined expression. It
gave Colonel Alexander and whomsoever it concerned to understand
that it was time that these things should cease--that this people
as well as every other people should have their rights, and these
rights they were bent upon having at all events, not fearing the
result,--that we, as a people, are determined to be free; for
with us it is--"The kingdom of God or nothing."
19
When we talk about kingdoms, we talk about governments, rule,
authority, power; for wherever there is a kingdom, these
principles exist to a greater or less extent. The kingdoms of
this world have their powers, authorities, rule, regulations,
law-givers, &c., according to the kind of government they adopt.
Hitherto we, as a people, have been amalgamated to a great extent
with other nations. It is true we have had a Church government,
Church laws, Church discipline, and by the holy Priesthood
associated with this Church we have governed the people. Still we
have been subject to another government, power, and authority, to
Gentile rule, Gentile dominion, Gentile laws, to Gentile usages
and customs, to which we have been willingly subject, so far as
they were righteous; and it was told us by the Lord, that if we
observed the laws of God, we need not break the laws of the land.
19
The laws of man we have kept faithfully, adhering tenaciously to
the principles of the Constitution of the Government, under which
we have lived. We have not transgressed them in one iota, but
have maintained our relationship honourably with the nation we
have been associated with.
20
The first thing we did when we came to this land was to organize
a government for our protection, which was according to the
pattern set us by our neighbours--Oregon, for instance; then
represented our case to the United States.
20
We came out here because we were disfranchised, exiled, robbed of
our rights as American citizens, and forced to wander in the
wilderness to seek among the savages of the forest that freedom
denied us by Christianity. Did we in this transgress any laws of
the United States, depart from any usage, or act contrary to any
established custom or law of the Government? We did not. We
applied for the sanction of Congress to our doings, and it was a
matter of astonishment and surprise that we should take such
steps, after the usage we had received. Our course was applauded
by statesmen, senators, members of Congress, and the authorities
of the United States generally; and all our transactions,
constitution, and laws were approved gladly, considered right,
and according to the usages and laws of the United States.
20
By-and-by we petitioned for a Territorial Government and obtained
it. Our enemies have all the time been complaining of us that we
have infringed upon the Constitution and laws of the United
States. But I ask, Wherein have we done it? Who appointed our
Governor? The President of the United States, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate, according to the usage which
exists, but indeed contrary to any right they possessed; still he
did it. Who appointed our Judges, United States Marshal,
Secretary of State, and Indian Agency? The President of the
United States.
20
Has there been another Governor appointed? I suppose there has;
but he has not yet been qualified. No man has authority to act in
the gubernatorial capacity in this Territory at the present time,
according to the laws of the United States, but Governor Young.
No Governor has a right to act here, although he may have been
appointed by the President of the United States, until he comes
here and is qualified. No man has ever come yet to be qualified,
and consequently Governor Young stands legitimately in that
place.
20
What law have we transgressed? I have tried to find out. We have
examined the Constitution of the United States and the laws
pertaining to these matters; and if anybody here or elsewhere can
point out any law that we have transgressed as American citizens,
they know more about it than I have been able to learn; and I
should like such a person to put me in possession of that
information.
20
What next? Why, on the back of this, after lying about us,
slandering, abusing, and imposing upon us, trampling upon our
rights, and sending the meanest curses among us that ever
disgraced the footstool of God--men they are ashamed of
themselves, they have now sent an armed force contrary to law and
right and to the principles that ought to prevail in the United
States. They have no more right to do this than I have to cut any
of your throats.
20
There is no authority guaranteed to the President of the United
States to perpetrate so diabolical an act as the one he has
engaged in. Why is it that this is done? Is it because we are
worse than other people? No. After raking up everything they
could, before I left the States, the only thing they could find
against us as a people was that we had burned some books
belonging to the United States' Court; and since that I have seen
published affidavits, totally denying any such thing, by the
Clerk of that Court.
21
The President of the United States has now taken upon himself the
responsibility of sending into this Territory an armed force to
trample upon the rights of 100,000 American freemen, on purpose
to subserve a political interest, for the benefit of his own
party. It becomes a serious question with us what to do under
these circumstances.
21
Shall we lie down and let those scoundrels cut our throats? is
the first question. Shall we untie our neckcloths and tell them
to come on and cut and carve away as they please, and knock down,
drag out, and introduce their abominations among us--their cursed
Christian institutions--to prostitute our women and lay low our
best men? Shall we suffer it, I say?
21
There are certain things that are sacred to us and to every man
and woman. If we submit to a thing of that sort, we submit to see
the very institutions of our own nation trampled under foot--the
Constitution of our country desecrated and rent in pieces. We
submit to see the bonds severed that have bound this nation
together, and blood, anarchy, and confusion prevail.
21
If they have a mind to cut each other's throats, we have no
objections. We say, Success to both parties. But when they come
to cut ours, without ceremony, we say, Hands off, gentlemen. We
are not so religious as to sit down meekly and tamely submit to
these things. We understand something of the difference between
what some call treason, or treasonable acts, and base submission
to the will of a tyrant, who would seek to bring us into servile
chains--into perfect submission to his sway.
21
We are engaged here in protecting ourselves, our wives, and
families,--in guarding everything that is sacred and honourable
among men from invasion and oppression of some of the most
corrupt wretches that ever disgraced the footstool of God.
21
"This is pretty plain talk," say you. I meant to talk plain: I do
not wish to be misunderstood. I have lately been conversant with
some of their proceedings, having been in their neighbourhood for
some time recently. Some of our brethren, who went among them
with messages, have said that such was the filth and obscenity of
their language--cursing, swearing, and every meanness, that,
rather than stay all night with them, they chose to go off some
distance and lie on the ground. If these are the feelings of our
brethren, some of whom are rough and uncouth in their manners, we
know not how our sisters would feel in such delectable society.
21
We will not submit to such a state of things for ever. If you,
our enemies, are determined to invade our rights, trample upon
our liberties, snatch from us the rich boon we have inherited
from our fathers, to make us bow in vile subservience to your
will, we will resist you: we will not submit to it. We will say,
Stand back and give us our rights. We will act the part of
freemen, and we say it shall be "The kingdom of God or nothing."
21
Why is it that we are persecuted? It is because we believe in the
establishment of the kingdom of God upon the earth--because we
say and know that God has established his kingdom--because the
principles of righteousness are introduced among the children of
men, and they expose the evils, corruption, priestcraft,
political craft, and the abominations that everywhere exist. They
lay naked before all men the abominable acts of the human family.
It is not because there is evil among us, but because there is
goodness, truth, holiness. It is because God has spoken, and his
word has had effect on our hearts, to govern and influence our
conduct.
22
It is because of these things that the present crusade has been
set on foot against us, and no doubt it began to rage at the very
time that you were humbling yourselves before God, when you
commenced the reformation and were repenting of your sins and
making restoration. At the time the Spirit of God began to be
manifested among you, the spirit of the Devil began to rage among
them against you, stirring them up to pluck you down, root you
up, and destroy you from the face of the earth.
22
Why was it that you had the reformation among you, that you were
stirred up to repent of your sins and make restitution? It was
because you had the holy Priesthood in your midst--the spirit of
prophecy and revelation,--because you had men among you who could
commune with the Most High and contemplate his purposes and
designs towards the human family. It was because they saw evils
existing among you and dare tell of it, and the Spirit of God
pointed the word at your hearts, which brought you to repentance.
22
If we had corruption, grog-holes, rowdyism, and every kind of
pollution among us, and were this place permitted to be a perfect
sink of iniquity, where the gambler, horse-racer, black-leg, and
every evil character would be tolerated, then we should be hail
fellows, well met, with our enemies. The wicked would bow and
scrape to us all over the earth: they would call us gentlemen
everywhere, and we should be respected. It would be as it was
with a few of our brethren who had to play a ruse upon some of
the Missourians. The "Mormon" boys were flying from a mob and had
to pass a meeting-house when the people were coming out from
their prayers. These pious souls suspected that the brethren were
"Mormons."
22
"You are 'Mormons,' damn you," said they.
22
"We are not, damn you. Let go of my horse, or I will knock your
damned head off."
22
"Oh, we discover you are not 'Mormons,' gentlemen: we are under a
mistake;" and they let them go.
22
Who is it that is acquainted with this people and does not know
that they are better, more pure, more virtuous and true to their
God and his laws, and more faithful to the laws and Constitution
of their country than any other people? I know the difference,
for I have been among others and seen their actions.
22
What is the cause, then, of the evil planned against us? IT is
because we are the Church and kingdom of God. Have we ever left
our houses to interfere with other people anywhere? Did you ever
hear of a crusade by a set of "Mormons" upon any other people?
Did the "Mormons," when in Nauvoo, go to Carthage, La Harpe,
Warsaw, or to any place, and interfere with the rights of
anybody? Have we done it here? Have we gone to Mexico,
California, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Minnesota, or to any of the
surrounding districts, to interfere with their business or
rights?
22
If there has been such a crusade, I have remained altogether
ignorant of it, as to when it took place, who were engaged in it,
and how many.
22
If we do not interfere with anybody else, what right has anybody
else to interfere with us? I speak now as an American citizen. I
speak, if you please, as a politician. On this ground I ask what
right any people or number of people have to come and interfere
with us? There is o such right in the catalogue, gentlemen.
22
They, however, do interfere with us; and what is the cause of it?
It is because of the kingdom of God--because of the truth of
God--because of the Spirit of God and certain principles that
exist among this people. And what are they? It is polygamy that
they are so incensed against. They need not draw down such a long
face about that, for they themselves do a thousand times worse
than that, were it even as heinous a crime as they say it is.
23
It is not polygamy that they are so horrified at. I know their
meanness and abominations, and have told them of them scores of
times. There have been from the foundation of the world two
principles and powers--the principles of darkness and the
principles of light, the principles of truth and the principles
of error, the Spirit of God and the spirit of the Devil;--and
there has been a mighty struggle between these two principles and
powers.
23
Hitherto the good, the virtuous, the pure and upright, the men of
God, the Saints of the Most High have been trampled under foot
and cast out--have wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins,
dwelt in deserts, dens, holes, and caves of the earth, of whom
the world was not worthy; and the spirit and power of darkness
have prevailed over the powers of light, error over truth, and
the spirit of the Wicked One over the Spirit of God, to a certain
extent; so much so, that truth, equity, and righteousness have
always been at a discount, and men of God have been deprived of
their rights and robbed of their inheritances.
23
God has had a certain design to accomplish, associated with the
human family; and I suppose that everything which has taken place
has been just. I am not going to find fault with God or the
Devil. I suppose the Devil is as necessary as any other being, or
he would not have been.
23
The righteous have been trampled under foot, but it is well with
them. It was not their day. The time for them to reign and have
dominion was not come. While wrapt in prophetic vision, they
could view the events that were to transpire in the last days,
and prophesied of a kingdom that should be set up and stand for
ever. They looked with joyful anticipation to this day. They
expected a time when a certain power would exist on the earth,
that would be more powerful than the powers of darkness, when the
righteous should no more be trodden under foot, cast out, and
oppressed,--when the kingdoms of this world should become the
kingdoms of our God and his Christ, over which he should rule for
ever.
23
Men in our day have got hold of many odd ideas. The Millerites,
for instance, have talked about Christ's coming to reign on the
earth at a certain time; and they were all going to be
transfigured, changed, caught up, &c. In France and elsewhere,
they had their social systems; but they knew no more about God,
Christ, or anything of this kind than the Devil, I was going to
say; but they did not begin to know as much as the Devil about
God and his ways. These Socialists talked about a great
millennium, and people went to them, expecting them to be a very
righteous, praying people. They were something like the man whom
the Indian thought was a "Mormon;" but when the Indian found out
that he did not pray, that convinced him to the contrary. They
did not regard God or his laws, but took up a little twig of
Christianity and planted it on to their infidelity. They were
going to ameliorate the condition of the human family and bring
about the millennium.
23
In relation to the kingdom of God, what is it? Is it a spiritual
kingdom? Yes. Is it a temporal kingdom? Yes. Does it relate to
the spiritual affairs of men? Yes. Does it relate to the temporal
of men? Yes. And when it is fully established upon the earth, the
will of God will be done upon the earth precisely as it is done
in heaven.
23
It is the will of God we are trying to do at the present time, in
trying to fulfil his law, submit to his ordinances, and obey his
commandments--not in one little item, but in every action of our
lives, seeking to be perfectly submissive to the admonitions of
the Almighty.
24
Was the kingdom that the Prophets talked about, that should
be set up in the latter times, going to be a Church? Yes. And a
State? Yes, it was going to be both Church and State, to rule
both temporarily and spiritually. It may be asked, How can we
live under the dominion and laws of the United States and be
subjects of another kingdom? Because the kingdom of God is
higher, and its laws are so much more exalted than those of any
other nation, that it is the easiest thing in life for a servant
of God to keep any of their laws; and, as I have said before,
this we have uniformly done.
24
Who made this earth? The Lord.
24
Who sustains it? The Lord.
24
Who feeds and clothes the millions of the human family that exist
upon it, both Saint and sinner? The Lord.
24
Who upholds everything in the universe? The Lord.
24
Who provides for the myriads of cattle, fish, and fowl that
inhabit the sea, earth, and air? The Lord.
24
Who has implanted in them that instinct which causes them to take
care of their young, and that power by which to propagate their
species? The Lord.
24
Who has given to man understanding? The Lord.
24
Who has given to the Gentile philosopher, machinist, &c., every
particle of intelligence they have with regard to the electric
telegraph, the power and application of steam to the wants of the
human family, and every kind of invention that has been brought
to light during the last century? The Lord.
24
Who sets up the kings, emperors, and potentates that rule and
govern the universe? The Lord.
24
And who is there that acknowledges his hand? Where is the nation,
the people, the church even, or other power that does it? You may
wander east, west, north, and south, and you cannot find it in
any church or government on the earth, except the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
24
What is the cause of all the darkness, confusion, and misery that
abound, the imprisonment and chains, and the thousand evils that
afflict mankind, embracing all the wars, bloodshed, and distress
of nations? It is because they do not acknowledge the hand of the
Lord in all things nor understand his will. They pursue their own
course, and do not seek the wisdom and intelligence of God.
24
Why is it that thrones will be cast down, empires dissolved,
nations destroyed, and confusion and distress cover all people,
as the Prophets have spoken? Because the Spirit of the Lord will
be withdrawn from the nations in consequence of their
wickededness, and they will be left to their own folly.
24
Who has a right to rule the nations, to control kingdoms, and
govern all the people of the earth? Are you a father? Have you
wives and children? Do you feed, clothe, and provide for them?
Yes. Have they a right to rebel against you? If they did, what
would you think of such children?
24
Such is the position of the whole human family; such is the
position of the whole world--of every society, religious,
political, social, or otherwise; and none of them acknowledge God
or are obedient to his laws.
25
Now, then, suppose you had a farm, and you put people on it to
work--you fed and clothed them, and expected them to be obedient
to you; but instead of that, while you were feeding, clothing,
and taking care of them, they were abusing you, departing from
your laws, transgressing your precepts, and listening to somebody
else who was your enemy, instead of listening to you;--would you
let them remain for ever on your farm, or would you by-and-by put
somebody else in their place that would be more faithful to you?
25
The transactions of men are even more outrageous against the
Lord, and the only excuse for them is their ignorance. What! are
Christians ignorant? Yes, as ignorant of the things of God as the
brute beast.
25
Let us look at it a little further. If you wished the welfare of
your family, would you not chastise them? You would, if they did
wrong. Would you not try to make them submit to your law? You
certainly would; and if they would not, after you had pleaded
with them and chastised them, you would disinherit them. The Lord
said of Abraham, "I know he will fear me and command his children
after him to do it.? It was this principle that recommended him
to the favour of God.
25
What would you think of the conduct of a God who would let the
human family continue for ever to transgress his law without
interfering? You would think he was getting foolish and in his
dotage--that he did not understand himself nor correct principles
in allowing a lot of bad boys to rise up and increase around him,
letting evil principles exist instead of righteous ones, and the
wicked afflict and persecute the good with impunity.
25
The time was to come, and is now, that God has set up his kingdom
upon the earth, and he is determined that men shall be in
subjection to his laws. Can the Lord go to any other people but
this and declare his will? He cannot. There is not a nation,
kingdom, power, or people,--there is not a political, moral,
social, philosophical, or religious society in the world that
would receive the word of God, except this people.
25
If there cannot be a people anywhere found that will listen to
the word of God and receive instructions from him, how can his
kingdom ever be established? It is impossible? What is the first
thing necessary to the establishment of his kingdom? It is to
raise up a Prophet and have him declare the will of God; the next
is to have people yield obedience to the word of the Lord through
that Prophet. If you cannot have these, you never can establish
the kingdom of God upon the earth.
25
What is the kingdom of God? It is God's government upon the earth
and in heaven.
25
What is his Priesthood? It is the rule, authority,
administration, if you please, of the government of God on the
earth or in the heavens; for the same Priesthood that exists upon
the earth exists in the heavens, and that Priesthood holds the
keys of the mysteries of the revelations of God; and the
legitimate head of that Priesthood, who has communion with God,
is the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to his Church and people on
the earth.
25
When the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven, that
Priesthood will be the only legitimate ruling power under the
whole heavens; for every other power and influence will be
subject to it. When the millennium which we have been speaking of
is introduced, all potentates, powers, and authorities--every
man, woman, and child will be in subjection to the kingdom of
God; they will be under the power and dominion of the Priesthood
of God: then the will of God will be done on the earth as it is
done in heaven.
26
This places man in his true relationship to the Most High; and
while others are boasting of their own intelligence, powers,
authority, rule, greatness, and might, our boast, glory, might,
strength, and power are in the Lord. Do we have any temporal
blessings? We acknowledge the hand of God in it. Do we have
spiritual blessings? We acknowledge the hand of God in it. Do we
do wrong and receive chastisement? We acknowledge his hand in it,
and consider it a blessing. Are we in difficulties? We
acknowledge the hand of God therein, and consider that it is
necessary we should be tried and proved in all things, that we
may be counted worthy to associate with the intelligences that
surround the throne of God. Do we have prosperity? We acknowledge
the hand of God in it, and pray him for wisdom to use properly
what he has put in our hands. Do we possess scientific
knowledge--knowledge on agriculture or any other kind of
knowledge? We acknowledge his hand in it. Are we here in these
mountains, surrounded, as a people, by the barriers of the
everlasting hills, brought out from our enemies to inherit these
valleys? We acknowledge the hand of God in it. Does an army come
to make war on us? We acknowledge the hand of God in it. We feel
that we are in his hands, and say "It is the Lord; let him do
what seemeth good unto him, and we will seek to do what is right
on our part. Have we to go to war? We will acknowledge the hand
of God in it. If we are told not to kill our enemies, we will not
kill them, but cultivate a spirit of meekness and humility, doing
what the Priesthood of God dictates--what the servants of the
living God tell us. In peace and prosperity, war and adversity,
we will lean on the hand of God, and acknowledge it, and say,
"Hallelujah! the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth."
26
What is it we are seeking to do? Is it to get a farm, a house, or
a possession of any kind? Who is anxious about such things, which
are here to-day and gone to-morrow? They are well enough in their
place.
26
Some of you are tried because you do not have many things you
would like to have. If you had those things, you would not be
tied in that point, and it is therefore necessary you should be
placed in that position. It may be necessary, after awhile, that
you should be tried with more of the things of this life than you
know what to do with.
26
With none is the Lord God angry except those who do not
acknowledge his hand in all things. What does it matter whether
we are farming, building, planting, fighting, or anything else,
if we are doing as we are told? Who cares? I do not. Let matters
come in whatever way they have a mind to, it is all right, if we
do right.
26
As eternal beings, associated with eternity that was and with
eternity that is to come--beings that dwelt in eternal light
before we came here, we are now seeking for salvation, preparing
for celestial inheritances in the eternal worlds. This is what we
are after: we are trying to lay a foundation for ourselves, for
our progenitors, and for our posterity, that will endure and
extend while countless ages roll; and we are taught the
principles by which we may obtain this salvation by the holy
Priesthood--by the revelations of God communicated to us through
that Priesthood.
26
And now, having been forced from the United States, after having
been driven time and time again from our homes by our murderous
enemies--having fulfilled all the requirements that God or man
could require of us, and kept every law necessary for us to
observe,--after all this, and more, I say, shall we suffer those
poor, miserable, damned, infernal scoundrels to come here and
infringe upon our sacred rights?
26
["NO!" resounded throughout the Tabernacle, making the walls of
the building tremble.]
27
NO! It shall be "The Kingdom of God or nothing" with us. That is
my text, I believe; and we will stick to it--we will maintain it;
and, in the name of Israel's God, the kingdom of God shall roll
on, and all the powers of earth and hell cannot stop its
progress. It is onward, onward, ONWARD, from this time
henceforth, to all eternity.
27
[Voices of "Amen."]
27
"Are you not afraid of being killed?" you may ask me. No. Great
conscience! who cares about being killed? They cannot kill you.
They may shoot a ball into you, and your body may fall; but you
will live. Who cares about dying? We are associated with eternal
principles: they are within us as a well springing up to eternal
life. We have begun to live for ever.
27
Who would be afraid of a poor, miserable soldier--a man that gets
eight dollars a month for killing people, and a miserable butcher
at that--one of the poorest curses in creation? Mean as the
Americans are, they will not, many of them, hire for soldiers.
But the Government must hire foreigners for eight dollars a month
to come out here to kill us! Who is afraid of them? Let them come
on or stay and wiggle, it is all right.
27
We are the Saints of God; we have the kingdom of God, and the
devils in hell and all the wicked men on the earth cannot take it
from us. We shall rule and have dominion in the earth, and they
cannot help themselves. They can take their own course. They may
fight against us, if they like, or they can back out and leave
us; but the kingdom will go on. They may take what course they
please: the kingdom is ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is
God's.
27
It is for us to live our religion, keep God's commandments, and
we shall be saved: we shall thus have the honour of doing
something for the kingdom of God, in rolling back the flood of
darkness that is enveloping the universe, and preparing ourselves
for dominion on the earth and eternal exaltation in the kingdom
of God for ever.
27
God bless you and preserve you in purity and holiness before him,
that you may inherit all you anticipate, I pray in the name of
Jesus Christ! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Heber
C. Kimball, November 8, 1857
Heber C. Kimball, November 8, 1857
TRUTH, LIFE, AND LIGHT--GOD ACTS THROUGH AGENTS--OBEDIENCE
PRODUCED KNOWLEDGE, WHICH SUPERSEDES FAITH--THE SPIRIT OF
MAN--REVELATION AND OBEDIENCE THERETO, ETC.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, November 8, 1857.
Reported by Leo Hawkins.
28
I have almost a good mind to talk a little,--that is, if you want
I should; but I certainly do not want to, without you want I
should. And then again, if I felt really like it, I should talk,
whether you wanted I should, or not. The reason I make that
expression is because I am called to a holy calling, with our
President, or brother Brigham. He is my leader, and I am his
brother and servant. I am his fellow-servant,--that is, I am one
with him; and my calling actually required me to talk, and to
teach, and to instruct, and to exhort, and to invite all men to
embrace the Gospel and plan of life and salvation.
28
Jesus, in the 1st chap. of John, 4th verse, says, "In him was
life, and the life was the light of men."
28
Also, in the 8th chap. and 12th verse, "Then spake Jesus again
unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth
me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
28
And in the 14th chap. and 6th verse, "Jesus said unto him, I am
the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father
but by me.:
28
Well, you have heard me express, several times, that truth if
life, and life is light. Well, it is true, because Jesus says, "I
am the life and the light of the world; and no man that is born
upon the face of this earth can obtain eternal life except they
go by me. They must come by me or through me to obtain eternal
life."
29
Brethren, I want you to understand, if you will treasure up
principles of truth as you would treasure up gold and silver and
precious stones--if you will treasure up truth, every truth that
you treasure up, that truth is life, and that life is light. Do
you not see that if you treasure up the principles of truth in
you, and you have your treasury full of them, then, of course,
your treasure is saviour of all? Why? Because life is light, and
light is life. Do you not see, if you have got the true
principles dwelling in you, if you treasure up truth, you are
bound to have life; and then, if you have life, you are bound to
have light; and if those true principles dwell in you, and they
abound, do you not see you cannot be unfruitful? You are bound to
be fruitful in the knowledge of God and in the accomplishment of
his purposes.
29
If you do not take a course to treasure up truth, you never will
be prophets and prophetesses; for it is in treasuring up truth,
and life, and light. If these principles be in you, and they
abound, you will be like a well of water springing up into
everlasting life. It will be everlasting, do you not see, if it
springs up; and that will bring us back to the fountain of life,
from whence springs life and light. Do you not see it spring from
God. It emanates from him; and if it is in us and abounds, it
will be in us as a well of water springing up into everlasting
life, from whence it sprang.
29
Well, here are a few ideas before you,--something I had not
thought of before I got up. Well, I am called and ordained to be
a teacher and to instruct; but if you do not receive my
instructions and the principles of truth that emanate from me,
then you are not profited; for the Lord says, "If a man offers
you a gift, and you do not receive that gift with gladness and
joy, then, of course, the man that offers the gift is not
blessed; but if the receiver receives it with joy, then the man
that gives the gift has joy in giving it. Do you not see it?
Well, upon the same principle, if God confers gifts, and
blessings, and promises, and glories, and immortality, and
eternal lives, and you receive them and treasure them up, then
our Father and our God has joy in that man. Do you understand me?
I do not know whether you get my idea or not; but, to save my
head, I cannot talk any plainer. You know I am called simple.
Well, I wish I was simpler and could convey things with greater
simplicity that I do. Why? Because I have not a spirit within me
to wish to talk one word to you except good sense, and light, and
information, and instruction to the child that sits before me
to-day. Do you not see God is not pleased with any man except
those that receive the gifts, and treasure them up, and practise
upon those gifts? And he gives those gifts, and confers them upon
you, and will have us to practise upon them. Now, these
principles to me are plain and simple.
29
Do you suppose that God in person called upon Joseph Smith, our
Prophet? God called upon him; but God did not come himself and
call, but he sent Peter to do it. Do you not see? He sent Peter
and sent Moroni to Joseph, and told him that he had got the
plates. Did God come himself? No: he sent Moroni and told him
there was a record, and says he, "That record is matter that
pertains to the Lamanites, and it tells when their fathers came
out of Jerusalem, and how they came, and all about it; and, says
he, "If you will do as I tell you, I will confer a gift upon
you." Well, he conferred it upon him, because Joseph said he
would do as he told him. "I want you to go to work and take the
Urim and Thummim, and translate this book, and have it published,
that this nation may read it." Do you not see, by Joseph
receiving the gift that was conferred upon him, you and I have
that record?
29
Well, when this took place, Peter came along to him and gave
power and authority, and, says he, "You go and baptise Oliver
Cowdery, and then ordain him a Priest." He did it, and do you not
see his works were in exercise? Then Oliver, having authority,
baptised Joseph and ordained him a Priest. Do you not see the
works, how they manifest themselves?
29
Well, then Peter comes along. Why did not God come? He sent
Peter, do you not see? Why did he not come along? Because he has
agents to attend to his business, and he sits upon his throne and
is established at head-quarters, and tells this man, "Go and do
this;" and it is behind the vail just as it is here. You have got
to learn that.
30
Peter comes along with James and John and ordains Joseph to be an
Apostle, and then Joseph ordains Oliver, and David Whitmer, and
Martin Harris; and then they were ordered to select twelve more
and ordain them. It was done. Do you not see works were manifest?
They received the truth, and thus you and I are here today; and
if it had not been for the practice, you and I would not have
been here, would we?
30
Well, practice makes perfect: it makes perfect men and perfect
Apostles, and Prophets, and Elders, and Teachers, and Deacons;
and how can you be perfect without it? It is by our practice and
living up to our profession that we increase and grow in grace
and in the knowledge of the truth.
30
There are a great many things, probably, that are taught you from
this stand--that is, from individuals. They are taught to you;
and you, probably, have not got faith and confidence in them.
Well, now, I do not care whether you have or not: if you will go
and do as you are told, you shall have a knowledge, although you
had not a particle of faith when you began. That is curious
religion; but there is no knowledge on any other principle, only
by obedience.
30
Some time ago I brought up a figure. Say I, John, Timothy, Jack,
Peter--I do not care who they are--you go up above the arsenal
and dig a well, and dig ten or twelve feet, and you shall find a
good spring of water. "Well," says brother John, I have no
confidence in that, that there can be water got there, neither
have I any confidence in you as an Apostle." Say I, I do not care
whether you have or not: go and do as I tell you, and you shall
be paid for it. You go and dig a well, and dig twelve feet, and
find a good spring of water. Now, do you not get the knowledge of
that water without a particle of faith or confidence? It is in
the works.
30
Some say, "What is the use of my doing this, or that, or the
other thing? I have no faith in it." I do not care a dime for
your faith. They produce the knowledge; and then, do you not see,
knowledge swallows up faith before you ever had it?
30
Did you ever know anything to swallow a thing when it was not?
Yes, the Methodists' God has neither body, parts, nor passions;
and yet they have swallowed him.
30
Well, now, this is a kind of curious doctrine, but it is true
doctrine; for I never knew much faith in exercise in a man,
except that man had good works, by going and doing as the
servants of Gad say, to produce faith and knowledge.
30
Now, I will ask you a question--a scriptural question. I do not
know where it is. It is in the Bible. I cannot refer to chapter
and verse. I want to refer you to the case of Naaman, the
Assyrian, who was smitten with leprosy. How much faith had he? He
had not a particle; but his servant, who had faith, prevailed
upon him to go down to Jordan. When the Prophet spoke to him and
told him to go and dip himself seven times, and he should become
whole, he had not a particle of confidence in it. He went down
with his riches to buy health, but he could not buy it: he had to
do as the Prophet told him. He went down and dipped himself seven
times and was healed. Do you not believe, then, he knew things?
Said he, "I know now they are the men of God. I know now that God
lives, and their words are true; for I did as they told me, but I
had not any confidence in them, and I was healed."
31
Does not that agree with me? I merely bring that up that you may
not find fault with my doctrine. Do you not see that is the
principle that we must be actuated by? I care not whether you
have any faith or not: you go and do as you are told to do, and
that produces knowledge; and how long will it be before we shall
be presented into the presence of Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
It will not be but a little while. Now, there are a great many
people, even to this day, with all the reformation that has been
in our midst, who make a practice of telling lies. It is
impossible for them to tell a story, except they put into the
interstices of that story lies of their own manufacturing. Do you
not see that destroys? They make a practice of it. They cannot
transact business except they must lie a little. How long, do you
suppose, it will take that man to get to heaven and to enter into
celestial glory, where lies or anything that is impure cannot
exist? It will take him as many millions of years as there will
be millions of years to come.
31
Perhaps some people may think that if we do lie and are
dishonest, and so forth and so on, when we die, the death that
comes upon us and the change that comes upon us will change and
take away those lies, and we shall find ourselves basking in
truth. So such thing. I may tell a lie to you--I may be dishonest
to my neighbours and ungodly, then I may get up and go out of
doors; and I want to know what better am I when I go through that
door than I was this side of it? Has it changed my nature?
No--not one particle.
31
I will refer to brother Morley's words. He says, "The mind makes
the man." That is true. What is the mind? It is that character
that was made and fashioned after the image of God before these
bodies were made,--that is, our spirits. What is the mind? It is
the spirit that was made before this body. Do you know it? Well,
now let me tell you, it is that spirit that makes the man. I care
not how humble he is--if his nose is three feet long and all his
body was disfigured--I will tell you, if there is a good spirit
in that man, and that spirit cultivates wholesome doctrine and
lives to God, you love him. It is the spirit that is in the man
that makes the man, which is the mind that you were speaking of,
father Morley. You meant so, did you not, father Morley? ["Yes."]
Well, you did.
31
Well, our change from this state of existence does not change our
character. The character must be made and formed before it goes
through the vail, if he is going to continue with the servants of
God, the Prophets.
31
Now, brethren, you have got a spirit in you, and that spirit was
created and organized--was born and begotten by our Father and
our God before we ever took these bodies; and these bodies were
formed by him, and through him, and of him, just as much as the
spirit was; for I will tell you, he commenced and brought forth
spirits; and then, when he completed that work, he commenced and
brought forth tabernacles for those spirits to dwell in. I came
through him, both spirit and body. God made the elements that
they are made of, just as much as he made anything. Tell me the
first thing that is made on earth that God did not organize and
place here in this world. Not a thing.
31
Well, it is the mind or spirit that is in the man that makes the
man. Was that spirit a wicked spirit when it was organized and
brought into existence? No--no more than our little children are
sinners. But we have been led--that is perverted, or rather led
away from these true principles--led into evil principles by
others. Well, then, of course, we are not exactly as we were when
we were organized. No; we have taken other men's books and
reasonings, and fell into other principles--led away from
nature,--some say, "nature's darkness." I do not know anything
about such a thing as nature's darkness. If we were as we were in
our first creation, we should be as innocent as little children,
every one of us. Perhaps you do not see these things as I do; but
I have not any notion of my own to communicate unto you.
32
You see I am the simplest fellow there is. I wish to God I was
more simple than I am: I should be nearer to what I was in
nature. I do not know how to use what they call big words. I
never studies them. I have no taste particularly for them; and if
I had, I should not know where to put them, and should be very
apt to stick the head to the feet, and the feet to the head. I do
not know where to apply them. Well, what are they? You may ask
brother Taylor, and he will tell you they are conflabberation of
all languages. Conflabberation! Well, that's a good word, is it
not? That is, they are French, English, Irish, Dutch, Hebrew, and
Latin, and they are all kinds of words; and there are not many of
them that have good sense. Well, they are a mixture; every
language is a mixture. I have not studied them.
32
Do you want to blame me? Cannot you understand me in my simple
way of communicating to you? After all my simplicity and simple
words, and trying to simplify my words to the capacity of the
people, there are lots of you who do not understand the words I
use--the words I was taught from my youth in my simplicity.
32
Well now, brethren, I tell you I have said what I have said; and
my God grant that it may inspire your hearts--that it may exalt
your minds--that you may treasure up these truths, as far as they
are truths; and I know nothing to the contrary but what they are
truths; and if you do, or anybody else, I would be pleased to be
corrected,--that is \, to have the real thing presented instead
of them. Is it to my injury, because I did not happen to get it,
and somebody steps forward and puts it there? Does it injure me?
No: it communicates to me that I had not got,--that is, a truth;
and truth is life, and life is light. Do you not see what I get
by it?
32
In regard to our situation and circumstances in these valleys,
brethren, WAKE UP! WAKE UP, YE ELDERS OF ISRAEL, AND LIVE TO GOD
and non else; and learn to do as you are told, both old and
young: learn to do as you are told for the future. And when you
are taking a position, if you do not know that you are right, do
not take it--I mean independently. But if you are told by your
leader to do a thing, do it. None of your business whether it is
right or wrong. You will get water, if you dig away. That is
rather presumptuous doctrine with some people; but with me it is
not.
32
I have heard men teach in this stand that I was under no
obligation to do anything, except I had a revelation. I do not
believe the doctrine at all. I don't care who preached it. I am
not the leader--I am not the Prophet, nor the chief Apostle. I do
not hold the keys independently. I have no keys, only what I hold
in brother Brigham; and then brother Brigham has the word of God:
he must do thus and so. He comes to me and says, "Brother Heber,
I want you to do thus and so." Wait till I go home, get into my
private room, and ask God that I may get a revelation! Ain't that
pretty, brother Taylor? Well, I will not talk just as I think. If
I did, I would knock this pulpit head over heels, when I think of
such folly. Go and get a revelation, when God has spoken through
my head!--and then the tail goes off, and gets down on his knees
to get a revelation, when the head has got one!
33
Now, I have heard that doctrine preached here, that they must
have a revelation before they are bound to receive that word and
go and practise it, just as it would have been with those men I
employed to go and dig that well by the arsenal. "Wait, sir." I
will not wait a minute. Go along, or I will employ men that will
do it. "I am going to get a revelation to know if there is water
there." They do not know that by believing on any man's testimony
they increase in knowledge, wisdom, and the power of God. They
forget that. Do you not see that I can learn more to be led than
I can to lead, if I have the right man to lead me? Brother
Brigham is my leader: he is my Prophet, my Seer, and my
Revelator; and whatever he says, that is for me to do; and it is
not for me to question his one word, nor to question God a
minute. Do you not see?
33
I will tell you what it is right for me to do. If there is time,
(and if there is not, it is not necessary,) go along and bow down
before the Lord God. Say I, "Father, help me to be faithful and
do the words of Brother Brigham, my leader, that I may see glory
in it, and that I may see immortality and eternal lives in it."
33
I am teaching you, Elders. Now, if I am not right, I am wrong. I
leave it to you to judge whether I am right or wrong. It is
curious for me to talk, but it is not for me to question his
words any more that it was Naaman, the Assyrian. Said he, "What
better are the waters of Jordan? Why are not the rivers of
Damascus and the water round Jerusalem just as good? Why is there
not as much virtue in them as there is in Jordan? Why, there is;
but the virtue is in the man of God telling him what to do. There
was virtue in doing what the servant of God told him to do. If he
had told him to have gone and got into a mud hole, it would have
had the same effect as that water. It is in the words of the man
of God, and God lets his angels go along wherever he goes, and
the angel of God goes along and touches the man with the touch of
his finger, and says, "Be thou made whole!" Why? "Because the
servant of God says so, and I have come here to help to fulfil
it." Either side of the vail they are active to see that your
words are fulfilled. If they are not, they are not with us, nor
we with them.
33
What difference does the vail make? None at all. To us there is a
vail, but to them there is no vail. They can see through the side
of a house as well as through the air. I know that by experience.
"Well, now," some one says, "What good does it do for two or
three thousand men to be in the mountains? Why, I don't know that
it is any of our business. It says, "Uncle Sam cannot come. We
are ready; we are on the spot." Well, what else? It gives those
men an experience that they cannot have on any other principle.
They are getting an experience--of what? To cultivate them for
something greater, which will come next year; and if it does not
come then, it will come some time. I do not say it will come next
year. You never heard me say it would; but you and I want to live
our religion and do as we are told, not questioning a word for a
moment. You have got to stop that. It is enough for others to do
that, without our meddling with those things. I am speaking to
the Elders of Israel.
33
Well, these things are all right. You learn to do as you are
told; and those that have not been baptised into the Church, I
say, Go and be baptised, and put on Christ by baptism, that you
may receive the Holy Ghost and be one with us: that is all I have
got to say to you.
34
Bless your souls, I pray my Father to bless brother Brigham, with
his Counsellors, that they may be one; to bless the twelve, that
they may be one with us; to bless the Seventies, that they may be
one with the Twelve, and the High Priests one with the Seventies,
and the Elders one with the High Priests, and the Priests one
with the Elders, &c.; that we may all be one and partake of the
same Spirit, and same power, and same Holy Ghost, and same
religion. That is my exhortation to you: I cannot preach any
other.
34
If that takes place, I want to know what any power has to do with
us? As we relax our power and live our religion--do you not see,
as we relax, that the Devil will gain power upon us? Suppose,
now, I was to take a rough-and-tumble with a man and wrestle with
him: I wrestle a spell pretty valiantly, and almost gain power
over my antagonist; I have almost gained power over him, and I
begin to slack up to get a little breath: do you not see that
that antagonist is bound to put me down if I slack up? Well, if
you slack up your religion, living faithfully, praying,
exhorting, and living to God, do you not see our antagonist is
gaining power over us? But let me tell you, gentlemen, we will
take it just as God dictates; and if he says rough-and-tumble,
let us take it rough-and-tumble, and pitch them headlong where
they belong.
34
Well, now if you will do just as you are gold, you will increase
in knowledge ten thousand times faster than you will be pray six
hours; and if you follow that course, you will not advance in
your religion one-hundredth part so much as that man that will do
just as he is told, no matter what.
34
If you are told to watch, watch. Can you pray when you are
watching? I do: I pray all the time. Well, live your
religion--that is not your religion, but the religion of Jesus
Christ, and serve your God. Cease all your contentions. Are there
not contentions enough in the world? Are there not contentions
enough with that army and with the devils in hell, without there
being any with us? These things should subside: they should take
an avalanche, like the snow. You know the snow will take a slide
down the sides of the mountains. They call that an avalanche. I
should call it a hell of a full of a fuss,--that is, it is a
convulsion. Well, excuse me for that language.
34
Well, there are those troops over yonder. They are not here, are
they? Well, some of you thought they were coming here, and
several ray away, supposing they were coming. Well, I am glad of
that, and I wish every other one that feels so would put off. We
will help them. Brother Brigham has fulfilled his word: he said
if he could find any man or woman that wanted to go, he would
send them to that happy place. Well, he has sent Mrs. Mogo. No
doubt she will die a happy death.
34
This great Mr. Johnson, the Commander of those troops has come, I
suppose. Brother Groesbeck has come in with his company from the
States. God gave him wisdom, and he is here, and he escaped those
troops. Mr. Johnson says he is going to obey the President's
orders, and says he will come in; but by the time he goes up and
down Ham's Fork a few times, it will take away his strength. If
you do not believe it, try some other Ham's Fork. I had as lieve
sit on a bayonet as a fork. He has had a fever all the way, and
will have a chill when he has lost his strength. He will have an
all-killing chill. He will not come here. We have told you all
the time they will not come. But he may attempt to come, and then
he may not. That is just as God has a mind to.
35
I feel the Lord designs the thing should move along and no blood
be shed, because I do not consider God is so anxious that we
should be blood-thirsty men as some may be. God designs we should
be pure men, holding the oracles of God in holy and pure vessels;
but when it is necessary that blood should be shed, we should be
as ready to do that as to eat an apple. That is my religion, and
I feel that our platter is pretty near clean of some things, and
we calculate to keep it clean from this time henceforth and for
ever, and, as the Scripture reads, "Lay judgment to the line and
righteousness to the plummet." We shall do that thing, and we
shall commence in the mountains. We shall clean the platter of
all such scoundrels; and if men and women will not live their
religion, but take a course to pervert the hearts of the
righteous, we will "lay judgment to the line and righteousness to
the plummet," and we will let you know that the earth can swallow
you up, as it did Korah with his host; and as brother Taylor
says, you may dig your graves, and we will slay you, and you may
crawl into them.
35
I do not mean you, if you are not here. I mean those corrupt
scoundrels. Well, this is just as brother Brigham has said here
hundreds of times.
35
If those troops could have come in here, let me tell you, all the
finest and smartest devils would have entered into the smartest
bodies and come here to overturn us. You will not catch a mean,
low, inferior, stupid devil in a smart man. I will tell you the
Devil has his smart men. Says he, "You get into a smart body."
Smart spirits do not get into inferior bodies. Would you? No.
Well, then, do you suppose they would do what we could not do
under the same circumstances?
35
Was not Lucifer a pretty smart lad? Just look at it--son of the
morning--when all heaven wept when he fell. He was a smart man.
It takes a smart men--that is, one who thinks he is, to act the
devil. Well, I merely speak of these things.
35
Well, they would come from Dan to Beersheba, and from California
to France,--that is, wicked and abominable spirits would have
come into this valley when those troops came, do you not see? The
blacklegs, and highway robbers, and whoremongers, and whores
would have gathered into this place, if those troops could have
come into this place to have slain our leaders. Let me die an
honourable man living my religion rather than to bow down to
their cursed yoke again, as the Lord God liveth. They have made
us stiffen our upper lip, and now we have got to keep it stiff--I
mean the upper lip; and if you grow as you ought, five years will
not pass away before your lips will be five times as thick as
they are now. Joseph had a high lip, and he was a beautiful
men--one of the most lovely men I ever saw, especially when the
Spirit of God was in him; and his countenance was as white as the
whitest thing you ever saw.
35
Let all these domestic broils and family difficulties cease, ye
Elders of Israel; and if you have got things that will not sleep
and will not rest, live your religion, and I would take my
johnny-cake and go into the mountains and spend my days defending
the house of Israel, before I would stay at home and quarrel one
moment. Is it not better for you? Well, now stop these little
broils at home in your families: that is the end of all trouble
with us; and God will bless us and will bless the earth, and the
air, and the elements, and we shall be blessed with fruits and
grain, and with every other thing that our hearts can desire.
35
Is there anything that we ever saw of thought of but what is in
the elements, the air we breathe, and the earth we walk on?--and
blessing be to God that I live on an earth that lives. Well, that
is a curious idea. I heard a Methodist preacher preach that once
at Miller's Corners, in Bloomfield, Ontario County, New York, and
thought it was a curious idea. Well, it is truth.
36
Now, I will prove this to you, if any of you doubt it, by true
philosophy--by natural philosophy. Do you believe that a dead
woman can conceive from a live man and bring forth a live child?
Do you believe it, any of you mothers? Do you believe it, any of
you fathers? No, you know better. Well, if a woman will not
produce when she is dead, then the earth cannot produce living
things if it was dead.
36
Does the earth conceive? It does, and it brings forth. If it did
not, why do you go and put your wheat into the ground? Does it
not conceive it? But it does not conceive except you put it
there. It conceives and brings forth, and you and I live, both
for food and for clothing, silks and satins. What! satin grow!?
Yes. What produces it? The silkworm produces it. Does the
silkworm produce except it conceives? No, it eats of the mulberry
tree. Where does the mulberry tree come from? It comes from the
earth. Where did the earth come from? From its parent earths.
36
Well, some of you may call that foolish philosophy. But if it is,
I will throw out foolish things, that you may gather up wise
things. The earth is alive. If it was not, it could not produce.
If you find a piece of earth that is dead, you cannot produce
anything from it, except you resurrect it and restore it to life.
If that is not true philosophy, it is nothing that I have
produced. It is what every man knows, if he can only reflect. But
I thought it was curious doctrine when that Methodist spoke of
it.
36
How could my head produce hair, if it was dead? Neither can the
earth produce grain, if it is dead. Now, brethren, do you not see
the propriety of our blessing the earth--the earth that we
inhabit and cultivate? If you do not see the propriety of it, for
heaven's sake do not bless the sacrament again. Do not take a
bottle of oil to the prayer-circle to be blessed, when you do not
believe the earth can be blessed.
36
If you have got half-an-acre, you can bless it, and dedicate it,
and consecrate it to God, and ask him to fill it with life. Well,
then, if you can bless half-an-acre, why can you not bless a
whole acre? And if you can bless an acre, why can you not bless
all this Territory? Just reflect for a moment. If you can bless a
gill of oil, then you can bless a pint. When you bless a pint,
you can bless a quart, and so on until you can bless a bottle of
oil as big as this valley.
36
Bless God! Yes, I bless my Father and my God pertaining to this
earth; I bless his Son; I bless everything in heaven and on
earth. Now, you may call that improper, when you do it, all of
you, indirectly. Bless my Father! Suppose I had an earthly father
here, and he had received the Gospel and was a Patriarch, I would
bless him and put all the blessings of him that I had power and
strength; that is, I would put all I had on to him; then I could
get it back; then I could bless his father, and his father his
father, and the blessings I would put on my father would go clear
back until it came to the Father and God from whence it came, and
then it comes down to us again, just as the sap and nourishment
in the three: if it does not go into the root, it never would go
into the top; and every limb and branch pertaining to that tree
has to give up a portion of the nourishment they receive, and
then we are all impregnated with the roots.
37
Well, I am talking these things as plain as I can. Perhaps some
of you do treasure them up. Be we live on an earth that lives: if
we do not, we cannot produce nor get produced from it. You never
will get peaches if you do not plant and let the earth conceive;
but if the earth conceives, and you nourish it, you are bound to
have peaches, and apples, and currants, and plums. If you
cultivate and partake of the elements that God has made, you will
have houses, and barns, and granaries, and everything else. God
has made it. All we have to do is to take it from the earth. But
you say it is all dead, do you? Oh folly! There is nothing that
is dead that lives, nor shall we ever die temporally nor
spiritually; for that tabernacle that I live in is life; and when
it goes back to the earth, it goes back into a living creature.
For what purpose? To become analyzed, and cleansed, and purified,
that I may receive it again, more glorious than this body. How
can I obtain it? On no other principle only to do just as I am
told. You have got to learn that lesson. I have got to learn it;
and if I have got to learn it, I can prove that you have got to
do as I do.
37
You are very exact in military tactics. Here is Squire Wells, and
he is under the direction of our Governor; and then every other
officer in his turn must be dictated and governed as he is
dictated. Does Squire Wells run to every man? No: he gives his
order to the officer next to him, and so on till it goes down to
the fourth corporal. See how accurate you have to be in that
discipline. Should not you be more so in the kingdom of your
God?--and if you do not, you are not making progress.
37
Why are you not wide awake? Cultivate, make, take, and increase,
and bring forth those things that you need. You do not believe
the gate is going to be shut down, do you? Mr. Johnson says there
shall not an article or a train come in, except the Governor lets
him come in. The Governor will not, except he grounds arms; and
if he will ground arms, he will ground arms; and if he no ground
arms, then he no ground arms, and he cannot come here. Gentlemen,
your leaders all say he cannot come here. Why, if he want to come
here himself, with a few of his council,--if they really want to
come to see the Governor, they have the privilege; but they would
have to ground arms. I am not going to take that word back. They
have got to ground arms from this time henceforth. But we have
shouldered arms, and it is present arms; and do you not see that
the next thing is to take aim?
37
Joseph, when he was in Nauvoo, on the house top, drew his sword
from the sheath and said it never should be sheathed again.
Brother Brigham has said the same, and brother Heber will back
him in it, and so will every officer in the kingdom of God. What
say you, brethren, will we go it? If so, raise your right hands
and say Aye.
37
[One loud "AYE" rang through the congregation.]
37
We are not going to bow down to the wicked any more. I had rather
die as I am and fight my way than ever to go into their hands
again. They probably, if they had had only sense enough, might
have caused us to bow down our heads and got the bow on Old
Bright's neck. They will not pay the debts contracted by their
own officers. They send the most damnable and contemptible
scoundrels that they could to rule over us, and they abused us
all the time, and God wanted they should. If they had not,
perhaps we should have bowed down and got the yoke on our neck.
Now, perhaps, they will try to draw back and say, "Let us give
them a State Government and a few hundred thousand dollars, and
see if we cannot pet them." When you see a thing of that sort,
look out for the Devil: he will be behind that curtain. When I
see anything of that kind, I am suspicious.
37
We shall prescribe a course for the United States to take after
this. Well, you do not believe that, do you? Do as you are told,
and see if it does not come to pass. You cannot tell whether I am
a true man, unless you listen to me.
38
Well, these are my feelings. God bless you, brethren; God bless
you, sisters; God bless this earth, and these valleys, and every
honest person that comes into these valleys! If their soldiers
desert and come in here, may the Lord God bless them, that they
may have the Spirit of God on them while they stay here! We live
to let live, and we will treat them with kindness and gentility,
if they stay here and behave themselves. But they cannot whore it
here; for gentlemen, if there is anything of that kind, we will
slay both men and women. We will do it, as the Lord liveth--we
will slay such characters. Now, which would be the most worthy to
be slain--the women that had had her endowments and made certain
covenants before God, or the man that knew nothing about it? The
woman, of course. She must be guilty according to her knowledge.
These little officers that were brought up as pets at West Point
boasted all the way what they were going to do with our leaders:
they were going to take our Governor and hang him, and take his
wives and use them at their leisure; and they were going to serve
Heber in the same way, and all others that lifted their tongues
against our enemies. They have not yet done it, have they?
38
Well, these are my feelings. They are out there: they have been
sitting on Ham's Fork so long, it has begun to ulcerate, as that
nasty fop, Douglas, uses the term,--that little nasty snot-nose:
you cannot call him anything half so mean as he is--the nastiest
of all nasties that God could suffer on the earth. We have been a
friend to him and everybody else, and we have no done any harm.
We mind our own business. We came to this land because we were
just obliged to do so; and I have been broken up and driven five
times; but, as the Lord God liveth, I do not go again, nor any
other man or women that will live their religion. Let us do
right, as a people, and we never will go from this place until we
please and God pleases to have us.
38
We were brought here for a purpose to secure us, and for us to
stand to our rights and privileges as citizens of the United
States, and claim protection. What are they coming up here for?
To kill your leaders; and when they kill us they will kill every
man and woman that will sustain those men. Well, they are not
here--God be praised! Hallelujah! Glory to God in the highest,
peace on earth, and goodwill to all good men! My soul says
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, my soul, and give glory to him, and
let all Israel say Amen!
38
[The assembly responded, "Amen."]
38
Am I not happy? These are the people of God. They shall live and
they shall prosper, and everything that is attached to the
righteous shall be righteous and grow righteous. Yea, I bless the
earth and everything that is on this earth; but I feel, in the
name and by the authority of Jesus Christ and my calling, to
curse that man that lifts his heel against my God and his cause
and kingdom; and the curse of God shall be upon him: the angels
of God shall chase him, and he shall have no peace. The President
of the United States and his coadjutors that have caused this
thing shall never rest again, for they shall go to hell.
38
Brother Morley says he has no right to teach. I am blessing them
with the power that is on your head. Why do you not do it? That
is the blessing of a Patriarch, to bless the house of Israel. I
bless you as a people--not only this people here today, but I
bless all that are in the east, west, north, or south. God bless
our head and every member that is attached to it! Bless the house
of Israel, with the head of the vine, and with every wine and
every branch that pertains to it, with every particle of fruit,
that it may be choice in the house of God in these mountains!
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Brigham
Young, November 15, 1857
Brigham Young, November 15, 1857
SOURCE OF TRUE HAPPINESS--PRAYER, ETC.
A Sermon by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 15, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt
39
I am happy for the privilege of standing before the Saints. It is
a great pleasure to me to associate with those whose feelings are
concentrated in the establishment of peace and righteousness upon
the earth.
39
Before I heard the Gospel as again revealed in its purity through
Joseph the Prophet, I was tolerably well acquainted with the
spirit, disposition, tact, and talents possessed by the children
of men; and though I was then but about thirty years of age, I
had seen and heard enough to make me well acquainted with the
people in their acts and dealings one towards another, the result
of which was to make me sick, tired, and disgusted with the
world; and had it been possible, I would have withdrawn from all
people, except a few, who, like myself, would leave the vain,
foolish, wicked, and unsatisfying customs and practices of the
world. Sorrow, wretchedness, death, misery, disappointment,
anguish, pain of heart, and crushed spirits prevail over the
earth; and apparently, the whole of the intelligence of mankind
is directed in a way to produce cruel and unnatural results.
39
Since I have been in this Church and kingdom, I have endeavoured
to learn and treasure up wisdom and good understanding, and then
not to forget them. I have endeavoured to gather to myself every
principle that would promote righteousness in me and those who
would hearken to my counsel.
39
Read the history of any kingdom or nation, and trace through all
the channels from the history of nations and kingdoms to that of
families and individuals who have not known God nor observed his
commandments, and you will find that sorrow and disappointment
have been intimately mingled in all the gaiety, luxuries, and
pretended enjoyments of their mortal lives. They have found a
bitter sting in their happiest moments and a deadly poison in
their cups. There is no man or woman on the earth who can enjoy
solid satisfaction--unalloyed peace and comfort, but in the holy
spirit of our religion--in the Gospel of salvation: that is the
only source of true happiness. Read the history of those who can
command the wealth of the world to minister to their happiness,
and they find it not in authority, station, nor wealth. From the
monarch upon his throne to the most degraded beggar upon the
streets, all who enjoy not the Gospel are destitute of the source
of true happiness. It is not to be found among them.
40
When the portals of heaven are opened and the Priesthood of God
is given, he so blesses the people that they can truly understand
the principles that tend to peace, to glory, immortality, and
eternal lives. That and that alone can give true satisfaction to
our spirits, which are organized to receive and continue to
increase in principles of light, intelligence, power, and
glory,--organized to be preserved to eternally associate
together--to have the privilege of beholding each other's
faces--of enjoying each other's society and the society of holy
beings who have been tried as we have and have to be, and to
enjoy, love, converse with, and look upon the faces of those
beings who have been glorified throughout all ages that are
countless to us. Their identity has been preserved, and they
enjoy the smiles of their friends and associate with their
companions who have in a mortal state passed through the same
ordeals they endured while in this existence. Fathers and mothers
associate with their children, children with their parents,
brothers with sisters, and sisters with their brothers--all in
their family circles dwelling in the midst of the glorified. What
else can satisfy a truly intelligent human being--the immortal
spirit that is tabernacled in a mortal tenement? Nothing.
40
What would induce an intelligent individual to suffer his eyes to
be put out and to live without seeing objects around him--the
faces of his family, friends, and connections? Would money? What
would hire an intelligent person to be deprived of the sense of
hearing? Could money buy his hearing? What would hire you to
suffer the destruction of the organ of speech, or to be deprived
of any of the more important members of your organization? The
things of this world could not induce you to suffer the
destruction of any of the vital powers of your organization; yet
the world are seeking after the paltry, perishable things of time
and sense. They are their glory--their pretended comfort--their
god, and their daily study and pursuit. But the members which God
has placed in our tabernacles are worth all the world to us. We
have the power of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and
feeling, enabling us to converse and associate with each other;
and money cannot buy these blessings from us.
40
Stop then, and consider what use you will make of these powers.
Will you go wild after the things of this world, as do the
majority of the inhabitants of the earth, with whose ways you are
well acquainted? How long will they endure? Their breath is in
their nostrils; to-day they are--to-morrow they are not. What
prospects have they for futurity? Have they any promise? Yes.
What is it? Death. Have they the promise of life eternal? They
have, upon certain conditions; but they are no more about those
conditions that did certain characters that Paul wrote about:
they are even like the dumb beasts that are entirely ignorant of
futurity. Fatten an ox and lead him to the slaughter, and he
knows nothing of what awaits him. So it is with the great
majority of the inhabitants of the earth: they have no knowledge
of their future condition; they merely know that death will
terminate their present career. We are blessed with the words of
eternal life, with the everlasting Priesthood, and the keys
thereof, with principles that, if rightly acted upon, will secure
to us those blessings we now enjoy, and which you hear the
brethren often speak about.
41
I am happy; I am fully of joy, comfort, and peace: all within me
is light, for I desire nothing but to do the will of my Father in
Heaven. I delight not in unrighteousness, but in righteousness
and truth. I seek to promote the good and happiness of myself and
those with whom I am associated. We have the privilege of
securing to ourselves that eternal bliss that can never fade
away, and of preserving our identity, that, when millions of ages
have rolled away, we can then behold each other as we do today,
and can converse together. One thousand years hence, probably
many of this congregation will talk over difficulties we are now
passing through.
41
You hear some of the brethren surmise that we are going to have
trouble. You need not expect any trouble, except you take a
course to bring it upon you. You need never expect to see sorrow,
unless your own conduct, conversation, and acts bring it to your
hearts. Do you not know that sorrow to you can exist only in your
own hearts? Though men or women were in the mountains
perishing--though they be in overwhelming depths of snow,
freezing to death, or be on a desolate island starving to death
for want of food,--though they perish by the sword or in any
other way, yet, if the heart is cheerful, all is light and glory
within: there is no sorrow within them. You never saw a true
Saint in the world that had sorrow, neither can you find one. If
persons are destitute of the fountain of living water, or the
principles of eternal life, then they are sorrowful. If the words
of life dwell within us, and we have the hope of eternal life and
glory, and let that spark within us kindle to a flame, to the
consuming of the least and last remains of selfishness, we never
can walk in darkness and are strangers to doubt and fear. Yet we
see people among us who are still selfish, and that principle we
must abandon: we must strip off selfishness, and put covetousness
far from us. We must become of one heart and mind, in order to
fully enjoy the blessings we anticipate.
41
Brother Phineas correctly observed, in his remarks, that if ten
men are united in these mountains, they are not to be overcome by
their enemies. Are this whole people perfectly united? I fear
not. When I undertake to present before this people the true
principles of the Priesthood, I almost shudder, because so many
do not yet understand them and cannot receive them. I go into my
room where we have our prayer-circle, and among twelve men there
will perhaps be twelve different prayers offered up--one praying
for one thing and another for another thing. You may reduce the
number to three, and let them be clothed for secret prayer; and
while one is praying aloud, each of the others will be praying
for that which the one that is mouth is not praying for, unless
they are better taught in regard to prayer than is the Christian
world. Ask the people if they understand the principle of prayer,
and many reply, "We do not know: we pray with all our might;" and
at the same time it is a scene of confusion and distraction of
mind.
42
We are in a land of liberty; and our fathers have taught
us--especially those born in America, that every man and woman
and every child old enough to speak, argue, read, reflect, &c.,
must have minds of their own, and not listen to anybody else.
They are taught to shape their own opinions, and not depend upon
others to direct their thoughts, words, or actions. That system
of teaching reminds me of the old saying, "Every man for himself,
and the Devil for them all." Such views, though entertained by
the human family at large, must be checked in this people. Yet
when I undertake to strip off the garb of erroneous tradition,
and to teach the people true principles of faith, prayer, and
obedience, there are many who cannot receive those principles in
their understanding and hearts. I have told you, and will now
tell you again, that you have to bring your minds right to the
authority of the Gospel--to the true Gospel line. Let an Elder
pray here, and then ask a brother in the congregation what has
been prayed for, and he cannot tell you. Ask a sister what has
been prayed for and she cannot tell you. She may say, "I was so
fervent in prayer myself that I did not hear what was prayed
for." And so it is with hundreds of people who congregate here.
And I think that I may venture to say that you will scarcely find
an individual in the whole congregation that can tell what the
person who prays has prayed for. Do you not know that to be a
fact? I will appeal to your own minds.
42
When a man opens or closes a meeting with prayer, every man,
woman, and child in the congregation who professes to be a Saint
should have no desire or words in their hearts and mouths but
what are being offered by the man who is mouth for all the
congregation. If all would follow out that principle, where would
it lead the people? They would act with one heart and mind in all
their acts through life, and promote the kingdom of God on the
earth.
42
How many times I have attended prayer-meetings among the
Methodists, in my youthful days, when perhaps one hundred men and
women would all be praying aloud at once? I did not then know but
that it was all right. I neither said nor cared anything about
it. It often used to be father Joseph Smith's custom, when he
took the lead of a fast-meeting, to request all present to pray
aloud at the same time, and there would be as many different
prayers as there were persons. Where was the concentration on a
single and united thread of faith? It is like the cable that
holds the ship. Unwind a cable, and you will find several hundred
small cords; unwind the small cords, and you will find fourteen
strands in each cord; unwind each strand, and there are thousands
of fibres; and you have parted the cable of a ship fasted to a
sure anchor, and the ship is free and wafting unmanageable before
the furious tempest. So it is with prayer. You say you want to be
united and want the blessings of heaven.
42
How many times have I said here, within the last three months, I
pray that God would so lead us and our enemies that there will be
no blood shed? And how many have come to meeting and prayed in
their hearts that "our enemies would come on, for we want to slay
them, for we have been mobbed and hunted enough;" and another
would pray the same prayer, with a disposition to desire the
spoil. One of the brethren prayed in camp that the snow might
fall 40 feet deep on our enemies. I am satisfied if it falls only
four or five feet deep.
42
I will tell you my faith in regard to the brethren now in the
mountains. General Wells takes the charge; and when I write to
him, I counsel him to do as the Holy Ghost shall dictate him, and
inform him that whatever he may order and perform, he has my
faith and influence to sustain him.
43
I pray God to turn away our enemies, to put hooks in their jaws
and turn them wherever he will, with their gold, their horses,
and all they possess. They do not know the "Mormons;" they are
strangers to this people, and are full of wrath and malice
towards us; but they know not why. They know not that they are
stirred to anger against us by the enemy of all righteousness.
Should those who instigated the sending of this army undertake to
come here, there will be another scenery, for they are more or
less acquainted with us and know that we are the most upright
people on the earth; and they will not be able to shield
themselves in the garb if ignorance. I will not talk about them,
for you know their history, and you know and have seen much of
the squalid wretchedness of the wicked inhabitants of the earth.
Is there honour or virtue among them? Where is the man or woman
among them that is to be trusted? If there is here and there any
semblance of goodness or virtue, it is at once overcome by every
fiendish art in their power. Women are overcome by sycophants, by
those who rule the nation, and those who have power and influence
in the various States, parties, and religious sects. Man is
overcome by man; they cuddle, and wink, and gamble, and run
to-and-fro in abominations of every grade, and lift their voices
for and against each other, as did the Paddy in his petition to
the king for an office, wherein he stated that he would vote for
or against him, fight for him or fight him, just as he wished it.
43
Colonel Alexander--probably one of the best men in the army now
near Bridger ruins, told one of our messengers, when replying to
a piece of advice I had given him to resign his commission rather
than be found operating against an innocent people, that he was
compelled to remain in the army; for, if he resigned, he knew not
how to manage to sustain his family. He said, "I have no other
means of support: I cannot throw up my commission, for then I
should have no means to support my wife and children." As an
American, shame and confusion would overwhelm me, were I to even
think of trying to sustain my family by siding with tyranny and
oppression. That is the only circumstance I wish to name. They
are sent ostensibly to civilize this people. But I do not wish to
talk much about such nonsense. The whole world are wrapt up in
the garment of corruption, confusion, and destruction; and they
are fast making their way down to hell, while we have the words
of eternal life.
43
How ought we to live? Look at yourselves and see whether your
faith is concentrated with those who are appointed of the Lord to
lead you and have rule over you. See whether all your desires are
one with theirs. If not, it must come to that point. Let every
Saint, when he prays, ask God for the things he needs to enable
him to promote righteousness on the earth. If you do not know
what to ask for, let me tell you how to pray. When you pray in
secret or with your families, if you do not know anything to ask
for, submit yourselves to your Father in heaven and beseech him
to guide you by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and to guide
this people, and dictate the affairs of his kingdom on the earth,
and there leave it. Ask him to put you just where he wants you,
and to tell you what he wants you to do, and feel that you are on
hand to do it. These are a few of my reflections upon that point,
and only a very few of them.
43
Let this people be brought to the straightforward thread of the
Gospel; and what more have we than what has been taught us from
the beginning of this work? Nothing. And the only difficulty
there has been is, that we were not prepared to receive it. Do
you know how to direct your own minds? Where is there an honest
man or woman on the face of this earth--one who has any knowledge
of the Supreme Being, any feeling of the operation of an
invisible agency, but what pleads with that God, whether they
know him or not, to dictate their minds, affections, and conduct?
Where is there and honest man or woman on the earth, but what
that is their desire?
43
Many do not know what to pray for. They need some one to dictate
them. Will the Lord come and personally dictate them? You know
that he will not. Will he send his holy angels to talk with you?
You could not endure their presence: you are in a sinful world.
What do you need? That invisible agency, called the spirit, to
dictate your minds.
44
The whole world are sadly in want of what they call a
master-spirit. That is what the Government of the United States
are deprived of. There is not one to be found among them, neither
in the Cabinet of the President nor in the Senate of the United
States. They are all gone, and there is no one in their midst
competent to lead and dictate in the affairs of our General
Government; but, as they say, it is with them a period of
mediocrity. It has been acknowledged by Great Britain that the
master-spirits are fled: there are none in the British
Parliament, and they know not what to do. Let this people come to
that condition, and say that they have no person capable of
dictating and leading them, and you will be in the whirlpool of
delusion. It will be every man for himself, and you would not
know to do: you would not know how to dictate your own affairs.
It is this which overwhelms the world in confusion and makes it
Babylon, while the Priesthood elevates mankind and dictates the
husband, the wife, and the children, and all they have.
44
A feeling exists in the minds of many of this people that they
would be glad to submit to their presiding Elder or Bishop, but
they do no think that he has knowledge sufficient to lead them.
Says a wife, "I would be glad to submit to my husband; but I wish
I had a husband that I could look upon as my superior--that I
could look up to and receive his words and counsel: that would be
my highest delight. O that I had a husband capable of dictating
me; but, alas! I have not." Go among some of the children, and
they say, "I would be glad to mind my parents in all things, but
I believe that I know more than they do."
44
Go into one of our cities, and you find somebody on the whiz,
whiz, like the wind passing through a broken window in December;
and so it goes throughout the settlement. Somebody has imagined
that the President does not understand his duty and is not
capable of dictating, and that is all the Devil wants to begin
with. If he succeeds in getting one toe into the stocking, he
will work until he get his whole foot in, and confusion and
discord will reign predominant. How many times have you observed
such instances? You have not lived in the Church one year without
seeing them.
44
In such cases a presiding Elder may not always know but what he
has done something wrong, and may be suspicious that this or that
is not right. My maxim is, and it is a rule I have established in
the Legislature of this Territory, never to oppose anything
unless the one making the objection can present something better.
Do not oppose when you cannot improve. If you are not capable of
dictating your brethren, do not say that you will dictate them
until you have found out a better path than the one in which they
are walking. Before you oppose your Bishop as a man unworthy of
your best feelings, first point out a better path to him; and
then you shall have the right of going to the higher authorities
to show that you know more than your Bishop.
45
Is there a fault in some of the presiding Elders? Yes. What is
it? Some of them are subject to a feminine, pusillanimous
feeling. A man rises up and says, "I will dictate and oppose my
Bishop," and some of the Bishops will dodge, and say, "I do not
know but that I am wrong: wife, am I right or wrong?"--and say to
every brother they meet, "What do you think about it?" and run
round and get the opinion of everybody, to know whether they will
sustain him or not. When men learn their duty and calling, and
walk up to the best light they have, then, if they do not know
precisely how to guide to the best advantage, they are right, if
they do the best they can, and can tell all who find fault, "I
ask no odds of you: I have done as I have, and have done the will
of God, according to the best of my knowledge." And let every man
treat his wives and children in the same way; and when a wife
says, "O no, my dear, I think I understand this matter as well as
you do, and perhaps a little better; I am conversant with all the
whys and wherefores, and am acquainted with this little
circumstance better than you are, and I think in this case, me
dear, that I know better than you;" reply, "Get out of my path,
for I am going yonder, and you may whistle at my coat-tail until
you are tired of it." That is the way I would talk to my wives
and children, if they intermeddled with my duties. And I say to
them, If you cannot reverence me, tell me where the man is you
can reverence, and I would speedily make a bee-line with my
carriage and servants and place you under his care.
45
I told the people in Nauvoo, before they wished me to stand as
their President, that if there were any Latter-day Saints that
did not wish to take the counsel of the Twelve, they could go to
hell their own road: we asked no odds of them, for the Twelve
were capable of building up the kingdom of God on the earth. You
know whether I here ask much odds or not. I also told them that
if they were not Saints at that critical juncture, they ought to
repent of their sins, and get the Holy Ghost, and not live
another twenty-four hours without the Spirit of revelation within
themselves, for who knows but what you are the elect; and you
know that false prophets were to arise in the last days, and, if
possible, deceive the very elect, and that many false shepherds
would come and pretend to be the true shepherds. Now, be sure to
get the spirit of revelation, so that you can tell when you hear
the true Shepherd's voice, and know him from a false one; for if
you are the elect, it would be a great pity to have you led
astray to destruction. But if you are not the elect of God
through the sanctification of the Spirit of truth upon your
hearts, then you can go as quickly as you please, for we do not
want you.
45
We feel just the same now. Every man and woman that will not
strive to sanctify themselves before the Lord God, and to possess
within themselves the spirit of revelation to know the voice of
the true Shepherd from a false one, the quicker they go out of
the Territory the better it will be. Take ten men whose hearts,
when they pray, are upon one sentence and upon one idea at a
time, when they ask God for anything, or to bring this or that to
pass, do you think that the powers of hell can hinder what they
ask for? No. It is as true as the heavens--as firm as the
mountains that rest upon these valleys--as sure as eternity, that
nothing can fail which they agree upon; for God will grant it.
46
What is our difficulty? When I go to my prayer-room, among men
who have been with me for years, there is too great a diversity
of feeling and desires to be in accordance with the Gospel. There
is too much of Babylon in that. When that is the case, and when I
am praying for one thing and others for another, our faith comes
in contact and we do not receive what we ask for. How many times
have I said that I would rather have one hundred true Saints in
the mountains than five millions that are not Saints, if I had to
contend against the whole world? What, with the sword? Yes. Let
me have the Gideonites that can kneel down and lap the water, and
one will chase a thousand to flight. Whether the Lord will
require this people to use the sword, or not, I do not know,
neither do I care; but I believe that if the faith of this people
were united, all hell cannot get armies in here to disturb our
settlements.
46
How gladly I would tell the people what to pray for. But if I
tell them, in ten minutes afterwards they pray for something
else. It is too much so in the Quorum of the Twelve and among my
Counsellors. Go into meetings, and you may hear thirty different
prayers, if there are so many offered up, for everything but what
I tell them to pray for. You may think I undervalue you. I do
not. I tell you that if we strive with all our powers. by-and-by
the time will come that we will be Saints indeed. I have not said
that we are Saints. We are trying to be, and we profess to have
the keys that will lead us in the path of eternal life. When we
become so advanced that we are no more in darkness and doubt, nor
in any way under the power of the Devil, then we have a certain
victory over ourselves and over every foul spirit; the Lord God
is sanctified in our hearts, and we are his servants and
handmaids--his children, that can never be destroyed.
46
Take the congregation now before me, and they pray a thousand
different prayers. To-night, mothers, wives, and little children,
observe how the head of the family prays, and see if he does not
pray for nearly everything but what he should pray for. Perhaps I
am wrong, but I think that he will be sure not to pray for the
things he ought to. He will pray that himself and family may have
plenty to eat and live in peace, and probably stop at that. His
prayer will be something like a certain old man's blessing at his
meals: "O Lord, bless me and my wife, my son John and his
wife,--us four and no more: Amen." You will hear the brethren
pray, "O Lord, bless me, and my wife, and children; but the rest
I care nothing about." When you pray, pray for the things that
the kingdom needs, and be not so very careful about yourselves.
Your selfish notions out to be out of sight. Pray God to promote
his kingdom and preserve you in it, and not as I have known a
tolerably good man to pray. He was so ignorant that he would
cheat a widow woman out of her last cow, and then go down on his
knees and thank God for his peculiar blessings to him! Do not be
so abominably ignorant. Instead of thanking God that you have
been able to wrong one man out of a horse, another out of a yoke
of cattle, &c., pray that he will give you the disposition to
make the most righteous use of the property he has entrusted to
your care. Pray that this people may be preserved--that the
kingdom of God may roll on--that our Elders on the islands in the
Pacific, in the United States, and in foreign lands may be so
blessed as to come safely home. Pray for the honest in heart, and
that the ungodly may be so filled with fear and trembling that
they may leave us, that we may live here as Saints, and build up
the kingdom of our God, and prepare for the return of this people
to the centre stake of Zion, where we can lay the foundations for
a New Jerusalem. Pray for the promotion of this cause and
kingdom, instead of praying that you may be able to wrong
somebody out of something.
47
All eternity is before you, and everything you can ask for will
be given to you in due time; for the heavens and the earth are
the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. If I have horses, oxen, and
possessions, they are the Lord's and not mine; and all I ask is
for him to tell me what to do with them. A great many say that
the Lord takes and gives as he pleases, and I think that if I act
as the Lord does I shall do pretty well. Again, some say that the
Lord is going to fight our battles, and enquire, "What is the use
of our brethren being out in the mountains?" He will use his
people as he pleases; and in the sequel you will find that God
fought the battle, and not we.
47
It has also been observed that God will provide for you. Still
many want to shade a little, rather than to work hard for an
honest living. Such practices must be put away, and this people
must become sanctified in their affections to God, and learn to
deal honestly, truly, and uprightly with one another in every
respect, with all the integrity that fills the heart of an angel.
They must learn to feel that they can trust all they possess with
their brethren and sisters, saying, "All I have I entrust to you:
keep it until I call for it." The world have no confidence in
each other; but that principle must prevail in the midst of this
people: you must preserve your integrity to each other.
47
Live your religion. How much you are exhorted--how much have we
pleaded with you to live your religion--to live in the light of
God's countenance--to live with the Holy Spirit so reigning in
you as never to be led astray, that you may know how to promote
the kingdom of God on the earth. Let selfishness be out of sight,
and ask the Lord to preserve you in the truth, and do with you as
he pleases, and dispose of you to his glory.
47
May God bless you. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Orson
Hyde, November 1, 1857
Orson Hyde, November 1, 1857
INJUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TOWARDS THE SAINTS,
ETC.
Remarks by Elder Orson Hyde, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 1, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long
47
Dear brethren and sisters,--I arise to address you for a short
time this day. I shall be as brief as possible and detain you but
a very short time.
47
The last Eastern mail, I think, brought me a pamphlet or tract
written by Elder Orson Pratt, of Liverpool, England.
Subject--"Gathering of the Saints and building up the kingdom of
God." The whole matter is handled in a masterly way, free from
blind obscurity, unchecked and unrestrained by fear, and
untramelled by the religious or political dogmas of the age. It
is the product of a clear head, of a strong heart, and of an
unflinching hand. In short, it is Heaven's eternal truth. I do
exceedingly regret having mislaid it, for I would like to send it
to Senator Douglas, with a request that he read it faithfully
before he applies the knife to "cut out the loathsome ulcer."
Having read it, then, if he shall be disposed and able to cut,
cut away and carve up to suit his own peculiar appetite and that
also of his friends. Will some person having said tract or
pamphlet be kind enough to mail it to Honourable Stephen A.
Douglas, Washington City, D.C.?
48
But, let all men, however, know, that if what the honourable
gentleman calls the "loathsome ulcer" be cut out according to his
views and suggestions, the United States will be cut off from
being a nation, and her star of empire set, and set in blood!
48
The "Mormons" can hardly be made to believe that the United
States intend to set in good faith towards them until they hang
the murderers of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and punish the murderous
incendiaries that killed our men and burned our grain and houses
on Green Plains, Illinois. Nor yet, until they punish Missouri
and cause the wrongs of the Saints in that State to be redressed.
Whenever the United States Government shall begin its work of
justice, at that end of the "Mormon" question it will find it not
so vexed nor yet so knotty as many complain of its being. And
moreover, such a course pursued by the Government would tend to
convert the "Mormons" to the belief that sincerity, good faith,
and even-handed justice towards them were the paramount
considerations and rules of action of the Federal Government.
48
A few officials, so notoriously corrupt that they became
frightened at their own shadow, ran away, having greatly feared
that what they justly merited might come upon them. An army is
raised at their instigation to force them back upon us again, or
some others, not the men of our choice, and to aid them to punish
us for alleged crimes which they have trumped up But it will be
hard for the "Mormons" to bring their feelings to accept any
federal officers at the point of the bayonet or at the cannon's
mouth, nor yet while troops are about them or on their borders.
The contest appears very unequal, it is true; yet a wasp may
worry a bear; and God, by his providences, has sometimes
over-thrown the strong by the agency of the weak. In that God do
we hope for succour and trust for strength and deliverance.
48
When we were driven from Missouri and Illinois, leaving all our
property, except what little we could take in the hurry, there
was no army sent to reinstate us, neither to punish our
persecutors. Then thousands of our men, women, and children were
forced away from their homes at the point of the bayonet, at
mid-day and at mid-night, in the burning rays of a scorching sun,
and in the gloomy shades of a wintry night. Our judges,
magistrates, and civil and military officers were all forced to
go, and no army was sent to reinstate them or to punish the
persecutor and the oppressor. Oh, ye rulers of the land, look at
your injustice! When the innocent cried to you for help--when the
persecuted for conscience' sake implored your fatherly
interference, and, with tears of blood, said to you, "Help us,
lest we perish," you then said that our cause was just, but you
had no power. But now that the wicked and guilty profligate cries
to you to protect him in his corruption and force him upon us
contrary to our wishes, you find yourselves invested with all the
power necessary to urge an unhallowed warfare against the very
people whom you refused to protect. O Lord God Almighty, in the
name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, I ask thee to let the arm and
sword of they justice interpose, and decide this matter according
to thy righteousness, and get to thyself honour and a name that
shall never be forgotten.
49
It may be said that sovereign, independent States are different
from a dependent Territory. This is a door through which many
specious technicalities are sought to be introduced in
justification of the present action and former neglect of the
General Government. But "Mormons" care nothing about such
technicalities. They hold the Government responsible, and so also
does the God of nations and of armies. Therefore, however
strongly it may be urged that the General Government's intentions
are good towards us, this singular people will not believe a word
of it until said Government shall redress their wrongs in
Missouri and Illinois. Whatever explanation may be given to the
present movement of troops for Utah is immaterial. It will stick
to the present Administration, in its true light and character,
like the mark of Cain, Nero, and Herod--a religious persecution
against an innocent patriotic people who know their rights and
dare assert them! Though every "Mormon" in America should be
slain, it will only add to the enormity of the present
Administration.
49
As well might we be made to believe that the student could solve
every problem of Euclid, who had never learned simple addition,
as to believe the Government our impartial friends while they
decline to redress our wrong. The conduct of the "unjust judge"
towards the "poor widow" might raise the blush of shame upon our
national cheek, if the nation possessed as fine sensibilities and
as much discernment as that "unjust judge". He saw that his own
peace, ease, and happiness depended upon his avenging the "poor
widow." And if the peace, ease, and happiness of these United
States, in future, do not depend upon their redressing "Mormon"
wrongs, (though they may not fear God, neither regard man,) then
the Lord does not speak by me . The nation will soon find out
whether "wrath and indignation some upon the people in the shape
of earthquakes, thundering, and lightnings, tempests,--the waves
of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds; and all things
being in commotion, while fear comes upon all people." The
nations may have occasion to consider the treasures of hail and
snow reserved for the last days--even the day of battle for the
controversy of Zion. They may yet learn that the nation and
kingdom that will not serve Zion shall perish; yes, that such
nations shall be utterly wasted.
49
The prophetic glass before the eyes of the ancient
Seers brings the rays of Jehovah's power to a focus on this
earth, in these our days. For kings and rulers to manage their
responsibilities in these critical times is an affair which no
servant of God, truly enlightened, covets or desires. It will
soon be known who are guilty of treason and rebellion against the
only true Sovereign of earth and heaven. It may be necessary for
the alien enemies to establish a precedent in relation to
treason. Then the judgment with which they judge may be dealt out
to them in equal measure, pressed down, &c. Woe unto the world
because of offences! They must come to try the Saints and to
establish a rule by which the Saints, in turn, may judge the
ungodly.
50
The kingdom and government of God are the only legitimate
jurisdiction that ever did exist. And other kingdoms and
jurisdictions stand before God in the same light that many
divorces stood in the days of Moses. "For the hardness of your
hearts, Moses wrote you this precept; but from the beginning it
was not so." For the hardness of men's hearts, God has suffered
them to exercise temporary jurisdiction. But does this temporary
jurisdiction authorize them to oppose him when he begins to take
to himself his great power and to reign? No. The little stone cut
out of the mountain without hands will roll and fill the whole
earth, while the great image will be broken and fall, and the
kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God. Now,
therefore, O ye kingdoms of this world, resist the decree of
Jehovah, if you can and if you will. Fall upon this little stone
cut out of the mountain without hands, and be broken, if you
wish. But know ye that the way of the transgressor is hard, and
his final cup is bitter. God bless the meek and pure! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Heber
C. Kimball, November 15, 1857
Heber C. Kimball, November 15, 1857
SHEDDING BLOOD--GOD'S PROVISION FOR HIS SAINTS
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 15, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
50
If this people will live up to their profession--that is, every
Elder, High Priest, Teacher, Apostle, and every person in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they never will be
troubled; that is, we shall never be under the necessity of
shedding much of the blood of our enemies. You have heard me say
often that I do not believe God designs that we should delight in
shedding blood.
50
In a revelation which God gave to Joseph Smith, he says, "It is
not pleasing in my sight for man to shed blood of beasts, or of
fowls, except in times of excess of hunger and famine." Go and
read it for yourselves. If he is not well pleased with us when we
shed the blood of beasts when we have no need of it, would it not
be much more displeasing to him were we to shed the blood of man
unnecessarily? It is not the Spirit of God that leads a man or
women to shed blood--to desire to kill and slay. When the time
comes that we have need to shed blood, then it will be necessary
we should do it, and it will be just as innocent as to go and
kill an ox when we are hungry or in the time of famine.
50
Brother George A. referred to one revelation where the Lord says,
"It is my business to provide for my Saints." Some people rest
assured that God is going to open the heavens and rain down
manna, or send the nations of the Gentiles in here and let us
take the spoil, because he has said he will provide for his
Saints in the last days.
50
Many have not even planted a peach tree, an apple tree, a plum
tree, nor a currant bush in their gardens. There are many
gardens, within half-a-mile of this Tabernacle, destitute of
fruit trees of any kind. And again, you may see many city lots
that are not cultivated nor planted with corn, wheat, potatoes,
or any other vegetable; but the people who own them expect that
God is going to provide for them without their co-operation.
50
I will ask you a question, you that have not raised even a kernel
of grain on your gardens--What is the reason of this? Is it not
because you have not planted it? You have not had a peach nor an
apple. Why? Because you have not planted the trees; and do you
ever expect to? No, not while the earth stands, water runs, and
grass grows. Such people never will be provided with these
necessaries, except some other man provides them.
51
Here is the earth, the air, the water, and you have been exhorted
to cultivate these valleys and raise grain, and provide for
yourselves individually and collectively. But, say you, God said
to Joseph, "It is my business to provide for my Saints in the
last days."
51
"Behold, it is said in my laws or forbidden to get in debt to
thine enemies; but behold, it is not said at any time that the
Lord should not take when he please and pay as seemeth him good;
wherefore, as ye are agents and ye are on the Lord's errand, and
whatever ye do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord's
business; and he hath set you to provide for his Saints in these
last days, that they may obtain an inheritance in the land of
Zion. And behold, I, the Lord, declare unto you, and my words are
sure and shall not fail, that they shall obtain it; but all
things must come to pass in their time. Wherefore, be not weary
in welldoing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.
And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."--Doc. &
Cov., sec. xxi, par. 6
51
We have been driven from our native land and birthplace, many of
us, and God has brought us into these rich valleys, and says he,
"Go to and cultivate, and raise grain, and provide for yourselves
seven years' provisions. That is the way he is going to provide
for you--to tell you, like a good father tells his sons, how to
provide for yourselves. "Here I will provide land for you, and
seed," &c. Now, go to and cultivate the soil, increase the seed,
and provide for your wants. Now, that is good logic--good
reasoning: it is not vain philosophy.
51
In this congregation there are hundreds of men who have not a
mouthful to eat, only as they get it from their neighbours from
day to day, or from week to week; and if others had not gone to
and raised provisions, they would have perished, every one of
them, for a temporal subsistence. Is God going to rain down
manna? He will not do it until we are brought into circumstances
to require it. Will he remove a mountain? No--not until the house
of Israel are brought into such straitened circumstances that
there is no way for their escape, except God removes a mountain
for their deliverance.
51
The Lord says, "In the last days it is my business to fight the
battles of my Saints." If it is his business, he will take his
children to do it; and we are his children. You may think that
comes right in contact with the revelations of Jesus Christ; but
it is not so. Why does our President, our Governor, order out
three thousand men to be in the mountains? To fulfil your
prayers. What do you pray for? "O Lord," say you, "I ask thee, in
the name of Jesus Christ, to hedge up the way of our enemies,
that they may never come here." We had to send some three
thousand men to fulfil your prayers. Who is going to fight the
battles of the Lord, if not his people? They have got to stand in
defence of this kingdom and Church of God in the last days.
51
If our enemies are prevented from coming here, they are prevented
because of the Saints of God. Would they have been prevented from
coming here if our brethren had not gone out there and hedged up
their way? God will take his few valiant servants in the last
days, and with them use up the world and bring every kingdom and
dominion into subjection to the kingdom of God.
52
Do you suppose you are going to sit here on your seats and in
your habitations, and never step forth to the help of the Lord?
Nearly one year ago, the last who came in with handcarts were
brought in out of the mountains. Would they have been in our
cities and congregation to-day, had we not gone out and brought
them in? Through our faith and works they were saved from death;
and many of them have brought forth sons and daughters unto God
in the valleys of the mountains. Would they have done this if we
had not stepped forth and manifested our faith by our works in
delivering them from death?
52
I think there is a Scripture somewhere that says, "By your works
you are justified;" and again, "Obedience is better than
sacrifice." It is the works that God expects. I may have faith as
much as I please, and sit in my house and keep my boys at home,
and exhort this people to stay at home; but will that hedge off
the way of our enemies? No.
52
Will our enemies come here? No, except we let them. God gives us
that privilege. We have the right to let them in here or keep
them out; and we choose to keep them out, and we shall do it by
the help of God, and we shall prevail over every nation, tongue,
and people; and every president, king, governor, judge, and every
Latter-day Saint that lift their hands against this Church and
kingdom shall be confounded and frustrated in their attempts.
What! a Saint do this? Yes, a Saint that turns back unto the
Devil takes into his tabernacle the worst spirits, which make him
many times worse that he was at the first.
52
When pigs are washed in soap-suds, they look clean, and you would
think them almost nice enough to live in the house; but no sooner
have you washed them that they will go into the nastiest mud-hole
they can find and muddy themselves all over from head to foot.
Now, do they not look worse than before they were washed? It is
just so with you, when you turn from your righteousness; you are
worse than before you entered into the Church of Christ.
52
Make your preparations this present season to go to and cultivate
the soil, and raise everything you can, and then we shall have
plenty. We have done the best we can; and if our enemies come
upon us, God will throw them into our power, and they will become
subject to us. "How," says the Lord, "Take that spoil and
consecrate it unto my people." The Lord will provide for his
Saints when necessary, and in his own way.
52
Are these things interesting to you, brethren? They are what you
have to do, every man of you that belongs to the house of Israel.
Are there goats in our midst? Bless your souls, if there were
not, there would be more diseases than there now are. It is said
that goats because of their strong smell, have power over
diseases. Take a little assafoetida and put it on a child's
stomach, and certain contagious diseases will not come unto it,
probably because the assafoetida stinks so much worse than
anything else.
52
I do not say there are many goats now. There is, however, one
goat,--I do not know whether it is in the congregation or not.
His face is longer than Lorenzo Dow's; and when you see such a
man as that, you may know who I mean. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Orson
Hyde, November 15, 1857
Orson Hyde, November 15, 1857
OPPOSITION TO THE GOSPEL AND THE WORK OF GOD--HONESTY, ETC.
A Sermon by Elder Orson Hyde, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 15, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
53
A question arises in the minds of some few, and perhaps in the
minds of a great many--"How will our present difficulties
terminate? I would like to know the sequel. We have been kept in
suspense for a length of time, and I would like to know the final
issue."
53
In my opinion, there is no person that can know the final result
of the present movements until it is seen. We have faith in
relation to it, and the assurance of the Almighty that all will
be well; but the exact how and manner in which it will be brought
about we cannot tell; for it is by faith that we move, and not by
sight. But in the course of some remarks which I may make, you
may, perhaps, be led to a satisfactory conclusion as to what the
final issue may be, and not only the final issue, for we are
already satisfied about that, but with regard to the progressive
stages leading to it.
53
It is said in the good Book that "Not many wise, not many mighty,
not many learned are called; but God hath chosen the poor of this
world and rich in faith to be the heirs of his kingdom." We are
furthermore told that he has "chosen the weak things of this
world, and things that are not, to bring to naught the things
that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence." Now I will
quote from a modern writer:--"Say first of God above, then man
below, How can we reason but from what we know?"
53
I will go back to the days of the commencement of this Church,
when a young man of no particular literary qualifications was
called upon to bring to light truths that have been hid for
ages--truths in themselves grand and sublime; yet, when brought
forth, they were clothed in language not so eloquent as might
please the ears of many of the learned. They were not dressed up
in the style of modern oratory; and because of this, they were
rejected by the fashionable and religious world. The religious
world had been taught and completely moulded after the fashion
and learning of this world, so that a man could not be considered
a qualified orthodox preacher, unless he had been through college
and acquired the learning of the age.
53
Here, then, an illiterate youth rises up with a system of true
religion, that lays the axe at the root of every other system in
Christendom. Look at the odds that were apparently against this
young man, even Joseph Smith, the martyr, the Prophet of the Most
High--without learning--without resources or friends to back him
up--with the whole tide of popular sentiment arrayed against him,
backed up by all the learning of the world. If we look at him
through a worldly eye, the odds were materially against him.
54
You are acquainted with the history of the Church, and well
know how matters went on. You know the many trials to which
Joseph the Prophet and his friends were subjected, and the
difficulties with which they had to contend. But was there ever
an instance when the enemy gained an advantage over the truth of
heaven or thwarted the purposes of this illiterate young man? No.
Did they not call to their aid all the learning and craftiness of
the world in proportion as the cause he advocated increased? And
did they succeed any better? When the cause became more extensive
among men, did opposition succeed any better that at the
commencement? Not a all.
54
In process of time, the Elders went forth preaching this Gospel;
and remember, there were not many learned--not many mighty that
were called, and I may say, none at all. With the limited
abilities they possessed, they went forth to proclaim a system of
truth that laid the axe at the root of the false religions and
false philosophy of the world; while the learning, popularity,
and resources of the world were arrayed against us, which we had
to meet; poor and limited in abilities, in learning, and worldly
qualifications, we were despised and regarded as a set of
outcasts.
54
With all the powerful odds against us, the truth greatly gained
ground. Let me appeal to the experience of all present, while I
ask you if you have ever known an instance where a faithful
Elder, who has kept his garments clean and unspotted from the
world, has ever been confounded while administering the word of
life as proclaimed through that illiterate young man, Joseph
Smith? To be sure, a few who may have got the "big head," or been
puffed up in their own imaginations, have been foiled, or those
who have been in transgression. God despises a victory gained by
such characters. He will not acknowledge or own a victory gained
in this cause by a corrupt and wicked member of his Church. I do
not know positively how that is, however, and I will not stop to
investigate it. Suffice it to say, it is the pure in heart that
God delights to work with. Just like any good mechanic, when he
wishes to make a nice piece of work, he wants tools that are
sharp and clean to do it with. He will not work with dull and
rusty tools to execute a nice job of work.
54
So it is with our heavenly Father: although he may use seemingly
awkward instruments, yet they are polished after his mind and
will; and he, being the master builder, knows what pleases him
best.
54
Has the greatest champion against "Mormonism" ever been confident
enough in his own success and triumph in any debate with the
Elders of this Church to publish his own arguments with those of
his opponent? I do not know but there have been such instances,
but not one now occurs to my mind; while, on the other hand, our
faithful Elders have not been afraid or ashamed to publish both
sides of the question for all eyes to look upon.
54
Often we have seen pieces in public journals, and also books
published against us in burning zeal, and flaming with vengeance
against us, and seemingly calculated to overthrow us, exposing
what they called the wickedness of the "Mormons," beguiling and
duping their hearers with cunningly-devised falsehoods. Very many
cases of this kind we have seen, and have also seen their end.
The Almighty has put his hand over them, and they have sunk so
low that the strongest prejudiced hand against us will not now
reach down to bring them up. Their power has become weakness, and
their influence is blasted for ever by the breath of the
Almighty.
55
Does the everlasting Gospel lose its influence with the good
and pure of mankind? Upon those who are not disposed to work
righteousness alone is its influence lost--upon those who shout,
"Great is Diana of the Ephesians;" but with the honest,
simple-hearted sons of men it is just as sweet now as ever it
was; and to them its charms increase, notwithstanding all the
trials and difficulties they endure for its sake.
55
"This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached for a witness unto
all nations, and then shall the end come." Was it the Gospel of
the kingdom that was preached in ancient days--in the days of the
Apostles, that went into all the earth, and their words unto the
ends of the world? It was the Gospel, but I conclude that it was
not the Gospel of the kingdom; for that was to be revealed at the
time when the kingdom of God should be established on the earth,
to stand for ever. "And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached as a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end
come."
55
Where has this Gospel been preached? Through the United States of
America, in Europe, Asia, and Africa. I do not say that it has
been sounded distinctly in the ears of everybody living; but I do
say that the sound has gone into all the earth, and their words
to the ends of the world.
55
I recollect a certain saying in a revelation that was given to
the Saints in the early days of this Church. The Lord said,
through Joseph Smith, that it became every man, after being
warned, to warn his neighbour, that all may be without excuse. If
all the people who have heard the word had been as faithful in
warning their neighbours as the few Elders who are now under the
sound of my voice have been in warning those with whom they have
been associated, and to whom they have been sent, and among whom
they have laboured, would not the whole world have been fully
warned at this time? Yes.
55
In another revelation to the first Elders of this Church, who had
been forth preaching in their weakness, (being called in at
Kirtland, Ohio,) the Lord told them to wash their feet in
testimony that they were clean from the blood of this generation,
and goes on to say, "Let those who are not of the first Elders of
my Church remain in the vineyard, for their garments are not yet
clean." Those first Elders had laboured but a short time in the
vineyard--perhaps one or two years, when it was said, "Your
garments are clean."
55
There are Elders who have laboured from sea to sea, from island
to island, from country to country, and have spent the vigour and
strength of their days in the work of proclaiming the Gospel. May
we not say, upon the same principle, that their garments are
clean from the blood of this generation? If so, what does it
imply? That we shall not be held under condemnation if we never
preach to them again. And there is another thing implied in this:
If this generation shall rise against you to slay you for your
religion, and because you are righteous, your garments being
clear of their blood, and you slay them, their blood is upon
their own heads. This is what I understand by being clear from
the blood of this generation. It is an important saying. In my
opinion, it means more than a casual observer would attach to it.
It is a deep saying. If you have warned, them--have called upon
them to repent--offered them the blessing of eternal life through
the Gospel, and they thrust it from them, let what will happen to
them, your garments are clean from their blood.
56
Now we see that the Gospel has gone into all nations, countries,
and kingdoms; for the man that has been warned should have warned
his neighbour, and the nation that has been warned should have
warned its neighbouring nation, &c.; so they are without excuse
before God, whatever excuse they may plead before man.
56
We can see the unabating success of the Gospel from the time
Joseph got the plates until now, and the defeat and downfall of
every opponent that has risen up to oppose its progress. If there
had been any purpose in God that this work should be overthrown,
would he not have suffered it to be done before this? For all
means that could possibly be invented by the powers of earth and
hell have been brought to bear against it, and every man who has
risen up against it has gone down, and his published works have
become a stink in the nostrils of even this wicked generation, to
say nothing of the Saints. The wicked themselves are even ashamed
of their sayings and of their writings against the cause of
truth. Their expositions of "Mormonism," as they call them, are
hardly cold from the press until they are dead, their influence
killed, and there is no sale for their books. The words of the
Apocalypse very appropriately apply to their case--"No man buyeth
their merchandize any more."
56
I will venture to say that no publication has ever been issued
against this work, only for the purpose of getting gain. Men have
not been inspired to oppose it for the sake of the souls of men,
but to save their craft, their salary, their party, their honour,
and their credit in the sight of men.
56
The system of truth revealed through Joseph Smith is not clothed
in language so eloquent as this literary generation would desire.
As a general thing, you know, a real polished scoundrel wears the
finest cloth--the most fashionable garb, that he may be looked
upon as an honest man by those who judge from outward appearances
and not righteous judgment. The truth is not always clothed in
the nicest style, or according to the ideas of this world; but
the Lord sends it forth in the shape of a stone of stumbling and
rock of offence. He is not pleased to conform to the views of
this generation. They have got to take salvation just as he
offers it to them, or else take damnation: they can have their
choice. It is not for them to serve up the dish they shall eat;
but it is for the Almighty to dress it as suits himself; and if
the sinner take it, it will heal him.
56
The patient does not prescribe nor tell the doctor what he wants
of him,--that is, supposing the doctor to be what he ought to be.
He examines the patient, knows the nature of the disease, and
prescribes accordingly. The patient takes the medicine, and asks
no questions for conscience sake.
56
So it is with our heavenly Father. The world is diseased; and he
has prepared a remedy, and served it up as suits himself, not
consulting the vitiated appetites of this consumptive generation
to whom he administers it. It is like a root out of dry ground:
it is without form or comeliness, without beauty, that men should
not desire it. Awkward and unclothed as it is with worldly
wisdom, behold, the illiterate Elders of Israel are sent with it,
and they have marched through the colleges and literary
institutions of the learned world, and have defeated those who
dared to come out to oppose and put them to flight; and all their
learning, iniquity, cunning, and worldly wisdom were turned into
foolishness.
57
A little boy, filled with the Spirit of the living God throws out
an idea that completely knocks in "pie" all their calculations. A
simple sentence from the mouth of an uneducated youth often
dissipates their profound wisdom in folly and nonsense. They know
not what to do. They attempt to grasp a thing without form or
comeliness. They know not where to get hold of it; and then they
think they have hold of it, it slips through their hands. Such
has been the great success of the preaching of the word.
57
Now, then, if they resort to force of arms or to brute force to
overpower us, may we not safely calculate that the results will
be similar to those in the mental contest?
57
"Say first of God above, then man below,
57
How can we reason but from what we know?"
57
So far, we do actually know and understand. It is demonstrated by
our experience, and we are prepared to say that it is truly so.
Behold, the wicked are unwilling to be converted by the gentle
means the Lord God of Israel has introduced. They are satisfied
that they cannot prevail against us by argument; and even
polygamy, in all the glaring forms they may please to give it,
offers obstacles to formidable for them to encounter by argument,
Scripture, philosophy, or truth. But "overcome it must be," say
the enemy; and "we will not rest until we have resorted to the
last extremity. We will try the force of arms!" "Very well, if
that is your mode of warfare," says the Almighty, "I do not
desire it; but I will show you that I am not only a man of
reason, Scripture, and truth, but a man of war too. If force of
arms is your plan and mode of attack, you will find me ready to
meet you in that and in every method you may adopt."
57
Behold, they rise up in war against the Saints. The Saints
heretofore, when attacked on moral and Scripture principles, have
stood up to oppose the enemy. If they had not done this, the
enemy would have overpowered us. We have always met him with the
truth and the simple arguments which God has furnished us with,
and have always been successful; and perhaps, had we stood up to
oppose him with force of arms, we might have been equally
successful: but I cannot say how that is. The time, probably, had
not come for us to take that position; and consequently, when it
came to force of arms, the enemy must needs be made the
aggressor. He was permitted to prevail against us for the time
being; and whether that was not the very means of putting us in a
position whereby we could successfully oppose him in that way,
when the time did come, we can easily judge. I guess it is all
right and has worked for our good; and herein we can discern that
our heavenly Father has exemplified a glorious truth to us, that
all things shall work together for good to them that love God and
are the called according to his purpose.
57
If we had taken this position in Missouri or in Nauvoo, before
breakfast they could have ordered their affairs and come upon us,
and it would have required a standing army of the angels of God
to defend us. But the time had not yet come; therefore the Lord
suffered them to prevail until he should get us where he wanted
us' "And then shall the prophecies of my servants be fulfilled in
the scenes that shall transpire with you." It never could have
been said, "The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established
in the tops of the mountains," if we had remained in the valley
of the Mississippi.
58
The Lord considered it necessary that we should be removed into
the chambers of the Almighty, or to some place prepared to
receive us, where he might display his power, and get for himself
a name and honour that shall never be forgotten. Sometimes a
defeat is equal to a victory. I recollect of reading an account,
the saying of a celebrated General, after he had gained a victory
and lost a great portion of his men. One of his officers
congratulated him on his victory. "Ah!" said he, "Another such
victory would entirely ruin me."
58
Sometime victory is worse than defeat. I consider that the defeat
the Saints have suffered is tantamount to victory, and better
than victory, because we have come to a place which the Lord
wanted us to occupy.
58
We say, against all the learning, science, skill, talent, &c., of
this world, which were arrayed against us, making the odds almost
enough to discourage any people but the Latter-day Saints, We
have prevailed; and when they come to force of arms, this must
also be overcome. They will use the force of arms; for, say they,
"The 'Mormons' must be overcome, or they will take away our place
and nation, and we shall be overthrown, and there will be no
stopping these people, if we let them go on any further." And
some think it has gone so far now that they cannot stop it. I
endorse the sentiment. They have let it go too long for their
purpose.
58
I believe, when the Almighty conceives a work to do, he will
carry it through in some way or shape. Behold, we are here, a
little people collected together in the mountains, and are short
of the munitions of war, while on the other hand the whole world
if full of them. We are short of clothing, but tolerably plenty
of food. And then look at the terrible odds that is arrayed
against us. See their thousands of well-trained troops and the
millions of money at their command. They can bring any sized army
into the field, all armed and equipped with a splendid outfit.
This is a powerful odds against us.
58
The science of war has been studied by them from the beginning.
They have kept a school at West Point, in which they have trained
and qualified their officers to take command, and they are
schooled in all the tactics of modern warfare, except ours.
58
At the call of the President of the United States, there are
thousands who will enrole as volunteers, and will be all armed
and equipped, with money in their pockets and grub in their
sacks, and no end to it either.
58
Are all these any worse for us to overcome, in our present
condition, that is was to overcome the learning, strength, and
moral influence and power that were arrayed against us when we
were but a handful, and called to go and preach the welcome
message of the Gospel? Is the odds any greater? I say not. The
God who taught and sustained us in proclaiming this Gospel in its
simplicity will also sustain us in whatever opposition may arise
against us, provided we have the Spirit of God in our hearts, and
were not in transgression, we could handle them without mittens,
because the Lord was with us.
58
Just so sure as we as a people are pure and undefiled before God
our heavenly Father, there is no power that can prevail against
us. I do not care if they have all the paraphernalia of war the
world can produce, the Almighty has got weapons of warfare they
never thought of, and means of defence for his people, and he
delights to throw his shield over those who serve him and keep
his commandments. The odds may appear against us in the eyes of
the world; but when we contemplate that God is for us, and that
all the holy angels in heaven are enlisted in our behalf, and we
have purity, and sincerity, and truth in our hearts, these are
bulwarks which they cannot scale. God grant that we may be
shielded with this kind of armour!
59
I want not to speak in relation to a few things that pertain more
particularly to individuals. You know, to be honest, when there
is no temptation to be otherwise, is no particular credit to us.
For me to have a chance to put forth my hand and steal my
neighbour's food, when I have plenty, and I do not do it, is no
particular credit to me for being honest. Suppose I am clad with
all the clothing I desire, and my family also is well provided
for in this article, for me to go and steal clothing would be
outrageous in the extreme, and there would be not credit due to
me for refraining from such an act. The time to test our real
merit and integrity is when we are pinched with hunger and thinly
clad: then is the time to test us. I do not say that a person
going to steal under those circumstances would be any more
justified. For a person to be forced to steal food, to save his
life, is a circumstance that very rarely occurs with a just and
righteous man. Should a good man, however, be reduce to such
extremes, there is generally among the Saints, provision made
against such emergencies, rendering stealing unnecessary under
any circumstances. We have heard of some instance where garments
have been washed and hung out, and have been taken by some person
in the day time, and shirts and other articles not necessary to
mention.
59
Brethren and sisters, I wish merely to say, Let our hands be
clean, and try to the utmost of our power to get what we really
need, and get it in an honourable and lawful way. We do not want
to spoil the victory that lies right before us by dabbling in
things that are not our own, neither convenient. If I were to
apologize for such acts upon the principle of scarcity and want,
it would be a license for everybody to "pitch in" that had a
disposition to do so, and nobody would be safe. Let us be on the
watch--watch ourselves, and suffer not any unlawful act of ours
to tarnish the glorious victory that awaits us. Let us hold on
and do the best we can, and let our neighbour's things alone,
unless we can persuade him to sell them to us, or give them to
us. Do not let us weaken our own confidence before God. But we
need to march, shoulder to shoulder, upon the principles of
purity and integrity; and as we have stood shoulder to shoulder
heretofore, and carried this Gospel to the nations of the earth
and been pure in heart before God, have we ever failed in
accomplishing the purposed of Heaven? No. And I tell you,
inasmuch as our hearts are pure as a people, full of integrity
and the Holy Ghost, no power shall ever prevail against us from
this time henceforth and for ever. I feel in my soul and pray God
to bless the pure in heart, who seek to do his will, live their
religion, and honour their God; and we shall yet see the desire
of our souls and be satisfied.
60
The priests of Christendom now say, "We cannot stand before this
man," and they warn their flocks to keep away from the Latter-day
Saints. "Are you reading that 'Voice of Warning?' Lay it out of
your hands and put it out of your houses, for it is a dangerous
book. Put away from you their tracts and books, for they are
dangerous; and keep away, keep away from those dangerous men that
are turning the world upside down." That is the cry throughout
the world. What will be the cry when they come up against us and
try the force of arms? It will be--"Let us not go up against
Zion, for the people thereof are terrible: keep away, keep away."
The one cry follows in the wake of the other. What makes the
people of Zion terrible? Answer: Strict honesty and integrity
before God. That is what will bring the cloud by day and the
shining of a flame of fire by night; and upon all the glory there
shall be a defence. God will surround the people of Zion as it
were with a wall of fire, and he will make bare his arm in the
eyes of the nation that wars against her, and she will be like a
beacon light to seafaring men; and men will come and bring their
clothing and their treasures, and we shall have an abundant
supply of such things. Let us take care of what we have, keep it
clean and patch it up, take care of our sheep and raise all the
flax and wool we can, and the Lord will make up the balance; and
if we do right we shall find that we have an overflowing treasury
of every good thing; which may God grant, for Christ's sake.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / George
Albert Smith, November 15, 1857
George Albert Smith, November 15, 1857
OPPOSITION TO "MORMONISM," ETC.
Remarks by Elder George A. Smith, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, November 15, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
60
We have been very much interested, brethren and sisters, by the
address of Elder Hyde; and no doubt the value of the sentiments
advanced have been duly appreciated. As a people having a
knowledge of the first principles of the Gospel of salvation, we
are qualified above all others to appreciate the value of the
truths of heaven when they are revealed to us. It is of the
utmost importance that we divest ourselves of every corrupt and
selfish principle and of every species of "covetousness, which is
idolatry." To live before the Lord with honesty is a matter of so
much importance that it cannot fail to be duly appreciated by the
Saints of the Most High.
60
Whenever these principles are presented before them, the contrast
between the situation that we have hitherto been placed in and
our present condition is also very striking, as has been shown us
by the contrast drawn by Elder Hyde.
60
When we had to face the science, the learning, the eloquence, the
skill, and the intellect of the entire world--a single handful of
us against the whole world--God bore us off victorious. His hand
has preserved us. His Spirit inspired us, so that the mighty were
confounded, the eloquent were put to silence, and the learned
were constrained to say to their fellowmen, "Do not listen to it;
do not read their books; do not hear them, nor go where they are.
You may be deceived."
60
In almost every instance, what has been by all philosophers and
wise men considered the worst argument that ever was used has
been resorted to--that is, brute force. You convince a man by
brute force, and he is of the same opinion that he was before.
You force a man to accede to your laws and rules, and his mind is
only enslaved; and then, when it breaks loose, it is ten thousand
times worse than if no brute force had been used. Notwithstanding
this, the world cry, "Extermination and destruction."
61
In looking over the papers that have been brought from the
States, we find that a great proportion of them have been
speculating on the cost of exterminating the "Mormons;" and there
is one very uncomfortable speculation about it. One of them, in
estimating the cost of a war of extermination against the
"Mormons," said, "We shall have to expend from fifty to a hundred
millions, and then we shall have nothing to show for our pay but
naked, barren rocks." This is the condition of affairs; but it is
a war of principle, and "Mormonism" must be exterminated, though
it is not at all a profitable business.
61
Now, there never was a man, from the time that this work
commenced, that ever made himself popular by opposing it; and in
future, whatever may be their attempts, it will be the ruin of
every man that undertakes it; and this has been the case with
every man that has attempted to make such a speculation. It never
did and never will pay political expenses.
61
The God of heaven has raised up this people. He has carried them,
as it were, in his arms. He has cradled them in adversity and has
brought them into these mountains; and here he wishes to nourish
and preserve them. I never lift my heart to the heavens without
praying to the Almighty to gather out of the midst of his people
all those who do offend and work iniquity, and to gather out of
the midst of Zion every corrupt heart--every man that will not
turn from his sins, forsake his wickedness, and love the Lord his
God with all his heart and his neighbour as himself.
61
Such a people will have the blessings of God: such a people
cannot be overthrown by all earth and hell combined. Then let us
be such a people; and if corruption exists in our hearts, let us
cut it out; for I can tell you we shall be sifted as with a
sieve; and while our enemies are endeavouring to destroy us and
desiring to murder us, to exterminate us, to deprive us of our
existence, to wipe us from the earth, to blot out the name of the
kingdom of God, they are only suffered to crowd upon us that we
may be tried and purified.
61
We should not desire the shedding of blood; but we are required
by every law of nature, by every principle of righteousness, and
by every constitutional principle upon the face of the earth,
whether civil, political, or military, to defend ourselves and
prevent our being broken up by others. This is a naturally
inherited right, and God requires us to defend ourselves. And
inasmuch as we have to defend our sacred rights, we should do it
in the name of the Lord, with all humility, with a desire to
sustain his kingdom; and, let what will come, trust in God for
the result and be satisfied with it.
61
Elder Hyde, in drawing the comparison in reference to the
millions of our enemies--to the great wealth that they possess,
showed their advantages in number and wealth. But let me ask this
question, Have they got a thing that the Lord did not give them?
Have they got a solitary farthing that the Lord did not bestow
upon them? If they use that which he has given them for evil,
they will have to give a minute account of that stewardship.
61
The boasted national surplus funds are directly calculated to
produce extravagant and unprincipled legislation, and will have a
tendency in the end to strip them of funds and leave them in
poverty, while the straitened circumstances of the Saints will
only be the means of purifying, driving away, and scattering from
their midst those who do offend and work iniquity.
62
I feel to rest satisfied that the Almighty will control all those
things for the good of this people. The Lord has said it is his
business to take care of his Saints. If you are taking care of a
child and are rearing it up to manhood, you have to look after
its education, correct its morals, regulate its conduct, and
inflect punishment when necessary, that the child may realize the
difference between good and evil--between doing right and doing
wrong. Peradventure the Lord wishes to have a tried people, and
he has determined to try the Saints sufficiently, and he will
protect them in his own way. The Lord will apply the rod.
Sometimes he has scourged the people of Israel in one way, and
sometimes in another. Sometimes he has scourged them with
pestilence, with wasting, and destruction, and sometimes with
famine, or by delivering them into the hands of their enemies;
and in all these way he has scourged his people that they might
know and realize that God is over them, that he control all
things.
62
There was a sheriff that came to an old lady and said to her,
"Well, old woman, I have taken your son Jim, and I have locked
him up on jail, where he will never do any more mischief." "Oh,"
says she, "is it possible that Jim has gone to jail?" "Yes," the
sheriff replied; "I have put the little whelp where he never will
do any more mischief; and I thought I would come and tell you
what had become of him." The old lady felt sorrowful and
mortified at the bitter way in which the sheriff told it. "Well,
Mr. Sheriff," said the old lady, "I hope, when the Lord has
punished poor Jim all that he deserves, that he will burn the
rod!"
62
This is the sentiment that I have with regard to the means made
use of for the purpose of punishing and sifting us, or turning
those who are corrupt and causing them to flee away, or of waking
us up to our duty. When the Lord gets through with them,. like
the old woman, I would be obliged to him if he would burn the
rod. Doubtless he will look after this matter, if we do our duty.
It is only for us to look to the right--to live our religion, and
all will be well.
62
I know that this is the work of God, and that he will sustain his
servants; and if we will love truth, though few, compared with
our enemies, we shall have light, life, power, and dominion,
while our enemies will lift up their eyes in hell, where there is
no water. May God prepare us for all that we have to encounter,
is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Heber
C. Kimball, November 22, 1857
Heber C. Kimball, November 22, 1857
FAITH AND WORKS--SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY--THE LORD'S
PROVISION FOR HIS SAINTS, ETC.
A Sermon by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, November 22, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
63
I can say for one, that that is a beautiful hymn which brother
Dunbar has just sung: ["DESERET, dedicated to Governor Young by
W. W. Phelps."] And what has been said to-day by brothers Albert
Carrington and George D. Grant is good, and their words, as far
as I have heard, are salvation to all who hear and practice,
because they are true.
63
You all the time hear me talking about truth. Truth is light, and
light is life. If these principles are cultivated by us, with our
families, what is there to hinder us from walking into the
presence of God, or into the presence of those who stand between
us and him? I do not believe that we can emerge right into the
presence of God, although we may see him, not in the flesh, but
we can in the Spirit, if he touches the eyes of our
understanding; but we cannot see him with these bodies of flesh.
Joseph always told us that we would have to pass by sentinels
that are placed between us and our Father and God. Then, of
course, we are conducted along from this probation to other
probations, or from one dispensation to another, by those who
conducted those dispensations.
63
If we are, as some are, guilty of doing wrong, and treasuring up
and practicing principles that lead to death, we cannot attain to
principles of exaltation. It is for me to do right and to do as I
am told. Still, when brother Brigham tells me to do a thing, I
may have that in me that would equivocate and say, "Will not such
and such a thing do better?" I know he is interrupted in that way
continually. Supposing I say, "Yes, that is true," when he
speaks, and every man in Israel says the same, what has the Devil
to do with us then? As brother Brigham says, "The Devil can do no
more than stand and grin at us." For a man or woman to try to
frustrate his purposes is not true philosophy, but it is the
Devil in our camp. He says the enemies on our borders cannot come
in here, and I say the same.
63
Good works produce good faith, and faith without works is dead.
Do not tell me about your faith, when you have not a particle of
works with it: it is all of no account. Our works must be good:
they must be confined to truth and the knowledge of God; and how
can you get that knowledge without good works? Such doctrine as
this is according to the words which God has given to his
servants, ancient and modern.
64
When the Lord spoke through Joseph Smith, it was "the word of the
Lord to my servant Orson, to my servant W. W. Phelps, or to my
servant Oliver: Go and do thus and so, and you shall see my
glory." If they do not go, they do not see his glory, nor obtain
his favour, do they? Because their works did not correspond with
the word of God.
64
You never will see glory and happiness, angels, nor anything
else, except the angels from beneath, if your works do not
correspond with your faith and with what you are told to do. No
man will ever enjoy the presence of Angels, Prophets, Apostles,
Patriarchs, Jesus, and the Father, and the sanctified who have
passed beyond the vail, that does not live up to these
principles.
64
It is well enough for me to throw out what light and knowledge I
have upon any matter, and brother Brigham can judge as to its
correctness or incorrectness; but it is not for me to equivocate,
when he has given the word of decision. That is the course I have
tried to learn; and if I am not right in this matter, I stand
here ready to be corrected by any person who knows better. If we
all were to take that course, our enemies never--no, never would
have power over us.
64
It is the head that governs the body, the same as the helm guides
the ship; and if the captain does not manage the helm in person,
he puts a man there that will run the course that he dictates.
Says he, "It is blowing a heavy gale: make calculations to steer
to such a point of the compass, that you may have a little
lee-way." The captain of the ship does not take the helm, but he
directs the one who has hold of the helm the course to steer.
64
"And verily I say unto you, the rest of my servants, Go ye forth
as your circumstances shall permit in your several callings unto
the great and notable cities and villages, reproving the world in
righteousness of all their unrighteousness and ungodly deeds,
setting forth clearly and understandingly the desolation of
abomination in the last days; for with you, saith the Lord
Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms: I will not only shake the
earth, but the starry heavens shall tremble; for I, the Lord,
have put forth my hand to exert the powers of heaven. Ye cannot
see it now; yet a little while and ye shall see it, and know that
I am, and that I will come and reign with my people. I am Alpha
and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Amen." (Doc. and Cov., sec.
iv., par. 24.)
64
With you, mine Elders, my servants, I will rend the kingdoms of
this world, and with you I will provide for my Saints in the last
days.
64
That may be a new idea to many of you. Is he going to take the
world and by them provide for his Saints? No; but he will take
his Elders. The righteous have got to provide for the righteous
in the latter days, as Joseph in Egypt provided for his father's
house and those that believed on him, like a good father
providing for a good family, for good wives, and good children.
64
When I have provided for my wives and children, that is my
business, is it not, although I dictate them to do the work? I
bring this up as a comparison. Says the Lord, "That is my
business. When you have done all things according to my word, you
need not further trouble yourselves."
65
Now, the Elders of this Church have been forth and exhorted,
invited, and persuaded the world to embrace the Gospel. I have
travelled by self hundreds of thousands of miles, and other have
travelled more than I have, and some of you have not travelled
any, only from your native land to this, which is but a trifling
journey. We are now a thousand miles away from our enemies in the
United States, and the President of the United States is over
three thousand from us, and at the same time he has his myrmidons
over the mountains there. What are they sent here for? To destroy
us--to kill your leaders--to kill the Prophets, Apostles, and
Patriarchs, with every man and woman that will sustain those men.
65
I have seen the day when it was as much as our lives were worth
to sustain Joseph Smith--the apostates were so thick around us,
and persecution was so great. The day was when brother Brigham
was the only Apostle on the earth, with the exception of Joseph,
and Sidney, and Hyrum, that could say to brother Heber, Go, and
you shall be blessed. I am reckoning brother Hyde with us, for he
went with me on that mission to England. In connection with
brother Joseph, brother Hyrum, and brother Sidney, brother
Brigham said, "Go, brother Heber, and in the name of Israel's God
you shall be blessed, and it shall prove the salvation of
thousands."
65
John Boynton, one of the Twelve, came to me and said, "If you are
such a damned fool as to listen to Joseph Smith, the fallen
Prophet, and go to England under these perilous circumstances, if
I knew you were shipwrecked on Van Dieman's Land I would not
assist you to get you from that land."
65
I will speak to Lyman Johnson's credit: I will give every man
credit for the good he does. Lyman Johnson steps up and says,
"Brother Heber, I do not feel so. I am sorry you are going, and
consider you are foolish; but if you are determined to go, I will
help you all that is in my power; and he took from his shoulders
a good, nice camlet cloak and put it on to mine; and that was the
first cloak I ever had. This was in the month of June, 1837.
[Voice: "He shall be blessed for that."]
65
I was then destitute of the comforts of life, and that cloak I
wore three times across the sea, and Parley P. Pratt wore it four
times; and in all it crossed the sea seven times. It seemed as
though it would never wear out.
65
Those circumstances were the; most trying circumstances that ever
I was brought into. Joseph had to flee from that land to save his
body from being slain, and so had brother Brigham and every other
man who would sustain the Prophet, the apostasy was so great; and
they were most hellish in their wickedness.
65
I went and performed the mission according to the words of the
Prophet of the living God, and was gone eleven months and two
days from Kirtland, being on that land eight months and two days,
in which time there were about two thousand souls added to the
Church and kingdom of God, with the help of Elders Willard
Richards, Orson Hyde, and Joseph Fielding.
65
When I came back from England there were but a few left in
Kirtland. There was one little society of men that pretended to
take the lead and oversight of the people, and they were guided
by a peep stone.
65
God had blessed and prospered me exceedingly, and the words of
Joseph, Hyrum, Sidney, and Brigham were all fulfilled to the
letter, which you all know. I was poor and weak, and did not know
but a little in regard to this work in the latter days. My
knowledge was in proportion to my experience. At the same time, I
knew enough, by the help of the Holy Ghost, to confound the wise
and to bring to naught the foolish things of this world. God has
taken just such weak instruments as myself to bring to pass his
great purposes. And you need not find fault with them: if you do,
you find fault with God, who sent them.
66
Now, I will tell you what I am going to do. I have heard my
leader express himself, and I am going to do as near like him as
possible. I am going to do what is right, whether you like it or
not; for I would rather have the favour of my leader, and Joseph,
and Peter, and Jesus, &c., than of all the world besides. I am
going to flour up my wheat, put it into boxes and cache it, right
straight, whether you do it or not. Now, you need not go to
brother Brigham and ask him where he is going to put his, not
where I am going to put mine; for we shall not tell you.
66
There are tens of thousands in these valleys that would not touch
or meddle with those things, if they knew where they were; and
then again, there are others that would. There is now and then an
individual that is dishonest. They made a practice of stealing in
the Old and New World, where they came from, and they think it is
no harm. If they go to work for a man and do a little job on his
house, and he has fifty nails or screws, and there are twenty
left, he will put them into his pocket and take them home, and
kneel down and thank the Lord that he has got a few nails or
screws, and thinks it is the providence of God that has thrown
them in his way and that there were a few left. Such practices
bring evil and destruction upon us. I was telling you what I
should do--that I should flour my wheat and cache it, and perhaps
I shall lay some of it by in the wheat; but I shall flour it
chiefly; for if it comes a tight time, I shall cache some
portions of my mill, and then I shall not have a mill to grind
any. I will have it made into flour and put it where it will keep
seven year. And I am also going to cultivate the earth more
thoroughly and efficiently this present year to come that I ever
did in my life, and so will every other man that does right. I
told you I am going to do a brother Brigham did. Those who think
it is not good philosophy, try the opposite. You will never get
me to contend against him while I have my senses. I will
cultivate my trees--my apple trees and plum trees, and set out
currant and rose bushes, though I would rather put in a plum tree
or some kind of tree that will yield something for the sustenance
of the body. I will also repair and re-repair, and take care of
what I have got. I mean to take my sons, from the oldest to those
who are old enough, and I will qualify them to cultivate the
soil, and will fit them out and put them into the mountains to
watch for, and, if necessary, to fight for the interests of the
house of Israel from this day forth, until the Lord God Almighty
upsets their kingdoms. I never will put them to the plough again
when they are required to stand against our foes. I will say,
"Boys, take that team and plough, and that hoe, and put in the
grain to provide for you while you are there;" and then, if they
come home relieved by the manager, they can help to harvest it
and take care of it. I will support my sons in the mountains to
sustain this people, and in the vineyard, while I live, if it is
necessary, as fast as they come to maturity, or to mechanism,
cultivating the earth, &c., so as to know and understand all
branches of business and be qualified to teach their children;
and so will every other good man and woman who live their
religion. For, says the Lord, with you, mine Elders, I will rend
their kingdoms; with you I will provide for my Saints in the last
days.
66
We have invited the nations to receive the truth, but they will
not, nor let us go to them; and now God is going to compel them
to come in by famine, war, and every kind of desolation; and they
will come faster than we can provide for them. Then let us awake,
and not lie down and sleep, and go home and act as though we had
not heard anything.
67
I am telling what I am going to do: I have heard our leader talk
so. Then I will do as he says. I would not give a dime for a man
that would not. Get out of my way, you poor stinking curses that
would pursue a course contrary to the word of the living God! I
am at war with such spirits. I want to know how we can be one,
unless we are one with the head? When the head speaks, let every
man and woman listen and obey.
67
I do not care so much about the women obeying as I do the men. I
am not talking about them, but you, Elders of Israel, that have
the Priesthood. Women have not a particle of Priesthood, only
what they hold in connection with their husbands; neither have
the men, except that which they hold in connection with those who
hold the keys of the kingdom at head quarters. Do not step out on
one side and say you have Priesthood independent. You have not a
particle in that way. I was ordained to be an Apostle under the
hand of Oliver, and David, and Martin; and then it was confirmed
by Joseph of the First Presidency. Now, I want to know what
authority of Priesthood I have only as I act in concert with
those who gave it to me? They are God's agents and had power to
ordain me.
67
Brother Brigham is my head; therefore that power is all in him. I
act in oneness with him in all things, and sanction his purposes;
and in so doing I sanction the purposes of God, of angels, and
all heavenly beings. But, let me turn away and be independent of
him, and where is my Priesthood, or where is my authority?
67
What power has one of my wives to act independently of me? She
has not a particle of power. She must act in connection with me,
as I do with my head, or the limb acts in connection with the
tree from which it springs. You see dead limbs on trees. Will
they ever come to life again, after they are dead? No. They must
be cut off and thrown back into the earth, to return back to
their mother element, and become again quickened by the law they
were ordained to keep; and if they are not quickened by that
power, they will never be restored again to that tree. No more
will you. You have got to keep that law pertaining to that tree,
limb, or government, or you will never be restored again,--never,
no never, while the earth stands.
67
Will any man ever be redeemed upon any other principle than what
we are redeemed upon? No. Men must abide the same law, or God
Almighty will never redeem them. If they violate that law, they
bring damnation upon themselves, and must suffer the consequences
of it. Still, I believe the greater part of the inhabitants of
the earth will be redeemed; yea, all will be finally redeemed,
except those who have sinned against the Holy Ghost or shed
innocent blood; and they never can be redeemed until that debt is
paid. And I do not know any way for them to pay it, unless they
are brought back again to a mortal existence, and pay the debt
where they contracted it.
67
God will make every man pay off the debt he contracts; for a
restoration must take place, which has been spoken of by the
mouth of all the holy Prophets since the world began.
67
When a man breaks a law of God, he must pay that debt, unless God
forgives him; and he has a right to do that, the same as I have.
Still, my forgiving him does not pay the debt; for if he has
stolen ten dollars from me, and he comes to me and asks my pardon
for stealing the ten dollars, I forgive him. But does that
restore the ten dollars of stolen money?
68
How does it look for a man holding the Priesthood to be
dishonest? When a man is employed by me, he has no business to
meddle with a thing unless I tell him to. Still, he may do many
good things I do not tell him to do. God says he is not pleased
with a man that has to be commanded in all things.
68
I have had men work for me, who, if there was the least thing
left after the job was done, would take it to themselves. This is
done in the public works by some few individuals. I do not like
such things. Brother Brigham has lost, from time to time,
thousands of dollars' worth of property in this valley. I have
chastised men for taking things from him myself, when I have seen
them do it,--men old enough to be my father, and men of middle
age, and those sweet delicate females. How do I look upon you?
You rob me of the most precious gem when you rob me of the
confidence I have in you. And I am that kind of a being, it
seems, that it is very hard to have that confidence restored
again.
68
Let me do a dishonest act towards brother Brigham, and it is a
hard case for his to overlook that, or to regain the same
confidence in me he formerly had. I am not a man that goes to him
to prejudice his mind against any person; no, I never do such a
thing. Still there are a great many things I could lay before him
that would hurt his mind against some. I do not do it. No: I make
you appear well before him. Others take the opposite course. Do I
like it? No: I have no friendship for such; for, say I, "You
would injure me, if you could, as well as any other man."
68
I remember the teaching Joseph gave me. My policy is to be honest
and virtuous; and the wives and children and property of the
Elders of Israel are held sacred in my bosom as I would wish them
to hold mine; and that man who is not of that character is not a
friend to the kingdom of God, and they cannot enter there; for
the liar, hypocrite, whoremonger, and those that love to make
lies, the sorcerer, and dishonest person are without the gate,
according to the word of God. Such things have got to be done
away.
68
I wish I could live the remaining portion of my life among a
people where everything I had would be as safe as in my own
possession; and when my wife goes into a neighbour's house to
visit, she may not come home with seven devils more that she took
away with her. That gives the Devil and his emissaries power over
us. You will see sorrow, if you do not stop this chin-music, and
tattling, and speaking evil one of another. Here are troops over
here: they want to come in; but it has been said from the
beginning that they will not come in. And they will not, for we
will not let them. We have sent our boys out there, and they are
going to keep them back; and they will do it from this time
forth, if you will do right. Now, supposing you go to cache your
wheat, corn, flour, service berries, dried fruit, &c., and a
little sugar made from the cane of our own raising, some may say
this time is all lost, if our enemies are not coming in. Well, is
it not all the better to spend our time digging holes and caching
our stuff that to spend it in being in the mountains.
69
Brother Brigham says he does not intend to burn up the houses,
and cut down our fruit trees, and push over our walls, and this
thing and that, until we come to the last pinch; and then you
will see a flame, such a one as you never saw in Salt Lake. I
will burn up my houses, my barns, and granaries, should the Lord
require it. You have heard me say, many a time, I would have more
joy to see my family in the mountains--to see the in rags, in
sheep-skins, and goat-skins, than to see them enjoying all the
pleasure God ever gave to man and serving the Devil withal; and I
would rather do it, if it is to be next year, than ever to
succumb to the acts of such an ungodly, pusillanimous President,
with his coadjutor, as those that govern our nation.
69
These are some of my views: you are welcome to them, and I charge
you nothing for them. I received them from God, and they cost me
nothing. And, as far as they are correct, receive them in your
hearts, and they shall be unto you as a well of water springing
up into everlasting life; and every man, woman, and child will
grow and increase by observing them.
69
If you do not do these things, you will see sorrow. My heart
says, "O Lord God, have mercy on this people, and help them to do
thy will, and keep them in they truth. I pray and weep, lest the
unrighteous among us lead away the righteous. Is it better for
them to die? Yes; it is better for you to die according to your
covenants a thousand times than to turn to wickedness and then
lead away the righteous. But I doubt very much if you can lead
away a people that are inclined to righteousness. You cannot lead
away the elect; "For they will hear my voice, and strangers they
will not follow."
69
There will always be a majority of this people that will stand
while all hell boils over, and they will overcome; and I bless
them, in the name of Israel's God, with the blessings of life and
with the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for ever; and I
bless all those that bless and protect Israel. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Brigham
Young, November 22, 1857
NEGLECT OF SUNDAY MEETINGS--THE SAINTS GATHERED
FROM THE COMMON CLASSES OF SOCIETY--DISHONESTY, ETC.
A Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 22, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
70
Much has been said here to-day with regard to that class who are
unruly and forward--who are subject to do evil. I presume that
great majority of this congregation have concluded to place all
those remarks upon those who do not come to meeting. Doubtless
the few--yes, the very few characters that have been referred to
by the brethren to-day are at home studying mischief. It is very
seldom that you will find a thief in this house--a person that
plunders his neighbours. But if you will go into the streets, you
will find certain persons in the different Wards who have an
excuse for not attending meeting. Some are so very industrious
that they cannot attend meeting. I would not doubt much but what
we could not go to several houses and find women at work; they
are so very industrious. And it is often the case that some men
are so industrious that they cannot find time to get a load of
wood without going for it or returning with it on Sunday. That is
really the case with those who do not love "Mormonism:" they have
embraced it because they know it is true and think it will shield
them in their iniquity. It is seldom that such persons come to
meeting. I conclude that the remarks which have been made to-day
are designed for those persons who are disposed to do evil; but
there is probably only a very few or none of that class present,
and we shall have to depend upon you to tell them what has been
said about them. I am thankful that it is my honest conviction
that there are but a very few of that class in our community.
70
There are a great many people who do wrong because they have not
the standard of right and wrong within them, but permit
themselves to be governed by the prejudices and education they
have received among the different nations and neighbourhoods
where they have been trained. You may find some persons who have
within them the standard of right and wrong: they can tell when
they do right--what is right, and judge themselves as easily as
they can others; but of this class there are but a very few. And
were I to say that there are none who are entirely free from the
prejudices and prepossessed ideas gathered in their youthful days
from their parents, teachers, and friends, I should say what is
strictly true. Still we are studying and trying to learn how to
discern between the evil and the good, the right and the
wrong,--between that which is of God and that which is not of
him.
70
This people are mostly gathered from what are termed the
labouring and middle classes. We have not gathered into this
Church men that are by the world esteemed profound in their
principles, ideas, and judgment. We have none in this Church that
are called by them expert statesmen. How frequently it is cast at
the Elders, when they are abroad preaching, that Joseph Smith,
the founder of their Church and religion, was only a poor
illiterate boy. That used to be advanced as one of the strongest
arguments that could be produced against the doctrine of
salvation by the wise and learned of this world, though it is no
argument at all. The Lord should have revealed himself to some of
the learned priests or talented men of the age, say they, who
could have done some good and borne off the Gospel by their
influence and learning, and not to a poor, ignorant, unlettered
youth. Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble, speaking
after the manner of men, are called; but God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise, the weak things
of the world to confound the things that are mighty; and base
things of the world--things which are despised by the world, hath
God in his wisdom chosen; yea, and things which are not to bring
to naught things that are, that no flesh should glory in his
presence.
71
Men were too wise in the days of the Saviour to receive the
Gospel, and we see the same disposition exhibited in our day. The
world spurn the idea of receiving truth from a person they look
upon as inferior to them in the talent, learning, and cunning of
the present generation. Perhaps they might bow to the
requirements of Heaven were an angel to personally visit them
individually, and exalt them to high places, and give them the
influence, power, and glory that are of this world. We have none
of those men here: we are all of the labouring and middle
classes. There are but few in this Church who are not of the
labouring class, and they have not had an opportunity to
cultivate their minds, to search into the history of the nations
of the earth, to learn the prejudices that are upon the people,
their education, feelings, and customs. We have mostly come from
the plough and the furrow, from the mechanic shops and the loom,
from the spinning-jenny, the kitchen, and wash-room. This people
have not been educated in the devilry and craft of the learned
classes of mankind, and consequently possessed honesty enough to
embrace the truth. That is the character of the class of people
before me to-day.
71
Who is capable of judging? We do not look for that talent and
great judgment from the common people that we would naturally
expect from those who are called the refined and educated. There
must be an opportunity given them for improvement before we can
expect the same refinement and classical attainments which the
higher classes, so called, boast of. The higher classes have
nothing to do only to study the nature of man, their own
dispositions, and those of their fellow-beings. We can look upon
them as they really are, and truly we are compelled to conclude
that the devilry, mischief, dishonesty, craft, corruption, &c.,
that are taught and practiced among the higher classes, have
prevented them from receiving the Gospel. But the poor,
half-starved labourers, those who feel as though they want a
friend, who look around for some source of happiness, for some
arm to lean on, for some eye to pity them, are the ones who have
honesty enough to receive the truth.
71
What should we expect from such a class of people? I have my
reasons for justifying and my reasons for condemning; I have my
reasons for liking this people and my reasons for disliking the
conduct of some; and I believe that I look upon them very much as
the Lord does. He pities the human family; they are objects of
his mercy and commiseration. There are men in this community who,
through the force of the education they have received from their
parents and friends, would cheat a poor widow out of her last cow
and then go down upon their knees and thank God for the good
fortune he had sent them and for his kind providences that
enabled them to obtain a cow without becoming amenable to any law
of the land, though the poor widow had been actually cheated. We
see that trait of character in mankind. Are such persons capable
in all things of rightly discerning between truth and error? No.
But they, through their traditions, can judge every person but
themselves: they can weigh every person in their scale of
justice; but they never think of trying themselves. That proceeds
from the force of education and false tradition upon their minds,
and some still remain ignorant of many of the true principles of
right and wrong, although they have embraced the Gospel.
72
Brother Kimball told the truth this morning with regard to many
of our mechanics. I have not built a house since I have been in
this place but what I have furnished many more pounds of nails
than I would have to do for the same piece of work in the States.
I knew that some of the workmen took them, and I told them so.
They need not undertake to deceive me, for I know precisely what
they do. Since the days of reformation, I have had many a one
come to me--honest me to all appearance--men that you would
almost have sworn were as holy as an angel, and confess that they
had stolen nails from me, or a waggon, &c. But they have not yet
become honest enough to bring the stolen articles back. In what
condition are they, after such a confession, without making
restitution, compensation, or some kind of satisfaction? Just as
they were before. To me, taking and keeping another's property,
without leave, is stealing; but to many, they consider it a
godsend to have another's nails to carry home in their pockets.
That often is the consequence of tradition, rather than an innate
disposition to steal. I will relate a circumstance to corroborate
that statement. I once knew a man in this Church who told me
that, when he was in the old country, he would, if possible,
spoil his work, in order to be employed to do it again. He was a
plumber and glazier. As soon as he had finished a fine window or
a large sash for a hot-house in a gentleman's garden, he would
place it in a situation where it would be sure to be broken to
pieces, that he might thereby secure employment; and when he
received the second job, he would thank God for his kind
providences toward him. To him, in his tradition, and amid the
oppression of the labouring classes, that was just as honest as
anything could be. But here they are not so oppressed.
72
To this day, if you employ masons to do a valuable piece of work,
many will so do it that the wall or building will last only a few
years, and then believe that to be honesty, whereas I believe it
to be dishonesty. And joiners, with few exceptions, will so hang
doors, put up mantlepieces, put on roofs, and lay floors, that in
a short time all their work is out of repair or good for nothing.
Very many, through the power of erroneous education, do not know
what honesty and dishonesty are, and are not capable of judging.
Observe the artisans in any branch of mechanism, and you will
learn that what I have stated is true. Then you may take the
class called merchants, also the doctors, the priests in the
various sects, the lawyers, and every person engaged in any
branch of business throughout the world, and, as a general thing,
they are all taught from their childhood to be more or less
dishonest.
72
Those who have their eyes opened to see and understand where
honesty and uprightness are, what righteousness is, and to
discern between that which is right and that which is wrong,
often rise here and talk about it. I do so myself; and when I
speak of dishonesty among the people I look at them as they are,
whether I tell it or not. This is the most honest people on the
earth. There is more honesty in this community than in any other
community on the earth--that is, that we have any knowledge of.
The great majority of this community are as honest as they know
how to be. I have stated that I had not found a man honest enough
to bring back what he had taken from me; but those persons are
poor and can make a reasonable excuse. One of the best men I ever
hired to labour for me--one whom I paid well for all he did for
me, took some of my tools; that is to say, he borrowed them and
never brought them back. Well, he is poor. Will I forgive Him?
Yes. They may steal from me as much as they please, and I will
forgive them as far as they ought to be forgiven. They may say,
"You have plenty, brother Brigham." That is true; and, so far as
I can remember, I have never stolen a pin's worth in any way,
shape, or manner, except the taking a few melons or a little
fruit, once in a while, when I was a boy. Have I cheated any of
you, or wronged any of you in any way? If I have, I would be glad
to have you tell me wherein. Have I oppressed the labourer in his
wages? If I have, let the man come and tell me of it.
73
Some think that I am very close and economical. I am; and I will
tell you wherein. When a man comes to labour for me--one who will
only leisurely do two or three hours' work in a day, and wants as
much pay as a man who will do six time as much, I am not willing
to pay him for idling away his time. If I have a man labour for
me who can do six days' work in one, did I ever refuse to pay him
for the amount of labour he performed? Ask Isaac Hunter if I ever
refused to pay him wages to the full amount of labour he could
perform in a day. In this valley we have estimated laying rock in
a wall to be worth one dollar a perch. Ask any mason, when he
laid ten perches in a day, if I ever refused to pay him ten
dollars. But if a man wanted three dollars and a half for laying
one perch, I am not willing to pay him at that rate. I will
suppress dishonesty, but I never oppress honesty.
73
I have tried to suppress dishonesty in individuals, and have
tried thereby to make them honest. If I hire a carpenter and pay
him three dollars a day, and he is three days in making a six
panel door that a good workman can make in one, or even a door
and a half, I do not want to pay him three dollars a day for that
labour. Yet some who are here have no more judgment, discretion,
or idea of right or wrong, than to want to be paid for labour
they do not perform; and that they consider to be honesty: but it
is just as dishonest as anything in the world.
73
I am willing to pay men for what they do. I am anxious that all
should have that which belongs to them, and wish them to let that
which belongs to be alone. If I furnish nails to build a house,
the workmen have no right to carry them off. When using nails,
the mechanic often has more or less in his pocket. At
quitting-time he forgets to take them out, and carries them home.
He goes out to chop a little wood and says, "Dear me, these
nails"--some twenty or thirty, or perhaps more--"are quite a
burden to me," and he puts them out of his way. By-and-by he
wants to build a pig-pen, or to build a little addition to his
house, and 'feels quite thankful that he has the nails to do it
with, and will praise the name of the Lord for the manner in
which he has blessed him. I do not want blessings on such
grounds, and I never expect them in that way, because I have the
natural sense to know better. Others also will have it, if they
will continue to try to find out how to judge between right and
wrong in themselves as they do in another individual.
73
You may go to High Councils, though we do not have many in these
days, and to Bishops' Courts, and hear a trial between parties
that have quarrelled with each other, and you will readily
perceive that if those individuals could judge themselves as they
judge each other, there would have been no difficulty between
them; they would have settled their affairs between themselves,
and the best of feelings would have been established for each
other. But people cannot judge themselves as they can others nor
look upon their own conduct as they do upon the conduct of
others. We must learn to look at ourselves, to judge ourselves,
and know how to deal with ourselves, and that will enable us to
bring ourselves into perfect subjection to the law of Christ.
74
Are the people striving to do right? Yes, they are. It has been
observed that we are pretty clear from those unruly spirits that
have been in our midst. So we are; but you need not flatter
yourselves for a moment that the Devil has left us. You will find
that he marshals his forces more particularly against this
people; and if we are now clear from those unhallowed spirits and
the tabernacles they occupied, you may expect that he will, if
possible, find somebody here in whom he can have a resting-place.
You will learn that the wicked disembodied spirits have not left
this people, though the most of those wicked persons who sought
to destroy the Saints have left us. There are myriads of
disembodied evil spirits--those who have long ago laid down their
bodies here and in the regions round about, among and around us;
and they are trying to make us and our children sick, and are
trying to destroy us and to tempt us to evil. They will try every
possible means they are masters of to draw us aside from the path
of righteousness.
74
Do you not think that we need to watch and pray continually--that
we need all the time to keep a guard over ourselves, that we may
preserve ourselves in the love of the truth? We do. It should be
our constant study to guard ourselves on every side against every
attack of the enemy of all righteousness.
74
Cease looking at others. Cease to judge each other. Go into a
family where there are two women belonging to one man, and from
that to as as many as you can find, and you will soon learn that
almost every woman can judge all the family but herself; and that
she thinks that whatever she does is just right: she would not do
a wrong for the world. Then go to the next woman that was said to
be so out of the way, and with her it is, "I am exactly right,
and the other is wrong." They do not rightly look at their own
failings, views, and passions. If they were all capable of
straightening themselves, they would not come in collision with
each other, but would all conclude to walk together in the
straight and narrow path, whereas now they are at times almost
diametrically opposed to each other. Is that the case? Judge ye
for yourselves. That is not the case with every family, to my
certain knowledge; but it is so with too many. It is just so with
the brethren. You find more or less of the same difficulty
everywhere you go. It is, "I am right, and your are wrong."
74
You have been taught the standard of right. Now subdue your
rebellious passions, dismiss everything that you know or consider
to be wrong, and embrace that which is better. Get wisdom and all
the light you possible can, and never live another twenty-four
hours without the Holy Spirit of the Lord, and that will give you
joy, peace, comfort, light and intelligence, by which you can
grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I
cannot reach these attainments, neither can you, only by the
light and intelligence which flow from heaven, you may say,
"Brother Brigham, you are like the rest of us: we see our faults,
but we do not like to acknowledge them; we like to have them
covered up and kept out the sight of our neighbours." If you find
a secret fault, dismiss it secretly. Let your faults go behind
you; turn them overboard, and for ever disown them. If no person
but yourselves has seen your faults, you are blessed. You may
then get rid of them without their being made manifest to others.
74
If men and women, and more especially women, for they love
chit-chat, when they feel in any way bad or a little cross, or
feel as though somebody is out of the way, and feel like finding
fault with their neighbour and exposing this one's fault and the
other one's fault, would only be as secret on the faults of
others as they are on their own, it would be beneficial to their
welfare and of their neighbours. When a person opens his mouth,
no matter what he talks about, to a person of quick discernment,
he will disclose more or less of his true sentiments. You cannot
hide the heart, when your mouth is open. If your want to keep
your heart secret, keep your mouth shut.
75
Some say, "I feel as though I must boil over, and I must talk to
relieve myself." All hell is boiling over; but does that make it
any better? No. If you let your tongue run, and it scatters the
poison that is in you, it sets the whole being on fire. The
Apostle James says, "And the tongue is a fire, a world of
iniquity; so is the tongue among our members that it defileth the
whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is
set on fire of hell." And again, "But the tongue can no man tame:
it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Are you aware of
this, sisters and brethren? If you keep silent, you can master
your feelings, can subdue your passions, and ultimately become
masters of them and banish them from you. If you give way to your
unbridled tongues, you increase anger within you, and the first
you know your blood is boiling with wrath. That is what the
Apostle meant when he wrote, "It setteth on fire the whole course
of nature, and it is set on fire of hell." It is hell that sets
it going. If you find that you cannot keep your tongue still, get
some India-rubber and chew it with all your might. Do as brother
Joseph Sharp did when he assisted in conveying Mrs. Mogo to the
soldier's camp. He considered that the soldiers rather imposed
upon him and his brother Adam, and he was for fight; but Adam,
who is not so impetuous, coaxed him to the waggon, where he laid
down on his face, and in two hours chewed up almost the whole
plug of tobacco. In such cases a good piece of India-rubber is
better, cheaper, and will last longer; though it would be better
for your to chew up a whole plug of tobacco than to have a real
quarrel with your tongues. You would not in a long time get over
the effects of a quarrel: it would be like a cankerworm to your
souls.
75
There is not a person on the earth, that has sense enough to know
what experience is, but what, if they would bridle their tongues
and subdue their passions, could say, "I have not injured
anybody--no, not even myself." It is not matter how you are
tempted, if you do not give way to temptation; but if you give
way to temptation, it carries you to destruction. If you give way
to your angry feelings, it sets on fire the whole course of
nature, and is set on fire of hell; and you are then apt to set
those on fire who are contending with you. When you feel as
though you would burst, tell the old boiler to burst, and just
laugh at the temptation to speak evil. If you will continue to do
that, you will soon be so masters of yourselves as to be able, if
not to tame, to control your tongues,--able to speak when you
ought, and to be silent when you ought.
75
Let the mechanics and all others try to improve as you have.
There has a great improvement taken place in the midst of this
people, and we will still continue to improve. Let us seek unto
the Lord for wisdom, until we can rightly judge all matters that
come before us--until we can judge ourselves and our neighbours
with equal justice, and so continue to improve, until we come up
to the standard of truth in all our acts and words; so that when
I employ a mason to lay me up a wall, he will do it honestly, and
so on with every other workman. Then if a man does not earn his
wages, he will not ask them or take them. Now it is--"I want all
I can get." Honesty never comes into the hearts of such persons;
their rule is to keep what they have got, and to get all they
can, whether honestly or not, and pray for more.
76
When the eyes of your understandings are opened to deal
righteously with each other, then my axes, shovels, &c., will all
be safe, if they are left in the barn. But it has been so that my
harness was taken, my picks and shovels, my waggon, wheels, and
tire, and everything else that could be was carried off. When we
have attained the improvement I anticipate, I can lie down in
peace at night and enquire, "Wife, have you brought in those
clothes that were hung out?" "No." "All right--no person will
meddle with them." I would rather persons who are destitute would
come to me and say, "We need a pair of pantaloons, a hat," &c.,
and give me a chance to assist them. But when they steal, I
cannot trust them.
76
I would rather give a woman a dollar than have her come to my
house saying, "Do you want to buy a pound of butter?" "Yes. What
do you want for it?" "Twenty-five or thirty cents," as the case
may be, and then stop with my family and eat a great deal more
butter than she sold to me. If they would come to me and say,
"Brother Brigham, I want to sell this butter, for I have no way
of living only by my labour," it would be another thing. If a
poor woman should come to me and say, "I want fifty cents to
purchase dye stuffs," here it is; you are welcome to the money,
but do not undertake to sponge on me.
76
Let my nails, tools, and other property remain where they belong.
Work honestly and deal honestly one with another. Evil practices
in a great degree spring from the traditions of the people; they
are so educated. They have been taught, in different parts of the
world, that if they found a thing, though not many yards from the
door of the owner, it belonged to them. "This belongs to me now,
for I have found it." Did you earn it? "No; I found it." That and
a thousand other traits of human life tend to lead the people
astray. They seldom stop to think whether they are right or
wrong.
76
We need to learn, practise, study, know, and understand how
angels live with each other. When this community comes to the
point to be perfectly honest and upright, you will never find a
poor person: none will lack; all will have sufficient. Every man,
woman, and child will have all they need just as soon as they all
become honest. When the majority of a community are dishonest, it
maketh the honest portion poor, for the dishonest serve and
enrich themselves at their expense. You know that I think that
this people are the best people that there are; yet we need to
train ourselves, to study ourselves, and study the principles of
truth and righteousness, until we can discern that which is right
from that which is wrong in the least particular within
ourselves; and you will find that to answer every purpose,
without judging our neighbours as much as many do.
76
As to this people being a good people, I say, God bless you all
the time! Who else will do as this people do? Nobody else. All
you have is on the altar, ready to be offered up for the kingdom
of God. You could hardly find a man or woman in this congregation
but what would take the clothing from their backs to promote this
kingdom.
76
We are telling you all the time to do as you are told; but do you
do it to that extent which you will in a few years to come? No.
Why? Because you do not know how. I know that this people are
doing a great deal better than they did years ago. Could Joseph
do with this people as I and my brethren now can? No. Were this
people in the situation they now are when Joseph was alive? No.
Joseph was running the gauntlet among his wicked enemies all the
time. He hardly knew a man in the kingdom that he could put
confidence enough in to call for a dollar to help him out of a
difficulty. He did not know how many would stand by him when a
mob gathered against him. He had a few faithful, tried friends;
but he had many around him who would betray him into the hands of
his enemies.
77
I am not afflicted with such persons in the midst of this people;
but there is confidence and a concentration of faith; and we will
so improve that, when a man rises here to pray, there will not be
a desire from the heart of a man or woman but what is uttered by
the one who is mouth. When we come to understanding, there will
not be as many desires and prayers as there are people, while one
is officiating as mouth for the whole; but when he who is mouth
prays, every heart will wait until he utters a sentence, and that
embodies what they also desire. When the sisters meet together
and appoint one of their number to pray, they will never let a
desire escape from the heart until they know what the mouth is
praying for. Then they all will desire the same and pray for the
same. This people are hastening to that degree of perfection.
77
I thank the Lord all the time, and I bless the name of Israel's
God that I live in this day and age of the world, and that I am
associated with such a people. Is there any misery, sorrow, and
affliction here? I do not know what trouble or sorrow is. Do I
feel for others? Yes, all I ought to feel.
77
I know what the sorrow of the world is. It works death, and I
have long ago bid good-bye to it. If I am sorry for anything, I
try to have a godly sorrow to benefit me. My heart is cheerful; I
am happy and thankful all the day long; and I believe that I am
in the light. I have not asked for a lantern, only from the
Almighty; and I know that the whole people are daily progressing,
ascending, and increasing in good works and in faith and
knowledge, even the knowledge of God; and we are doing the works
he desires at our hands.
77
It would do you good to look out yonder in the mountains and see
our brethren warmly clad and well provided for. The brethren and
sisters here in the neighbourhoods round about have liberally
answered to our calls, and every time have supplies more than was
called for. Will they part with everything, if it is called for?
Yes. I have heard but of one man, since the brethren went out to
watch the enemy--a man up north, who really wished the brethren
to spare his ox; but they butchered him before his eyes. I said
amen to it. If his god can be slain as easily as that, it is an
excellent thing for him. If any of you have gods in horses, or in
oxen, make an offering of them forthwith, and tell the boys who
are going out that they are welcome to them. They are welcome to
all mine. If you don't believe it, try it.
77
We are a blessed people, and we shall be preserved from our
enemies, if we continue to do right, and the Lord will sustain
us. And I can tell you that this people will do right and God
will sustain us. Ere long Zion will triumph and the glory and
knowledge of God will cover the earth, and we will still be in
the old ship Zion and ride all wicked opposition down to
destruction. May God help us so to do. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Amasa
M. Lyman, November 22, 1857
Amasa M. Lyman, November 22, 1857
UNITY, ETC.
Discourse by Elder Amasa Lyman, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, November 22, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
78
I can say, my brethren and sisters, in truth to my own feelings,
that I have been gratified to-day in what I have heard. I have
been edified; and, what is more, I feel that there is only one
great reason why we do not realize more fully the blessings that
would accrue to us, if we were sufficiently faithful, or as
faithful as we might be to the principles inculcated in the
remarks that have been made; and that reason is, we do not, to
the extent that we might, "live our religion."
78
We are not as perfectly united as we might be. I think that this
is true. It is as certainly true as it is true that, if we could
keep the law of God perfectly, we should realize a corresponding
degree of happiness, peace, and affection in everything that
should be made the subject of conversation or of thought, or that
should become a matter of principle with the people. It is for us
to cultivate that principle within us that should unite us
together--that should cause our affections to be one, our
feelings to be one, our interests to be one; for in this is our
strength.
78
It may be truly said of us, as it is in the world, that we are
united; and they say all the time that, whatever our leaders say
or propose, we all go to work and sustain them therein. I would
to God that it was true to a greater extent even than that to
which our enemies may consider it to be true.
78
When we are compared with other communities in the world, it
might be said of us that we are a united and happy people, for we
enjoy a degree of union and blessings resulting from that union
that other communities do not enjoy. But this does not show that
we do not fall far short of the perfect union that should cement
the Saints of the Most High together.
78
If we could discover and be made sensible of any means by which
we could become more perfectly united--more perfectly one, that
would be a matter of importance to us. It would be of value to
us, as it would lay a foundation with us for an increase of our
intelligence; it would increase our chances of success--our
chances of victory in the great struggle with the enemies of our
God--with our foes within and our foes without. If we could but
cultivate these principles with all our hearts, with all our
faith, and all our souls, then our struggles would be barely
begun when we should be able to rejoice in the enjoyment of
victory.
79
"Well," says one, "If we are influenced by the same Spirit--if we
all do as the Spirit dictates, shall we not be one? If all the
people--the individuals that compose this community, were
individually to be operated upon by the Spirit of God--were all
enlightened by the Spirit that reveals the will of God, that
makes known his purposes, and that imparts to the benighted soul
an understanding of the purposes of the Almighty, so that we
could appreciate them, there is no doubt in my mind but that the
people would all see alike, and consequently act alike. But is
this the case? With all our advantages--with all the instructions
that have been given--with Heaven's kindness in the continued,
unremitting stream of revelation that has been poured out upon us
for a score of years and more, have we become so enlightened--got
understanding so that we all see alike, that we all understand
alike? We have but to look and contemplate what we see exhibited
around us to become satisfied at once that this is not the case
with us as a people. If it were so, such admonitions as are
called out from the Presidency of the Church would be uncalled
for; they would be unnecessary; the people would not be
admonished to be more united, to be more diligent and strict in
remembering the principles and in practicing the instructions
that are from time to time imparted unto them.
79
Now, while we cannot sufficiently comprehend the things of God by
the Spirit of God to save us from error, and from mistakes, and
from disunion, what shall we do? Why, let us humbly adopt the
advice, or similar advice to that which is given by the ancient
Apostle to his brethren in addressing them. He says, "We have
also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until
the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts."
79
Now, I do not quote that Scripture to direct you to be over
anxious to learn all that the ancient Apostles may have said that
might be adapted to the Saints in that time and under those
circumstances; but I want you to act in this as they were
admonished to act in that time; and if you cannot judge perfectly
by the portion of the Spirit of God that you possess, remember
that you have a more sure word of prophecy that is imparted unto
you from day to day, from Sabbath to Sabbath, from month to month
and from year to year, unto which you do well that you give heed.
And the sequel will be, if you give heed unto it, that by-and-by
the day will dawn, and the day-star of experience, of heaven, and
of truth, and of God will arise in your hearts, and the fountain
of light and life will become established within you.
79
Well, then, until this is the case, adopt the maxim inculcated in
the song of one of our poets, who writes--
79
"We'll mind what Brigham says,"
80
Pay attention to the inspiration of the Almighty from those in
whom it lives and dwells--in whom it is a living fountain, as it
must be in you, individually, before you will be saved from sin.
Let us remember, if we cannot comprehend, by the Spirit that is
living within us, all the truth in relation to what we should do
and how we should act as we travel along, that we should attend
to their instructions, and do what they say. If they instruct us
to pray, let us pray; and if they instruct us what to pray for,
let us pray for that; and when the fountain of inspiration is
opened within us and becomes a living part and parcel of
ourselves, then we will know for ourselves and comprehend for
ourselves, and the President of the Church will not have to say
from day to day and from time to time, "Wake up from your
slumber." He will not have need to tell us of our diversity of
sentiment and feelings. There should exist among us a perfect
unanimity of feeling.
80
If we wait for the Spirit of God to do everything, what are we
doing the while? We are idling away our time; we are neglecting
to use the means placed within our reach for our benefit and
improvement. God has raised up in his Church Apostles, Prophets,
and Teachers,--for what purpose? Simply that you might be
instructed--simply that you might be taught and brought to the
knowledge of the truth. What truth? Why, the same truth the
Apostles and Prophets understand--the same truths that the
Seventies, High Priests, Elders, and the servants of God
comprehend. It is to bring you to the same knowledge of God,
which is eternal life.
80
This is all the purpose that is to be accomplished in all this
labour. If is the object of these ordinances, the institutions of
heaven, to bring us from our ignorance, our want of knowledge,
our lack of understanding, to a comprehension of the truth; and
when we are brought to that point and place, no matter if we are
counted by thousands and tens of thousands, the blessings of the
Gospel are ours, if we are united; for we all occupy the same
ground, we understand the same truth, and we are all in the same
relationship with truth and with God, which make us one. I causes
us to feel alike, to think alike, and to act alike.
80
If this is the case when we pour out our supplications to the
heavens, what will be the character of those supplications? They
will all be marked with the same consistence: the same
understanding of the truth will dictate them. Our will will
simply be the will of our President. Well, then, what will we
pray for? We will pray for nothing but what will subserve the
cause of righteousness; we will ask for nothing but what is
consistent with the principles of truth and our own advancement
in the comprehension of those principles. Would we ask for
anything that the heavens would deny? No, we would not. Would our
prayers ascend up without hindrance? Yes, they would. For what
reason? Because they were marked with union, with truth, with
consistency, and righteousness; consequently, they must be
acceptable unto our heavenly Father.
80
What is the reason our prayers are not all answered? The reason
is simply because we ask for things that our Father in his wisdom
knows would do us no good. They are not answered, because we
should cause our Father to defeat himself, if he were obliged to
answer all our petitions, all our prayers and supplications. To
have our prayers acceptable, they must be consistent; we must ask
for nothing but what is pleasing in his sight, in order that our
Father may hear and answer our prayers; and in this way we
receive that for which we ask.
80
Now, to gain this point, it is desirable, because of the
advantages that we shall secure when it is once gained.
80
It is possible that it may be the case that some may think there
are other matters of greater importance to us and that should
possess a higher interest to us than for us simply to become
united through the truth. But if there is anything of greater
importance, it is something that I do not know--that I have not
learned. Victory has been promised unto us, upon the condition
that we do right.
81
If there are any things connected with our present circumstances
that are, to some, more than usually alarming or exciting, I do
not know any good reason why they should be so; for if the work
with which we are connected is the work of God, as we feel, and
as most of us are often saying that we understand it, why should
we be more excited this year than we were last year? Why should
we feel any more uneasy when there are a few United States'
troops in the hills than if there were not? This is no less the
work of God for their being there. Our Father is as near to
us--his care and his protection is as much over us and round us
as it was before; and it is not more so, unless we get a little
closer by observing more perfectly his requirements.
81
I fear that is the clouds were now all dissipated and driven
away, and if the sunshine of prosperity should begin to shine
upon us, some would forget God and the duties they owe to him and
to one another: I fear that we should forget the sacred
obligations which we are under.
81
I have never seen any time since I have been connected with the
Church when I felt as much freedom, as much liberty, or as much
of the Spirit of truth--the blessings of freedom and peace that
it inspires, as I have since I have known that our enemies have
been in our borders. The reason why I feel this way I suppose to
be because of the great blessings that are pending at the present
time; and I suppose that which would be a reason for my feelings
so well should be a reason for the same good feelings with all
Saints, if they only possessed the same Spirit.
81
"Well," says one, "Do you think that you are more holy than the
rest of the people?" I do not know whether I am or not; but I am
fortunate, at any rate, if it is any piece of good fortune to
feel at ease and free from trouble and perplexity. Are you not
troubled? No. Are you not miserable? No. I am not troubled nor
miserable. Why? Because I am happy.
81
If the people all felt so, they would not be very much troubled
about anything. I do not say that I feel to pray with any more
interest, with any more earnestness, with any more zeal, than I
did before we heard the news that this army was on its way to
Utah. I am no more disquieted in my feeling; and why? Because it
is a settled conviction with me that this is the work of God, and
I have no idea that there will be any failure, only that which is
on the part of the people. The only anxiety that I have is that I
may keep myself firmly bound to "Mormonism"--to the car of the
kingdom of God and the work of God; and if God rolls on his work,
as we have been told he would, during the last few weeks, we
shall soon see his kingdom spread and extend to an amazing
degree.
81
As the Lord has said it is his business to provide for his
Saints, I have the promise of being provided for, If I only so
conduct myself as to merit the title of a Saint. As to the way an
the means how it is to be accomplished, that is none of my
business. Whatever the Lord wants of me, he will let me know,
because, if I keep myself right and straight, I shall always be
on hand to respond to the directions of those that lead me and
dictate me, and who should direct my movements.
82
Well, then, I am happy; I am as easy in my feelings as I well
could be, unless I knew something more to feel well about; and I
expect, when I know and understand more, that my happiness will
be increased; for I expect that I shall understand many things
that are now no source of joy and pleasure to me, simply because
I know nothing about them. But so far as I have a knowledge of
truth, that truth makes me happy and contented; and if I can be
contented, I feel as though I would like to see all the people
contented. If you cannot feel contented by the spirit that dwells
within you all the time, adopt the old Apostle's maxim--"We have
also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until
the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts." (2nd Peter,
chap. i. 19.)
82
Listen to and carry our the instructions of brother Brigham, of
brother Heber, and of all that speak the words of life and
salvation unto you. If they tell you to go home and cultivate
peace in your family, go and do it; and if they tell you to go
home and cease your stealing, go home and be honest, and quit
your stealing.
82
This is the way to be united; and if you will be honest and
united, you will get the Spirit of God; and the more you have of
the Spirit of God, the better you feel and the better you will
act. Talk about people feeling well that act as mean as the
Devil!--it is nonsense. Does a man or woman feel well that will
steal, that will traduce a friend, speak evil of a neighbour, and
seek to stir up strife? No; they cannot. Does an individual feel
well that will lie and cherish opposition to the advice, the
counsel, and instruction that is given us from the Prophets that
God has placed in his Church to rule and dictate us? If I were to
judge other as I feel myself, I would judge that they could not
feel well. Why? Because I feel well in acting with them--in
saying amen to what they say. I feel and find the happiness that
I enjoy by doing this, and no man or woman can find happiness in
pursuing an opposite course; and if you are unbelieving, it is
because you do not comprehend the truth and all your hearts--you
do not understand it.
82
Well, how are you going to get better? Why, commence to do
better. If you have indulged in lying, you know it is a sin;
therefore, cease your lying. If your have stolen, quit it, and
die unto sin. The reason you do not dwell in the life of
righteousness is because you are not yet dead unto sin: the
reason you do not live is because you are not dead; you are
neither living nor dead.
82
You are instructed to pursue one course, and you will take
another: you are instructed to subject yourselves to the will of
Heaven, and you are all the time imagining and thinking, and
something is in you minds that unsettles your faith and divides
your affections. Hence, you do not enjoy the Spirit of truth to
the extent that you would, if you would subject yourselves to the
will of Heaven. Do as the men do who instruct you and lead you,
and do it with your whole hearts. As the President said in
reference to praying, do not hunt up any sentiments in your own
souls; do not hunt up something to pray for when another is
praying; but listen to the man who is mouth, and pray as he
prays, and let your whole soul go out in the energy of his
expression. Then what will be the result? You will become imbued
with the same energy that he has; and if he feels well and right,
you will feel well.
82
Take this course, and the fountain of knowledge and eternal life
will by-and-by be established within you. This is what we are
seeking for. It is the rich boon of heaven that we are striving
for; and why is it that we do not get it? It is here; it is all
around us. We can look--we can travel to the place where it is.
Why do we not enjoy it? Simply because you will not enjoy it.
This is all the reason. How much do you enjoy? Why, all that you
are willing and capable of enjoying--all that your prepare
yourselves to enjoy,--just all that you render yourselves worthy
of in the sight of God; and if you would enjoy more, live
better--apply your minds closer and closer to the principles of
the Gospel.
83
If you live your religion in going to meeting on Sunday,
live it also on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and every
day and every night, until everything adverse to the truth is
expelled from your household--until your family circle becomes a
sanctuary where the Spirit of God abides--where it imparts its
life-giving influence to all that come within that circle.
83
If this were the case, it would constitute the Zion of our God.
We should have Zion within, whether we were at home or abroad, or
in whatever circumstances we might be placed.
83
"Why," says one, "I suppose that I must do some great thing." Let
me tell you to try to do some small thing; and if you attend to
the little things, when you become men and women in understanding
and in the knowledge of the truth, it will be time enough for you
to undertake the work of men and women in Christ.
83
How much can we do? If we were to be judged by our conduct and
the course that we take, it would appear that our capacity is not
very great; and if we do not know enough to attend to the simple
instructions that are given to us here,--if we cannot attend to
things that are thus simple, how could we get along with greater
questions, should they come before us? We have now as much as we
know how to get along with and manage properly, without grasping
after things beyond our present comprehension.
83
Brethren and sisters, I hope, and I not only hope, but am certain
that, as a people, we shall adopt the principles that have been
taught us, and practise them to so great an extent that our
Father will accept of us--that he will not forsake us--that he
will not turn his hand against us, but that it may be over us in
mercy continually, and that victory, through his goodness, may
perch upon the banner of Zion from this time forth and for ever.
83
I want that we should be good enough--sufficiently meek and
faithful before our Father and his servants, that we shall find
acceptance with him continually. That we may be so wise as to
pursue this course in our lives, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / George
Albert Smith, November 29, 1857
George Albert Smith, November 29, 1857
KNOWLEDGE OBTAINED FROM HISTORY
Discourse by Elder George A. Smith, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 29, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
84
It is, as usual, with a degree of satisfaction that I arise
before you this morning for the purpose of offering a few
reflections, hoping that my brethren and sisters will exercise
faith to that degree that I may be able to speak freely and
communicate such sentiments as may be pleasing in the sight of
our heavenly Father and a benefit to ourselves.
84
From my childhood, history has been a favourite theme. I have
loved to read historical works; and for the little time I have
been enabled to devote to reading in my younger days I acquired
some general knowledge of what is termed "profane history," but
only a limited knowledge of what is termed "ecclesiastical
history." It did not please me to read the quarrels of the Popes
and the cruelties that were inflicted by the dominant powers upon
the weak. Those matters never pleased me so much as to read the
movements of nations for the purpose of establishing dominion and
extending empire; consequently, I am not prepared to speak as
readily of the history of the religious world as I would upon
that portion of history that is generally denominated profane--of
the political conditions of different nations at different ages
of the world.
84
A revelation given in the early history of this Church requires
the Elders to acquire a knowledge, of things present, of things
to come, of things that have been, and so forth. In perusing the
histories of Persia, Arabia, India, China, and the nations of
modern Europe, I have felt in accordance with the instructions
given in the revelation.
84
At the time I could not conceive why it was that the Lord
required his servants to acquire a knowledge of those nations and
of political subjects; but experience has taught me that he had
in it a design of no little importance; for, from the time that
the Gospel was first preached, baptism administered, and
ordination first conferred the Priesthood upon the heads of men,
we have been constantly and continually upon new ground. The
officers of the country in which we have lived could never find a
law to fit our case; they could never discover any law that would
answer their purpose in relation to us.
84
There was one principle laid down by them, however, that was
simple; and that was, that we had to be used up.
85
The most honourable of all the mobs that have ever been raised
against us was that of Jackson County, Missouri; for they came
right straight out and plainly acknowledged that the civil law
did not afford them a guarantee against the "Mormons;" therefore
they would drive them from their county,--peaceably if they
could--forcibly if they must.
85
From that day to this, our persecutors have been pretending to
act under colour of law so far as to hold men while they could be
murdered. They would employ a few troops or a mob, under the
pretence of legal authority, and hold men still while the
assassin could do his work. This has been the course pursued by
our enemies all the time up to the present hour.
85
Inasmuch as we observed the laws of God, we had no occasion to
violate the laws of our country; and, as a matter of course,
pretexts were sought in vain from the beginning to the end, and
the hue-and-cry of treason has been raised from one end of the
country to the other. Hence we see the importance of our Elders
understanding the national force of laws of kingdoms, the laws of
empires, the rules of nations, the relationship of institutions
one to another, and the relationship of subjects to their rulers.
85
An old principle, laid down from the earliest ages of British
jurisprudence, from which we received our national institutions,
is that allegiance is that ligament or thread which binds the
subject to the sovereign, and that, for this allegiance, the
sovereign, by an implied contract, owes, in turn, protection to
the subject; and the very moment that the Government withholds
its protection, that very moment allegiance ceases.
85
This is as old as the British constitution, and it is recognized
as natural and eternal both in America and Great Britain; and you
may trace this principle back through history to the earliest
ages of man. The very moment a government ceases to protect its
subjects, that moment they are at liberty to protect themselves.
85
Whenever national powers were exerted to crush the rights of
their own subjects, then the right was founded in nature that
they should stand up in their own defence; and the principle of
self-preservation is in a greater or less degree binding, and it
has been acknowledged from the earliest ages that all governments
derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.
85
For something like a hundred years the kings of Great Britain, as
you will see in King James's translation of the Bible, claimed
the title of Kings of Great Britain, France, and Ireland,--a
power which they could not exercise and maintain, so far as the
kingdom of France was concerned; and finally, in the reign of
George III., they saw fit to disclaim it.
85
The assumption of this right was a mere burlesque. Could they
control the organization of France and regulate its internal
policy? No--they could not. The only thing was to go to war, and
then France could resist and sometimes menace the very existence
of the British Empire, and yet the kings of England could claim
to be kings of France. But were they kings of France? Not unless
the people of France said so; for the people choose their kings
to reign over them.
85
This system of claiming authority from some distant claim has
been practised, and is at the present time; and there is now an
individual who claims to be king of France, who assumes that
title--an individual who does not live in France: he is expelled,
but yet he claims to be the sovereign of France. At the same time
the people have, by the unanimous voice, place Louis Napoleon
upon the throne, and they carry out his decrees, while a fugitive
claims to be king of France, but without the consent of the
people, and has not power enough to pull an old setting hen off
her nest.
86
Circumstances might change so as to throw Napoleon from his
rather uncertain seat, and might place some other individual
there; but no Government can exist there only by the consent of
the people, or such a portion of them as is sufficient to awe the
rest and preserve peace, union, and harmony.
86
Tyrants have attempted to resist this principle, and hence almost
every man that has got into power has immediately gone to work to
lay plans to conciliate the great and mighty sovereign people,
and to perpetuate that authority in their families.
86
History shows us that some of the Roman Consuls attained power
and wealth by the military exploits, and then assumed the title
of Emperors and rulers over the commonwealth. We find that they
assumed that title by the consent of the military power, and that
they enlarged themselves by the aid of the military, till they
finally gained the supreme power over the people.
86
All officers and authorities that depend upon the bayonet are
very uncertain; hence very few of the Roman Emperors ever came to
a natural death. They who hold millions in subjection by the
sword are slain as tyrants whenever opportunity affords. These
characters have not all the peace and happiness that might be
wished for.
86
Rulers have assumed to control the people by the power of the
bayonet, and many who have attempted to do so have fallen in the
attempt, and many have fallen into political disgrace and been
destroyed because they attempted to crush down the feelings of a
free people. It was in consequence of this that the American
revolution was brought to pass.
86
The American revolution was simply the result of attempting to
coerce, by the point of the bayonet, measures that the people of
the colonies were unwilling to consent to. The Parliament wished
to impose, without their consent, rulers, taxes, and laws which
they themselves had no voice in making; and this brought about a
revolution, which ended in establishing the present Government of
the United States.
86
The Constitution of the United States was only a little
enlargement of the freedom guaranteed under the British
Constitution, our revolutionary fathers not thinking any other
position or principle as safe or as good; and they made it to
surround them with a degree of security, as their fathers did in
British Constitution, forming it somewhat after its model and
style. Instead, however, of a hereditary King, they elected a
President to hold office for four years; and instead of a House
of Lords, they elected a Senate, composed of members or
representatives elected by the several State Legislatures; and
instead of a House of Commons, they elected the House of
Representatives by an apportionment of the people; and in fact,
the organization is very similar to that of the mother country.
The President represents the hereditary Sovereign, the members of
the Senate representing the States, and the House of
Representatives the people of the United States, instead of
having the members of the House of Commons who represent the
property of the realm.
86
In tracing these things down, and examining and well considering
them, they show us, as it were in a glass, our real position.
87
Now. I do no suppose that there was a man scarcely in the whole
assembly who anxiously desired in his heart to move a thousand
miles into the middle of a desert with his family, to live in
this barren, desolate, cold country. I do no suppose there was an
individual but would have preferred to inhabit the vacant
prairies of Illinois, Iowa, or Missouri, than to have been under
the necessity of wandering into a desert, surrounded by
mountains, in the midst of sage plains, where nothing could be
raised except by artificial irrigation.
87
We were willing to come here, simply because we were forced to go
somewhere where we could enjoy our religion, which we could not
do where we were. This is the principle that brought us here.
This is the reason that we were willing to forego the ten
thousand comforts that could surround us in the world, and come
and turn the wilderness into a fruitful field. Of necessity, I
say, we came here willingly, because we were forced to. There was
no place else for the Apostles and Prophets to go.
87
We petitioned the several States and also the United States for
an asylum where we could enjoy ourselves; and all our petitions
were answered with coldness and indifference, and there was not a
place in the United States where a man that professed to be a
Latter-day Saint could have peace. There was nothing but to be
mobbed, driven, his houses burned, wherever he might be; and no
governor, no legislature, no authority would extend any better
prospect than the repetition of the murder, robberies, and
persecution we had suffered in Missouri, and that we were then
enduring in Illinois.
87
Under these circumstances we came here, and silently and quietly
continued coming away from every part of the Union, and our
friends from other nations flocked here from various parts, until
we had conquered the desert, and turned the mountain streams, and
caused vegetation to grow, and produced grain of considerable
variety and of excellent quality. We had begun to make ourselves
comfortable, and we had the prospect of peace, as there was
nobody upon the face of the earth that would have inhabited this
sterile country--a thousand miles from civilized society, where
there were no inhabitants but a few naked, savage Indians, whom
we cared for an befriended.
87
The gold fever broke out, and thousands of the gold miners from
all nations passed through our settlements. We fed them, for they
came here naked and destitute, and we enabled them to proceed on
their way, or they would have starved to death in the desert. But
although we did this, scarcely an individual desired to stay in
this barren country. They could look around and then say, "You
are a pack of damned fools to stay in this barren desert;" and
they would ask, "Why do you stay here in such a barren country?"
It was for something more precious than gold: it was for the
privilege of worshipping God under our own vine; and it was with
greatest difficulty that we could raise a vine to worship under,
and there was scarcely a tree grew in the valleys. Here we could
worship, and here we remain, and what is the result? The moment
that our settlements had extended far to the south and to the
north--the moment that we were placed in a position that
starvation did not stare us in the face, and that a man dare eat
as much as his appetite craved, without thinking that he would
have to go without tomorrow, that moment the great nation, of
which we are a part, rich in gold and silver, powerful in
numbers, wealth, and learning, place themselves in a position to
annihilate us, to drive us from our homes and the fastnesses of
the mountains.
88
Now, my brethren and sisters, we remember that all good
governments are by the consent of the governed; we remember the
old principle that allegiance is the thread which ties the
subject to the Government, and for which the Government owes the
subject protection. I ask, Did the Government of the United
States ever extend its protection to us? Did it protect us in
Missouri? Did it protect us in Illinois? Did it protect us in
Iowa? Did it protect us in Nebraska? No, never. We had to protect
ourselves or perish and share the fate that lambs share in the
paws of wolves. This is the principle as it is presented to us.
Have they ever protected us in these mountains? No: we protect
ourselves. We made the roads, we explored the country, and we
have protected them whenever they passed here; and we have fed,
clothed, and aided them on their journeying, and extended every
kindness; but have they protected us? No; but they have stirred
up the savages of the desert to destroy our weak settlements.
This has been the result, and yet we have not been ten years upon
this soil. We have not been scarcely able to acquire the comforts
of life. A man has scarcely dared to eat as much as would satisfy
his appetite. We had scarcely done this, I say, until they sent
their armies by thousands to dragoon this people into subjection,
with the avowed aim and object, as published in every paper that
comes from the States, to deprive us of our religions rights, and
to establish and inflict rights or practices which we abhor, and
which we have moved a thousand miles to avoid. I ask them, Shall
freedom depart? And, in the language of a Roman, I ask which you
prefer--slavery or death? Shall they be left to trample upon the
rights of free men? Who will not consider which is to be
preferred--FREEDOM OR SLAVERY? Shall this people be left to the
mercy of men who come here with armies to enforce principles that
are as degrading to us as degradation can be?
88
I presume, brethren and sisters, that there is but one feeling
upon that subject. I presume that we are willing to dispense with
our tea, with our coffee, our tobacco, our finery, and a hundred
other comforts that we might have had, had we remained in the
States as others have done, rather than be subject to this
degradation and cursed dominion.
88
May God enable us to hold up our heads, and with all our might,
mind, and strength, and our reliance in the Most High, live our
religion and be prepared to inherit his glory, is my prayer.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Erastus
Snow, November 29, 1857
Erastus Snow, November 29, 1857
OPPOSITION OF STATE GOVERNMENTS TO THE SAINTS, ETC.
Remarks by Elder Erastus Snow, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 29, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
89
I am satisfied that that portion of the citizens of Utah who
first sought out this mountain retreat have seen and experienced
enough of the actions of State Governments and of our National
Government--have suffered enough at the hands of officers of
State, and by the treatment they have received from mobs
organized to operate against them, independent of all law, or
nominally under the colour of law, to discern clearly the
tendency of that spirit which pervades this people and the spirit
of opposition which pervades our enemies.
89
The unbelieving world, which have rejected the Gospel revealed
unto us, and a large portion of this people--those who have
immigrated to this Territory within a few years past, have not
had the benefit of the experience which the minor portion of this
people have had; consequently, they have not had forced upon them
that series of reflections so well calculated to mature their
minds and enable them to contemplate with great precision the
final result of all efforts brought to bear against us by our
enemies for the overthrow of the work of God in the last days. I
presume there is not one of the early members of the Church but
what fully anticipated the crisis which has now come upon us. The
spirit of prophecy and revelation has been in the midst of this
people from the beginning, and has continually foretold this
event; and one who was no more than the son of a Prophet, with
the benefit of past experience and an observation of the spirit
of this people and that of our enemies, could not fail to see
that such must be the result, sooner or later.
89
At every step this kingdom has advanced, the opposition of the
ungodly has also advanced. Their hate of the truth has never been
laid by. It has seemed to slumber at times, only to wake up with
renewed vigour and fresh determination and strength to operate
against the truth; while on the other hand the Lord has given
this people seasons of rest, that they might take breath and have
an opportunity of sending their missionaries to preach the
Gospel, that the honest in heart might be gathered out from among
the wicked, who are struggling to crush out of existence the last
vestige of truth and righteousness upon the earth.
90
That portion of the citizens of this Territory who were
personally acquainted with the history of this Church and with
the Prophet Joseph Smith in his last years are not able to view,
in the present movement of the United States' troops, in the
measures of the General Government and Governmental officials,
and in the spirit of the people at large, an attempt to carry
out, if possible, the same policy that was enacted in the last
days of Joseph, which resulted in the expulsion of this people
from Illinois.
90
There is, however, some little difference. Since that period this
people have grown a little more numerous; and, instead of being
within two hours' ride of Carthage and Warsaw, they are a
thousand miles from the frontier settlements of their enemies.
Instead of a military encampment in a corn-field just on the
outside of the city of Nauvoo, it is now on the other side of the
mountains, about 115 miles from the City of Great Salt Lake.
90
The pretended designs of our enemies towards us remind me of the
speech of Rolla in the play of "Pizarro." Descanting upon the
promises of the bloody and treacherous Spanish conquerors of his
countrymen, he says, "They offer us protection. Yes, such
protection as vultures give to lambs, covering and devouring
them."
90
To their unsought and uncalled for protection, our answer should
be--"When the State of Missouri, in obedience to her own laws,
shall have hung up by the neck ex-Governor Boggs, Austin A. King,
old Generals Lucas, Clark, and Wilson, and about twenty-five
hundred of her citizens, who were engaged in murdering the
Saints, plundering them and driving them from their homes;--when
they have repudiated the acts of their corrupt Legislature and
returned four-fold to all whom they have robbed, with the lawful
interest thereon until the time of payment, reinstating those who
have been driven from their homes and possessions, making good,
as far as money and means can do it, their losses;--when Illinois
shall have done the same, and the General Government shall take
action to maintain the citizens of this Territory in the rightful
possession of all the land they have purchased of them, from
which they have been driven by the force of mobs, and then admit
this people, without a groan or complaint, but with brotherly
love, kindness and fatherly care, to the free and undisturbed
enjoyment of life, liberty, and all those political rights that
belong to American citizens in common, of which the chief is the
right of being governed by men of their own choice and of
worshipping God according to the dictates of their own
consciences, the principle thing for which our fathers
fought;--when our Government shall do all this and cease their
threats and menaces to intimidate free men, call home their "dogs
of war," and set them to administering justice on the scoundrels
at home and keep away their mean, dirty sycophants, whom they
wish to force on this people for their rulers at the point of the
bayonet,--then we may begin to think of having a little
confidence in their high pretensions; then they may talk to us
about their boasted protection and their regard for the rights of
mankind.
90
Until they have done all these things and are willing to pay this
Territory some portion of the few hundred thousand dollars which
it has expended to preserve peace with the savages around us, we
shall have no reason to think that they are honest or sincere in
their intentions. Otherwise, we shall be compelled to regard them
and their armies as we now look upon Governors Ford of Illinois
and Boggs of Missouri, and their murderous clan of mob forces,
even as whited sepulchres, fair without, but within full of dead
men's bones, rottenness, and all uncleanness. Until then, we
shall have no guarantee for trusting one particle to them or
their promises.
91
When we have trusted in the Lord our God, kept his commandments
and revered his laws, he has not betrayed us nor forsaken us in
trouble; but he has ever stood by us and led us forth out of
affliction, and has given unto us Governors and Judges and
Counsellors after his own heart, to feed this people with
knowledge and understanding--to lead them forth in the paths of
peace, unity, and love.
91
We are satisfied with our present rulers. When we have trusted in
our God and his servants, we have been happy and blessed; but
when we have trusted to the enemies of our God, we have been
pierced with many sorrows.
91
If any of the citizens of this Territory have not as yet
experienced enough of the tender mercies of this generation and
the promises of corrupt officials of the United States
Government, and they wish still to trust in them a little
further, they have the privilege. The way has been kept open for
them to leave. Although martial law has been declared in this
Territory, and persons are not allowed to pass through, into, or
out of it, without a permit from the proper officer, yet it has
been declared by our Governor, published abroad, and has been
repeatedly acted upon, that all persons feeling dissatisfied,
unwilling to remain in their present position, and wishing to go
to our enemies, and place themselves under their protection, and
accept of their proffers, shall forthwith be furnished with a
passport and escort. If they wish to leave for other climates,
and will pay their honest debts, and not steal their outfit, they
can have the privilege. Two or three small parties have started
this fall, embracing the few remains of our Gentile traders who
remained in our midst for purposes of speculation; and I have
heard that one or two small families who once counted themselves
Saints went with them. The road is still open for others to
follow who wish to do so.
91
My own feelings, and I believe the feelings of all the
authorities of this people, are, that we want no disaffected or
indifferent ones to remain among us. We will not lay a straw in
their way, if they will depart in peace, if they do not wish to
remain with the people of God and share with them in their joys
and sorrows.
91
The principles of our holy religion claim from us the exercise of
our own judgment, and inculcate the largest degree of freedom of
soul, and will extend to every soul of man like privileges. The
union which exists in the midst of this people, and of which our
enemies have ever complained so much, has never been the result
of coercion. It has not been created by iron bands placed around
the outside of this people, only so far as the Lord has made use
of the wicked to persecute and drive them together. That union
has been the legitimate result of the principles of truth
revealed unto us from heaven and adopted as the guide of their
conduct by the people.
92
Although many of those who have left this people and returned,
like the dog to his vomit, and like the sow that was washed to
her wallowing in the mire, and who have gone down again to the
filth and degradation of Babylon, have reported that they
narrowly escaped with their lives--that efforts had been made to
prevent their departure; yet all this people do verily know that
they were of their father the Devil, who was a liar from the
beginning, and that their tales were base and wicked falsehoods,
as an excuse for their own mean and traitorous course. The only
tyranny and oppression that ever existed among this people (if,
indeed, any virtuous person would call it so,) has been the
sharpness of the word of God reproving the wickedness of the
people, holding the vile and wicked from riding over and
trampling under foot the weak and innocent, saying to the people,
"If you wish to do wickedly--to oppress each other--to bite and
devour each other,--if it is your nature to gouge out your
neighbour's eyes, to purloin his property, seduce his wife and
daughters,--in fine, if you wish to practice wickedness and
abomination after the order of the Gentile world from which you
have been gathered, retire from the midst of the Saints, return
to the hole from whence you have been taken, and not attempt to
carry on your wickedness in the midst of this people, who love
righteousness and desire to put away all unholiness from them."
This is the only oppression which any individual has been able to
complain of, in truth and justice, in the midst of this
community.
92
"Mormonism" does not coerce, but all the time persuades, teaches,
enlightens, instructs, and invites by the beauty, excellence, and
virtue of those holy principles which God has revealed to us,
gradually drawing the people together, cementing their feelings,
and bringing them, by common consent, to act upon the principles
of truth and righteousness.
92
There is but one alternative for this people: it is our religion,
our God, our liberty, or slavery, the Devil, and death. There is
no drawing back. The wedge has been entered. Our God has led us
forth and directed our course from the beginning to the present
hour. "Shall I cause to come to the birth," saith the Lord, "and
not bring forth?" No. Although the woman in travail and in pain
to be delivered suffers anxiety, mingled with fear, yet soon her
sorrow is forgotten, for joy that a man-child is born into the
world. So it will be with this people, and our enemies cannot
hinder it. The Devil and all the hosts of hell cannot prevent the
consummation of the desired object that God has in view.
92
The kingdom of God is established, no more to be thrown down; and
in it we shall live and reign, and every righteous man and woman
who love God and his truth more than their own lives and the
treasures of this world shall be exalted in the kingdom of God:
they shall see the triumph of truth and righteousness, and the
kingdom of God shining on the earth as the sun in firmament. But
the time will come when the fainthearted and the wicked, whose
knees tremble and who cannot endure the contradiction of the
ungodly world, and choose rather to hide their heads and retire,
making lies their refuge, will lift up their eyes in hell, being
in torment: they will look back, and they will try to repent as
it were in sackcloth and ashes: they will seek repentance
carefully with tears, but will not find it, because there will be
no chance left for them to regain what they have lost. If the
Lord has compassion upon them and hears their cries, their
weeping, and their bitter lamentation in the day of their
degradation and misery, it will be to give them the privilege of
becoming, in a future day, the servants of those who maintained
their integrity.
92
The state of my lungs is such that I shall be under the necessity
of closing. I pray to God to bless all Israel and help us to keep
our covenants to the end. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Brigham
Young, November 29, 1857
Brigham Young, November 29, 1857
ATTENTION AND REFLECTION NECESSARY TO AN INCREASE OF
KNOWLEDGE--SELF-CONTROL--UNITY OF THE GODHEAD AND OF THE PEOPLE
OF GOD.
Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 29, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt
93
I have the same diffidence in my feelings that most public
speakers have, and am apt to think that others can speak better
and more edifying that I can. There are but few public speakers
but what feel more or less timidity. That is probably not so much
a man-fearing spirit as it is a natural delicacy or timidity. All
of you have doubtless to some extent realized the same feeling,
either in large or small assemblies, and also in social
conversation. People generally are more or less disturbed and
thrown off their balance by the sound of their own voices,
especially when speaking to an audience, even after being much
used to addressing assemblies. Some of our most eloquent and
interesting speakers would rather do almost anything than speak
to the congregations that assemble here. That diffidence or
timidity we must dispense with. When it becomes our duty to talk,
we ought to be willing to talk. if we never exhibit the knowledge
within us, the people will not know really whether we have any.
Interchanging our ideas and exhibiting that which we believe and
understand affords an opportunity for detecting and correcting
errors and increasing our stock of valuable information. I have
frequently thought that I should be very happy if I could hear
the Elders of Israel speak their feelings and impart their
knowledge pertaining to their fellow-beings, to earthly things,
to heavenly things, to godliness, and God.
93
I am sensible that people are not gifted and capacitated alike.
There is not that depth of understanding and intensity of thought
in some that there is in others, neither is there the same scope
of perception. Some are quick to apprehend, while others are
slow. Also while a speaker is communicating his opinions, views,
and feelings, a portion of so large a congregation as this will
perhaps be giving the most strict attention, while the minds of
the other portion are wandering at the moment he may be advancing
rich ideas, clothed in language choice and eloquent. That
inattention by some leads to a difference of understanding among
the people, through a misapprehension of the speaker's meaning.
True, some persons may use language that a portion of the
congregation are unacquainted with; consequently, they could not
be expected to readily apprehend the idea designed to be
communicated, though that is by no means a common incident in
teachings from this stand.
94
If a congregation wish to be instructed so as to understand alike
and alike receive an increase of wisdom and knowledge, their
minds must be intent on the subject before them. They must not
suffer their thoughts to be roaming over the earth; they must not
permit their minds to be scanning and traversing their every-day
duties and avocations. If they do, they are not blessed with that
store of knowledge they otherwise might obtain through paying
that attention necessary to enable them to clearly understand. I
acknowledge that it is a masterwork to school our minds so as at
all times to exercise complete power over them. If the people
would so educate themselves as to control their thinking powers,
they would derive a great advantage from it. They could improve
much faster than they now do.
94
Many years ago, the Prophet Joseph observed that if the people
would have received the revelations he had in his possession, and
wisely acted upon them, as the Lord would dictate, they might, in
their power to do and understand, have been many years ahead of
what they then were. Experience has taught us that is requires
time to acquire certain branches of mechanism, also all
principles and ideas that we wish to become masters of. The
closer people apply their minds to any correct purpose the faster
they can grow and increase in the knowledge of the truth. When
they learn to master their feelings they can soon learn to master
their reflections and thoughts in the degree requisite for
attaining the objects they are seeking. But while they yield to a
feeling or spirit that distracts their minds from a subject they
wish to study and learn, so long they will never gain the mastery
of their minds. So it is with persons who yield to temptation and
wickedness.
94
There are individuals who yield to that unruly member, the
tongue; and after yielding once, they have not the same strength
to resist as at first. They become more and more weakened every
time they yield to temptation, until they are unable to control
themselves, when they are tempted either to speak unadvisedly or
to run into any species of wickedness. So every faculty bestowed
upon man is subject to contamination--subject to be diverted from
the purpose the Creator designed it to fill. If a man permits
himself to make use of language calculated to wound his spirit
and infringe upon his better judgment, and does not try to resist
that practice, when he is again tempted upon the point he is more
likely to give way and to have less compunction of conscience
than before. If he continues day after day to yield himself a
servant to the uncontrolled whims of his own nature and the evil
influences that may be exercised upon him from without, in a few
years he will be so steeped in sin as to be entirely given over
to the error of his ways. The sooner an individual resists
temptation to do, say, or think wrong, while he has light to
correct his judgment, the quicker he will gain strength and power
to overcome every temptation to evil.
95
Let the people study to bring their thinking or reflecting
faculties into subjection. We are preaching principles that
belong to this subject every day of our lives. Last Sabbath I
spoke upon the concentration of faith, of action, of feeling, of
reflection. That is a matter I often reflect upon, because I am
called into circumstances that bring it before me every time I
hear a man pray. Am I as yet so master of my thoughts and
reflections that no thought or desire of my heart is trying to
forestall the speaker in uttering his sentiments and wishes? Have
I the power to hold my mind directly upon his words and desires,
asking continually that he may be directed by the Holy Ghost? I
acknowledge that I am not yet perfect in this point. I have not
yet that power over myself; but, to the praise of the name of the
God I serve, I do actually gain upon it. When my mind has
betrayed me, and I detect a desire different from that which is
uttered by my speaker, I feel to retract and offer my desire to
the throne of grace that I may have power to hold my faith with
the man that is appointed to pray. Those who think and reflect
upon this matter can realize that I wish of myself and what I
wish of the people. Unthinking persons may not fully realize the
importance of these remarks; but every person who has a realizing
sense of the duties devolving upon him--of the way of life and
salvation--of what we are called to in the holy Gospel, must be
aware of the importance of this subject to all who are determined
to live their religion.
95
You are all acquainted, or profess to be, with the Gospel of
salvation. You have entered into covenant with God--have received
the ordinances of the Gospel; and if you have not received the
Holy Ghost, you should have received it. You have the history of
the administration of the Holy Ghost as given by the Apostles in
the days of Jesus, and it is referred to in all sacred writings.
This people profess to be more or less acquainted with the
principles developed by the administration of the Holy Ghost. We
will admit that you understand it. Now, ask yourselves whether
you believe that the Holy Ghost ever commenced to produce a work
or an effect before it was in the heart and mind of that Being we
call our heavenly Father. Do you think that the Holy Ghost ever
thought of dictating that Being we call our God? This whole
people have learned enough upon this subject to answer at once,
that we do not believe that the Holy Ghost ever dictated,
suggested, moved, or pretended to offer a plan, except that which
the Eternal Father dictated.
95
With regard to this particular point, I will say that you shall
judge the matter and be my witnesses. Have we not learned enough
with regard to the character of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
to at once believe, admit, and affirm that the Holy Ghost always
has and always will operate precisely according to the suggestion
of the Father? Not a desire, act, wish, or thought does the Holy
Ghost indulge in contrary to that which is dictated by the
Father. We all sense this in a degree, because it has always been
taught to us. It is taught in the Bible, in the revelations given
through Joseph, and in the preaching by the Elders of Israel. It
is our tradition, education, and experience in the kingdom of
God. The Holy Ghost, we believe, is one of the characters that
form the Trinity, or the Godhead. Not one person in three, nor
three persons in one; but the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one
in essence, as the hearts of three men who are united in all
things. He is one of the three characters we believe in, whose
office it is to administer to those of the human family who love
the truth. I have stated that they are one, as the hearts of
three men might be one. Lest you should mistake me, I will say
that I do not wish you to understand that the Holy Ghost is a
personage having a tabernacle, like the Father and the Son; but
he is God's messenger that diffuses his influence through all the
works of the Almighty.
96
We believe that we have a correct idea of the character of the
Son from the writings of the Apostles, so far as they learned it.
But while he was tabernacling in the flesh, he was more or less
contaminated with fallen nature. While he was here, in a body
that his mother Mary bore him, he was more or less connected with
and influenced by this nature that we have received. According to
the flesh, he was of the seed of Adam and Eve, and suffered the
weaknesses and temptations of his fellow-mortals. He was hungry
and thirsty, weary and faint, and had to eat, drink, and sleep.
In him were developed all the traits pertaining to mortal man.
According to the scanty history that we have of the Saviour, as
near nothing at all as well can be from the time of his birth to
the time of his entering on his ministry at the age of thirty
years, he administered his Gospel for about three years and a
half among the people, and raised up his Church, ordained his
Apostles, and established his kingdom; and of that limited time
we have but a scanty history. According to that
history--according to all you have learned, and to all the Holy
Ghost has ever borne testimony of to you concerning him, let me
ask you the same question in regard to him as I did concerning
the Holy Ghost; and what would you say? That he did nothing of
himself. he wrought miracles and performed a good work on the
earth; but of himself he did nothing. He said, "As I have seen my
Father do, so do I." "I came not to do my will, but the will of
Him that sent me." We must come to the conclusion that the Son of
God did not suggest, dictate, act, or produce any manifestation
of his power, of his glory, or of his errand upon the earth, only
as it came from the mind and will of his Father. Do you not all
firmly believe that the whole soul, heart, reflections, thoughts,
and all the being of the Son of God were operated upon and did
show forth that all he did manifest and bring forth pertaining to
his mission was according to the word and will of his Father?
Certainly you do.
96
Jesus offered up one of the most essential prayers that could
possibly be offered up by a human or heavenly being--no matter
who, pertaining to the salvation of the people, and embodying a
principle without which none can be saved, when he prayed the
father to make his disciples one, as he and his Father were one.
He knew that if they did not become one, they could not be saved
in the celestial kingdom of God. If persons do not see as he did
while in the flesh, hear as he heard, understand as he
understood, and become precisely as he was, according to their
several capacities and callings, they can never dwell with him
and his Father. That same principle stands out as the most
prominent item of teaching in all the teachings and revelations
that have ever been given from heaven to men on the earth. That
thread of faith, of feeling, of hope, of joy, and of action may
be found through all the instructions that have ever come from
heaven to earth, in order to bring the children of God--that is,
the whole of the human family--the children of our Father, and we
as brethren and sisters, parents and children, all emanating from
one parentage, back again into the presence of the Father and the
Son, to bring up the whole posterity of father Adam and mother
Eve to enjoy the light, glory, intelligence, power, kingdoms,
thrones, and dominions that are prepared for exalted beings,
which could not be exalted unless they were prepared for an
exaltation; and upon no other principle could they be prepared,
without taking tabernacles of flesh and being made subject to
vanity. The whole of the Divine teachings, from the days of Adam
until now, have been to teach the human family to yield to the
teachings, dictations, influence, and power of the holy Gospel to
make them one. Without that oneness, there is no salvation for us
in the celestial kingdom of God.
97
Were we to particularize in regard to different organizations of
the human family, we would learn that some are not capable of the
same exaltation as are others, arising from the difference in the
conduct and capacities of people. There is also a difference in
the spirit world. It is the design, the wish, the will, and mind
of the Lord that the inhabitants of the earth should be exalted
to thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, according to
their capacities. In their exaltation, one may be capable of
presiding over ten cities, while another may not be capable of
presiding over more than five, another over only two, and another
over but one. They must all first be subjected to sin and to the
calamities of mortal flesh, in order to prove themselves worthy;
then the Gospel is ready to take hold of them and bring them up,
unite them, enlighten their understandings, and make them one in
the Lord Jesus, that their faith, prayers, hopes, affections, and
all their desires may ever be concentrated in one. That is the
design and the wish of the Father.
97
You may ask, "Did he foreknow that they would be saved?" I have
seen many in the world that never have been able to discern the
difference between foreknowledge and foreordination. I thought
that I could always discern the difference. If I know that an act
will transpire tomorrow, it by not means follows that I had
decreed it. It is the design, wish, desire of our Heavenly Father
that every soul in this congregation should be crowned in the
celestial kingdom. Will they be? No. I know that some will not.
But does it follow that some are ordained to go to hell? No. It
is the design of the Gospel to save this congregation, all the
Latter-day Saints, and all the world besides that well believe
the testimony of Jesus and become obedient to the Gospel of
salvation. And none need to turn round and say, "If it is the
design of the Lord, I shall be saved;" for its being the will and
design of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and of every Saint
that ever was or ever will be, that you should be a Saint, will
not make you one, contrary to your own choice. All rational
beings have an agency of their own; and according to their own
choice they will be saved or damned.
97
Inasmuch as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one, the desire
of the Saviour, as manifested in his sayings and teachings, is,
that his people should also be one, even as he and his Father are
one. If we had the heart, feeling, and faith within us that Jesus
had while here in the flesh, should we be scattering in our
faith?--should we be divided in our interests? No: we should
become one. I have not time to tell you why this people are not
identically one; but to the discerning mind the Holy Spirit will
manifest the reason in a moment--will lay it before you like an
open vision, and you will at once be able to discern thousands of
reasons for it. Are they capable of being one? Yes, if they will
in all things bring their wills into subjection to the will of
the Father.
98
If any are in the habit of taking the name of God in vain, cease
doing so to-day, to-morrow, and throughout the coming week, and
so continue, and you will soon gain strength to entirely overcome
the habit; you will gain power over your words. Some are in the
habit of talking about their neighbours, of vending stories they
know nothing about, only that Aunt Sally said that Cousin Fanny
told Aunt Betsy that old Aunt Ruth said something or other, or
somebody had had a dream; and by the time the story or dream
reaches you, it has assumed the semblance of a fact, and you are
very foolishly spending your time in talking about things that
amount to nothing, or that you have no concern with. A report is
started that such a one has done wrong, and by the time it has
gone its round, has become anointed with the salve of the
backbiter and talebearer--become endowed with their spirit. One
and another falls in with it and says, "That is true--your cause
is just, you are exactly right, and the other is surely wrong,"
when they know nothing about the matter, thereby engendering
entirely groundless ill feelings against each other. Before we
condemn, we should wait until the Heavens clearly indicate a
fault in a father, brother, sister, wife, husband, or neighbour.
And if Heaven declares a fault, wait until the Holy Ghost
manifests to you that such is a fault. Let the Father reveal to
you that the person you are thinking or talking about is actually
wrong. Traduce no person. When you know what right is, and are
capable of correcting a person that is wrong, then it is time
enough for you to judge.
98
I have but recently told you that some people think they are
capable of judging everybody but themselves. Let us judge
ourselves. And if any are disposed to let that unruly member, the
tongue, do that which will wound the heart, darken the spirit,
and bring us into subjection to an evil practice, resist such a
disposition--throw it from you. If you will do that, you will
find that the wicked will forsake their wickedness, and those who
are inclined to think evil will cease doing so, and those who are
inclined to utter evil words about their neighbours will cease
that habit, and it will not be long before the people have
perfect control over themselves. If you first gain power to check
your words, you will then begin to have power to check your
judgment, and at length actually gain power to check your
thoughts and reflections.
98
By close application and study with regard to ourselves and the
requirements of Heaven upon us, we shall be able to school
ourselves, until, when we call upon an elder to open our
meetings, there will not be a desire, word sentence, feeling, or
impulse of spirit one hair's breadth in advance of the one
selected to be mouth. Do you believe that we can do that? We can.
I have already told you that I am yet imperfect in that point;
but I am trying to make myself perfect in that particular, so as
to become fully master of my thoughts.
98
I will now ask a question. Do you think that a man can pray
wrong, when the hearts of perhaps over two thousand persons are
ascending to God, in the name of Jesus Christ, to dictate the man
who is praying, and desiring the Lord to let them know his will,
and they will strive to do it? Could a man pray here for things
he ought not, when the faith of two thousand is concentrated in
the sincere desire that God will dictate in all things pertaining
to his kingdom? He cannot ask amiss, for the faith of this people
is concentrated through him to the throne of grace. That is a
true principle--as true as the heavens.
98
Our faith is concentrated in the Son of God, and through him to
the Father; and the Holy Ghost is their minister to bring truths
to us, and teach, guide, and direct the course of every mind,
until we become perfected and prepared to go home, where we can
see and converse with our Father in heaven. That is what we want
to attain--that we can all the time have the word of the Lord of
ourselves.
99
You have often heard me and my brethren say that if the people in
the capacity of a Ward, for instance, would let their faith be
perfectly united, and their whole desires rise to the Father,
through the name of Jesus Christ, and hold their Bishop in his
calling between God and them, it would hardly be possible for
that Bishop to do wrong, for he would be filled with wisdom. Some
of the brethren, in conversation, this morning, were likening the
ministrations of the Holy Ghost to the mode of distributing gas
throughout a city. The gas is led through a main pipe from the
gasometer or reservoir, and thence through side-pipes and lesser
and lesser branches, until it is so distributed as to furnish
light to all who require it. I will liken the Bishops to some of
those side-pipes laid down to conduct the gas. Take a joint of
one of those pipes up, which in the comparison we will call a
Bishop, and how are the inhabitants of that Ward to receive the
light? Place him on one side--despise his counsels, and how are
you to be taught? Will you teach each other? You are not called
to do it in that capacity. Your Bishop is laid down by the master
workman as the conductor of the Holy Ghost to you. If you put
that conductor out of its place, the connection is broken between
you and the fountain of light. If you see a Bishop and his Ward
in contention and confusion, you may understand that the pipe or
conductor which conveys the light of that people is out of its
place. Instead of the Bishop's being wrong, and the people right,
or the people wrong, and the Bishop right, they are all wrong:
there is little or no right there.
99
Take any man in this kingdom, and if the people say that they
will make him a President or a Bishop, or elect him to fill any
other office, and the faith of the people is concentrated to
receive light through that officer or pipe laid by the power of
the Priesthood from the throne of God, you might as well try to
move the heavens as to receive anything wrong through that
conductor. No matter whom you elect for an officer, if your faith
is concentrated in him through whom to receive the things which
he is appointed to administer in, light will come to you. Let a
presiding officer or a Bishop turn away from righteousness, and
the Lord Almighty would give him the lock-jaw, if he could not
stop his mouth in any other way, or send a fit of numb palsy on
him, so that he could not act, as sure as the people over whom he
presided were right, that they might not be led astray.
99
If we wish to be taught, to receive, and understand, we must
train ourselves. We are looking forward to the period when we
shall be in the presence of the Father and the Son--when we shall
realize that we are indeed the sons of God, and be crowned with
glory, immortality, and eternal lives. "Then," you say, "we shall
be perfect." You will be no more perfect in your sphere, when you
are exalted to thrones, principalities, and powers, than you are
required to be and are capable of being in your sphere to-day.
The man that may be called a perfect man is perfect in every
calling and sphere, as the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost are in
theirs, and as the angels are in theirs, which makes a perfect
order from first to last--from beginning to end.
100
In this probation, we have evil to contend with, and we must
overcome it in ourselves, or we never shall overcome it anywhere
else. Were you to let your minds stretch out, you would learn
that the whole kingdom, with its principles, powers, authority,
glory, and everything pertaining to it, is combined in the
organization of man ready to be developed. We must commence and
school ourselves, and so bring our reflections into subjection,
that we can make our minds one in faith. Then, let me ask you,
when you pray God to so hedge up the way of our enemies that they
never shall be able to come to this Territory, will not your
prayers be very likely to be answered? If the faith of this
people, called Latter-day Saints, had been united in one, as it
should have been four months ago, when they asked the Father, in
the name of Jesus, to stop our enemies on the other side of the
South Pass, I can assure you, as the Lord God lives, they never
could have seen this side of it. But they are in the Territory.
When we are united and ask God to let the wicked slay the wicked
as they ripen in iniquity, it will be done, and they will not
have power to overcome this handful of people in the mountains.
He will place between them and us a barrier which they cannot
surmount. He will build a wall between us such as they have never
thought of, and they will fall upon each other and slay each
other.
100
I know where the difficulties are, but I have not time now to
explain them. If we are one and are concentrated in the Father,
through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the chain and thread
drawn out for us to follow up, we will find the fountain head;
and then, if I should ask this people to pray for a certain
thing, they would pray for it. But do they now? No: they pray for
everything else. I have made that request until I am tired for
making it. Many will pray for this, that, and the other,
different from what I had advised them only twenty minutes
before. Their faith is not concentrated, as I have frequently
told you, though they are improving and will come to a knowledge
of the truth.
100
The First Presidency have of right a great influence over this
people; and if we should get out of the way and lead this people
to destruction, what a pity it would be! How can you know whether
we lead you correctly or not? Can you know by any other power
than that of the Holy Ghost? If have uniformly exhorted the
people to obtain this living witness each for themselves; then no
man on earth can lead them astray. It is my calling and office to
dictate in the affairs of the Church and kingdom of God on earth.
That is what you have chosen me to do for many years, with
brother Heber and others for my Counsellors, two of whom have
passed behind the vail; and I now have a third--brother Daniel H.
Wells, who is as good a man as ever lived. You have asked me to
tell the people what to do to be saved--to be the mouth of God to
this people. Does your faith agree with your profession? Let me
continue to exhort you, until you can train your hearts, your
feelings, and your affections to such a degree, that when I ask
you to pray for a certain object, you can think of it when you go
home.
101
Brethren and sisters, may God bless you! I bless you all the
time. Hallelujah! Praise the name of Israel's God; for my soul
exults in his name. We are happy and free from the yoke of
bondage. The breath of the Almighty can scatter our enemies to
the four winds and blow them into oblivion, if we have the faith.
You can read how the kings, prophets, and mighty men in Israel
used to slay their fellow-beings--required so to do, because of
the wickedness of those very men who stood at the head of Israel.
If they had been sanctified and holy, the children of Israel
would not have travelled one year with Moses before they would
have received their endowments and the Melchizedek Priesthood.
But they could not receive them, and never did. Moses left them,
and they did not receive the fulness of that Priesthood. After
they came to the land of Canaan, they never would have desired a
king, had they been holy. The Lord told Moses that he would show
himself to the people; but they begged Moses to plead with the
Lord not to do so. Moses was angry at the sins of the people and
did wrong, insomuch that when the Lord showed himself to him, he
hid him in a cleft in a rock, and only let him see his hinder
parts.
101
Through the conduct of the people, Moses sometimes felt like
fighting. After he had been with the Lord forty days in the
mountain, he came down and saw the idolatry of the people, and
smashed to pieces the tables that were written by the finger of
God, and ground up the golden image they were worshipping, and
scattered it to the four winds; and the Lord slew many of the
idolators.
101
I want to see this people so full of the power of God that they
can ask and receive. God help us so to do! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Heber
C. Kimball, November 29, 1857
Heber C. Kimball, November 29, 1857
UNION--LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT--CAPABILITIES OF THE SAINTS TO
PROVIDE FOR THEIR OWN WANTS, ETC.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Evening, November 29, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
101
What we have heard from our President is most heavenly, and it is
truth. We many times say it is "God's truth." I want to know if
there ever was any truth that was not his? Now, just reflect and
see if ever there was a truth that we received or heard, or if
there ever will be, except what is God's truth. No--there never
was; for truth proceedeth from him.
101
Those ideas are according to my feelings--by desires, and they
are according to the Spirit that has been given unto me. I have
sought in my simplicity to produce the most simple things that I
possibly could, to show this people the propriety of becoming
one. You know I have brought up the apple tree, the peach tree,
the grape and all variety of vines, the cucumber, the
water-melon, and every other simple thing, to show unto this
people that we have to become like those vines and those various
bodies which I have mentioned,--like unto the apple tree, for
instance, which is a corporate and independent body, just as you
and I are independent, inasmuch as we act in concert with the
truth and with the personage the produce us.
101
Did God produce us. He did, and every son and daughter of Adam
upon the face of this earth; and he produced us upon the same
principle that we produce one another. And so it is with the
fruit of creation.
101
The ideas advanced by brother Brigham about the manufacture and
conducting of gas afford a good illustration of the operations of
the Holy Ghost through the Priesthood. The place where the gas is
manufactured may be called the fountain head; then by a power at
head-quarters, it is carried by pipes and propelled through every
avenue, even to the extremity of the city.
102
When that gas is conveyed to a city, it gives light. It is so
also with the Holy Spirit. There is sufficient of it to be
conveyed to every man and woman according to their necessity; for
Jesus says that every son and daughter that cometh into the world
receiveth of his light, and it proceeds from head-quarters.
102
I have spoken upon these things before, not using this figure in
particular, but upon the same principle.
102
A Bishop has power to dictate and control his Ward, even as he is
dictated by those over him. When a family or that portion of the
city who receive their light from him, reject that pipe, or that
authority, they reject the authority, or the pipe, that conveys
the light to them. It is so with the Seventies and also with
every Quorum in this Church.
102
There are seven Presidents of the Seventies; then there is one
man that presides over the six. Are the six to be subject to the
first of their number? They are; for he is the head of that limb;
and if the six reject that man, they reject the authority or the
pipe that conveys light to them.
102
If the Quorums of the Seventies reject their limbs or Presidents,
who are, even to the seventieth Seventy, connected to the main
limb of the Seventies, they also shut off the light which would
flow to them. Whom are the Seventies amenable to? They are
amenable to the men that preside over them; and it is so with
ever department of the Priesthood, from the authority of the
Apostleship down to that of the Teacher.
102
"What a strange doctrine," says one, "that we should be taught to
be one!" I tell you there is no way for us to prosper and prevail
in the last day only to learn to act in union. As to the holy
Priesthood and the government of this Church, I can say that we
shall, as a people, prevail in the name and by the authority of
Jesus. If we will take this course and be one, we shall rule the
house of Israel, and everything on the earth will be subject to
us. This is the doctrine that has been taught us all the time.
102
I will acknowledge that I am sometimes eccentric. There is no man
who has not, at some periods, eccentric feelings. These feelings
correspond with the feelings of this people; and I believe and
know that they control me in my speaking, or else I should not
say a great many things that I do. I have heard brother Brigham
say a great many time, "Why, I have spoken thus and so, and I
believe that the people feel as I have spoken."
102
To be eccentric in speaking means to occasionally depart from the
point of argument--to run off to the east and then come back--to
run off to the north, to the south, to the west, and return again
to the centre. This feeling is in every man at times, and the
Elders who speak from this stand have to speak so as to answer
the queries and dispositions of the people, otherwise they would
talk right in a bee-line.
102
Am I afraid that we shall be overcome? No, I am not. I never
have, to my knowledge, had a feeling in my heart, from the day
that I came into this Church unto the present time, that this
kingdom would be overcome; neither have I now. But there are
people here; and a people will grow out of this people that will
stand forever.
103
I never was more joyful in my life than I am now. I thanked my
Father this morning, I thanked him last night, and I thank him
every day of my life that the time has come when he has said to
his servant the Prophet, "Shut down the gate, and never--no,
never admit those men here who would take your life and the lives
of the brethren, and seek to lead my people to destruction." Am I
not glad at this? I am; and that man or that woman who is not
glad is not blest--is not a Saint. Those who do not rejoice at
this time are not living their religion.
103
[President B. Young: "They are all glad."]
103
Some say there is no tea in the stores, and that is verily true.
There is no coffee, factory, calico, satins, silks, thread,
needles, bonnets, nor any luxuries; and I am glad of it.
103
Have we needle-makers? Yes; we have men here who can make the
finest needles as well as the largest and the best, and every
kind of cutlery, and every kind of satin, just as good as there
is in the world.
103
Can we make linen? Yes. Why can we not make linen just as well as
they can in England? I have seen some of the sisters now before
me in the old countries, throwing the shuttle, weaving cotton,
linen, silks, satins, ginghams, woollen plaids, &c., &c. You can
do it here as well as you could there.
103
Can we make sugar here? Yes, just as good as ever was made in the
Southern States. Can we raise hemp? Yes--just as good as ever
grew.
103
Brother W. C. Staines raised some Chinese sugar-cane on brother
Brigham's lot down here. There was about one of those Chicago
waggon boxes full of stalks: I suppose one of them will hold 25
or 30 bushels. He sent that down to brother Hugh Moon's, and he
made 14 gallons of as good molasses as ever came from any portion
of the world. Brother Brigham did not expect that is would make
over three or four gallons.
103
If we can make molasses, by boiling it a little more, we can make
good Muscovado sugar. I have got beet molasses by me now of last
year's make, and at the bottom of the keg it is good grained
sugar.
103
It is like unto making maple sugar. I know how to make it; I know
how to boil it, make it into molasses, and into sugar; and these
men who are sitting on the stand, and who have lived in the
United States, all know how to make maple sugar. The boiling and
cleansing is all the art there is in it. The sooner we go to work
to produce these things the better, for we have got to go without
tea, coffee, and tobacco until we raise them. I see no chance
only for us to go to work as we have been instructed.
103
Years ago, in the days of Joseph, the Lord gave a revelation
instructing this people to produce what they wanted for their own
use by their own labour; and you have been taught it from that
day to the present time, and the Lord has brought us into these
mountains to bring to pass these very things, that we may become
a free and independent people. To produce these things ourselves
is necessary for our temporal and spiritual salvation.
103
You say you are going to work to cache up your grain, and so am
I. I am going to work to raise a better crop next year than I
have this, and I am going to work to make boxes to put it in;
then I will dig holes and cache them, and the next year after
that I will do likewise. And how long will it be before we shall
have seven years' provisions in hand, if you all do likewise?
103
A great many do not know the meaning of the word cache. Well,
Cache Valley up here--almost the first company that passed
through there, afraid of being overtaken by the wintry storms,
cached some of their articles, and the mountaineers cached their
furs; and from these circumstances, Cache Valley took its name;
for they dug holes and buried their substance, and this is
caching.
103
I am going to begin to collect all the wheat I can, flour it, and
put it in good, dry boxes; and if it is well pressed down, I
think it will keep longer than wheat: besides, the mice will not
then be able to make such ravages upon it.
104
When we have done all this, shall we put it in the ground?
No. Put it in your granaries, and have it ready for caching. We
shall not cache our substance until it is considered necessary.
104
It is the duty of the Bishops to plan for the people in their
Wards. Let every Bishop take a course to design for his people.
This is the way for them to do, and this is their calling; and in
so doing they will be blest, and this whole people will be
sustained, and God will bless us and will hold our enemies; yes,
he will hold them a great deal easier and far more secure than
you can hold a horse with the Spanish bits. He is not going to
let this people be overcome, if we do as we are told from time to
time. Let us do as we have been told there to-day--lay aside our
foolishness, our vanity, and bad habits, and I just know that all
will be well.
104
Suppose I yield to the practice of drinking liquor, one draught
gives me a greater thirst for another; my appetite increases as I
nourish it, till by-and-by, I will want it regularly, and I am
finally overcome. Let a man do an evil to-day, and the temptation
will be stronger for him to do it to-morrow.
104
Brethren, let us take a course to keep the commandments of God,
and do just as we are told from this time henceforth, and never
cease our operations in everything that is good. Never let us
cease our mechanical operations, and let us be diligent in
cultivating the earth and accumulating everything we can think of
that will be useful. If you will take this course, you will not
be obliged to put for the mountains next year, nor the year
after, and so on, if we will do exactly right.
104
I would prefer to go into the mountains, and see my family go
there, and live on roots, wearing sheep-skins, and goat-skins,
and dwelling in tents and caves, as the ancient Apostles did,
rather than to see the troops of the United States come into this
Valley, and to suffer and see the sufferings of this people, as
we have hitherto. [The congregation responded, Amen.] I have seen
myself, with many of this people, broken up and driven five
times, and robbed and plundered; and they have suffered in such a
manner as I never want to see them suffer again.
104
I calculate, by the help of God, to do as I am told, to make
preparations for peace and for war, for plenty, for hard times,
and for every emergency,--to arm myself and my sons with the
armour of peace and righteousness, and then with the armour of
death, and to carry the means of self-defence in one hand, and
cultivate the earth with the other, and having the righteousness
of Christ in my heart, and execute righteousness with the sword
of the Spirit, temporally and spiritually.
104
Now, here is peace, here is prosperity, here is happiness, here
is life, here is repentance, and baptism for the remission of
sins, and the way to obtain eternal lives. Accept of it, if you
please; and if you will not, you will suffer the consequences. I
intend to take the right course, and to help to arm my boys and
my brethren, and to do the best that I can for the welfare of the
house of Israel.
104
You probably recollect what Jesus said to his disciples when
Peter took up the sword and cut off the fellow's ear: he designed
to cut off his head, but missed it. Jesus said, "Those that take
up the sword shall perish by the sword. If my kingdom was of this
world, then my servants would fight." Let me tell you, the
kingdom that we are in is of this world and also of the world to
come, and will stand for ever; and we will fight, if our enemies
come upon us to slay us,--not only the men, but the women and the
children.
105
Well, let us think of these things, and not get angry. I
know that I am a stronger man when the Spirit of God is resting
upon me than I am at ordinary times; and I know, when I get
angry, that it makes me weak--it takes away my strength.
105
This is the way you feel; for that Spirit makes you mighty and
powerful, and fear leaves you. Fear has torment, and torment
makes a person weak, and vexes him, and perplexes him, because it
is the principle of death.
105
Keep the Spirit of the Lord and learn to govern your tempers,
just as a smith when he goes to work to make a knife or any other
kind of edged tool. When he takes it from the fire, he almost
always makes it harder than he wants it; and then he has to take
the temper down again, until he gets it so that the edge will
bend. It is better to bend than to break.
105
Let us make our passions bend, and become one with our head as
every limb and branch pertaining to a tree becomes one with its
head, and with the roots from which it springs. God bless you
all! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / John
Taylor, December 6, 1857
John Taylor, December 6, 1857
THE SAINTS' NEED OF THE SPIRIT--THE PRIESTHOOD--VITALITY AND
GROWTH
OF THE WORK OF GOD--ACCOMPLISHMENT OF GOD'S PURPOSES AND DESIGNS,
ETC.
A Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, December 6, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
105
Having been called upon this morning to address you for a short
time, I arise with very great pleasure to do so; for I always
love to meet with the Saints, to gaze upon them, and to
contribute my mite in offering instructions to them, so far as
the Spirit of the Lord shall give me utterance. I conceive that,
without the aid of his Holy Spirit, we as saints can do very
poorly either as speakers or as hearers. For, unless the Spirit
of the Lord directs and guides us, we are all of us in a very
poor position indeed. In fact, it is very difficult for any of us
to understand really and positively what would be for our best
good without its aid. In the world they know comparatively
nothing about this. They call evil good, and good evil. They call
darkness light, and light they call darkness.
105
Mixed up as we have been with the Gentile world, and having
formed our habits and customs among them--having been accustomed
to feel as they feel, to reason as they reason, and to associate
with them, it is sometimes very difficult for us to understand
what would really be for our benefit and advantage, whether
pertaining to this world or to the world which is to come.
106
I presume as we obtain more of the Spirit of God--as we receive
faith and intelligence that flow from him and the revelations
that he imparts and will continue to impart to those who are
faithful, we shall begin to understand things in a very different
light from what many of us at the present time understand them.
Even in temporal things there is a great difference among men in
regard to their judgment, capacities, reasoning powers, and their
comprehension of justice, equity, the rights of man, the duties
that we owe to each other, and the various responsibilities that
devolve upon us. But when we come to contemplate the things of
God, the end of our existence, our origin, the position that we
occupy in relation to our families, to each other, and to the
Church and kingdom of God, it is very difficult sometimes for us
to understand things correctly in relation to the position of the
world, to the things that have been, to the things that are, and
to the things that are to come,--to the purposes of God in
relation to the human family, and how these purposes will be best
advanced. We shall find, in reflecting upon all these matters,
that there is a very great difference between the reasoning of
the human family upon these matters and the plan that God would
adopt for the accomplishment of his purposes and for the bringing
to pass the things that have been spoken of by the holy Prophets
since the world began.
106
There is not a position that we can occupy in life, either as
fathers, mothers, children, masters, servants, or as Elders of
Israel holding the holy Priesthood in all its ramifications, but
what we need continually wisdom flowing from the Lord and
intelligence communicated by him, that we may know how to perform
correctly the various duties and avocations of life, and to
fulfil the various responsibilities that rest upon us. And hence
the necessity all the day long, and every day and every week,
month, and year, and under all circumstances, of men leaning upon
the Lord and being guided by that Spirit that flows from him.
That we may not fall into error--that we may neither do anything
wrong, say anything wrong, nor think anything wrong, and all the
time retain that Spirit, which can only be kept by observing
purity, holiness, and virtue, and living continually in obedience
to the laws and commandments of God.
106
There was a people to whom one of the ancient Apostles said, "But
ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things and
need not that any man should teach you, because of the anointing
that dwelleth in you, which it truth, and no lie."
106
When men obey the Gospel with pure hearts--when they are baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and have
hands laid upon them for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and they
receive that Spirit and live in obedience to the dictates of that
Spirit, it will bring things past and present to their
remembrance, lead them into all truth, and show them things to
come. This is part and parcel of our belief.
107
What is the reason we do not always comprehend things right?
Because, in many instances, we give way to temptation. We let our
old prepossessions, feelings, and influences, by which we have
been governed heretofore, predominate over the Spirit of God, and
we fall into error and darkness; and "If the light that is within
us becomes darkness, how great is that darkness!" It is not
enough, then, that we are baptised and have hands laid upon us
for the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is not enough even that we go
further than this, and receive our washing and our anointings,
but that we daily and hourly and all the time live up to our
religion, cultivate the Spirit of God, and have it continually
within us "as a well of water springing up unto everlasting
life," unfolding, developing, making manifest the purposes and
designs of God unto us, that we may be enabled to walk worthy of
the high avocation whereunto we are called, as sons and daughters
of God to whom he has committed the principles of eternal truth
and the oracles of God in these last days. It would be found very
difficult for any individual left to himself to do right, to
think right, to speak right, and to fulfil the will and law of
God upon the earth; and hence the necessity of the organization
of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth, of the
properly-organized Priesthood, of the legitimate channel, check,
bounds, laws, and governments that the Almighty has introduced
into his Church and kingdom for the guidance, instruction,
protection, welfare, upbuilding, and further progress of his
Church and kingdom upon the earth. As in school it required a man
more competent to be a teacher than those who are taught, so in
the Church of God; and hence the various grades and positions of
the Priesthood. When a President, Bishop, or those having
authority live up to their religion and cleave unto God, it is
expected by us at all times that they will comprehend things
under their immediate jurisdiction--things that they control,
know the wants of the people and the best course for them to
pursue, better than the individuals they teach; and this extends
throughout all the various ramifications of the Church of God,
from the first Presidency down. And indeed, between the first
Presidency and the Lord of Hosts there is a regularly-organized
channel through which the blessings of his kingdom flow unto his
Saints, when they are found in obedience to his laws.
107
It is something like the streams that water our city. At first
they come out in large streams from the mountains; then they are
divided off into sections, which spread and diminish into smaller
sections: but they all flow through the legitimate channel.
107
How could any of you water your gardens, if the City Creek should
be stopped? It would not only stop the leading channel, but all
the little channels. We are made thus to depend upon one another
in the order and kingdom of God. Where is the necessity of all
this? Because of the things I first mentioned. But have not we
all the Spirit of God? We ought to have. Well, then, can we not
all understand? Yes, if we live our religion, we can understand
the various duties that devolve upon us as individuals--as
fathers, mothers, and children, or as Elders of Israel. We can
understand those several and distinct duties to a certain extent;
but we cannot lead the Church and kingdom of God--we cannot point
out the path for it to walk in. Why? Because that does not belong
to us. It belongs to the head. One of those little streams that
you get to water your garden cannot supply all this city. No: but
it can supply your garden, if it flows through the proper
channel.
108
Suppose that little stream should say, "I am independent of the
fountain," would it be so? You know it would not. It is like the
branches of a tree and the root and stock of a tree. The branches
flourish on a healthy stock, and one little twig on the outside,
with a few green leaves upon it and a little fruit, is very
productive, beautiful, and pleasant to look upon; but it is no
more than a portion of the tree. It is not the tree. Where does
it get its nourishment from? From the root and the stock or stem,
and through the various branches that exist on the tree. It is
only a small portion of the tree. It is all the leaves, twigs,
branches, stem, and roots that comprise the tree. The branches do
not support the tree, the root, or the stem; but the stem
supports the branches, and the roots the stem; and it is through
that that life and vivacity flow to the branches.
108
As a saint you say, "I think I understand my duty, and I am doing
very well." That may be so. You see the little twig: it is green;
it flourishes and is the very picture of life. It bears its part
and proportion in the tree, and is connected with the stem,
branches, and root. But could the tree live without it? Yes, it
could. It need not boast itself and get uplifted and say, "How
green I am! and how I flourish! and what a healthy position I am
in! How well I am doing! and I am in my proper place and am doing
right." But could you do without the root? No: you bear your
proper part and position in the tree. Just so with this people.
When they are doing their part--when they are magnifying their
calling, living their religion, and walking in obedience to the
Spirit of the Lord, they have a portion of his Spirit given to
them to profit withal. And while they are humble, faithful,
diligent, and observe the laws and commandments of God, they
stand in their proper position on the tree: they are flourishing;
the buds, blossoms, leaves, and everything about them are all
right, and they form a part and parcel of the tree and conduce to
its life, health, symmetry, beauty, and general appearance.
108
But if we do not magnify our calling, what then? We become like
withered branches. And what is done with them? A good gardener
will cut them off, because they disfigure the tree: they are not
pleasant, lovely, and beautiful to look upon. But does the most
flourishing branch in the tree sustain the tree? It helps to do
it; but it is not the tree: it is dependent on the larger
branches, through which the sap or nourishment flows until it
comes to the little twig and fruit on the outside of the tree.
108
This is a fit similitude of the Church and kingdom of God. We are
cemented together--united in the bonds of one common covenant. We
are part and parcel of the Church and kingdom of God which the
Lord has planted on the earth in the last days for the
accomplishment of his purposes and establishment of his kingdom,
and the bringing to pass all those things which have been spoken
of by all the holy Prophets since the world began. We all stand
in our proper places.
108
While we magnify our callings, we honour our God; while we
magnify our calling, we possess a portion of the Spirit of God;
while we magnify our calling, we altogether comprise the tree;
while we magnify our calling, the Spirit of God flows through the
proper channels by which and through which we receive our proper
nourishment and are instructed in things pertaining to our
welfare, happiness, and interest pertaining to this world and the
world to come.
108
But as it is very difficult to enter into all the minutiae
pertaining to a tree, a shrub, or herb, so it is difficult to
enter into all the duties, responsibilities, and influences
brought to bear and weigh upon the Saints of God and upon his
Church and kingdom on the earth. For instance, the tree required
water and good soil to nourish it; it requires congenial
atmosphere and the hand of the pruner sometimes, in order to keep
it right. So does the Church and kingdom of God. There are
various influences that are brought to bear on it, in order that
it may flourish and grow. How can we grow, as a Church and
kingdom, unless we are taught of the Lord through some medium
that he has appointed.
109
Who is there that can rise up and tell the destiny of this Church
and kingdom? Who is there, for instance, that can point out the
bearings and the operations of the soldiery that are now on our
borders? Who can tell the Lord's design in relation to these
matters, and why it is that we are thus situated?--why we are
called upon to resist them, few as we now are? Could not the Lord
control it otherwise? He could. Has he not the hearts of all men
in his keeping? Could he not roll them back very quickly? Yes; or
he could cause them to come on here. Why is it that he has
allowed them to come to a certain distance, and kept them there,
placing them like some of you mothers sometimes do, when you hang
up a rod, that the children can see it, and that you can point to
when they are naughty?
109
Why is it that we have been driven and afflicted and persecuted,
and our names cast out as evil, and that we have had to endure so
many privations, sufferings, toils, and hardships for the last
twenty years? Who can solve these questions? Who can enter into
the secrets of the Most High and unravel the mysteries that dwell
in mind of Jehovah?
109
Who can tell why these things are brought to operate as they do,
and why we are placed in those peculiar circumstances in which we
so frequently find ourselves as we travel through this vale of
tears? Does that belong to the little twigs and branches? No. It
may be a secret in the mind of the great God which is not fully
developed unto us. We may comprehend a part of it, and realize in
some degree the position we occupy and the dealings of God
towards us; but who can tell it in its full bearings? Who can
comprehend the end from the beginning? Who can see what the Lord
designs towards us as individuals and towards us as a people? Or
rather and more directly, who can tell what he has destined
concerning his Church and kingdom upon the earth--when and how
and by what means it shall progress, whether by affliction or
prosperity, whether by passing through scenes of trouble and
difficulty, or by elevating us and giving us peace and the
prospect of a great deal of good according to our ideas of
things?
109
Who can tell what means the Lord may make use of to benefit you
or me? Does it remain for the outside twig or the little stream
flowing from the fountain to unravel these matters? No. Who can
point out the position we shall take in a Church capacity, in the
capacity of the Priesthood, in the capacity of heads of families,
in a military capacity, or in any other capacity, in relation to
all these matters.
109
It needs a great controlling, directing influence to sustain,
govern, direct, enlighten, and dictate. It needs that every
branch of the tree and every twig should be in its proper place,
and should receive that nourishment from the proper source, and
that spirit, and that intelligence, and that direction which God
has ordained according to all the laws of nature and that is
interwoven in all his transactions with the human family,--that
there should be a great directing, controlling influence to guide
and direct his affairs.
110
Furthermore, why is it that there is so much confusion in the
world--that we have imbibed so many incorrect principles while
living among them, which we find is so difficult to rid ourselves
of at this time? It is because men have not been under that
influence and power, but every man has done that which he has
considered to be right, without any respect to the great
fundamental principles of government and the laws that ought to
regulate and control the human family. This has been one great
cause of the calamities that have afflicted the world in a
social, in a family, and in a national capacity; for nations,
like individuals, have all corrupted themselves, have forsaken
God, and have never been under the great governing influence that
ought to regulate and control the affairs of the world.
110
And why is it that we sometimes feel so much of the spirit of
rebellion in our bosoms and that spirit of independence, falsely
so called, and feel so desirous to pursue our own course, and a
latent principle within us which is so reluctant to render
obedience to the laws of the kingdom of God?
110
In the first place, it is because of our early associations--of
our former habits of thought and reflection. In the second place,
it is because we do not cultivate sufficiently the Spirit of the
Lord, which, if we did, would show unto us the right way and
enable us to appreciate the privileges we enjoy. It is, perhaps,
one of the hardest things for those associated with the Church
and kingdom of God, or for the human family, to render obedience
to the laws that regulate that kingdom and to the Priesthood
which God has placed in his Church to govern it. Why? Because of
our former associations and habits, and because of the power of
the prince and power of the air who rules in the hearts of the
children of disobedience, and goes about as a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour.
110
We are apt to look at things in too narrow a compass, like a
little twig on the end or furthest branch of a tree. It is very
flourishing; its buds and blossoms are very elegant and fragrant,
because it is in a healthy position. But then it would be very
foolish for that little twig to say it knew all about it, when
you could not cut it from the tree a single day but it would
wither and die, and all its beauty and fragrance would depart.
110
Have we any light, any intelligence, any knowledge? Have we
advanced in the principles of truth communicated to us? Yes. How
did we get our intelligence? Tell me, ye wise men of the
world--you that have mixed with the world and have studied their
laws, principles of government, usages, habits, and customs, and
have made yourselves familiar with their erudition. What do you
know of the relation and fitness of things, of the position man
occupies to his Maker? What do you know in relation to yourselves
as individuals? What do you know in relation to the purposes and
designs of God? What do you know about the first principles of
the Gospel of Christ? I do not think you know anything about
them. If you do, you are wiser that men I have come across in my
travels through the world. Just as that little twig is indebted
for its life and vigour to the tree, so are you indebted entirely
to the Lord for the light and intelligence you have received on
every subject. You are indebted to the Spirit of God for your
wisdom and intelligence, as much as the little twig is indebted
to the tree for its vitality, leaves, buds, and fragrance.
111
If that is the case so far, how much more will it be so in the
future? Who is there that can contemplate the mind of God and
unravel the designs of Jehovah? Who can foretell the destiny of
the human family? Who can point out the path that we as a people
shall walk in? Who shall say, in regard to any of the dealings of
God with us, that this is right and that is wrong--that such a
thing is for our benefit, and another thing is for our injury?
Who can mend, alter, or change these events, and make them better
that they are? If we cannot tell all these things, let us be
reminded of another thing--never to find fault with things as
they transpire--with things that we cannot improve. Some of us
may say, "Well, it is a little hard that we should be placed as
we are at the present time; and if we had been in Egypt, it might
have been better with us. However, if we were now in Egypt, we
could not say we were eating the leeks and onions, for we are now
eating them. Our enemies are on the outside. But we might say we
are thrown into awkward circumstances. We have had to go out in
the inclement season of the year to face a foe, because of our
religion; and if we had been somewhere else we might have avoided
it." You might, and you might have not: that would altogether
depend on circumstances.
111
If you had been among those fellows out eastward, you would have
been worse off a great deal. I would rather be in our position
than be in theirs. "But the future!" say you: "How do we know but
next spring they will come in here and swallow us completely up?"
Brother Brigham says, "We shall have to be greased first." And
there is no grease on their cattle to do it at present. What do
we know about these things? I speak so that we may reflect upon
them. "We would a little rather those men were away somewhere
else." I do not know that I would. I feel, notwithstanding our
inexperience, and the many blunders we make, and the various
evils many of us fall into, that we are the best people under the
face of the heavens, and that God has called us, and set us
apart, and placed his name among us, and given unto us the
oracles of God to reveal unto us his mind and will, that by us he
may establish his kingdom on the earth.
111
In relation to anything that has or may transpire, I feel that we
are in the hands of God, and all is right. " But we would like to
have whipped those fellows out"--so say some of us. "We would
like to see them turn tail too and go off their own way." But I
would not, because the Lord would not. I feel perfectly easy that
I am in the hands of God, and everything I have; and so are you.
We are his people, and he is our God, and his Spirit dictates,
rules, controls, and governs; and while we do right, and keep the
commandments of God, and live up to our privileges, we have a
right to claim the Spirit of God and live in the enjoyment of it
every moment of our life.
111
As is regards his kingdom and purposes, I would rather risk his
judgment and plan than my own. I feel myself so incompetent, and
I believe you are the same, and know so little about the future
designs of God and his purposes pertaining to the human family,
and what will most conduce to our individual welfare and to our
welfare as a people, that I do not want to put my hand to steady
the ark.
111
I will say, "It is the Lord, and let him do what seemeth him
good." If he has a mind to let the Devil send up one thousand,
ten thousand, or five hundred thousand men against us, all right.
I was going to say, Who the devil cares? We are in the hands of
God. And while we are willing to do his work and fulfil the
duties that devolve upon us, it is his business to take care of
his saints. He has said it is, and I feel like saying amen to it.
111
I want to learn what my duty is, not only for one day, but every
day, and then to try to do it. This is a feeling we ought to all
have as I understand it. A great work has to be established on
the earth.
112
We read and talk about things and reflect upon what the Lord is
going to do. He is going to build up his kingdom, and all
kingdoms, powers, and dominions will be brought into subjection
to the kingdom of our God; and "every creature which is in
heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in
the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever."
112
These are very nice words, and the prospect is very pleasing
indeed. But, the question is, Can we acknowledge the hand of God?
Can I acknowledge his dealings with my family? If you reflect
back, some of you were in better circumstances than you are now:
you were better clad and provided for in many respects. While you
reflect on this, and find that you have many hard things to cope
with, can you say, "It is the hand of God; let him do as seemeth
him good?" If you have to go out into the cold storms and snow,
and if your wives are troubled about it, you sisters, can you
say, "It is the hand of God, and let him do as seemeth him good?"
112
Can you feel that you are the children of God, associated with
his kingdom, and that it is one thing to talk about a thing, and
another to do it? Can you feel that you are willing to do your
duties, magnify your callings, submit to whatever the Lord places
upon your shoulders, and say, "It is the Lord; let him do what
seemeth him good?" If we, who profess to be Latter-day
Saints--we, who have taken upon us the name of Christ--we, who
have been baptised in his name for the remission of sins and had
the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost--who have
received our washings, and anointings, and teachings from the
mouthpiece of Jehovah,--we, who have lived under the sunshine of
the light and intelligence that flowed from the mouth of God,--if
we, who have partaken of so great and precious privileges and
blessings, cannot do these things, how long will it be before
every creature in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth will
be heard to say, "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be
unto him," &c.? It is necessary for us to reflect upon these
duties and responsibilities, and try, each one of us, so to live,
act, move, and obey, and so to fulfil the laws, commandments, and
ordinances of God, that in every position we occupy we shall move
along like a well-organized piece of machinery, or like a tree
whereon every branch, stem, leaf, twig, and blossom will be found
to flourish, that we may all magnify our God and flourish before
him.
112
Do you not think the Lord will take care of his own tree or
people? and do you not think he will do just what is right? Some
of us would have liked to have killed a lot of those soldiers. I
would, if the Lord had said so; and if he did not want it, I did
not. It is rather a dirty business anyhow; and if he has a mind
to use some other means and let them wiggle themselves out their
own way, I have no objections to it. I would rather go out in the
kanyon and live on bread and beef than go to work at killing men.
If the Lord can make use of us in that way, it is all right.
112
I do not remember having read in any history, or had related to
me any circumstance where an army has been subjugated so easily,
and their power wasted away so effectually without bloodshed, as
this in our borders. If this is not the manifestation of the
power of God to us, I do not know what is. Has any man's life
been lost in it? No--not one. It is true our brethren have been
fired upon; but their balls failed of doing injury that was
expected. Our brethren were told not to retaliate, and they did
not do it. Where is there such a manifestation of the power of
God?
113
Suppose you or I had had the dictation of this matter, we should
have been firing clear away on the Sweetwater, and killed a lot
of them before they god here. It was not we, then, that directed
this matter. No. Who was it? Way, it was those who are placed
over us; and those very things that seemed hard for us to do at
that time have really accomplished one of the greatest things
that history has yet developed. The power of God never was made
more manifest.
113
Where did it take place, and how? Out of the fountain head. It
flowed through the stem of the tree: it came from City Creek
kanyon, to go to one of our former figures, and through the
proper channels. My judgment would have said, "Go and kill them
off," long ago. I should have said, "Holloa, here!--150 men drive
those teams in here that are on Ham's Fork before the soldiers
arrive, and then we will kill off the scoundrels by piecemeal."
And that would have been the judgment of most men: it would have
been according to natural reasoning. But God does not see as men;
he reasons not as man. Although we may partially comprehend our
individual duties, we do not understand how to regulate the
Church of God. It needs the regular organization and the Spirit
to direct through the proper Channels; and hence the result of
these events that are manifest now before our eyes.
113
Would you like the soldiers away? I do not know that I would; I
do not care anything about it. Perhaps the Lord may have hung
them up there, like the mother hangs up the rod and points to it.
Does the mother want to hurt the chile? No. Neither does she want
to be continually scolding. The Lord may not be angry at us, but
he does not want us to be continually disobeying his authority
and going contrary to his law.
113
Suppose Uncle Sam should rise up in his red hot wrath, and send
50,000 men here--[President Brigham Young says his own fire would
burn him out]--who of us can tell the result? I speak of these
things that we may reflect. Who can tell what will come next? Who
knows about the future? You see the position we are placed
in--that we are dependent on the Lord and on his counsel, and all
that we can do or say will be according to that from this time
henceforth and for ever. Zion begins to rise, her light being
come. The glory of the Lord is rising upon us.
113
Will the law of God go from Zion, and his word from Jerusalem?
Will he rebuke strong nations afar off and manifest his power
through his Priesthood? How, when, and in what manner will these
things be brought about? Who can say? Do you not see that we are
just as ignorant to-day in regard to many of the events that
pertain to the kingdom of God as we were on the day we were
baptized? At the same time, we were then ignorant in relation to
many principles that are now plain and familiar to us. And so it
will be from this time forward. It needs a guiding hand--a man
filled with the Spirit of God, and not only that, but the Lord to
communicate with, that he may comprehend the designs of God and
lead forth Israel in the paths they should go.
113
What shall we do, then? Shall we begin to fret, and whine, and
grunt, and groan about this and that, and because we think things
are in a very bad fix? We ought to feel that we are in the Church
and kingdom of God, and that God is at the helm, and that all is
right and will continue to be. I feel as easy as an old shoe.
113
What if we should be driven to the mountains? Let us be driven.
What if we have to burn our houses? Why, set fire to them with a
good grace, and dance a jig round them while they are burning.
What do I care about these things? We are in the hands of God,
and all is right, Brother Brigham says we are used to it, and we
shall not feel it hard.
114
Brethren, we are eternal beings and are associated with
eternal principles: we are in the Church and kingdom of God upon
the earth, and that kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and we are
bound by and associated with eternal principles: we are beginning
to live for ever, and are acting not only for time, but for
eternity. And as our minds expand and the things of God unfold
themselves unto us from time to time, we shall see the fitness of
things and the wisdom, guidance, and protection of Jehovah, just
as much as it has been manifest unto us in the events that have
lately transpired. And if we go to sleep or die, it is only the
starting-point to live for ever.
114
We have got within us the principles of eternal life. If our
bodies shall crumble into the dust, we shall move in another
sphere and associate with other intelligences that are connected
with the same kingdom and government, and continue to live and
roll forth the purposes of God. And if we should have war and a
few things like this, never mind: who cares? Just grin and bear
it. Do right and cleave to God, and all will go off well.
114
These ideas lead us to reflection and to consider the designs of
God; and if we are faithful, they will tend to purify us. No
trouble for the present is joyous, but grievous; yet it yields
the peaceable fruits of righteousness to those who are exercised
therewith; while we look not at the things that are seen, but
things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are
temporal, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
114
How many evil propensities yet remain in our bosoms! How prone
are we to depart from the right path? How liable are our spirits
to rebel against the order and government of God! How many
feelings are in us that do not accord with those principles that
dwell in the bosom of Jehovah and cannot associate with those
intelligences that are associated with him in the eternal world!
How necessary it is that we should have faith, teaching,
instruction, and a whole train of events to keep our minds awake
to the subject of our existence as eternal beings, that we may
honour our calling on the earth, honour our God, fulfil our
destiny, to prepare us for a celestial exaltation in the eternal
world! Do you not see the necessity of these trials and
afflictions and scenes we have to pass through? It is the Lord
who puts us in positions that are the most calculated to promote
the best interests of his people. My opinion is, that, far from
these things that now surround us being an injury to us and the
kingdom of God, they will give it one of the greatest hoists that
it has ever had yet; and all is right and all will be right, if
we keep the commandments of God. What is the position, then, that
we ought to occupy--every man, woman, and child? Do our duty
before God--honour him, and all is right. And concerning events
yet to transpire, we must trust them in the hands of God, and
feel that "whatever is is right," and that God will control all
things for our best good and the interest of his Church and
kingdom on the earth. If we live here and prosper, all right; if
we leave here, all right; and if we have to pass through
affliction, all right. By-and-by, when we come to gaze on the
fitness of things that are now obscure to us, we shall find that
God, although he has moved in a mysterious way to accomplish his
purposes on the earth and his purposes relative to us as
individuals and as families, all things are governed by that
wisdom which flows from God, and all things are right and
calculated to promote every person's eternal welfare before God.
May God bless you and guide you in the way of truth continually.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Wilford
Woodruff, December 6, 1857
Wilford Woodruff, December 6, 1857
BLESSINGS OF THE SAINTS--CONDEMNATORY STATE AND CONDUCT
OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD, ETC.
Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, December 6, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
115
I esteem it a privilege at all times to join with my brethren in
bearing testimony to the work of God. I am satisfied that we, as
a people, have great reason to rejoice for the privileges and
blessings granted unto us in these valleys of the mountains by
our Father in heaven. We are in a great school; and it is a
profitable one, in which we are receiving very important lessons
from day to day. We are taught to cultivate our minds, to control
our thoughts, to thoroughly bring our whole being into subjection
to the Spirit and law of God, that we may learn to be one and act
as the heart of one man, that we may carry out the purposes of
God upon the earth. Yes, we are taught many principles which tend
to our exaltation and glory, which could not be made manifest
unto us only as they are revealed unto us by the inspiration of
the Almighty, through the mouth of his servants the Prophets.
115
The principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are made plain to us
by the figures and illustrations which have been made to-day, and
which are made from time to time so plain that a child could not
misunderstand,--also to impress upon our minds our duties. Those
principles are not surrounded with that mystery that shrouds the
doctrines taught by the sectarian world.
115
We, as a people, have long been praying for the kingdom of God to
come, and his will to be done on the earth as it is done in
heaven. We have been taught this prayer from childhood; but
neither we nor our parents understood what we were praying for,
only we made a practice of uttering those words from tradition,
and never understood the meaning until we were made acquainted
with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since we have become acquainted
with brother Joseph and the Gospel, we have looked forward with
much interest to the day when the kingdom of God should be
established upon the earth in the same light, power, and glory in
which the Apostles and Prophets saw it by vision and revelation;
and that all which God has promised concerning it should have its
fulfillment.
116
During the last twenty or twenty-five years, many things have
been prophesied; and the Lord, through his servants, has made
many promises which have been revealed unto us concerning the
blessings that are in store for us if we faithfully do our duty.
I can say, with my brethren, that I rejoice that I am in these
valleys of the mountains associated with the people of God a
thousand miles from Christianity, civilization, and the fruits
thereof--at least such as are now manifest throughout the
Christian world; and I feel to prize this blessing and to
acknowledge the hand of God in leading us here; for the hand of
God has been plainly visible in delivering us from the hands of
our persecutors and planting us in a land of health, peace, and
safety; and the more my mind is enlightened by the Holy Spirit
the more precious and glorious do these principles appear unto
me.
116
I am satisfied that all is right in Zion. All is right with those
who lead us. All is right as far as we do right. We have enjoyed
many blessings during the past year. The Lord has in his mercy
poured out his Holy Spirit upon us as a people, and there is a
great change with the inhabitants of Zion during the past year.
We were in a great measure asleep; and the Lord, knowing the
things which lay before us, poured our is Holy Spirit abundantly
upon our leaders, who called upon us to wake up, and the Spirit
of God was poured out upon the people; and they have, in a great
measure, endeavoured to repent, forsake their sins, and unite
themselves together to carry out the counsels of his servants. I
have never seen the hearts of this people so united as during the
past year. No person who has listened to the words of the
Presidency of this Church during a few months past, and has seen
the fulfilment of their sayings, but can clearly see the hand of
God with them and his Spirit guiding them continually.
116
The day that many of us have anticipated, since we have been made
acquainted with Joseph Smith and the Gospel, has begun to dawn
upon us. The revelations of Jesus Christ are fast fulfilling
before our eyes. We see the kingdom set up, and the time has come
when the nation that has given many of us birth has entered the
field as our open enemies and persecutors, and commenced an
unhallowed persecution against us, with a determination to
destroy us from off the earth. The same as cities, towns,
counties, and states have done before them, they have united
together to crush and destroy this people, and remove them, if
possible, from the earth.
116
Ever since I have been made acquainted with the Gospel and the
progress of this people, I have always believed that the United
States would take this course, and, in a national capacity and
under the form of law, seek to destroy the Church and kingdom of
God from off the earth. For the light has come unto them and the
Gospel of salvation has been offered unto them, and they have
rejected it and killed the Prophets. Hence, the light and Spirit
of God is taken from them, sin abounds, and they are filled with
anger against all that is good. Their course is unconstitutional
and contrary to every principle of law, righteousness, justice,
judgment, and truth. In all our persecutions, are persecutors
have had no just cause for pursuing the course against us they
have, only they were stirred up by the Devil. Darkness,
wickedness, and abominations of every kind are increasing in the
minds of the wicked nations of the earth, because the Spirit of
God is withdrawing from them. They have had the fulness of the
everlasting Gospel offered unto them, but they have rejected it.
117
There has never been a set of men since the Lord made the world
who have laboured more diligently then the Twelve Apostles and
Elders of this Church in preaching the Gospel to the world. They
have rejected the message sent to them, revealed by an angel from
God, which leaves them now under condemnation. Brother Joseph
would have embraced the whole circle of the human family in the
principles of salvation, if he had possessed the power. He had
the greatness of soul never seen in the human breast, unless it
was inspired by the power of God. That same Spirit has rested
upon the present Presidency of this Church: they have laboured
incessantly for years to save the children of men. And what have
we received in return from the hands of the Christian world? They
have driven us from our homes and firesides, and smitten and
robbed us of the rights that are dear and most sacred to man,
until we have at last been driven from the borders of
civilization, so called, unto the wilderness, by the nation that
has given us birth, whose boasted freedom exists only in name.
Here they expected we should perish; but we still live, grow, and
flourish in these mountains, through the mercy and goodness of
God, without the aid or assistance of our persecutors.
117
Our nation was under no condemnation in this respect until the
light came and they heard the Gospel, rejected it, and cast out
the Saints from their midst, slaying their leaders and depriving
thousands of the Latter-day Saints, who were American citizens,
of every blessing, right, and privilege guaranteed unto them by
the constitution and laws of the United States. Many of our
nation have been guilty of crimes, in their persecutions against
us, that would cost the lives of presidents, governors, senators,
legislators, and many thousands of men, if law and justice were
executed in righteousness against them. I do not know what more
they can do to fill up the cup of their condemnation than to
carry out the course they have begun. There is more crime,
wickedness, and abomination committed now throughout the United
States, according to the population, in 24 hours--a thousand
times--than there was thirty years ago. I do not suppose there
has been a generation more wicked and corrupt than the present
Christian world.
117
We have been told to-day that we are under great obligation to
God, and that we ought to acknowledge his hand in all things.
That is true. We had no knowledge of the plan of salvation until
God revealed it unto us. We are dependent upon God and his
servants for light and truth and blessings that are in store for
us.
117
We are told that the kingdoms of this world will become the
kingdoms of our God and his Christ. Daniel of old says this, and
pointed out the establishment of that kingdom in the last days
which should stand for ever and not be thrown down. He also
pointed out the effects which would follow. The Lord has already
revealed great and glorious truths and principles concerning the
government of the children of men in the establishment of his
Church and kingdom upon the earth. Does it not require as much
wisdom and revelation from God to govern the nations of the earth
in a way to bring men into subjection to righteous laws, light,
privileges, and blessings which they are now deprived of in the
organization of temporal governments of the world, as is required
in the spiritual government of the Church of Christ upon the
earth? Where is that knowledge to flow from? The spirit to do men
good and relieve the sufferings of mankind does not dwell in the
breasts of monarchs, kings, presidents, and rulers among the
nations of the earth at the present day; but sorrow, crime,
poverty, tyranny, oppression, and starvation prevail throughout
the world.
117
The rulers of mankind have not sought for the Spirit of God and
the light of eternity to show them the responsibility they are
under to Him who has raised them to power and authority and given
them dominion over their fellow-beings. They have not exercised
their power and authority to honour God and redress the wrongs of
the poor and oppressed over whom they preside.
118
The misery and evils which now exist throughout the world
have got to be corrected, in a great measure, through the power
of God, before the kingdoms of this world will become the
kingdoms of God and his Christ. It is a great and mighty work to
establish the kingdom of God on the earth, that the law may go
forth from Zion to rule the kingdoms of the world. The light,
knowledge, truth, and wisdom to do this has got to come through
the holy Priesthood, which is the government of God upon the
earth.
118
Our temporal and eternal salvation is all connected and linked
together, as we have been told to-day. The Lord has raised up
unto us fathers, leaders, and counsellors after his own heart:
they possess his will, and they are leading the people to
exaltation and glory. If we take their counsel, we shall receive
all the salvation men can desire in time and in eternity. I thank
God that I have lived to see the dawn of this glorious day.
118
With regard to the dealings of the Lord with us this present
season, President Young has been as calm and serene as a summer's
morning, and so have his Counsellors; and that spirit in a great
measure has been diffused among the people. When there was every
appearance, outwardly, of our enemies coming upon us, the spirit
with them has been all the time, "We do not believe we shall have
to go to battle or shed the blood of our enemies this season."
This has been the feeling when, to all human appearance, it would
seem that we should have to shed the blood of our enemies, or
they ours. There is not such an example on history as the way in
which our enemies have been stayed from fulfilling their hellish
designs. It is the first time the American army has been stayed
in their course. They got as far as Ham's Fork, and there they
stuck. We have heard read their gracious proclamation. Many of
the brethren wonder that they have not the wisdom enough to make
out a decent document; but I do not wonder at it, for this whole
people have prayed that their natural wisdom might be taken from
them. I should wonder if they had wisdom to make a sensible
document, or one that would pass an examination.
118
The Lord so far has fought our battles and has proved his people.
When men have been called upon to go out and lie in the path of
the enemy, I have not known one instance of a man's refusing to
go. All have been willing to go and do as they were told. The
Lord has proved you in this and has accepted your offering. The
prayers of the Saints of God have been heard, and they will never
fail of being heard and answered, if we do our duty; for we have
a ruler who can do something for us, when our cause is just. I
feel as brother Taylor said to-day: it matters not to me what the
Lord designs of us; we should be passive in his hands.
118
When different opinions were expressed as to the course to be
pursued this fall with our enemies, the Spirit has said to me at
the time, "Be still and passive, and pray that wisdom may be
given to President Young to dictate and lead just right." There
is where our prayers should centre. We should continually call
upon the Lord to inspire him with wisdom sufficient to lead forth
the Church and kingdom of God unto exaltation, glory, and
victory.
119
It is different with us to what it is with the world. We have a
main channel through which to receive our light, knowledge, and
blessings, as was beautifully illustrated by the President in the
figure of the gas-pipe. You may take the smartest men that talent
and learning ever made, and put them in the Church of God, and
they never can get ahead of their leader. Their wisdom would be
turned into folly. Why? Because they are not called to lead. If a
man has never learned a letter of a book, if the Lord calls upon
him to lead the Church and kingdom of God, he will give him power
to do it. We have had these lessons laid before us day after day,
calling upon us to be united, and our hearts to become as the
heart of one man, that our prayers and works may be centred to
one point in carrying our the counsel of our head.
119
The Lord will lead President Young where he wants him to go. We
know God is with him and has led him all the time; and he led
Joseph while he lived. The Quorum of the Twelve may exhaust their
talent and acquirements in exhibiting principle upon any matter
which belongs to the head to reveal, and yet the Prophet has to
point out the error and set us right. The whole Church may unite
to carry out any point that ought to come through the head, and
we could not effect. It requires brother Brigham to tell us what
is right and what is wrong in many things, because that is his
place and calling. There is a perfect channel existing between
the Lord and him, through which he obtains wisdom, which is
diffused through other channels to the people. That we know. We
have got to learn to bring this knowledge into practice.
119
Let this people go to work and sustain the head of this Church
all the time, and let their prayers continually ascend in his
behalf, that God may give him wisdom for our guidance; then, no
matter if armies approach us, or all hell boils over. Let the
people be perfectly passive in the hands of God, live their
religion, and learn and profit by the daily lessons they receive;
then you will find that glory, victory, and prosperity will abide
with this kingdom.
119
I do not believe that any General, since the Lord made the world,
has been the subject of more earnest prayers than General Wells
has since he has been out in the mountains. He has been well
sustained, and so has President Young. I hope we may increase in
this until we arrive at perfection. Then you will see clockwork,
perfect harmony, and the effects of it wherever it is
manifest--whether it be in a Bishop over his ward, in the Twelve
Apostles, in a President over a Branch of the Church, or in a
father over his family. You will obtain blessings, by thus
sustaining every man in his place and calling, which you cannot
get by any other principle. But cross a Bishop, a Prophet, or a
father over his family in their track, and you will see a
friction immediately: you will see trouble, difficulty, darkness,
and affliction; and nothing will go right. This is the principle
that will save this kingdom and lead it forth to glory, victory,
and salvation.
119
We have been driven and afflicted for 25 years, and gained an
experience we now begin to profit by, that we might attain power
to judge properly of contrasts and of right and wrong. Had
President Young and this people remained undisturbed in Kirtland
from '34 till this time, we could not have gained the same
experience we now have; therefore I believe that hand of God has
been in all that we have passed through. The experience of the
First Presidency of this Church has been very great. No man that
lives has passed through the same school: hence their great
knowledge and wisdom, aided by the inspiration of the Almighty.
119
I do not know what the intention of the Lord is as to us in the
future, but victory is promised unto this people.
120
The kingdom of God is in the Valleys of the Mountains, and we
enjoy its blessings. That should be sufficient for us. As to
outward losses, they are of little consequence. The law of God is
in the mouths of those who are set to lead us. If the Lord should
give a revelation through them that would appear contrary to our
traditions--our customs, or reveal new principles--things which
have been hid from the foundation of the world, it should not try
the faith of the Saints. The Lord has given revelations according
to the capacity of the children of men.
120
If there was a point where man in his progression could not
proceed any further, the very idea would throw a gloom over every
intelligent and reflecting mind. God himself is increasing and
progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so,
worlds without end. It is just so with us. We are in a probation,
which is a school of experience.
120
It is a blessing to breathe the element that is in this place--to
behold the unity of the people in trying to bring their wills
into subjection to the will of the Lord their God. I am glad we
are here, and our enemies where they are. Those of us who have
been here for some ten years cannot realize the great contrast
between Utah and the rest of the world. We hardly know how to
prize our privileges. Were we placed in any of the large cities
of the United States and Europe, we should hardly believe we were
in the same world. The sounds of blasphemy are not heard in our
street: rioting, drunkenness, whoredom, rape, and murder, and the
black catalogue of crime practised in the Christian world do not
meet the eye or salute the ear of the passer-by in Utah. The
contrast between the City of Great Salt Lake and the cities of
the nations abroad, touching the order, decency, virtue, and
moral character of the people here, cannot be told.
120
Having been made acquainted with the Gospel, we have been trying
to improve ourselves. We have a good degree of faith in our
leaders, and tried to follow the word of God from their mouths.
We have improved in these things, and my prayer is the we may
continue so to do and prize the blessings, privileges, freedom,
and spirit and power of the Holy Ghost that are poured upon us in
these peaceful valleys. We need not any longer thirst for the
things that are in the world. We are the best off of any people.
If there is any peace, safety, or salvation, it is here.
120
The day is not far distant when nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom, and State against State, and there
will be sorrow such as never was among men. Watch the signs of
the times, for we are living in an important age. The prophecies
relating to our time are rolling in upon us. Are we prepared to
meet them? It is important for men and angels to note the events
of this age. We live in the commencement of a new era of the
dealings of God with the world. The earth has been under the
dominion of the Devil almost from its creation. But in our day
the Lord has set up his kingdom, never to be destroyed.
121
The Lord has planted his Church and kingdom upon the earth in
other ages; but those that undertook to maintain it were soon
destroyed, through the power of wicked men and devils. Righteous
men were not permitted to live upon the earth. Even the Son of
God was not permitted to preach righteousness but a short time
before he and his followers were crucified and slain. But the day
has not come when he has begun to prepare the way that he may
come and take possession of the earth himself, and reign King of
nations, as he does now King of Saints. The day of the Devil's
power to prevail against the kingdom of God has passed away. The
kingdom is within you, in the valleys of these mountains.
Brothers Joseph, and Hyrum, and Willard, and Jedediah, and
Parley, and a host of others who have gone behind the vail, are
as much engaged in the establishment of this kingdom, and in our
welfare as a people, as we are.
121
We should prize and not abuse the blessings God has put within
our power, and improve upon the lessons we learn, and obey the
teachings given to us, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost
to the servants of God set to lead us. We have everything to
encourage us. We are favoured of God; and whom the Lord favours
who can successfully oppose? Would President Buchanan have sent
an army here to lay a foundation for our destruction, if the eyes
of his understanding had not been darkened? No. If he had been
enlightened by the Holy Spirit and could have foreseen the reward
he will meet, he would sooner have suffered his blood to have
been spilled; and it would have been better for him. The nation
does not know what they are doing, not comprehend the fearful
results of the course they are pursuing. They are turning the
last key to rend the nation asunder, and they will be broken as a
potter's vessel, and cast down as a nation, to rise no more for
ever. For whenever the rulers of any nation trample their own
constitution and laws under foot, and oppress and destroy the
weak, because they have the power and the people love to have it
so, they sow the seeds of their own dissolution, and the will
reap their own destruction.
121
We have nothing to fear. The Lord is with us, and will sustain
and nourish his Church and kingdom, as he has done from the
beginning. He sustained it when it was surrounded by the bowels
of hell in Warsaw and Nauvoo, in Jackson, Clay, and Caldwell
counties, when it was small as a mustard seed; and he can sustain
it here when it is surrounded by the munition of rocks.
121
The heathen may rage and imagine a vain thing; but the Lord will
hold them in derision and guide them as with a bit and a hook in
their jaws, while his people shall flourish like a watered garden
upon the mountains. All the promises of God will be fulfilled
unto us. A little one shall be come a thousand, and a small one a
strong nation, and the Lord will hasten it in its time. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Heber
C. Kimball, December 13, 1857
Heber C. Kimball, December 13, 1857
ADVANCEMENT IN GOSPEL PRINCIPLES--ORDER, UNITY, AND
AUTHORITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
A Discourse by President H. C. Kimball, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, December 13, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
122
Brother Spencer has given you most excellent doctrine. If the
Father in heaven should come here and speak to us, he probably
would not speak anything better to this people than what has been
said this morning; for he would speak according to your
capacities. The Gospel of salvation is very simple; but
everything is constituted therein; everything is comprehended in
the first principles of the doctrine of Christ. We have preached
a great many times and used the words of Paul, where he tells us
to leave the first principles of the doctrine of Christ and go on
unto perfection. But if we do that we shall slide off the
foundation, and would have to return and do our first works.
There is the Father, and the Son, who was given up, that his
blood might be shed upon Calvary, that our sins might be
forgiven, on condition that we repent and forsake them.
122
"Well," you say, "I believe: what shall I do to be saved?"
Repent, every one of you, and then go and be buried in water,
like unto Jesus Christ's burial in the sepulchre, and you shall
receive the remission of your sins. What next? Receive the laying
on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. These are some of the
first principles of the Gospel.
122
Now, can we live our religion unless we are in possession of the
Holy Ghost all the time? We cannot. First, there is the Father,
then the Son, and then the Holy Ghost; and then come faith,
repentance, and Baptism for the remission of sins, and laying on
of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
122
Do you not see, then, that it is just as necessary to lay aside
the any other principle of the Gospel? No man can please the Lord
God, only as he is dictated by the Holy Ghost; and he will not
stay with you unless you keep in view the Father and the Son. We
partake of the sacrament every Sabbath to bear in remembrance the
Son of God. Then, shall I say, leaving all these principles, go
on unto perfection? No. They are the fundamental principles of
our religion, the same as the 26 letters of the English alphabet
are the roots of the written and printed form of our language.
122
Are these principles the celestial law? I know no other. And how
can you keep the celestial law without the Holy Ghost? You
cannot. When you partake of the sacrament, you do it in
remembrance of Jesus Christ, and of the Father, and of the Holy
Ghost, and in remembrance that you have forsaken your sins and
been baptised for the remission of them. Some may say, "How long
will it be before the celestial law will be put into force?"
Never, until you put it into force and execute it on yourselves.
123
I will use a comparison. Here is the English alphabet, that
you learned when in childhood, so that you were perfectly
acquainted with the 26 letters: but do you leave that alphabet
when you go on unto perfection in your education? No. But when
you have learned those letters, you then learn how to join them
to make syllables, words, and sentences, and go on till you can
read the First Reader, and then the Second, and the Third, &c.,
and all by means of the same letters. You also learn geography
and history, and rise from one class to another, and from one
grade of exaltation to another. To gain all your knowledge in
English literature, you must use the first principles of the
language all the time. Do I exhort you to leave the first
principles of the doctrine of Christ? No: but I want you to learn
them more thoroughly, that you may keep them in view continually.
There are some who do not understand the alphabet of "Mormonism,"
and never did. Some that profess to be the smartest men and women
in our midst know the least about it.
123
Brethren, we have all got to learn one thing, and that is, to be
one with our leader; and this oneness should extend from the
least member up to the Prophet and Seer--every man standing in
his order and place, just as the branches of a tree are one with
the stock and root.
123
We will say there are a thousand limbs forming the top of a tree,
and all have sprung out of one, or out of the body of the tree.
From the main stock we will say that the twelve limbs shoot out,
and from them a thousand, which are dependent on the twelve limbs
for their nourishment, as the twelve limbs are dependent upon the
stock and roots for theirs. Should any of the twelve limbs be
rotten in the pith or marrow, all the limbs receiving their sap
and nourishment therefrom must be affected, more or less, with
the same disorder, and they also affect the root. If the limbs
are thrifty, they give to the roots a healthy action to gather
more abundant nourishment for the whole tree.
123
Sometimes you may see a gardener cut off a whole top that is
snarly and unhealthy, and insert thrifty grafts. You read in the
Book of Mormon about the master of the vineyard taking thrifty
grafts and putting them into the wild olive tree in the
nethermost part of the vineyard, that it might bring forth good
fruit. Brother Joseph was that man. Moroni, Peter, James, and
John, and the angels of God came and placed their power upon him,
and we grew out of the graft; and if we continue in the graft, we
shall produce the same fruit.
123
In Nauvoo, about a year before we started to come here, do you
not know the Gentiles were cut off entirely from the tree, that
the new grafts might grow more thriftily in the tree? None can be
saved unless they are grafted in as we were, by repentance,
baptism, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost. These are the grafting principles, and you are required to
live up to them faithfully, going on to perfection.
123
My desire and prayer is to teach you in simplicity. Anything that
cannot be understood is not worth a dime. Like the limbs of a
thrifty tree moving in unison with the stock, so we should when
brother Brigham says move this way or that.
123
I am talking to the men that hold the Priesthood. And I cannot
but think that the little boys before me will have that
Priesthood which we hold, and many of them will see the day when
they will have power to raise the dead. They will have power to
do many things we do not have power to do.
124
As the leaves and branches of a tree administer to the roots, and
we are depending upon them for support and strength, so the
members of this Church are amenable or subject to the President
of the Church, and, being subject, should administer to him. The
tree cannot administer to the branches unless they administer to
the roots.
124
According to the philosophy of the day, my blood passes through
the heart, where it is refined or purified, and from thence it is
sent back into the body by means of the veins and arteries so
that every portion of it partakes of the nourishment which the
blood affords and is impregnated with the principles sent forth
from the head and stomach. After the refined blood has penetrated
every part, it returns again to head-quarters to receive a fresh
supply of nutritious principles. So it is with the sap that
circulates through the limbs and branches of a tree: every branch
and leaf becomes impregnated with the principle that is in the
root. And so it ought to be with the kingdom of God: every member
of it should partake of the principles of virtue and truth that
are in the leader of that kingdom, and be as perfectly one with
him.
124
Why do we see dead limbs on a tree? Because they refuse to
receive the nourishment which the root affords. Why do people
become dead to their own interests and the interests of the
kingdom of God? Because they refuse to obey the will of God
through their leaders: the gate of communication is shut down
between them and the source of their life and strength in the way
of life and salvation.
124
Can a child enjoy the Spirit of God who refuses to obey his
father, who is a man of God? No. He partakes of the spirit of
apostacy, which is the spirit of death. I will ask you women of
good understanding. Did you ever disobey your husband and live in
rebellion to him, but what you felt like the Devil? I have heard
you say you never did. My wives acknowledge they cannot enjoy the
enlivening Spirit of God when they rebel against my counsel; but
their minds are as dark as Egypt. Why? Because I design to rule
in righteousness.
124
The spirit of disobedience is the spirit of apostacy; and if you
do not look out, it will upset you, and you will go overboard
before you are aware of it. Every branch should be interested for
the root from whence it springs; for if the root perishes, the
branch must perish also.
124
I hope you understand my meaning in the figures I have used. But
there are many people here more ignorant than our little boys of
five and six years of age. If they were not ignorant, they would
not take the course they do. Do I allow my little boys to touch a
thing that belongs to me? Not without my sanction. Have you a
right to interfere with the things of God? No--not without the
consent of the man that presides over you. Has my wife a right to
meddle with anything that belongs to me? Not without my consent;
and over that which I have committed unto her she is a
stewardess. Have I a right to call her to an account for what I
have committed to her, to see whether she has taken good care of
it? I have. There is not a thing on this earth that is given to
us of God that is to be ours independently of him, and never will
be, until we prove ourselves worthy.
125
There is a comparison in the Bible where it speaks of committing
talents to men and of calling them to account. "I visited," said
the Lord, "one this year and another next year, until I visited
the last one, and I reckoned with them and called them to an
account of that which I had ceded up to them." It is just so with
us.
125
If I cede up any power to one of my boys, for instance, saying,
Here is a horse, Heber, for you to use; I require you to take
good care of him, and not abuse him. Why? Because I am going to
call him back. Supposing the horse is not as good as when I gave
it to him, then Heber is in debt to his father, and has to pay
it.
125
We receive the Priesthood and power and authority. If we make a
bad use of that Priesthood, do you not see that the day will come
when God will reckon with us, and he will take it from us and
give it to those who will make better use of it. My advise to my
brethren it to rise up, from this time forth, and let your light
shine, that others may see your good works and be led to glorify
God.
125
How holy men ought to be who hold the authority of the
Priesthood? And again, how pure and angelic females ought to be
who are sent here to bear the souls of men? If you pollute those
souls and bodies, God will call you to an account for it.
125
And these little boys, I want them to honour their calling. Here
are lots of them. Have they the Priesthood on them? Yes. Have
they all been ordained? Not directly; but their fathers have
been, and that ordination tells on their seed after them. They
are the legal hears to the Priesthood of God, without an
ordination. They receive it from their fathers; and when they
were blessed, their seed was blessed in their loins, like
Abraham's and when that seed is committed to an angelic woman,
she is accountable whether she degenerates that seed or not. It
is for her to train up that child, and nourish it, and cherish
it, and restore it to the Father as pure as it was when she
received it.
125
If you have the Priesthood, you are in the same condition that I
am. These things are serious to me; they are essential to me and
to this people. After receiving the Priesthood, when a person
receives his endowment, he is an heir to the Priesthood--an heir
of God, and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ; that is, he has
commenced his heirship.
125
The Father waited until the meridian of time--that is, till the
time was half up, before he came on the earth and begat in the
flesh the Son of God, who was to be our Saviour. Was every woman
qualified to raise that child? No. You will find that Mary was of
the Royal Priesthood, which is after the order of God; and he was
particular who raised that child, that it might be trained
according to his dictation. Should not we be cautious? I tell you
we ought, and not fool and play with the things of God as a cat
would with a mouse.
125
Many of you are trifling with your own existence--with your own
salvation--not with mine. Brother Brigham, myself, brother
Daniel, and the Twelve Apostles cannot grow or increase, only in
proportion as the limbs and branches of this Priesthood and the
whole tree increase. If it is a thrifty top, then the roots
partake of that thriftiness, and they all grow together. That is
what makes us take a course to cut off the dead limbs.
126
Jesus said to his disciples, "Ye are the salt of the earth; and
if the salt loses its saving principle, it is then good for
nothing but to be cast out." Instead of reading it just as it is,
almost all of you read it just as it is not. Jesus meant to say,
"If you have lost the saving principles, you Twelve Apostles, and
you that believe in my servants the Twelve, you shall be like
unto the salt that has lost its saving principles: it is
henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under
foot of men." Judas lost that saving principle, and they took him
and killed him. It is said in the Bible that his bowels gushed
out; but they actually kicked him until his bowels came out.
126
"I will suffer my bowels to be taken out before I will forfeit
the covenant I have made with Him and my brethren." Do you
understand me? Judas was like salt that had lost its saving
principles--good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under
foot of men. It is just so with you men and women, if you do not
honour your callings and cultivate the principles you have
received. It is so with you, ye Elders of Israel, when you
forfeit your covenants.
126
Brethren and sisters, as the Lord liveth, and as we live and
exist in these mountains, let me tell you the world is ripe, and
there are no saving principles within them, with a very few
exceptions; and they will gather out, and the rest of mankind are
ready for destruction, for they will have no salt to save them. I
know the day is right at hand when men will forfeit their
Priesthood and turn against us and against the covenants they
have made, and they will be destroyed as Judas was.
126
Ye Elders, Apostles, Seventies, High Priests, Bishops, Priests,
Teachers, and Deacons, never be guilty of that which you have
been guilty of once before. If it were not for your ignorance,
you would have been cut off from the earth; but, in consequence
of your ignorance, I feel as though God would forgive you, if you
will never do it again. But if you do it again, your time for
repentance is past, and you do not again get pardon.
126
I do feel bad to think that men will enter into the new and
everlasting covenant of our God, and then defile themselves with
uncleanness. Is there a woman in this city that could have
committed the sin of debauchery, if there had been no person to
debauch her? No. Who is guilty? The man, who should have the
saving principles of God Almighty in him; and he is the man who
must pay the debt.
126
Again: If the woman would never consent, the man could not
accomplish his vile purpose. You have been taught different all
the day long. You have been taught from your mother's womb that
these things are wrong. Would the Devil have power to make you
tell a lie, if you did not yield to him? No. When you consent to
it, the Devil then has seduced you, debauched you, just as much
as a man goes to work and debauches a woman after she has
consented to him. We are agents to refuse or to accept. Who is
the most to blame? The man holding the Priesthood of God.
126
I talk about these things because I am led so to do. They may be
considered small things, but they are the things that destroy
this people--that is, all that will be destroyed. You can lose
your saving principles as much as salt or sugar can. Sugar can be
placed in a state that it will become sour--have no sweetness
about it; and bread will become sour through the power of leaven
put into it; and if the leaven was not sour, it could not sour
the bread. When sugar becomes sour, it has lost the saving
principles of sugar, just the same as salt. Be cautious that you
do not receive the filthy leaven. Stop your tattling, your lying,
and mischief-making. You never saw persons that are trotting from
house to house but what are apt to be tattlers, unless they are
ordained and set apart to visit. You never saw a woman that is
continually parading the streets but what was a tattler. Her face
may be as smooth as an onion; but the beauty of a woman is in the
spirit of righteousness she cherishes.
127
You Elders of Israel, have you not entered into covenant that you
never would betray one another? And you mothers of Israel, have
you not entered into covenant not to speak against each other, or
run about the neighbourhood and talk about this one and that one,
and about their husbands? Do you not despise such a woman as
that? Yes, you do; and so do I, and so does every good man and
angel, and so does Jesus Christ. He has told you not to do it.
127
I want you to understand that you make covenants with God, and
not with us. We were present and committed those covenants to
you, and you made them with God, and we were witnesses. When you
got your endowments, did you not make a covenant not to speak
against the anointed? And every woman that received this
ordinance made a covenant with her husband that she would be true
and faithful to him, be a guardian angel to him, and watch over
his pillow by night and by day, and be true to her God and to the
anointed.
127
I told you the other Sunday that I never made a practice of going
to my President and speaking against any one. I am cautious how I
take a course to tell him this, that, and the other; for, if I am
a man of truth, he is bound to believe me. Are there men that
will come to me and try to injure somebody? Yes. Is it right,
when you have sworn not to do it?
127
In Kirtland, Jared Carter, Dr. Cowdery, and others tried to ruin
the Twelve in the eyes of Joseph. The very first mission the
Twelve took, we went forth like men of God and travelled to the
East and back again, without purse or scrip, and held Conferences
through all the New England States, and exhorted and taught the
people to go to Jackson County and purchase that land; and those
men so prejudiced the mind of the First Presidency that two of
the Twelve were suspended. But there were enough left to form a
Quorum and do business.
127
Jared Carter, Dr. Cowdery, and others fell through taking that
course. They tried to run in between the Twelve and Joseph, and
they stepped between the bucklers of the Almighty. Had they a
right to do it? No. Have I a right although I am brother
Brigham's First Counsellor, and have been ever since he was the
President of the Twelve,--have I a right to prejudice his mind
against Daniel? No. I have sworn not to before God. Or have I a
right to prejudice his mind against the Twelve? No. Because I am
sworn not to, by the most sacred covenants that man can make.
127
Have the twelve a right to step in and prejudice the First
Presidency against the Seventies? No. If there is a difficulty,
it is for the Twelve to settle it, and never tell it and destroy
the head against the feet, nor the arm against the eye.
127
And here some men and women run from Dan to Beersheba breaking
their covenants. If I could have my will, they never should step
into the Endowment Room again and administer in sacred things,
when they take this course. And some women, who think they know
everything, go home and abuse their husbands and raise the devil
in a man's family.
127
I have no allusion to the righteous, the good, the wholesome,
pure, and virtuous, but to those it belongs to. What are my
feelings? They are--God bless the pure, the righteous, the salt
that has not lost its savour.
127
I have not said anything about our enemies. I care nothing about
them.
128
A single man or woman in this kingdom may do a great deal of
harm, if they are so inclined. If you put up a barrel of good,
sweet meat and a little piece of tainted meat, not larger that a
peach, in the center of it, it will not be three months before
the whole barrel of meat will be spoiled, if you do not clean out
the lump of bad meat that has lost its saving principles. So
wicked men and women in a Ward or in a Quorum can do much
mischief. The inoculate death in the community.
128
Paul, in speaking of the tongue says, "It sets on fire the whole
course of nature." It inoculates hell into the people. A sister
comes into your house, and you think she is almost an angel, she
can smile so sweetly. Do you not know that the Devil can smile
just as well as a Saint? You cannot know persons only as they are
proved.
128
God bless you and this whole people in the east, west, south, and
north. My prayer is--God bless these valleys, and the mountains,
and the fountains of life in them.
128
How good it is to reflect that the day has come in which we have
declared our independence. This we have done because the Lord God
has said it to his servant Brigham. We are independent of those
troops and those poor, miserable, ungodly scoundrels that they
call civil officers. What civility, to come here to preside over
us with 2,000 troops? With them it is, "God damn the Mormons--God
damn Brigham Young. We will kill him and Heber C. Kimball, and we
will seduce and debauch every woman in the City of Salt Lake."
The Lord has said to brother Brigham, "Say to them, before all
Israel, in my name, They cannot come in here."
128
I am glad and can shout, Hallelujah! Praise be to the name of our
God! And peace be to that man or woman that steps forward and
sustains the weight in this operation. And that man or woman who
revolts against the Priesthood of God and takes the opposite
course, may God Almighty curse them, that they may go to hell,
where they belong. These are my feelings.
128
I am thankful this is a goodly land. I never was in a better. I
appreciate it, and I appreciate these mountains and valleys, and
the red men of the forest. May God bless them, and let the old
Nephite Prophets and Patriarchs and servants of God stir them up
and turn their hearts to the house of Israel in these Valleys,
and he will do it; and the United States cannot buy them. God
Almighty has got them by the bit. What?--Israel? Yes. Although
they are as a wild horse, he can lead them the same as you can a
tame one.
128
We shall prosper; we shall prevail with all those who cleave to
the Church and kingdom of God; only do as you are told, and you
need not trouble. See how the Lord is watering the earth. It will
be wet down three or four feet, and he will continue to do it,
and it will be like a pool of living water; and he will cause the
earth to produce, and we shall be blessed, and God will sustain
us; and he will sustain those that sustain his people.
128
Instead of sending out two, three, or five thousand men, let us
pick out a thousand, and they will stand against the United
States. If God is with us, who can prevail against us? Why do not
the women go to work and make up hats and caps for their
husbands, and help them, and not suffer them to spend three
dollars for a had for a child three years' old? Let us make our
own knives and forks, and everything else that we use; and let
every man be diligent at home or in his shop about his
employment.
129
Brother Brigham says the soldiers cannot come here. Then we
should say the same. He says they will be confused. Let us all
pray that they may. Be kind to each other, and take good care of
everything in your possession. Do not waste anything, nor abuse
your horses. A man that is abusive to his animal is apt to be the
same to his wife or child. There is nothing in the Spirit of love
that will kill or destroy unnecessarily-- nothing that will lie
or oppress, for that comes from the spirit of destruction.
129
The spirit of hypocrisy professes to be my friend to-day, and
then tomorrow will go and speak against me. This should not be
among us. Let us go to from this time henceforth and be one, and
God will bless us. When you go visiting your neighbours, preach
these things to them, and speak the truth continually, and lie
not.
129
I go visiting sometimes. I was out on a visit yesterday. You
invite me to visit and talk; but half the family will go to
cooking the night before, and cook all day until supper time, and
then they are too full to talk or hear, and we start home before
the rest of the family has anything to eat; and they cook up
everything they have, or expect to have for a year to come,
figuratively speaking. I would rather have a piece of bread and
go into the kanyon with one or two of the brethren and talk about
the things of God.
129
Last Monday, the Congress of the United Stated commenced its
session, and no doubt they will remember us. I want you should
pray for them. Pray for the President of the United States; pray
for the Senate and the House of Representatives; pray for the
Speakers of each house, and pray for all men in authority,
especially those who are opposed to Israel and who are planning
for our destruction. I want you to pray good prayers for them,
that they may fall into the dilemma they want to put us in. You
need not pray anything more than that; for, I swear to you, they
will get a bellyfull.
129
The members of the Legislature here will assemble to-morrow
morning, at ten o'clock, with our Governor at our head. It is the
best legislative body there is upon the face of the earth,
because they hold the Priesthood, and there is no person there
only those who hold it--the leading men of Israel. Pray for that
Assembly. There are forty-nine men of us--the representatives of
this whole Territory, to make laws for the government and
protection of the people. But when those men have made a law, our
Governor can veto it in a moment. He is the head of the
department to make laws to protect, sustain, and uphold the
kingdom of God in all the world. If a law is made to protect me,
it equally protects you and your wife and children. Now, I want
to know if there is a man or woman here who is not interested in
that? I mention this that you may pray that they may make laws
such as the Lord would approve, if he was here himself. Those who
feel in favour that our Governor continue, and uphold and sustain
him, with the Legislature and everything else that is good, rise
up on your feet.
129
[The whole congregation arose.]
129
God bless you, and bless our Governor, with everything connected
to him. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Heber
C. Kimball, December 20, 1857
Heber C. Kimball, December 20, 1857
ENMITY OF SECTARIAN PRIESTS TOWARDS THE
SAINTS--ECONOMY--HOME MANUFACTURES, ETC.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, December 20, 1857.
Reported by Leo Hawkins.
130
We have had some most excellent instructions from brother Wells;
and inasmuch as this people take heed and then practice them, we,
of all people now upon the face of this earth, or that ever were
upon the earth, are the greatest and most blessed, or shall be.
As he said, it is for each of us to live our religion
individually. I cannot live your religion; I cannot perform your
services; I cannot pray--that is, I cannot perform your prayers.
I can pray for you, but I cannot perform your duties: it is
impossible for me to do that. It is just as impossible for me to
do that as to go to your separate houses--say some three or four
thousand houses, and get your breakfasts for you, and attend to
other domestic duties that you should perform each one for
yourselves, individually and collectively. Do you not see that
that would cause me to be much more active than any man could be
in the flesh?
130
I merely bring this up as an illustration. I cannot live you
religion any more than I can go to your houses and get your
breakfasts and then eat them for you. One of those things is just
as nonsensical to me as the other. I merely bring that up as a
comparison, and not for the purpose of creating laughter or
levity. The reason I am led to refer to some of the most simple
ideas is, that I may be able to come at the capacity of the most
simple person, and then I am sure that all above that can
understand.
130
We are here in the mountains a thousand miles from the Christian
world--that is the portion of the Christian world that we have
come from, even the United States. I suppose there are as many as
one or two hundred, and perhaps three hundred different Christian
denominations; and every one of them differs, and every one of
them is at variance one with the other; and every one of them,
although they are at variance with one another, were all agreed
in killing or in consenting to the death of Joseph Smith, either
directly or indirectly.
130
I do not suppose there are any of the clergy of the present day,
though there may be a few score, but what rejoiced the moment
they heard that Joseph Smith's blood was shed. "Thank God," said
they, "that we are liberated from that impostor, Joe Smith, who
has caused us so much trouble and alarm." Thank God, I say, that
we are delivered from that Christian nation. Deliver me from
their Christianity and from them.
131
It is the priests of the day who incite the people to anger
against us, and the men that stand in authority are tied up in
their feelings on account of the priests of the day; and of all
the ungodly beings that God ever made, the priests of the present
day are the most ungodly, and I know it: and they are the
mainspring of all the mischief pertaining to this earth, as they
are under the influence of the Devil; and, secondly, the editors,
lawyers, and doctors, as they are under the influence of the
priests. Thank the Lord God that we are a thousand miles from any
of them and all of them. They cannot get here with steamboats,
nor with ships, or with railroads, nor with lightning-rods: but
we have a lightning-rod or electric power that gives us
intelligence. Our President knows their acts, and he can foresee
future things, and he knows their evil designs; and he will have
greater foreknowledge from this time forth, if this people will
concentrate their faith and exertions; and if they do not, he
will; and he will forestall and thwart them, and they can never
trouble us to any great effect. Why? Because we are calculating
to do right.
131
Am I not thankful that we are here in the tops of the mountains,
a thousand miles from everybody, right in the centre of America,
in the chambers of the Lord? And God has led us here. They have
killed Joseph, Hyrum, David, and Parley, four of the Prophets and
Apostles; and they have killed and destroyed thousands of men,
women, and children; and they have rejoiced at it--they have
exulted at it--the priests in the pulpit and the whole nation.
Well, who cares? I will tell you one thing, brethren: If this
people will live and do as they are told, I do not care what
course they take,--I do not care how many ditches they dig, nor
how many snares they lay,--as the Lord God liveth, our enemies
shall fall into the snares they prepare for us.
131
[The congregation responded--"Amen."]
131
And it shall be visible to this people--as visible to them as it
is that the sun ever sets out of our sight or ever rises again,
or the water runs or grass grows; and they shall be a standing
miracle before this people, from this time forth.
131
Now, I will prove these things upon natural principles. This
kingdom, this Church, this People are his servants. Our Governor
is God's servant, and he will stand, and we never shall be ruled
over by any of them again--never, no never, while we live
faithful and keep the commandments of God and do as we are told,
every man, woman, and child.
131
Arise and shine, for the light and glory of God is on you, if you
will with us, and it is around us, and it is about us. What shall
we do? Sit down now and begin to cry, this man saying--"I have
got no hat, no cap, no pantaloons, no shirt, nor garments?" Sit
down and cry about it sister, because you have not a dress nor
bonnet, and many other things? Sit down and cry about it!
131
If you had taken a judicious course with your cotton yarn, and,
instead of making rag carpets, had made some shirts and garments,
it would have been to your interest; and if, instead of putting
your wool into carpets, you had put it into dresses and blankets,
it would have been to your interest. You have used much of your
yarn in making carpets, and I would not give shucks for the whole
of them.
132
I can tell you how to make a skirt or a quilt, You know you all
have to have a bed-quilt, puckered up into a quilt. Take your
rags--the little square pieces, oblong pieces, and all other
kinds of shapes, and sew them together until you get enough to
make both sides, the same as you would a quilt, and them take the
cotton that was in the old one and put it into the new one,
instead of throwing it away. Would it not look well? I will tell
you it would look like Joseph's coat.
132
You need not laugh about it: it was no dishonour to him. They put
it on him, thinking, probably, that is was a disgrace to him; but
it was not: it was only fulfilling the word which was predicted
of him. Would it be a disgrace to you? No. That woman who will
take the course honours herself, her husband, and this people,
and sets an example that is worthy of imitation.
132
Take those pieces and keep at work until you make a full garment
of them, and then let us go to work as a people, as far as we
have it in our power, to raise sheep, instead of killing and
destroying them. Raise flax. I have not heard much of this flax
raising. There has been a great deal of flax raised to procure
seed to make linseed oil, but there has been none made; and there
is, if it has not been disposed of, some three or four hundred
bushels of flax seed in the Tithing Store. I have never heard of
much being raised for any other purpose but for the seed. Perhaps
some persons have dressed a little, but I have not heard much
about it.
132
Brother Lorin Farr came up to see me a few evenings ago, and he
said he had raised a crop of flax. It was not thought to be much;
but he went to work with his men and gathered it and rotted it,
and he has dressed it, and has got over one hundred pounds of
beautiful flax, as good flax as he ever knew there.
132
How much will that hundred pounds of flax make when dressed? It
will make about 125 yards of good cloth. A pound will make more
than a yard.
132
After the flax is dressed and swingled, a woman takes it and
hetchels it, and takes out the coarsest of the tow; then she
hetchels it again, and gets another quality, not quite so coarse;
then she hetchels it the third time, and that is fine. She will
take that and make fine, beautiful linen, nice enough for any man
to wear for the bosom of his shirt; and the rest she makes into
table-cloths, towels, shirts, and good dresses, handsome enough
for any lady.
132
When I married my wife, she was a spinner of both wool and flax,
and wore woollen dresses for the winter and linen for summer, and
never put on a calico dress except to go to meeting, nor fine
shoes, She would wear her coarse shoes until she got to the
meeting-house, and then she would change her shoes.
132
You may laugh at it, but I have seen it hundreds of times with as
good women as you have got and as good women as ever lived. That
is novel to a great many people, but I have seen these things.
132
I am telling some of these simple things, if you have a mind to
call them so; or you may call them simple things that are seen in
the latter days, that no person knows anything about--mysteries.
That is a mystery that I have seen with my own eyes, and so have
many who are in this congregation.
132
Women would come from Victor, a distance of three miles, to the
town of Meridon, New York, where I lived; and I have seen them
walk barefooted until they came near where I lived, and then they
would put on their white stockings and shoes to go into meeting;
and when they came out of meeting and had passed off a little out
of sight, they would pull off their shoes and stockings and go
home barefooted, for the purpose of saving their fine shoes and
the stockings which they had spun and knit out of flax. I am
telling what I have seen and what I know.
133
A good many women are now in this Church who were brought up in
that manner, and never were allowed to go to extravagance as
people do now in many things.
133
Take a course to accumulate; return back, in regard to these
matters, as it was in the beginning of our lives, to make our own
clothing, our own shoes, and our own leather, and raise our own
peaches and apples, cattle and horses, and everything else.
133
Now, do I not take a course to do this? I have not raised an flax
yet, but I am going to try it the coming year, if I can find a
man who understands it. Perhaps my gardener knows how to break
flax; and I have three wives who know how to spin it, and they
can teach the rest.
133
I am going to have a home manufacturing school in my family, and
I am going to take those who understand this branch of business
to teach the rest; and if there is one that is a dressmaker I
will have her teach the rest to make their own dresses, and knit
their own stockings, and make their own caps and bonnets, and
make the clothes for their own children, and let the beauty
thereof be the workmanship of their own hand, according to the
design God gave us; and if we take that course as a people upon
the earth, and we shall eventually be a free people, an
independent people.
133
I will tell you the day of our separation has come, and we are a
free and an independent people, isolated a thousand miles from
the Christian nation; and thanks be to our God for ever. And we
are the people of God, and this is the dwelling of King Emmanuel,
in these mountains, and he will gather all nations unto us--those
that will be gathered; and those who will not, he will compel
them.
133
The day has come when the people have go to bow the knee to God
and pay tribute to him, every man and woman on this earth.
133
In regard to these matters, we should commence at home in our own
families, by our own firesides. Let the improvement commence
there, and then increase. It will not be long before we shall be
amalgamated into one spirit. These are my feelings.
133
Brother Hunter, our presiding Bishop, has to deal with these
matters--home manufactures; for, in reality, it pertains to the
calling of Bishops to deal in temporal affairs, to enable us to
become an independent nation.
133
I am satisfied that we shall have a good season for crops the
coming year, if we are faithful. But it will depend on our
goodness, faithfulness, and oneness. I have told you a great many
times that our faithfulness and goodness and oneness would have
an effect upon the crops. It will have an effect upon our stock,
and upon the earth, the air, the mountains, the valleys; and that
is not all: it will extend to the uttermost parts of the earth.
There is not a branch that belongs to this kingdom but will feel
the power. I know that by experience, by knowledge, and by
intelligence.
133
You cannot now find an Elder among the nations, even one who is
in the uttermost parts of the earth, if he could speak, but what
would say, "Brother Brigham, do you want me to come home?" He has
not received the word directly from him, and will stick and hang
until he gets the word; but he feel as though he wanted to come
home. They feel it to the ends of the earth.
133
How does the earth feel, when righteous men and women are walking
upon it, ploughing it, hoeing it, watering it, blessing it? I
will tell you the earth feels it, and every part of the earth
that is attached to it. It has power in it. Let us go to work and
be an independent people.
134
Am I glad that the mountain is between us and the merchants? Yes,
I am glad of it; for as long as we can get those stores to come
in here, we shall buy those rotten goods.
134
I will tell you some facts. If these things that I have told you
are facts, I will tell you some more. I have, in this valley,
bought individuals of my own family a dress every month in the
year, and at the last winding-up scene they told me they had not
a dress that was fit to wear. They would not last hardly as long
as you were making them, the things we buy in the stores are so
rotten. They have rotted on the shelves, and they have bought
them for about one-quarter their worth, and put a price on them
that should have been if they had been good articles. I know it
by my own experience.
134
How long will a good linen dress last you? Did any of you ever
wear one? We never saw anything else, much, worn in the country,
in the summer season, on a farming country. I never had a
broadcloth garment, that I recollect, till after I became a
member of this Church. I wore woollen home-made in the winter, of
our own make, that my mother and sister spun; and in the summer I
wore tow pantaloons and a tow frock.
134
I remember very well when I had the first fine shirt. I went and
bought six yards to make me two shirts, just pervious to my
getting me a wife, and my sister Abigail made it up. Take a good
linen dress, and it will last a good and a careful woman two
years, if not three; and then you may take a good woollen dress
and put it upon a good woman, an honest woman, a clean woman, and
a careful woman, and it will last her five year--I mean in the
season of it. I presume there are hundreds of women here that
would rise up and say, "That's a fact."
134
Well, as brother Lorenzo was speaking last Sunday, (I put it into
his mouth when he was talking about brother Brigham's family and
mine.) I do not believe there are many families in these valleys
that are more industrious at home than our families are. Take
them in general, I do not believe there are many families in
these mountains that make as many yards of homespun as they do.
Our women have got, almost universally, two good woollen dresses
apiece. I know that those two woollen dresses will wear out
thirty calico dresses such as we buy here.
134
Just see what brother Brigham's family has done. I am going to
talk about our families. They have got good dresses which we have
purchased for them. Is it right for them to wear them? Yes; they
are just as worthy to wear them as any other women in this town.
I say, Wear them out. Wear you bonnets and everything else, and
make them last just as long as you can, and take good care of
your domestic things, flannel, and everything else.
134
In our city there are a great many poor women--I am aware of
that; and they will be eternally poor, for they waste everything
they can get hold of; and they are nasty and filthy, for I see
them dragging their dresses behind them; and though they are so
poor that they cannot get up in the morning and wash their faces
and hands before breakfast, yet they have got about eighteen or
twenty inches of their dresses dragging in the mud. Now, you
look, when you go out of this meeting, and see if you do not see
several of them.
134
I am now talking about home manufactures. But if that is home
manufacturing, I do not want that part. I am going to get rid of
that. I cannot believe in it. I was speaking to a lady, the other
day, about long dresses, and said she, "That's the fashion Queen
Victoria established."
135
Said I, What has Queen Victoria to do over here? She had better
get religion before she comes to set an example for our ladies,
dragging their dresses in the mud. Well, they said she
established it because she had such a big, squatty foot. You make
a great deal worse squat than she does, dragging your clothes
through the mud. Brother Lorenzo spoke of it, and I told him it
belonged to the Bishop. It was his duty to lecture on this point.
135
My advice to you is, when you go home, tuck up that dress or cut
it off.
135
I remarked to brother Lorenzo, a few days ago, when it was
tremendously muddy, and a woman was walking through the mud, with
her dress whopping over, and they stretching out, and then
whopping over on the other side. You follow that woman home, and
you will find that she has muddied her foot clear up to her legs.
I am talking about the ridiculousness of such things; and if I
can get you so ashamed that you will not come to meeting again
with such long dresses, I shall be glad.
135
I can recollect, when I was a young man, I used to the with the
ladies; and when they came to a mud-hole, they would catch up
their dresses and trip over. I like to see it. Say I, That is a
descent woman; she is nice and clean.
135
Let us go to work and do as we are told. I will do it, and the
Lord helps me. I shall go to with my might and begin to
accumulate my own living, by the help of the Lord God and my
brethren. And will this whole people do likewise, raise their own
grain, their potatoes, and build good houses, and make themselves
comfortable?
135
We shall live in peace, if we will only do right and take this
course. And if we do not take it and have to go into the
mountains, we have got to make our own clothing. I can take a
little wheel on by back and a bundle of flax under my arms, and
we can drive our sheep into the mountains, and my women can get
into a tent and go to spinning. How nice that would look--sitting
in the door of the tent, spinning. It would look a great deal
better than it does to see them taking a course to bring distress
upon this people, depending on the world for their rotten stuffs.
135
God bless you, brethren. God bless you, sisters, and make you
happy and comfortable in your habitations, and your habitations
all little heavens, and be in heaven at home and abroad; and let
every one be diligent in doing good. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Wilford
Woodruff, December 27, 1857
Wilford Woodruff, December 27, 1857
BLESSINGS OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
A Discourse by Elder Wilford Woodruff, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, December 27, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
136
It seems to fall to my lot to occupy a few moments this morning;
and I feel to say that this is a blessed place, and that this is
a blessed people, and that they are partaking of a great many
blessed things.
136
If the Latter-day Saints could prize and comprehend the blessings
that are given unto them, and if our minds were enlightened
continually by the Holy Spirit, we should feel ourselves blest
and comprehend that we are made partakers of the greatest
blessings which the Lord imparts unto the children of men--I may
say far greater than the rest of our fellow-creatures who now
inhabit this earth.
136
The Lord says, Whosoever are quickened by a portion of the
celestial spirit and abide a celestial law, they shall inherit a
celestial glory; whosoever are quickened by a terrestrial spirit
shall inherit a terrestrial glory. I realize this, and consider
that the Lord has revealed unto us the celestial law; that is, he
has given unto us the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and
has given us a knowledge of the principles of eternal life. The
Lord reveals truth unto the children of men; by which truth we
are to be qualified and prepared for exaltation. Truth has been
presented in its simplicity, so that it might be comprehended by
the sons of men.
136
As I reflect this morning upon the condition of the human family,
and consider how differently we are situated from the masses of
mankind, I do feel that we ought to be grateful to our great
Benefactor. There are millions of the human family who assemble
in various houses, in cathedrals, churches and chapels for the
purpose of worshipping God; but is there one of those numerous
congregations who come together with an understanding of the
truth, except there be some Latter-day Saint Elder who is called
to preach to the inhabitants of the earth? Do they come together
understanding the principles of the same Gospel, the same plan of
salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in a way and manner to
make them one?
136
Now, God could not make a people one with so many kinds of faith
and such a multiplicity of doctrines, diametrically opposed to
each other, as exist in the world. But we are a blessed people:
we have the principles of union and oneness with us; and by
carrying them out, they bind us together and make us one.
137
It is upon this principle that the Latter-day Saints are blest
and made free. We are delivered in a great measure from those
troubles and perplexities, false doctrines, the darkness, the
error, and superstition by which our minds have been beclouded,
until the light was made manifest unto the children of men that
they were in darkness; for this was the case with us all. Until
the light came, we were grovelling in the dark, in a great
measure. Though we might be honest, and we might be actuated by
the best and holiest feelings, yet, until the fulness of the
Gospel was revealed, the world were like the blind groping for
the wall. We had no Apostles--no Prophets; we had no inspired men
to rise up and tell us what to do to be saved; and we had to go
through with all that trouble, misery, and darkness to which the
children of men are subject while living under false doctrines,
false traditions, and false teachers.
137
I have frequently remarked in my life, and I was sincere in the
sentiment in saying that I would rather take a six months' tour
in the Penitentiary than to go through with a six months'
conviction and conversion in the sectarian world, according to
their order of doing business. Let any man go through the ordeal
of six months' conviction and conversion in the Presbyterian
Church, and then be made acquainted with the true plan of
salvation, and he will feel about as I do upon the subject.
137
Read the history of any man, and read his experience in the
religious world, and you will find that it is worse, as far as
the affliction of the soul is concerned, than as long a time in
the Penitentiary. We will take a Presbyterian revival. A man is
called by the sectarian excitement to get religion. He goes to
the clergy--I do not care whether it is in a synod or in any
other place; but suppose that he has a great desire to seek after
the plan and principles of salvation, and he applies to the
clergy, they will tell him like this--You must surrender yourself
to the Lord. He goes to work to pray and fast, and he is faithful
and diligent in trying to give his heart to the Lord; but he is
still in trouble, and he goes to the priest and informs him of
his situation; and the priest tells him all the time--You must
give you heart unto God; you must be willing to be damned and to
suffer all things for the sake of Christ. The minister still
pleads with him to submit himself to God; but he does not tell
him the first step which he ought to take in order to have his
sins forgiven and obtain salvation, but tells him continually
that he must do it--that he must give his heart to God. The
result is that the man mourns and weeps, and by-and-by he thinks
it is the worst sin that he can commit to pray when going through
these feelings and this trial.
137
I have read the history of many strong-minded men; and besides
this, I know my own history and experience: I know the way the
children of men suffer in attempting to give their hearts unto
God; and, as I have said, as far as the feelings of the children
of men are concerned, it would not be grieving their feelings any
more in bearing the reproach of their neighbours to be sent to
prison for crime, than some men have endured in getting religion.
137
What is the reason of all this? It is because they have not the
same law--because there is not any man inspired to rise up and
teach them the way to be saved--no Apostle to teach the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
138
Now, in the midst of these trials and tribulations, many of you
can remember how many nights and days you have spent in suffering
and distress, trying to give your hearts to God. And when you
have been called into the circle of ministers, have they not
called upon you again and again to come to the anxious bench and
get religion? I can well remember it, although I never joined any
church at all until I joined the Latter-day Saints; but yet I
attended meetings, and I have been called upon day after day and
night after night to give my heart to God, so much so that I
would get mad to be told to do a thing so many times that I was
all the time trying to do; for I had a desire to do that which
was right, but did not know how to take the first step; and those
who taught could not tell me how.
138
Now, had there been an Apostle there to have said, "Go and
repent, be baptised for the remission of your sins, and then I
will lay my hands upon you that you may receive the Holy Ghost,
which will lead and guide you into all truth; it will enlighten
you mind in relation to the principles of eternal life, and it
will show you things past, present, and to come;" how easy this
would have been, providing a man inspired of God had been there.
138
In relation to these things, this people are truly blest; but the
world are in worse darkness than they were before Joseph Smith
received revelation from heaven. They have gone into thicker
darkness, for the Gospel has been offered to the children of
men--to the most of the Christian nations during the last
twenty-five years, and in a great measure they have rejected it;
but before the light came to them they did not know what to do,
for the world were bound up in the ignorance, darkness, and by
false traditions, false principles, and false teachers who gave
unto the children of men their erroneous opinions for doctrines
of salvation.
138
We are liberated from these things: the cloud of darkness is
taken from us, and the light of eternal truth has begun to shine
upon our minds.
138
Some of this assembly have embraced this Gospel in foreign
countries, and many of us in this our native land; and now we
have all come together to hear preaching, exhortation, and
receive instruction in the things of God, and we have come
expecting to hear the truth; and in this we have not been
disappointed, for we do hear the truth from this stand. We have
been taught the pure principles of virtue and righteousness by
the servants of God.
138
The knowledge we have received has taken from us those troubles
of mind and soul and those distressing feelings which were
occasioned by those false doctrines and traditions that were
implanted in our minds in early life, and that have caused us to
much suffering in the days that are gone. Then, I say, it is a
great blessing that God has given unto us the celestial law--the
principles of the Gospel that will lead to celestial glory and
eternal lives.
138
The Lord has for years past been continually revealing the simple
principles that will bring us back into the presence of our
heavenly Father, and which will give unto us a place in his
celestial kingdom, if we abide a celestial law.
138
We can all see the effects of the establishment of the Church and
kingdom of God upon the earth, and we perceive that the effects
of the Gospel are very different from false tradition and from
sectarian absurdities that deluge the world. The requirement is
that men shall abide the celestial law of God, in order that they
may be quickened by that power and be united by those principles
with the Apostles, and Prophets, and all those beings who have
been quickened by it in ages that are gone, and dwell in the
light and presence of God, and be for ever in the society of the
city of Enoch and our brethren who have gone before us, and who
have been made perfect by the same Gospel which we have received.
139
If we were to go into the celestial world, we should then be
actuated by the spirit that predominates there, and have
continually with us those principles by which we should be
governed. We have got to possess the same spirit and principles
in this world, and we have got to abide a celestial law here, and
be united upon the principle that unites the people of God who
dwell in his presence, in order to get the same glory that they
enjoy.
139
These are the principles that are taught us from day to day, and
we must learn to carry them out, and we must lay aside our
selfishness and all false principles that we have imbibed and
that have been taught us from our infancy, in order that we may
obtain the blessings and power of God.
139
It is different with us from what it is and will be with the
children of this people. As one of the old Prophets said,
speaking of the gathering in the last days, when they would come
together, wake up from their drowsiness, get to understand
principle, and see their true position, they will say, "Surely
our fathers have inherited lies and things wherein there is no
profit." And it is truly so; for we can already say that our
fathers have inherited lies, and we have inherited many of their
traditions.
139
Until we heard the fulness of the Gospel, we were filled with
traditions and false doctrines; and the teachers of the day did
not instruct men to walk in the same path, but they were
continually teaching something that would divide men in their
feelings, and that would produce as may different creeds and
schisms as there were sects in the world; and hence we have all
the evils attendant upon that course of life.
139
This puts me in mind of a circumstance that happened when I was
preaching in Kentucky. I preached upon the first principles of
the Gospel, and at the close of my discourse I gave the privilege
for any one to ask questions or make remarks, if they felt so
disposed. A gentleman arose, and I noticed that a great many of
the congregation began to laugh; and I afterwards learned that
the gentleman was an infidel, and hence the congregation were
disposed to make fun of him. He said, "I will not detain you
long, but I wish to state to this large congregation that Mr.
Woodruff has taught me more this evening than I ever learned in
my whole life before. From my boyhood I have been searching into
religion; and when I have asked a minister in relation to the way
of life, he would point me to the way he was walking himself;
then I would ask another, and he would point out a different way;
and I might have asked a hundred, and they would all have pointed
out a different road, and they would tell me that I must be born
again, and one class of men who were said to be born again would
take one way, and another would take a different road; and I
always marvelled at this, for I did not see any sense in men
taking different roads to lead to the kingdom of heaven. But now
this man, Mr. Woodruff, has told me the truth, and shown me the
reason they took so many different roads after they were born
again; and the reason is, because they were all born BLIND."
140
This in reality is the case, for many of us have been born again
according to the traditions of our fathers; but those that keep
the celestial law and obey the principles of the Gospel of
Christ, you never find them taking different roads. There is but
one right road, and it is a straightforward one; and the
principles and rules that govern you in that path are simple and
easy to be understood. This is the path for us to walk in, and I
consider that we are greatly blessed in having learned the true
way and in being delivered from that yoke of bondage that has
chained us down with error, false doctrine, and false teachers.
140
This I count one of the greatest blessings that God has given to
the children of men, to have the plain truth pointed out to them.
You look at the religions of the day, and see their confusion and
the mystery that hangs around them: you may present the truth to
them as plainly as you can, and so simply that an intelligent
child might understand, and still they cannot comprehend it. You
ask a man among them about the character of God, and about his
attributes, and what can he tell you? They will preach about God,
about the Son, and the Holy Ghost, long sermons, to prove that
those three personages are one; and when they get through, they
know nothing about it, and conclude it is a great mystery.
140
Where is the man or woman that comprehended anything about God or
about eternity until Joseph Smith revealed the fulness of the
Gospel? I could read of those things in the Bible which we now
believe in and receive; but I was surrounded by the traditions of
the world and could not comprehend them.
140
We are now taught, from time to time, the plain principles of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ--the plan of salvation--the way to live in
order to have the approbation of our Father in heaven. Is not
this a blessing above all blessings? If this people could
comprehend their blessings, they never need have an unhappy
moment. If this people could comprehend the position they stand
in and their true relationship to God, they would feel perfectly
satisfied, and they would realize that our heavenly Father is
merciful unto us, and that he has bestowed great and glorious
blessings upon us.
140
When we consider that we can come into this Tabernacle and sing,
pray, preach, exhort, and bless, and that there is no sheriff
standing at our doors with writs to arrest us, we may consider
these things as blessings from the hands of the Almighty; for
they are such.
140
As brother Brigham, brother Heber, and many others have said,
there is not a man that is capable of entering into the celestial
kingdom of God who is not willing to receive the instructions of
his brethren and abide the law of God. There is not a man in this
kingdom, who has got the right spirit within him, but who thanks
God for the mountains and for the five hundred miles of sage
plains that lie between us and the homes of our enemies.
140
The hand of God has been visible in bringing us here, and it has
been visible with us all the time, as far as we have taken the
counsel that has been given us. These are truths that cannot be
disputed.
141
I feel comfortable and truly thankful in my mind for the
blessings bestowed upon us, and I feel to pray that we as a
people may increase in the knowledge of God and of the laws of
his kingdom, and in the knowledge of all those principles that
lead to glory, to exaltation, and eternal lives, and that will
lead us back to our Father in heaven. The troubles of the
children of men are very numerous, but a great many of them are
borrowed. I believe two-thirds of the troubles of men are
borrowed. It appears to be a natural gift, or it seems natural to
us to borrow trouble; and it is a good deal so with our
blessings: we look forward to some future time when we are going
to enjoy great and glorious blessings, but our blessings are at
the present time. This is the time that we should enjoy the
blessings that God has given us. We should rejoice to-day, and be
happy to-day, and feel to thank the Lord for the blessings that
he has put into our hands; and as to borrowing troubles, we
should let them all pass; for it is sufficient for us to pass
through troubles and trials when they are upon us; and if we
pursue this course, we may escape a great many imaginary, trying,
and perplexing scenes.
Many of us have expected trouble this winter from enemies; and it
did appear as if trouble was inevitable, to look at things
naturally. We may look at things as they may approach us next
summer, and we may expect that our enemies will seek to destroy
us; and in fact I do not doubt but that it is now in the hearts
of the children of men to concoct schemes for our destruction;
for we know they desire to have this people blotted out of
existence. They have not the Spirit of God, but they are in worse
than midnight darkness; and the consequence is, they do not
delight or desire to see anybody live upon the earth who will
serve God and carry out his purposes. They are afraid of the
power of true religion and of the consequences that must
necessarily arise; and hence they feel to say in their heart,
There shall not a kingdom be upon the earth that belongs to God.
141
This is the feeling of our enemies; for they are stirred up by
Satan to root our every principle of righteousness and truth from
the earth. Can they do this? No, they never can. Why not? Because
God reigns, governs, and controls the ship of Zion, and he has
established the principles of eternal truth upon the earth, and
they do dwell in the hearts of the children of men, and they will
bring forth fruit to the honour and glory of God. We do know and
understand that this kingdom will not be given to another people;
for it is established with a promise never to be given to another
people; but, with the light of the Holy Spirit, we shall subdue
our enemies and overcome every obstacle. It is our duty to be
continually increasing in faith, that we may be enabled to call
upon the Lord with acceptance, and that we may stay our enemies
and hedge up their way; and let us pray for them, and let us
continue to believe that, if we do as we are told, we can
accomplish whatever we are united upon; and be assured that the
Spirit of God will not lead us to unite upon anything that is
evil.
141
We know it is right to establish a kingdom of God upon the earth,
and we know it is right to establish in the hearts of men the
principles of life and salvation which God has revealed through
Joseph the Prophet.
141
If we will do our duty and listen to those that are set to lead
us, we shall find that the hand of God will be over us for our
good, and it will be against those that are planning for our
destruction; and God will strengthen and uphold this people until
the day comes for the kingdom of God to spread itself abroad, and
until the law of God is issued forth from Zion. We shall find
that this will be the case; and inasmuch as we have these
privileges and this faith, as Saints of the Most High, we should
prize them and lay hold of them with one united heart, and not
consider that the battle is to the strong or the race to the
swift; for the Lord holds the destinies of all, and we are in his
hands.
141
I do feel thankful to see the spirit of peace and the spirit of
cleansing here at home. I am thankful that I see the time when
wicked men do not delight to dwell here in Utah, and I do feel
that the righteousness, the conduct, and the acts of this people
in general will be such that it will be a hot place for wicked
men.
142
It is our duty to live in this manner so that we can ferret out
iniquity wherever it exists. Men that come here to seek for our
gold and silver find that it is now too hot for them. The day has
now come that they cannot bear the burning heat of Zion, and I am
glad of it; and I also hope that we may still increase, for there
is still room for more improvement. We speak of improvement, and
truly there has been a great improvement in the midst of this
people; but there is still room for great advancement to be made,
for many of us are still a long way short of being prepared for
the celestial kingdom and of having the reward promised to
celestial and exalted beings.
142
There is great room for every man to labour and to improve his
life, that he may be prepared to meet our Father in heaven and to
enjoy the same glory that those participate in who are heirs to
the celestial kingdom of God. Notwithstanding these things are
before us, I fear that we do not sufficiently appreciate them;
but we must learn to so order our lives that we shall be ready at
any moment to respond to any and every call that may be made upon
us.
142
We feel at home here, and we feel that this is the place for us;
and my constant prayer to God is that we may not only enjoy, but
that we may prize the privileges that are afforded us--prize the
day that we live in, and the City of Great Salt Lake where we
dwell.
142
Those who have been here for years past do not realize the
difference that there is between this place and the world; but I
can tell you that, with the wicked, it is one continual scene of
blasphemy and of every species of wickedness that is calculated
to lead the mind down to death and to lead men and woman from the
way of life, and from the holy Gospel of Jesus Christ, and from
everything that is calculated to produce holiness and purity in
the human mind.
142
The power that predominates here has a tendency to lead us in the
path of virtue and rectitude and to unite us together: it will
lead us to obey the law of heaven and to carry out those
principles that we are taught day by day. In this way we can do
right and have the approbation of our heavenly Father; and then
he will preserve us from all our enemies, whether they be few or
many; and though the whole world be arrayed against us, the Lord
will as sure preserve us and make a little one a great nation as
he delivered Israel out of Egyptian bondage; and this kingdom
will become, as Daniel has seen it, a great mountain, and fill
the whole earth.
142
These and all the blessings and promises which he has given will
be fulfilled in their time and in their season; which may the
Lord grant for Christ's sake. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Brigham
Young, December 27, 1857
Brigham Young, December 27, 1857
PROVIDENCE--IGNORANCE OF SECTARIAN PRIESTS--FREE
AGENCY--RECREATION, ETC.
A Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, December 27, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
143
It is a great privilege to know the way of life and salvation,
and to know how to walk therein; yet we are still, more or less,
under the traditions of our fathers: they are woven around us as
a garment in which we are clothed.
143
It would be a great blessing for a people to be brought to
actually realize that all they can comprehend--all they can see
with their eyes, hear with their ears, or understand with their
hearts, is the creation of God, from the mighty globes that roll
in the immensity of space to the smallest mote that helps to
compose this world. It would also be a great blessing for a
people to really understand that the eye of the Lord is upon all
his works--that nothing escapes his notice, and that all is
composed, organized, and brought forth for the glory, benefit,
and use of intelligent beings. There is no true enjoyment in
life--nothing that can be a blessing to an individual or to a
community, but what is ordained of God to bless his people. If we
could at all times strictly realize this, do you not think that
God would be continually in all our thoughts? Could we but behold
and realize the handiwork of the Lord in all his doings, and that
he has created and ordained everything for the benefit of his
creatures, would not that bring us to sense, realize, and
understand the hand of the Lord in all things? In consequence of
the darkness and traditions that have been over us, many look
upon things, acts, and blessings, not knowing whether they flow
from the Lord or proceed from some other power.
143
Who would be deprived of the blessing of sight or of hearing?
What amount of money would hire an individual to part with those
senses? The light of the sun to cheer the face of nature--to
light up the path that we may walk safely therein without
stumbling, who would be deprived of? Who gave it to us? Who gave
us affection? Who has ordained the passions of the mind and the
body, which constitute the soul? Who should control them? To whom
should they be devoted? If the vail of the covering that is over
us and the nations of the earth were so removed that we could
behold the glory, the excellency, the beauty of the attributes
that are dispensed by the children of men--for they are appointed
by the Lord who has ordained all these things--would not God be
in all our thoughts?
144
We are now blessed with the privilege of coming to the
understanding of being taught and of teaching ourselves to come
into subjection to the celestial law of Christ, so that every
passion, every sensation, and faculty that God has bestowed upon
us may be devoted to his glory, to our advancement in knowledge,
to our perfection in this probation, and to a preparation for
perfection in his celestial kingdom. This is a blessing indeed!
In the course of life there are many of our thoughts, words, and
acts that appear to be of minor consequence,--so much so, that we
would hardly consider that the Lord would notice them, and are
apt to forget that he watches every movement of his creatures, to
know whether they appreciate their gifts and blessings which flow
from him, or whether they treat them as a thing of naught.
144
We have the privilege, while the majority of the inhabitants of
the earth are deprived of it, of learning the ways of God. He is
in the acts, and directs and guides all the affairs of this
world, and we have the privilege of understanding his ways in so
doing. We have the privilege of learning the principles that
pertain to God and godliness. We have the privilege of learning
the weakness, ignorance, blindness, and all the evils that sin
has brought upon the children of men--of so understanding correct
principles that we can discern the things that are of God and the
things that are not of him, and of learning the great wisdom
displayed by the Almighty in causing intelligent beings to dwell
in a sinful world.
144
Brother Woodruff, in his remarks, alluded to the priests of the
so-called Christian world. Were you to summon the priests of the
day, not only those that consider themselves full of wisdom, bud
also those from the heathen nations, (and there are hundreds of
thousands, and, probably, millions that are performing the labour
of officiating as messengers from a superior or supreme Being to
enlighten the minds of the children of men and instruct them in
things pertaining to eternity, to lead their minds, as they say,
from sin and the power of darkness,) you would at once learn that
there is not knowledge enough among them all to give you the
correct reason why God suffered sin and blindness to enter into
this world. That knowledge has not been upon the earth for
centuries, until the Lord revealed it through the Prophet Joseph
Smith,--at least not to our knowledge, and we have a pretty good
understanding of this world and its inhabitants. There are but a
very few places in the north, south, east, or west, on the
islands or on the continents, that are inhabited by intelligent
beings, but what have been penetrated. Missionaries have visited
them and men of learning and scientific research; and they have
not only learned the geography, but have actually sounded the
intelligence of the inhabitants of the whole globe, so far as we
yet know, going from west to east, and in the south and north as
far as man can penetrate; and among them all, aside from the
revelations in our day, there is not knowledge enough to tell you
why God suffered sin to come into the world. You have been told
the reason why--that all intelligence must prove facts by their
opposite.
145
No organized beings are prepared to become associated with or
crowned heirs in the celestial kingdom, until they have passed
through these ordeals and have drank of the bitter cup to the
dregs, so that they know and understand good from evil. There was
not knowledge enough in the whole world to tell even that, until
it was again revealed through Joseph the Prophet. The very best
of them would marvel why God suffered Lucifer or the serpent to
tempt mother Eve. That always has been a great mystery to the
world, and is to this day, with the exception of the knowledge
that has gone forth from the Lord through his prophet Joseph, and
then through the Elders of Israel, who have plainly taught many
doctrines that were previously a perfect mystery to the people,
though they have now adopted many of them into their faith; but
they will not give us credit for them.
145
Before the Gospel revealed the introduction of sin to this
planet, it was a great marvel even to the most learned, and they
would ask, "Why was it so?--is it not strange?" and would the
rest with the expression, "It was suffered to be so." While
reasoning or familiarly conversing with one another, let the
question be asked, "Why was Eve suffered to partake of the
forbidden fruit?" and the invariable reply was, "I cannot answer
that question: It seems that it was so, and it appears a great
pity." That is all the knowledge there is in the world on that
point. The starting-point they have not learned, that no
intelligent being could be exalted with the Gods without being
subjected to the temptation of sin, that he might know and
understand the power of the adversary, the opposite to goodness;
for it is written that "There must needs be an opposition in all
things." The world have not yet learned that simple truth.
145
I remember hearing a debate between brother Alfred Cordon, one of
our Elders, and a sectarian priest, when I was in England; and I
presume there were a score or two of priests ready to put
questions and answers into the mouth of their speaker. They
expected to be able to use up the Book of Mormon upon the point
of Adam's partaking of the forbidden fruit from the hand of Eve;
but the answer that the woman was found in the transgression, and
not the man, came so quickly that it hushed them up at once, so
that they could not argue further. Brother Orson Pratt whispered
to brother Cordon the answer. Many of even these my sisters who
are before me to-day have seen the wisdom that is in the
Christian world, while they have been conversing with their
former priests, and have answered some little question that was a
perfect mystery to a priest--a little question which they
understood, and the priest did not, and have seen the priests
thrown completely off their guard, become dizzy in their heads,
and unable to continue with the conversation. It is written in
this Bible that the woman was found in the transgression, and not
the man; and that plain doctrine has baffled all the learning of
the priests.
145
We have the privilege of coming to understanding--of knowing that
everything in heaven, on earth, and in hell is ordained for the
benefit, advantage, and exaltation of intelligent beings;
therefore there is nothing that is out of the pale of our faith.
There is nothing, I may say, good or bad, light or darkness,
truth or error, but what is to be controlled by intelligent
beings; and we should learn how to take into our possession every
blessing and every privilege that God has put within our reach,
and know how to use our time, our talents, and all our acts for
the advancement of his kingdom upon the earth. These principles
are hid from all other people in the world; but we have the
privilege of learning them. We should apply our hearts to wisdom
and learn the things of God.
146
The Lord asks a question, through the Prophet Amos, "Shall there
be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?" Is there
anything that passes with the children of men that the Lord does
not control to his glory? That is what the Lord wants every man
and woman to understand. If there is good, the Lord is there to
dictate it. If there is power, has he not power over all the
power there is upon the face of the earth? If there is evil, if
there is sorrow, if there is trouble, if there are trials for his
people, is he not there to dictate those sorrows and troubles?
All that passes upon the earth is under his eye; he dictates in
the affairs of nations. If a mighty king and kingdom are raised
up upon any portion of the earth, the Lord has done it. And when
a mighty nation crumbles in its power, the Lord has touched their
pride and strength. He raises and casts down; he dictates in the
light and in the darkness, at his pleasure; he makes the thick
darkness his chariot and rides upon the clouds; and he is also
the brightness of the sun. We have the privilege of learning that
God dictates, controls, and manages all to his own glory.
146
With many, even in this Church, the questions arises, "If God
dictates all these affairs, to whom shall sin be attributed? Am I
to blame, if God always dictates and controls?" You should keep
before you, as Latter-day Saints, other principles besides those
you may be able to hear or read at any one time. No man can tell
you everything in one short discourse. You understand that you
have organizations endowed with a certain portion of divine
intelligence, which is supreme, absolute, and independent in its
sphere. You are organized expressly for the purpose of being
exalted, of preserving your identity before the Lord, and being
prepared to enter into celestial glory, to be crowned, to receive
kingdoms, thrones, and dominions,--to design and act as do the
Gods. These principles you are well acquainted with, and they
should be continually before you. All intelligent beings are also
endowed with certain inalienable rights, privileges, and powers
inherent in them. When God organized intelligent beings, he
organized them as independent beings to a certain extent, as he
is himself. And whether we see an evil act or a good one
performed by an intelligent being, that being has performed the
act by his will, by his own independent organization, which is
capable of doing good or evil, of choosing light or darkness, of
performing that which will promote life, or that which will
promote death, or a dissolution of his organization. Then,
without the evils being placed before us, we should not be
capable of refusing it; without darkness had come into the earth,
we should never have learned how to appreciate the light. Then
all the family of Adam and Eve would have been mere machines, as
a portion of the inhabitants of the earth profess to believe that
God has foreordained all the acts of the children of men from all
eternity, and that they are obliged to act as they do. But we
have learned that in our organization we are as independent as
the angels are in theirs, or as any heavenly being that dwells in
eternity.
146
If a nation transgresses wholesome laws and oppresses any of its
citizens or another nation, until the cup of its iniquity is
full, through acts that are perfectly under its own control, God
will hurl those who are in authority from their power, and they
will be forgotten, and he will take another people, though poor
and dispised, a hiss and a by-word among the popular nations, and
instil into them power and wisdom; and they will increase and
prosper, until they in turn become a great nation on the earth.
God does that; and all within our power, that we have any
understanding of, is ordained for the use, benefit, and control
of his intelligent creatures.
147
You remember that a year ago this people were in the height of
what they called a reformation. You also well recollect my
teachings and my feelings upon the subject, and that to my mind
the necessity of a reformation among Latter-day Saints was a
disgrace, and beneath our calling; for it belongs to sinners and
the ungodly, and not to Saints, to be getting up a reformation,
though continually improving belongs to the calling of every
Saint. Suffice to say, there has been a great improvement in the
midst of this people. A great many have confessed their sins; but
much fewer have forsaken them. I would that all had forsaken
their sins, their transgressions, their wickedness in every
particular, and followed their iniquitous ways no longer; but
such is not the fact: there has been more confessing than
forsaking. This winter brings a new scene before us. Many of the
brethren have been deprived of the privilege of labouring at home
during the past fall: They have been in the cold and storms, and
have but lately returned. For about two weeks past it has been,
"Brother Brigham may we have a dance in our Ward? Brother
Brigham, may I get up a party for my Quorum?" Bishop Hunter will
come and say, "Several Bishops have written to me to ask you
whether their Wards may have a dance, or a few parties?" But I do
not believe that there is a single Bishop, or President of a
Stake, or President of any of the Seventies or of the High
Priests, or any officer of this Church and Kingdom, who has,
during that time, asked me whether they could have the privilege
of serving God with all their hearts.
147
In a word, here is the difficulty: Many of my brethren and
sisters who are now before me believe, to this day, if they were
to go into a room prepared for music and dancing, they have
stepped aside from serving God, and are serving somebody else. I
have answered all Bishops and all Presidents and all this people,
with regard to their dancing, that I am willing that those who
live their religion every day, hour, and minute of their lives to
the glory of God shall dance all they wish to; but I have not yet
given my consent for any other class to do so, and I want you all
to understand it. If your minds have been wrought up by too much
anxiety--if you have had wakeful hours when you ought to have
been asleep, in consequence of the threatened danger and
troubles,--if you have been afflicted in spirit, and your minds
are worn down, which they can be, so long as they are connected
with the body, which is apt to wear out, reasonable recreation
may be beneficial. The mind, being inseparably connected with
this body, becomes tired: I acknowledge that mine does. I
sometimes feel that I have not a pound of strength left, just
from sitting and thinking. You may judge whether there has been a
labour upon me, when you reflect that I realize that God holds me
responsible for the salvation and safety of this people. You hold
me responsible, every one of you, as standing between you and
God, to guide you safely--to dictate and direct the affairs of
this Church and kingdom; and then you may judge whether my mind
labours or not. My mind becomes tired, and so do your minds, if
you are Saints.
147
The mind of a man who is wholly devoted to the Church and kingdom
of God on the earth is powerfully exercised, and he feels all
that I can, in proportion to his standing and calling. The minds
of such men are exercised from morning until morning again, and
they labour more unhealthily than a person does at mowing or
chopping wood, and their minds become weary. What do they need? A
little relaxation. If you want to dance and rest your minds,
dance. But a man or woman that intends, when they go into a room
prepared for music and dancing, to serve the Devil a little
while, I would to God that they would go to California, where
they may serve the Devil all they desire to.
147
I would rather have a hundred righteous men with whom to face all
hell, and the world at its back, than to have all this great
community, unless they serve the Lord.
148
Those who cannot serve God with a pure heart in the dance
should not dance; though dancing is not an ordinance, except we
say it is an ordinance of folly and weakness. I have not the
privilege of going to the kanyon to chop and load wood and logs.
I do not go to the joiner's bench, as I used to, and toil until
my body is nearly wearied to death. But my mind is from eternity
to eternity--from the beginning of the creation to the end
thereof: it is not confined to the length of a twelve-foot board.
148
My mind becomes tires, and perhaps some of yours do. If so, go
and exercise your bodies, and thank God, and say that it is a
blessing and a privilege that he has given you for his name's
glory and for your benefit and the advancement of the righteous,
and holy, and the godly, those who have kept their covenant with
their God and with one another.
148
If you wish to dance, dance; and you are just as much prepared
for a prayer meeting after dancing as ever you were, if your are
Saints. If you desire to ask God for anything, you are as well
prepared to do so in the dance as in any other place, of you are
Saints. Are your eyes open to know that everything in the earth,
in hell, or in heaven, is ordained for the use of intelligent
beings?
148
It is like words in the wind to talk about the sweetness of the
honeycomb to those who have not tasted the opposite. You may talk
about the glory and comfort of the light to those who never knew
darkness, and what do they know about it? Nothing. You might as
well preach to those lamps. If we can realize that everything in
all the eternities that ever were and ever will be is ordained of
God for the benefit and glory of intelligent beings, we can
understand why he said to Joseph, "Against none is my anger
kindled, only those who do not acknowledge my had in all things."
Do I acknowledge his hand? Yes. I told you in your afflictions,
drivings, persecutions, and all that has been grievous to be
borne, that the hand of God was in that as much as it was in
bringing forth his revelations and the Priesthood through Joseph.
I will acknowledge the hand of God, not only when our Government
is arrayed against this little handful of people, but also when
the whole world take the same stand. I am going to acknowledge
the hand of God every time.
148
The wicked kick at "Mormonism," but they will find it somewhat
like the old man's stone wall that he built five feet high and
six feet thick, to prevent the boys from stealing his apples; and
when the boys in their anger tipped it over, behold it was higher
then it was before. So with "Mormonism:" every time they give it
a kick, it rises in the scale of power and influence in the
world. I am also going to acknowledge the hand of the lord when I
see the day, and I pray that I may, when I can say, Let our
Elders pass and repass peaceably, or I will attend to you: let
them preach the Gospel, as you do others; and if you can put them
down by the Scriptures--by good, sound philosophy and argument,
then give not heed to their teachings; but do not mob them, or I
will attend to your injustice. I want to see that day. [Many
voices, Amen!] And I will acknowledge the hand of God the same as
I do in the way he has handled the crowd that has lately come
into our Territory.
149
We here enjoy a goodly share of the common blessings of life; and
you see a body of men and women filled with intelligence, and yet
you see and hear of some persons who cannot control themselves.
God has so ordained that you may learn to control yourselves and
work righteousness. It is ordained that you may prove yourselves
worthy of every principle and power that are in the Gods to
control in eternity.
149
The principle of pure affection in the Gift of God, and it is for
us to learn to control it and exercise proper dominion over it;
and if we are faithful, we shall see the time when we can say, as
our Father in heaven says, I am angry with the wicked; I hate
their works, and my anger is kindled against them. Is there any
malice or wrath there? No, for it is written that the Lord is
angry, but sins not. And one of his servants, learning something
about this principle, writes to his brethren, "Be ye angry and
sin not;" but it would be a sin to take a course to destroy that
which is calculated for good. If you sin not, it is in destroying
the evil works, and saving that portion that is ordained for
exaltation: that is being angry and sinning not.
149
We ought to control our passions. God has given us judgment and
discretion. Every qualification of man is ordained of God, as
well as good and evil. Light and darkness are here; the power of
the enemy are here. It is for us to bring into right subjection
every act of our lives and all around us. It is for us to see the
hand of God and acknowledge it in all things.
149
If you want to dance, run a foot-race, pitch quoits, or play at
ball, do it, and exercise your bodies, and let your minds rest.
149
The blessing of food, sleep, and social enjoyment are ordained of
God for his glory and our benefit, and it is for us to learn to
use them and not abuse them, that his kingdom may advance on the
earth, and we advance in it. That is our errand in the world, and
we have no business but to build up the kingdom of God, and
preserve it and ourselves in it. Whether it is ploughing, sowing,
harvesting, building, going into the kanyons, or whatever it is
we do, it is all within the pale of the kingdom of God, to
forward his cause on the earth, to redeem and build up his Zion,
and prepare ourselves, that when the Lord shall usher in the
morning of rest we may enter into our labours to officiate for
our dead friends back to Adam.
149
All that have lived or will live on this earth will have the
privilege of receiving the Gospel. They will have Apostles,
Prophets, and ministers there, as we have here, to guide them in
the ways of truth and righteousness, and lead them back to God.
All will have a chance for salvation and eternal life. What do
you think of that Gospel? No one will be denied that privilege of
having it. Where is there a sectarian that can tell you anything
about the power of the Gospel?
149
Brethren and sisters, if you have understood my mind with regard
to your recreations, I am happy. But understand that there is not
a man or woman professing to be in this Church and kingdom that
has any liberty to drink to excess, to lie, deceive, cheat,
steal, or do anything that is wrong; and those who do such things
have not my sanction to join the others in the dance. There are
some who practise stealing to this day--who are dishonest, and
will lie; and such persons have not my consent to participate in
dancing.
149
Those that have kept their covenants and served their God, if
they wish to exercise themselves in any way, to rest their minds
and tire their bodies, go and enjoy yourselves in the dance, and
let God be in all your thoughts in this as in all other things,
and he will bless you; and I bless you all, in the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Orson
Hyde, January 3, 1858
Orson Hyde, January 3, 1858
SELF-GOVERNMENT--CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES--CHURCH GOVERNMENT, ETC.
A Sermon by Elder Orson Hyde, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 3, 1858.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
150
Brethren and sisters, it has fallen to my lot this morning to
speak unto you a short time as I may be led by the Spirit of the
Lord our God. It is very natural for me, when I arise to address
a congregation, to speak pretty energetically and pretty loudly
also. This you all know that are acquainted with me and that have
heard me speak. I like to hear an energetic speaker; but one who
speaks very loud is apt to injure himself. When I have spoken too
loudly, I have done injustice to myself and probably to the
congregation. I shall endeavour, the Lord being my helper, to
modulate my voice according to the Spirit of God that I may have
when speaking, and not go beyond it, neither fall short. At the
same time, I do not want my mind so trammelled as brother Parley
P. Pratt's once was, when dancing was first introduced into
Nauvoo among the Saints. I observed brother Parley standing in
the figure, and he was making no motion particularly, only up and
down. Says I, "Brother Parley, why don't you move, forward?" Says
he, "When I think which way I am going, I forget the step; and
when I think of the step, I forget which way to go."
150
I desire that I may watch myself, that while I may be thinking
what to say, I may not allow my voice to range unchecked or
uncontrolled; and while I may seek to govern my voice, I hope not
to be forgetful of matter for your edification.
150
The principle of government among the saints is the most
important principle that there is for us to understand. If we
apply it to individual capacity, it is the most important to us
as individuals, not only in the government of the hand and arm,
which are greater members than the tongue, but in the government
of the tongue also. The tongue, though a very small member, is of
all importance, which we readily concede. If we can govern the
tongue, we may be considered qualified to rule; for the tongue,
though a small member, sets on fire the course of nature, and is
too often set on fire of hell.
151
It is the tongue that causes the evils that exist in the world;
it is the tongue that sets nations at war; it is the tongue that
causes broils in the domestic circle; it is the tongue that
causes the fire of animosity and ill-will to burn in our midst.
If we can succeed in governing the tongue according to the mind
and will of God, we have got peace in our families, peace in our
neighbourhoods, peace in our community, and, what is more than
all, we have peace with our God; for he that offendeth not in
word, the same is a perfect man. Show me a perfect man that does
not have peace with his God, and you will show me something I
never saw or heard of. If we can govern the tongue, we are
prepared than to enter upon the government of other matters; but
I think we shall have plenty to do, at least for the present, to
govern our tongues, even the best that are under the sound of my
voice; for there is not person but that sometimes speaks
unadvisedly with his lips--but that sometimes lets off an
improper word; for the tongue or mouth is merely the valve of the
heart--the place where the sentiments are discharged that have
been confined in the heart, and that is the true index to the
real inner man. Hence, "By they words thou shalt be justified,
and by them thou shalt be condemned." Who of us this morning can
say that we have not offended in word, even this morning? Can we
say that we have not offended in word since the new year of 1858
began? 1857 is gone by; 1858 is now before us. Have we offended
in word since this year began?--for I am sure that you all prayed
that, with the close of the year, your sins might be cancelled
and swept away into the gulf of forgetfulness, that they be
brought against you no more. Then I trust that you have entered
upon the new year with a clean page--turned over a new leaf. Is
there a spot or blemish upon that new page thus far until now?
Have none of us offended in word? If we have not, so far we are
perfect, and able also to bridle the whole body. This will do
then, perhaps, for the regulation and control of the tongue.
151
There are other matters that I may be led to speak upon in
relation to the government of the Saints as a body. By what law
shall we be governed? By what rule are we to be controlled and
managed? By the laws and power of this world, or by the laws and
powers of the world to come? We form a very important link in the
chain of existence. We are occupying a very important place at
the present time, and we are called upon to set an example. We
are called upon to be the pioneers of a work that shall be
everlasting. To be sure, we are but weak and feeble; yet we are
the strongest of all people on the earth, if we have the God of
heaven to be our helper; and we have him, if we offend not in
word--if we can govern the tongue.
151
It is said there are a great many imperfections among us as a
people. Grant it. At the same time, it is said we are the best
people on earth, and the only friends God has. Admit this to be
so. We may not be so pure friends as he might desire, but we are
the best there are; and if he suffers us to be cut off, he will
have none left of any kind. This is verily so.
151
We know that if we want a certain work done, we select the most
proper individual for that job. If he is not so good as we could
wish, we take the best we have and use that individual. So the
Almighty, if he cannot have a people exactly to his liking, I do
not know but that he will take the best there is, and manage and
get along with them according to the wisdom he possesses.
152
Now, in relation to the Constitution of the United States, I want
to speak a few words. There is a great deal of sacredness
attached to the Constitution of the United States by this people:
that is all right and good. The Constitution is well enough, and
so is anything that serves the purpose for which it was created,
provided that purpose be a good one. It was designed and created
with a good intention. If it serves the purpose and end of its
creation, it is good; and when it has served the end of its
creation, the purpose and design of the Almighty are
accomplished, and I do not know that he has any more particular
use for it. He may then lay it aside as a relic to be respected
and honoured for the good it has done, for aught I know.
152
It is said that brother Joseph in his lifetime declared that the
Elders of this Church should step forth at a particular time when
the Constitution should be in danger, and rescue it, and save it.
This may be so; but I do not recollect that he said exactly so. I
believe he said something like this--that the time would come
when the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an
overthrow; and said he, If the Constitution be saved at all, it
will be by the Elders of this Church. I believe this is about the
language, as nearly as I can recollect it.
152
The question is whether it will be saved at all, or not. I do not
know that it matters to us whether it is or not: the Lord will
provide for and take care of his people, if we do every duty, and
fear and honour him, and keep his commandments; and he will not
leave us without a Constitution. There is none of you will
dispute that the Temple of Solomon was built by the inspiration
of the Almighty, and it was built to answer a certain purpose and
design: it was built by the skill, wisdom, ingenuity, and
strength of man, aided by the inspiration of the Almighty. It was
a beautiful structure, and excited the admiration of all people.
Even the Queen of the South came to behold the wondrous works of
Solomon and his wisdom and declared that the half had not been
told her.
152
The edifice stood for centuries, though it had become somewhat
like the boy's jack-knife, which had had three new blades and two
new handles. In the days of our Saviour, the disciples were very
anxious to show him the magnificence of that building. "Master,"
said they, "see what stones! Look at the grandeur, sublimity,
strength, and skill displayed in the erection of this building!"
I see it all; but I tell you one thing, and it is near at hand,
when there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall
not be thrown down. "You come out against this temple!" The Jews
thought the Saviour was a blasphemer when he said he would
destroy this temple, and in three days he would raise it up
again. "What! are you going to destroy this sacred place that was
built by the inspiration of the Almighty?" They supposed he
referred to the temple built by Solomon; but instead of that, he
referred to the temple of his own body.
152
This shows how the Jews viewed their temple, and the importance
they attached to it. They considered it as a most sacred place,
and this is why they misunderstood the Saviour and considered him
a blasphemer for presuming to speak against the temple. You
discover that the Saviour says, There shall not be left here one
stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.
153
Why must this temple be razed to the foundation? Because it has
answered the purpose of its erection; and another thing--it has
been so grossly polluted that it has incurred the displeasure of
the Almighty, and he will not see so noble a structure defiled
and remain in the midst of the Jews to be used as a den of
thieves, instead of a house of prayer. The Lord went to work to
purify it, and took a whip of small cords, and went in and cast
out them that bought and sold, and overthrew the tables of the
money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and made
quite an uproar in the midst of the Jews. Still they would resort
there. There was the place where they would buy and sell, despite
the reproof the Saviour had given them. Then said he, There shall
not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.
It is useless to endeavour to purify and cleanse it, because it
has been made the theatre of so much corruption and hypocrisy. I
will sweep it out of existence, and utterly destroy it.
153
Just so with the Constitution of the United States. It was framed
by the inspiration of the Almighty, we readily grant. It has
served a certain purpose--been a partial shield to the Church in
its infancy, or it has been a check upon mobocracy that otherwise
would have risen against it. It has not been a protection
exactly, but a check; and the Almighty saw fit to bring forth his
work under this Constitution. It has served and fulfilled its
purpose. Now, look at the disgraceful roguery practised under
that Constitution. There cannot be an election of a President
without bribery, betraying, and buying and selling votes. Under
the Constitution there are all kinds of trade, traffic, and
commerce carried on a political view. The Constitution now serves
but little purpose other than a cloak for political gamblers,
merchants, and hucksters.
153
The Almighty looks down from heaven and sees it impossible to
save the Constitution, to perpetuate it, and cleanse and purify
it; for the wickedness of the people is determined to sweep it
out of the way. Although it was framed by his wisdom and skill,
and his power and goodness, yet with as much cheerfulness will it
be overthrown as it was ever erected or framed. I presume that
Titus, the Roman Emperor, when he entered Jerusalem, when he
overthrew the temple and the city, was inspired by the Devil as
much to do it, as perhaps, Solomon was by the Lord to build it,
or those that did build it, because it had fulfilled its day and
its work, and had become corrupted and impure, and was the place
in which corruption was practised; and he would sweep it away. It
is sometimes the case that in a city where a house of ill fame is
kept, the people will turn out and demolish the house. It is not
because they have an antipathy against the house, but because it
was the cover in which abominations were practised, and they will
not bear it, and they turn out once in a while and tear down the
house. We do not suppose the Almighty had anything against the
temple; but it was a place of resort for corrupt characters, and
he was determined to dispense with them by destroying their
haunts of iniquity. We do not suppose the Almighty has anything
against the Constitution; but it serves as a kind of cover under
which corrupt characters hide themselves and attempt to carry on
all kinds of barter and traffic in relation to politics; and the
Almighty is determined to uncover and expose them.
154
What Constitution shall we be governed by, when unprincipled men
have destroyed the Constitution of our Union? I will tell you
what we shall have: while we walk in the favour of God, we shall
have a Constitution. The Constitution written in the Bible? No.
In the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, or Book of Mormon? No.
What kind shall we have, then? The Constitution that God will
give us. Do you suppose that Joseph Smith was permitted to be
killed because the Almighty had anything against him? No. But he
wanted the ungodly that rejected his testimony to fill up the cup
of their iniquity; and hence they were permitted to take away his
life, after he had accomplished the work he came to accomplish,
and not before; they could not touch him before he had done the
work he was sent to do--before he had laid the foundation of this
kingdom. And when that was completed, he might be taken from the
troubles of this world, that the ungodly might have the
opportunity of filling up the cup of their iniquity. The blood of
Joseph and Hyrum was shed--mingled too with the blood of brother
Taylor, who survived, and who is here a living witness to the
facts the occurred in connection with their death. Has the nation
atoned for that blood? No. Have they offered to do it? They never
have. But if one poor scamp should happened to be killed in this
country, in this region, the whole of the United States are ready
to fly to arms to avenge the blood of that individual, that never
was worth the powder and lead to kill him. But the Prophets of
God that are inspired of the Almighty to do a work for the
benefit of the human family can be killed, and no man lay it to
heart. Oh, it is all very well: to be sure, it was an outrageous
deed to murder them when they were in the hands of the law--when
they were held as prisoners; it was a horrid act: at the same
time, we are glad it is done. That is the feeling, and the
universal feeling almost throughout the United States. There was
hardly a man, woman, or child that did not assent to the death of
Joseph and Hyrum, but objected to the way in which it was done.
"It is not exactly honourable or pleasing, but we are glad of it
anyhow." That is the sentiment of the nation, and by that very
sentiment they have drawn upon themselves the anger of God; and
that blood has to be atoned for upon all those that have said, We
are glad of it!--that have secretly said so and cherished that
idea. It will extend to them all who have consented to the death
of the Prophet of God.
154
Now, says the Lord, "To him that overcometh will I give power
over the nations." Did Joseph Smith overcome, even unto death?
Yes. Was God with him? Yes, he was. When they were about to cut
off his head, behold, the power of the Almighty came down, and
the men stood as it were like marble statues: they could not
move, but stood there like Lot's wife--not pillars of salt, but
pillars of petrified corruption. The power of the Almighty came
down with the vivid glare of lightning's flash, and they had not
power to take his head off. Was God with him? Yes. Was his death
glorious? Yes. What was his glory? One portion of it is--"To him
that overcometh will I give power over the nations." A portion of
his honour and glory will be to enforce his word and see it take
effect among the people and nations that have said, We are glad
that he is killed! They cannot avoid it by going through death.
They will have to be arraigned under the government and
jurisdiction of their murdered victims.
155
When we pass a law in the Legislature, and say that it is the law
by our acts, we also say that all laws and parts of laws
conflicting herewith are repealed from this time henceforth. When
Joseph takes his position, all laws and parts of laws that shall
conflict at all with him are hereby repealed, and his word, and
his law will be the end of strifes. There is no dodging it, and I
feel thankful for it. Well, brethren and sisters, let it be our
happy lot and our ambition so to live before our God and our
superiors that have gone before us, that they may take pleasure
in saying to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things." I tell you, Joseph holds the keys and none of us can get
into the celestial kingdom without passing by him. We have not
got rid of him, but he stands there as the sentinel, holding the
keys of the kingdom of God; and there are many of them beside
him. I tell you, if we get past those who have mingled with us,
and know us best, and have a right to know us best, probably we
can pass all other sentinels as far as it is necessary, or as far
as we may desire. But I tell you, the pinch will be with those
that have mingled with us, stood next to us, weighed our spirits,
tried us, and proven us: there will be a pinch, in my view, to
get past them. The others, perhaps, will say, If brother Joseph
is satisfied with you, you may pass. If it is all right with him,
it is all right with me. Then if Joseph shall say to a man, or if
brother Brigham say to a man, I forgive you your sins, "Whosoever
sins ye remit they are remitted unto them;" if you who have
suffered and felt the weight of transgression--if you have
generosity enough to forgive the sinner, I will forgive him: you
cannot have more generosity that I have. I have given you power
to forgive sins, and when the Lord gives a gift, he does not take
it back again. When he bestows a power, he does not diminish it,
unless it is through transgression in the individual to whom this
authority is given; but if he increases in righteousness, the
Lord will add to it, instead of taking away. We see the position
that brother Joseph stands in; we see that he has overcome, and
that he has power over the nation. Now, brethren and sisters,
don't you think that brother Joseph feels for this people--feels
an interest for us? Has he overcome, or has he not? We all say
yes, he has, by the word of the Lord, by the truth of heaven, and
by the word of his testimony. He has laid down his life for his
brethren; and greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends. He has overcome? Yes. Then has he
power over the nation? Yes. Does he love that people that killed
him? No: he feels towards them as the Lord does, who is angry
with the wicked every day, yet he does not sin. What shall he do
with them? Break them to pieces as a potter's vessel. Then the
love that he has for this people and the anger that he feels
towards the ungodly will be seen and felt by all classes; and if
he has power over the nation, will he not exert it? He is armed
with this power, which is reason sufficient why he should exert
it in favour of his friends. Then we have no reason to fear.
155
When a man overcomes, he has power over the nation. I tell you we
have no reason to fear, if we are friends to that individual.
155
They thought, if they could kill Joseph and Hyrum, they would get
the ascendancy, and that it would be an end of "Mormonism".
155
Do you not see that every means they devised for their own safety
is so many steps towards their overthrow? They could not have
struck a more fatal blow for themselves that when the murdered
Joseph and Hyrum, because it made them rulers over their enemies;
and by this bloody act they sealed, nailed, and clenched their
own doom and there is now no possible chance of deliverance.
155
It is just so with our enemies at this time: if they let us
alone, we will prosper; and if they don't, we will prosper the
faster and bring them under subjection the sooner. That is just
the way our heavenly Father will overrule it, if we live to his
honour and glory.
156
Now, we have the living law. The voice of brother Brigham is
heard from day to day and from time to time, and also the voices
of his Counsellors, who are to him as Aaron and Hur were to
Moses, lifting up his hands in the midst of the congregation, and
sustaining and upholding him while his voice pours out the mind
and will of God unto us. That is the law by which we are
governed; and if we abide it, we have no need to transcend our
Constitutional rights. In that we are safe, if we will honour and
abide by it; and it is the only safe law and protecting power
that will shield and screen us in the day of adversity and trial.
156
As Joseph stood to the people in his day, so do brother Brigham
and his Counsellors stand to the people in our day. Now, then,
provided we can secure the favour, friendship, and goodwill of
them that hold the keys of the kingdom in our day, it will be all
right. Suppose some of us did really sin and transgress in the
days of Joseph, in our darkness and ignorance, in our stupidity
and blindness, and grieve the Holy Spirit and the spirit of
Joseph: he is dead and we are living; and by-and-by brother
Brigham comes up before Joseph. "Well," says Joseph, "How did
those ones get along in your day? Have they improved any? Have
they done right even in your day, and secured your confidence and
goodwill?" "Oh, yes," says brother Brigham; "they have done well
in my day. We have had no trouble with them: they have kept my
word." Says Joseph, "If you can speak in their favour, I will not
interpose any objections.
156
It is for us, brethren and sisters, to secure the goodwill of
those that hold the keys of the kingdom here. We do not care what
they think outside of us. We ask no odds of them: they may think
what they please. If we can only get the goodwill, faith, and
love of our brethren that preside over us, we shall not need the
encomiums of the ungodly.
156
If we can get the goodwill of them that preside over us in our
day, they will speak a good word for us. If you, Bishops, have a
man in your wards that has been refractory and is put under your
jurisdiction, the President calls upon you and asks, "How does
that man get along?" First rate: he is easily governed and
controlled." Says the President, "I am glad to hear it; I am glad
he is getting along so well, and hope and trust he will continue
to do so: he has my goodwill." If we can secure that friendship,
goodwill, and confidence of those who preside over us, and merit
it, (mark you, and we shall not get it without we do,) the fact
is, it will be their pleasure to speak a good word to Joseph for
us, and also to others that have gone before, Is there a Bishop
under the sound of my voice now that would not esteem it a
pleasure to bear testimony in favour of a man for his good
conduct, if he had been rebellious and had reformed under his
administration? No. Let us remember these things, brethren.
156
The men that God has placed in our midst let us sustain like the
two counsellors of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, who held up the hand of
Moses. Let us honour that word that comes from the Prophet of
God. He holds the keys of the kingdom. He is the true successor
of Joseph, and he will have power over the nation, either in life
or in death: it is immaterial to him. When brother Brigham goes
and joins with Joseph, it will be said, "Oh, we are one, just as
we always were; and here come his counsellors: they are one, and
they increase the strength and power of the Priesthood beyond the
vail. It is for us to uphold these men in every condition.
157
Do we ever eat a meal of victuals without asking God to bless it?
We do not, if we do right; for we ought to have grateful hearts
all the time, and ask God to bless every gift he bestows upon us,
and thank him for it. And when we pray, can we pray without
remembering the power that bears us up? If I were going to climb
upon a scaffold, and I thought it weak, I would strengthen it
before I ventured upon it. I do not want to venture upon it
unless I know it is strong. If I put forth my powers in behalf of
it and strengthen it, then I know it is strong. If I never pray
for that power, and feel no interest in it, I will never venture
upon it. But if I have an interest there, I will strengthen that
power; and when I do, I can venture on it.
157
The Presidency are like an arch with a keystone in the top of it.
The greater weight you put upon it, the stronger it is. It is
sometimes the case that the arch falls, but it is when no weight
is upon it; but when you put a hundred thousand pounds weight
upon it, it is better bound together and stands the more firmly.
So, if we sustain that power by our prayers and faith, we may put
everything on it,--not everything for them to do, we do not mean,
but the weight of responsibility in dictating the affairs of the
kingdom. We may trust them with safety and confidence, because we
have contributed to make the abutments permanent and strong, and
now we may venture with assurance.
157
The grand secret we shall find to be, when we get through, that
these are gods unto us, and there are millions of them beside;
but they have but little to do with us. It is the power that is
next to us that we have to do with more particularly--the power
under whose jurisdiction we are immediately brought.
157
Some think they can run by their Bishops and disrespect their
authority. They may think, "Only let me make it fair with the
President, and it will be all right; I have the sanction of the
highest authority." You might have the sanction of the head; but
if the head had not feet to stand on, that sanction would not be
of much worth.
157
Just so, we should seek to have the sanction of those that are
immediately over us by our upright conduct. How can we love those
whom we do not see once a month, or once in six months, if we
love not our Bishop whom we see daily.
157
Some men think, if they can have a good name abroad and with the
Presidency, all is well. But at home, in our own houses, in our
Wards, and with our immediate neighbours are the places to
establish our reputation. I tell you, if there is not a good
influence in our own neighbourhood, among our own ward people in
our favour, there is not a good influence anywhere for us, except
with the reprobate. When you find a man or woman that has a good
influence in their own Ward with their own Bishop--a good name
with their own neighbours, they have a good name everywhere.
157
When the rays of light come from the sun, we say they are
glorious, just as far as those rays extend. It is the same glory
and the same influence, and it is the same power. Just so it is
if all is right at home; if we have the respect and confidence of
our own domestic fireside friends, we have the respect and
confidence of all whose respect is worth possessing.
157
Some may think, if they can only keep fair weather with their
Bishop and neighbours, it is no matter how they live at home,
whether they neglect their affairs and quarrel like cats and dogs
or not, if they can only pull the wool over the Bishop's eyes.
157
If we have a little hell in our own houses, that little hell will
be sure to break out. We close the sepulchre, and roll a stone
there, and seal it with the seal of State, and confine it just as
closely as we please; but the contents will escape. Even so with
any family: their conduct will be known, and they cannot suppress
it, nor confine it to their own domiciles. Let us have no kind of
jars at all: let us make everything right at home, at the real
seat of government, to begin with.
158
If they should have a little difficulty among the troops out here
in Utah, so far from the seat of Government in Washington, it
would have but little effect a head-quarters. But when
contention, strife, and war break out in the halls of Congress,
it then becomes something; and such kind of difficulty I pray
God, in the name of Jesus, to let them have right at home, at the
seat of empire because they have sought to destroy the kingdom of
God; and it is the same spirit that moved Herod to slay the
infant children. God grant they may be smitten with worms, as was
Herod, or anything else that seemeth him good, and defeat their
intentions and designs.
158
If we can make it all right in our families, there is the place
of government. Govern the tongue right in our own families. I
know it is sometimes the case that a person will see a chance to
slip in a word that will cut like a razor. "Oh, that is too good
a chance to let slip; therefore I will let fly a word," and it
sets all hell on fire. I speak particularly in relation to some
women; but I do not know that it is any more in relation to them
than to some men. The woman sees a chance to give the man a keen
word that will make him feel; but she sours her own dish by so
doing. She turns the sweet into gall, and then is compelled to
eat it.
158
What is the better way? If she sees a chance to inflict a wound
by a word that will cut, and she thinks her husband really
deserves it, which is the sure way to get a victory? Never say
that word! Say the women, "If we can have no protection, shall we
say nothing at all?" Let it pass, I tell you; take it mildly; and
by-and-by, says the husband, "I grieved by wife, and gave her
just cause of offence. I am sorry for it; she has taken it so
meekly, and never has harrassed by feelings. Now, this cuts me
ten time worse than if she had said something to balance the
matter: then I should not have had this sting in my heart. But to
see her take it so mildly without offering one reproach, O my
God, how can I forgive myself?"
158
When you get a victory in that way, it is worth something. It is
like getting a victory over our enemies by not firing a gun nor
molesting them, only praying for them all the time. By-and-by
they will come under conviction, and see all these things, and
say, "O my God, can I ever forgive myself? We are whipt, and they
have never done a thing."
158
You may get a victory over your husbands all the time by praying
for them, not exactly as we pray for our friends out yonder; but
pray for them, and never do a thing to harm them, and by-and-by
you will gain the victory; and I tell you that will count. Try
this plan and see.
158
I do not feel like occupying more of your time. You have my best
feelings and prayers, night and day, that God may bless you, and
the land for our sake, and that he will clear our coast of
enemies, and place a flaming sword to guard the way of the tree
of life, that in the valley may grow, being watered by the
streams from the mountains until it becomes a great tree. This is
what I desire and pray for.
158
May God bless you and our leaders and give us favour in their
eyes, that we may grow up under their fostering care, that we may
be prepared to act in every place where Providence may guide us,
and be ready to act well our part from this time henceforth and
for ever. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / George
Albert Smith, January 3, 1858
George Albert Smith, January 3, 1858
TRUE GOVERNMENT, UNION, AND PROGRESS--THE PRIESTHOOD THE
CHANNEL OF DIVINE REVELATION.
Remarks by Elder George A. Smith, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 3, 1858.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
159
We have listened to a very interesting course of instructions,
which if treasured up in our hearts and properly practised, must
do us all good. It is of the utmost importance to our welfare in
the kingdom of the Most High that we commence and learn to govern
ourselves; and when this lesson is learned, then we are prepared
to govern others. Unless we can govern ourselves, we are
unprepared to be governed in the way that the kingdom of God is
to be ruled and directed, which is to be upon the principle of
common consent. It is not that a majority shall rule, but that
the people shall be agreed; and when all the people are agreed as
touching any one thing in the kingdom of God, no power can resist
it.
159
The world look upon us a though we are tyrannized over because
they do not know the principles upon which we act. In all our
Conferences and Councils, this people should act as a unit, and
have done so to a greater extent than any other people that have
existed on the earth for a great many centuries. This has
astonished even republicans. It is astonishing to many men to
think that a people can all be agreed; and I have read
professedly learned illustrations of republicanism, which declare
that it is attended with great danger for the people all to be
united. There is danger of their being united, lest they oppress
somebody--that is, themselves.
159
In conversation, last winter, with ex-Governor Lane, of Oregon,
(then a delegate in Congress,) on this principle, I told him of
an election which occurred in one of our new counties, where the
office of Sheriff was vacant, and by accident there were two
candidates and a close contest. He said, "That is an evidence of
civilization."
159
If every person in a family can learn to be governed, there will
be no difficulty in that family. And if every person in a Ward
can learn to govern and control themselves, there will be no
difficulty in that Ward; for the human mind is so constituted
that this principle cannot be learned only by the observance of
the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, there is not
other people upon the face of the earth that could live in these
valleys and cultivate and irrigate the soil as we do. They have
so little control of their disposition and of their temper, they
would kill each other with their hoes over the water ditches.
There could not be two, three, or forty owners in a water ditch
without fighting. It takes pretty good Saints to get along with
water ditches in a dry time, and not quarrel.
160
When this people live as they should, there will be no
disposition in them to quarrel one with another. If anything is
wrong, they will be ready to submit that wrong to be made
straight by those who understand it better than they do. If any
misunderstanding arises, it can easily be adjusted. But, with our
views, prejudices, and traditions, we are all the time struggling
with ourselves and our own peculiar notions. Every person has in
his own brain a series of ideas implanted from early youth, which
he considers to be right; and it is a very hard matter for us to
relinquish these deeply-implanted traditions, which in nine cases
out of ten are not right.
160
Now, from the early history of this Church, almost every man,
every Elder, or member that has undertaken to study or practise
law was in a very short time on the high road to apostasy and
destruction; and every member of this Church who has undertaken
to practise law as a profession has gone neck-and-heels to the
Devil. What is the reason of this? They take up the opinions of
men that wrote perhaps hundreds of years ago, and lay them down
as a standard, drive them down as stakes, and then tie themselves
to them, and they are immediately in a peck measure: their minds
are contracted to the circumference of a peck measure, and they
are a good deal in the condition that a gentleman was, by the
name of Silly, who kept a tavern. There was an emminent
Presbyterian minister who called on him, by the name of Peck.
Silly thought he would joke the minister before the company at
the dinner table, and said to him, "Mr. Peck, I believe it takes
two pecks to make a half-bushel." "Yes, sir; but it only takes
one silly to make a fool." So it only just takes one of those
"Mormon" lawyers to make a fool.
160
Instead of taking up the subject as it exists, and enquiring what
is right or wrong, they adopt the Gentile mode of undertaking to
carry a point, right or wrong; and no Elder of Israel can
undertake to carry a point, right or wrong, just or unjust, and
stand up and defend injustice, falsehood, and corruption, without
losing the Spirit of God; and it only takes one such a man to
make a fool.
160
Trace over the history of apostates, and you will find that in
almost every instance they lay down a standard rule--that is to
say, "Thus far will we go, and no farther." For instance, we will
take the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants, and
say concerning them, They are true--the rule and guide of our
faith and practice; they are the law we must abide, and we must
go no further; and so their light is blown out. Although these
books are true, and there are many good instructions in them, by
which we may learn the way of life, yet the very moment we tie
ourselves to them and say we will receive nothing more, from that
moment our light is extinguished, and we are inside the peck
measure.
160
Go back to the early history of the Christian Church, and you
find that the very moment the institutions of Jesus Christ and
his Apostles were presented to the world, men began to speculate
and philosophize on them, and to distribute them into different
parts, and speculate on them, adopting their own wisdom for the
wisdom of God. Instead of observing strictly the original
principles of salvation, and keeping the light always
blazing--keeping the spirit of revelation always burning--keeping
the spirit of truth, the lamp of light, and communications from
the Almighty continually flowing, they adopted a little of that
they had received which suited their vain notions, saying, "We
have enough, and upon this we will build."
161
The very moment that revelation to this Church through our
Prophet and Presidency ceases to be communicated unto us, and we
adopt any series of books, whether the writings of Joseph or the
writings of any other man, or all the writings and revelations
that ever have been given, and say, This much we receive, and no
more; then we are as dead as the lifeless corpse: we cut off the
channel of revelation, and the light and the communication
between us and eternal happiness; we cut asunder the thread of
light, and we are in darkness and adrift at sea, without a
compass to guide us, like any other religious denomination. Hence
it is that we bear testimony of the fulness of the Gospel and of
the Priesthood conferred upon Joseph Smith, and conferred upon
our Prophet and President Brigham Young, and all the authorities
of Israel in their sphere and in their standing and position.
161
I know that this Priesthood is true and is the authority by which
we can claim and obtain from God this burning light until the day
dawn and the day star arise.
161
Now, if I could not get up here and bear testimony that we are
led by the power and instruction of the Spirit of prophecy--by
the Spirit of the Almighty--by a Prophet called of God, ordained
and chosen to instruct, teach, and lead us, you would never hear
my voice in your midst. But that light never can be put out: it
is with the Church, and God has set his hand at the present time
to establish his kingdom. But unless the Saints will so live and
so exert themselves that they can preserve the purity of the holy
Priesthood among them, the work will be left to other people.
161
There is not opportunity for a halfway place: it is impossible.
Men may think they can lie a little, blaspheme a little, get
drunk a little, or do a thousand other mean things just a little,
and yet be the servants of God. But is we would inherit the
blessings of the Priesthood--if we would stand in the presence of
the Almighty--stand upon Mount Zion and inherit the blessings of
a glorious celestial dominion, we have got to be clean: we must
cleanse ourselves, put away our follies, and be prepared to stand
united.
161
A great many people have wondered why it was that it was
necessary for the Saints to gather together. The fact is, the
human mind is so weak--so susceptible of false impressions, that
while the people of God were scattered in the nations of the
earth, to come in contact with all the corruptions, prejudices,
and traditions of the world, it was literally impossible for the
human mind to resist these pressures. But by bringing our
firebrands from every part of the world, gathering them from
every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and placing them
together in one mighty heap, and exercising ourselves with
diligence to cast out everything that is not right,--by doing
this we kindle a fire that can never be extinguished.
161
This is the work of God, and the servants of God that are called
to preside over us are the messengers of the Most High, and they
have the light and the power. It matters not whether we live to
behold it in this life or not, that light will triumph; and all
those who live humble and keep the commandments of God will
triumph also. This is my testimony. We need not fear the armies
of the Gentiles.
161
From the very hour that the light began to shine, all the world
has been trying to put it out; but the more they try to
extinguish it the brighter it will shine; and it will blaze and
burn, and it will go forth and will consume out of our midst all
those that work iniquity; and Zion will be established in its
purity, no more to be thrown down.
162
It is of no use to be discouraged or alarmed. We may have to
sacrifice some of our habits, some of our comforts, and some
necessaries; but then it will wake us up to supply our own wants.
If our enemies should stop the importation of goods, deprive us
of the means of exporting all the gold an silver we can
accumulate, we will retain it among ourselves, and turn in and
produce for ourselves. The greatest sermon that ever has been
preached in these mountains in aid of home manufactures was that
preached by General Johnston, when he told the merchants on
Black's Fork that if they undertook to carry their goods to Salt
Lake, he would set their train on fire. If they will keep their
traps away, we will produce our own, and then we shall have them,
and they will be our own, and we shall be independent, and we
will fulfil the commandment given to the Church through
Joseph--"Let all thy garments be plain, and their beauty the
beauty of the work of thine own hands."
162
May God bless us, and enable us to do right in all things, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / John
Taylor, January 17, 1858
John Taylor, January 17, 1858
BLESSINGS OF THE SAINTS--HINDRANCES TO PROGRESS--OBJECT AND
BENEFIT OF
TRIALS--ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GOD'S HAND, SPIRIT, AND PRIESTHOOD,
ETC.
A Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, January 17, 1858.
Reported by J. V. Long.
162
I feel that we are all of us in the hands of God, that we are all
associated with this kingdom, and that if any people under the
face of the heavens can be properly called "the Saints of the
Most High," we are that people. It certainly is a prominent
position, a great title, an endearing relationship that we
sustain to the Lord, if we really magnify our calling and honour
our God.
163
When we reflect upon the myriads of human beings that crowd the
earth in every nation, country, and clime, and then consider that
we are the only people that do really "acknowledge the hand of
God in all things;" that we are the only people that God has
chosen and selected to place his name among; that we are the only
people that can emphatically be called the servants and
handmaidens of the Lord; that we are the only people that have a
right and claim upon the promises of God; that we are the only
people that entertain correct ideas pertaining to our present
position and our future destiny; that we are the only people that
can stretch back to ages that are past, and look forward to those
that are to come, and that can act understandingly in relation to
our worship and the ordinances of the house of God, having a
knowledge of the past, the present, and the future; that we are
the only people under the heavens that have a legitimate right to
the promises and blessings of God, whether they relate to this
world or that which is to come; that we are the only people that
understand anything about the present position or the cause of
the organization of the world and of man, and that understand
anything correctly about the preparation for a future state; that
we are the only people that know how to save our progenitors, how
to save ourselves, and how to save our posterity in the celestial
kingdom of God; that we are the people that God has chosen by
whom to establish his kingdom and introduce correct principles
into the world; and that we in fact are the saviours of the
world, if they ever are saved;--when we reflect upon these
things, there is something connected with them that is calculated
to make our hearts swell with gratitude and thrill with joy; and
when we feel the consoling influence of the Spirit of the Most
High God resting upon us and round about us, and the visions and
glories of the future that we are destined to enjoy are open to
our minds, if we are faithful, and the great events that are
about to transpire in the last days are manifested to our minds,
there is something in them that is calculated to cause us to
sing, Hosanna!--hosanna to the Lord God of Hosts!
163
There is something in these reflections pleasing, enlivening,
animating, cheering, and something that is calculated to cause
joy and rejoicing in the soul.
163
If we look abroad in the world, what are their enjoyments and
hopes? They say, in effect, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow
we die." They say, "Give us gold, give us riches, give us honour,
and give us the pomp, glory, and glitter of this world? Let us
have our day now, for we know very little about the future. Let
us enjoy life while we can." These are their feelings, and hence
they riot in every excess and wallow in lasciviousness and
debauchery. They corrupt their bodies, debase their minds, and
they are not fit receptacles for the Spirit of the living God;
nor have they any among them that are capable of teaching them
anything about that Spirit; but they are in the dark.
163
When we reflect upon these things, have we not something to be
thankful for? Have we not cause of gratitude to the Most High
God? I think we have; and I think, if any people are blessed
under the heavens, we are that people; and we may exclaim, as the
ancient Israelites used to, "Happy is that people whose God is
the Lord."
163
It certainly is a lamentable thing, when we come to reflect upon
it, to see so many of the human family ignorant and careless,
knowing nothing about God--knowing nothing of their origin or
destiny. What has the Lord done for us? He has opened the
heavens, and has revealed the principles of truth. He has sent
his holy angels to communicate unto the children of men the
things that are calculated to promote their peace and happiness
in time and throughout all eternity. He has given unto us, his
people, the holy Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, which
"holds the keys of the mysteries of the revelations of God,"
which draws back the curtains of the invisible world, and enables
him to penetrate beyond the vail, and discloses the great
purposes of Jehovah pertaining to himself and to this world, as
they shall roll forth in the accomplishment of his purposes.
164
What a contrast between this and the religion of the world! This
shows man imperfectly at the present, it is true; but it will
show him perfectly how to become a saviour--how to redeem this
world, which has been overrun with anarchy, destruction, misery,
folly, and evils of every kind,--how to redeem the world from the
curse under which it labours and groans: it will show him how to
teach the human family, that they may understand correct
principles and be saved in the kingdom of God.
164
The religion of Jesus Christ will develop the plan of putting
down the high-handed power of tyranny and oppression which now
pervades the earth, and how to establish the principles of peace,
righteousness, and virtue upon the earth, and how to place the
world of mankind in that position which God has destined they
should occupy when his kingdom shall rule upon the earth, and
when "every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth
shall be heard to say, Blessing, honour, and glory, and power be
unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for
ever and ever."
164
The germs of this peace are with us; the intelligence concerning
these matters has begun to be developed, and there is a
communication opened between the heavens and the earth--an
unction that dwells with the Gods, an intelligence that governs
all worlds and controls all nature, a particle--a spark of Deity
straight from the eternal blaze of Jehovah, opening, unfolding,
enlightening, and teaching. It emanates from him to the
authorities of this Church, and flows through all the
ramifications of the Priesthood. That spark from the bosom of
Jehovah enabled them to commence that reformation that will
redeem a world from the ruins of the fall.
164
This kingdom and this organization will save all that are
governed by its principles, and it is destined by its influence
and workings in the world to spread and increase until every knee
shall be made to bow and every tongue confess to the glory of the
Father.
164
These principles have begun to be developed among us; and when we
live our religion, when we walk according to the light of the
Spirit of God, when we purge ourselves from impurity and
corruption, and the sweet whisperings of the Spirit of the Lord
pours intelligence into our bosoms, broods over us, causing peace
and joy to be with us, we have then, more or less, a faint
glimpse of those things that are laid up for the faithful; and it
is then we feel as though we and all that we have are in the
hands of the Lord, and that we are ready to offer ourselves a
sacrifice for the accomplishment of his purposes upon the earth.
164
These are our feelings, and we feel proud of our associations
with the Church and kingdom of God. Why is it that our spirits
are not always joyous? There may be different reasons. One reason
is that we do not always live our religion. We give way to
vanity, frivolity, and nonsense too much, and sometimes to
dishonesty and fraud; we do things that are not right and adopt
practices that are not good; and when this is the case, the
Spirit of the Lord is grieved, and it wanders from us, and we are
left to grope in the dark; the visions of eternity are shut out
from our minds, and we see through another medium than that of
the Spirit of God. We are led, through these circumstances, to
stumble and fall; and many make shipwreck of faith and of a good
conscience.
165
We do not all of us sufficiently comprehend the great blessings
that God has conferred upon us. We forget, sometimes, that we are
the Saints of God; we forget that we have dedicated ourselves to
the Lord, with all that we have; and we forget our high calling
and our future destiny. We forget, sometimes, that we are
engaged, with many others, in establishing righteousness and
planting the kingdom of God upon the earth; and we condescend to
little meannesses, and become forgetful of the great and glorious
calling to which we are called. Many of us give way to
temptation; we falter and get into darkness, and lose the Spirit
of the Lord. We forget that God and angels are looking upon us;
we forget that the spirits of just men made perfect and our
ancient fathers, who are looking forward for the establishment of
the kingdom of God upon the earth, are gazing upon us, and that
our acts are open to the inspection of all the authorized
agencies of the invisible world.
165
And, forgetting these things sometimes, we act the part of fools,
and the Spirit of God is grieved; it withdraws from us, and we
are then left to grope our way in the dark. But if we could live
our religion, fear God, be strictly honest, observe his laws and
his statutes, and keep his commandments to do them, we should
feel comfortable and happy; our spirits would be peaceful and
buoyant; and from day to day, from week to week, and from year to
year, our joys would increase.
165
Other causes also operate to retard the Saints in their progress.
Most of us have come out of and been mixed up with the world; we
have been associated with, and have received our education and
ideas in the midst of corruptions of every kind, and we have
sucked it in as with our mother's milk.
165
Even our religion has been corrupt, and our ideas of morality
have been wrong; our politics, law, and philosophy have all been
wrenched, twisted, and perverted; our customs, habits, and
associates have been wrong; and all that we have come out from is
vanity, evil, corrupting, and damnable in its nature.
165
Is it surprising, then, that we should find it difficult to live
according to the light and intelligence that dwells in the bosom
of God and that is manifested partially unto us, his people? Is
it surprising that, surrounded as we have been, and wallowing in
corruption all the day long, that we should have partaken more or
less of these things, and that they should still cling to us?
165
When Joseph Smith had anything from God to communicate to the
children of men or to the Church, what was it he had to fight
against all the day long? It was the prejudices of the people;
and, in many instances, he could not and dared not reveal the
word of God to the people, for fear they would rise up and reject
it. How many times has he faltered? It was not that he was
particularly afraid; but he had to look after the welfare and
salvation of the people.
165
If the Prophet Joseph had revealed everything which the Lord
manifested to him, it would have proven the overthrow of the
people in many instances; hence he had to treat them like
children, and feed them upon milk, and unfold principles
gradually, just as they could receive them.
165
Was all this because it was so hard to comprehend correct
principles? No; it was because we were babes and children, and
could not understand.
165
How is it now, under the administration of President Young? Much
the same, in this respect. He has often found it very difficult
to make the people understand things as the Lord has revealed
them unto him.
165
We ourselves have not got rid of our evils. We have so much
professed righteousness and foolish tradition within us, that we
feel indignant many times at righteous principles, when God
reveals them. Have you not felt so, brethren and sisters? I know
you have, and you know you have.
166
What is the reason of this? It is because you do not understand
celestial laws, nor the principles that govern intelligences in
the eternal worlds; it is because you do not understand what is
best calculated to elevate, ennoble, and exalt you both in this
world and in the world to come; and hence many falter and stumble
and fall by the way.
166
In consequence of these things, we are frequently brought into
darkness, bondage, and doubts, because of our consummate
ignorance and the traditions by which we have been surrounded for
they all have their influence upon us, and it seems as if we
could not break through the shackles again. There is something in
our nature also that is mixed up with our very existence. I think
the Scriptures say that man is prone to evil as the sparks fly
upwards, and not only prone to evil, but to depart from God.
166
We are all aiming at celestial glory. Don't you know we are? We
are talking about it, and we talk about being kings and priests
unto the Lord; we talk about being enthroned in the kingdoms of
our God; we talk about being queens and priestesses; and we talk,
when we get on our high-heeled shoes, about possessing thrones,
principalities, power, and dominions in the eternal worlds, when
at the same time many of us do not know how to conduct ourselves
any better than a donkey does.
166
Notwithstanding our talk and our short comings, there is a
reality in these things, and God is determined, if possible, to
make something of us. In order to do this, he has to try us and
prove us, to manifest principles unto us, to develop the evils
that are within ourselves, and to show us, by placing us in
various positions and subjecting us to various trials, what we
are,--to show us our weaknesses and follies, in order that we may
be made to lean and depend upon him alone. He will try men and
prove them, to see if their hearts are pure; for he designs to
take a course with us that will bring out the evil; and he will
touch them in that part that will develop it, for he knows that
part to touch in order to make us develop that which is in us.
166
Many of us feel like one of the kings of Israel did when the old
Prophet told him he would fight against Israel, rip open women,
and trample upon children. The king said, "Is thy servant a dog,
that he should do these things?" The Spirit of God in the Prophet
knew that such would be the case, that it was not long before he
did the very things. And there are many of you who, if you had
been told that you would do such and such things, would have
exclaimed, "Is they servant a dog, that he should do these
things?" Yet, many of you have done things that you would have
been ashamed to have your neighbours know; but you were not
ashamed to have God and angels know.
166
The light of the Holy Ghost makes manifest men's deeds, and the
Spirit of God is like a "two-edged sword, dividing the joints and
the marrow," breaking, severing, cutting, piercing, penetrating,
developing, and unfolding principles that we are almost entirely
ignorant of, until they come to be developed.
166
When you have seen your ignorance and folly, you are inclined to
say, "I thought I was a smart, good, able, intelligent man; but I
have found out that I am a fool, and that I can do nothing to
establish righteousness upon the earth, except the Lord God helps
me to do it." When the Spirit of the living God was poured out
more copiously upon you, it developed principles that were before
latent within you. That Spirit enables you to see yourselves as
the Lord sees you.
167
No trial is joyous for the present but grievous to be borne; but
trials yield their blessings, when patiently endured. The things
that are seen are temporal, but those that are not seen are
eternal; and while we look at things that are seen, we are apt to
neglect things that are not seen. When we see things that are by
the light of the Spirit, and compare them with things that are to
come, we say, "It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good."
167
The world has been apostate for generations past: it has been
under the dominion of the prince and power of the air, even the
god of this world, who rules in the hearts of the children of
disobedience. As I have stated before, they have been wrong in
political affairs, they have been wrong in their religion, and
they have been wrong in everything.
167
What is God going to do, to set the world right? We are the
people who are called to do his work; and if so, he must put us
right. We are a little nucleus, a mere handful, that he has
selected from among the nations, to put his name among. Yes, we
are that people, with all our faults, our foibles, and vanities.
We do acknowledge the hand of God; we do acknowledge the Prophet
of God and the teachings of the Most High, and we do feel willing
to be governed by those teachings.
167
Now, are we engaged in a small work? We are here in the tops of
the mountains, just as the Prophet said we should be. "And it
shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the
Lord's house shall be established in the tops of the mountains,
and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye and let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;
and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:
for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem." (Isaiah ii. 2, 3.) The kingdom of God has to be
established upon the earth, and the reign of righteousness
introduced.
167
We have first to learn submission to the will of God ourselves,
through various trials, persecutions, and the development of our
weaknesses and imperfections, and thereby learn to appreciate the
goodness and blessings that flow from him. We must see that we
ourselves first learn obedience, and then teach others. But how
can we teach others a lesson which we have not learned ourselves?
167
There is not nation now that acknowledges that hand of God; there
is not a king, potentate, nor ruler that acknowledges his
jurisdiction. We talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect
pack of nonsense. Men talk about civilization; but I do not want
to say much about that, for I have seen enough of it. Myself and
hundreds of the Elders around me have seen its pomp, parade, and
glory; and what is it? It is a sounding brass and a tinkling
symbol; it is as corrupt as hell; and the Devil could not invent
a better engine to spread his work that the Christianity of the
nineteenth century.
167
How are the nations going to be redeemed? How is the kingdom of
God going to be planted upon the earth? Will it be by preaching,
or by power? Will it be by the natural course of events, or by
moral suasion? Will it be by the outpouring of the judgments of
God on the nations? Will it be by kingdoms being overthrown and
empires crumbling to ruins? How is it going to be done? I answer,
These things will be accomplished by the guidance of the Lord
through his Prophets who are in our midst. Don't you see this,
brethren?
168
How are we going to dispose of that army on our borders? Are they
going to fight us, or are they going back? or what is going to be
done? Now, who can tell us how these things shall be done? These
are very small things, and show unto us the imperfection of our
judgment, and how little we know of the things that are around
us--how very little we know of those things that are coming to
pass, except God reveals them through his servants the Prophets.
168
If we pursue a right course and magnify our calling before God,
then everything else will be right; for "surely the Lord God will
do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the
Prophets." Then it is for us to believe what the Prophets say.
168
Sectarians profess to believe in the Bible, but they will not let
the Lord have any Prophets. But we will listen and try to keep
the commandments of our God.
168
I am now coming to some smaller things than those about which I
have been talking. Can any of you tell me how you are going to
get your next year's clothing? No man can be independent who is
dependent upon others; no nations can be independent that is
dependent upon another nation for its sustenance.
168
Adam was thrust out of the garden after he fell, and had to take
care of himself. Doubtless he was taught to spin, to weave, and
to raise flax. We read that Abel used to raise sheep; so he must
have known something about the use of wool. Cain was a tiller of
the ground, and he went to work and raised wheat, corn, squashes,
onions, beets, carrots, and such things.
168
What had Adam to clothe himself with at first? We are told that
he and his wife had fig-leaves with which they covered
themselves. That was rather a poor scrape to be in! They did not
have many bedclothes to put on, not many hats or bonnets. There
were no merchants to sell, or manufacturers but themselves, in
those days. We are certainly as well off as he was, for we have
got a start; but we cannot be independent until we can make our
own shoes, dresses, shawls, bonnets, pantaloons, hats, and all
such things as we need. When we can do these things, raise our
own food, manufacture everything we need among ourselves, then we
shall be independent of other people.
168
We have talked about being kings and priests; but we shall have
to begin at the ABC, and learn to take care of our beef-hides,
and see that they are tanned into good leather,--to take care of
our sheep, and not let them be destroyed as they have been
heretofore; and, in connection with all these things, we have to
take care that we are Saints, and look sharply after the devils.
168
A brother was talking to me about sheep, the other day. He stated
that he believed 50 out of every 75 lambs in this territory have
been destroyed for want of being better looked after.
168
We have to make ourselves, our wives, and our children
comfortable; and we must do this out of the elements that
surround us in these valleys; and if we do not, we shall find the
saying of Jesus applicable to us--"The children of this world are
wiser in their generation than the children of light." Let us
learn to take care of ourselves.
168
While we are dependent upon others, we are in a poor position to
look at the condition of the United States at the present time.
We are happily preserved from their commercial troubles. Our very
isolation preserves us from broken banks and ruinous credits. Let
us only use our judgment and proper care and industry, and we
shall be free from a thousand contingencies to which we are
liable when we depend upon others.
168
If we take care of our wheat, we shall be independent in that
respect, and that will be one point gained; and we must continue
doing so with every other thing, until we have gained every point
and accomplish what we design.
169
We have more manufacturing talent among us than there is in
any other community of the same size that I have ever met with,
and yet we are dependent.
169
If the Lord will tell us what to do, we will do it, whether it is
to fight armies or to do anything else; and by the ingenuity
there is here, we will go to work and manufacture our own
clothing; and, according to the word of the Lord, we will let our
adorning be that of the workmanship of our own hands.
169
Let us learn correct principles, that we may be enabled to govern
ourselves spiritually and temporally, and instruct our children
and the posterity which spring from us, that we may obtain an
exaltation in the celestial kingdom of our God.
169
The servants of God, if we are faithful, will teach and instruct
us in the things of God; and we shall grow up in virtue,
intelligence, holiness, and purity, and learn to understand
correct laws; and our rulers will be from among ourselves, and
our Governor will be one of us--one of the Lord's appointing--not
of the Devil's.
169
When Zion is established in her beauty and honour and glory, the
kings and princes of the earth will come, in order that they may
get information and teach the same to their people. They will
come as they came to learn the wisdom of Solomon.
169
We have intelligence and ingenuity among us to do all that is
required, and we have got to set to work; and, as the Lord gives
us wisdom and revelation from time to time, we will carry out his
purposes and his designs; we will perform the duties that may be
required of us, and we will magnify our callings, that we may be
prepared, through a long course of instruction and experience, to
enter into celestial glory with the intelligences who surround
the throne of God.
169
Brethren, I pray that God may bless us, enlighten our minds, and
lead us 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 6 / Brigham
Young, January 17, 1858
JUDGMENT ACCORDING TO WORKS--TEMPORAL NATURE OF DIVINE
REVELATIONS--TEMPORAL RESOURCES AND DUTIES OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
A Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 17, 1858.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
170
We have heard much in regard to knowledge and understanding of
this people,--also of the nations of the earth; and it is very
true that the best of us have only commenced to learn true
principles. We are but children in the kingdom of God. We
understand, in a great measure, the knowledge that is in the
world: we have been brought up in the wisdom the world professes,
and that we understand. But the things of God are so directly in
opposition to the vain imaginations of the inhabitants of the
earth, that it is hard for people to learn them. They remove our
erroneous traditions from us. At the same time, all the morality,
and good works, and good thoughts and words that tend to good,
that are in the world, are of the Lord. Honest hearts, the world
over, desire to know the right way. They have sought for it, and
still seek it. There have been people upon the earth all the time
who sought diligently with all their hearts to know the ways of
the Lord. Those individuals have produced good, inasmuch as they
had the ability. And to believe that there has been no virtue, no
truth, no good upon the earth for centuries, until the Lord
revealed the Priesthood through Joseph the Prophet, I should say
is wrong. There has been more or less virtue and righteousness
upon the earth at all times, from the days of Adam until now.
That we all believe. Men who have lived without the Priesthood
will be judged according to their works, as well as those who
have had the privilege of it. That is our doctrine. That is what
the Lord has told us, through his servants, from the beginning.
No matter where they have lived, or to what nation they have
belonged, all people will be judged according to the works or
deeds done in the body.
170
Honest hearts produce honest actions--holy desires produce
corresponding outward works. That is what we understand and
believe; yet the traditions of the fathers are so diverse from
the holy Priesthood, that it is hard for people to learn even the
smaller things pertaining to the kingdom of God--one of the
smallest items pertaining to life. If we should have ability to
sustain our selves here on the earth, we certainly should have to
live; for if we have not the ability to live, we certainly should
pass behind the vail. In that case, we could not be capable of
doing good in our present organization. As you have often been
told, and as we believe, good men and good women ought to live
the longest on the earth and set good examples, teach good
doctrines, and produce righteousness.
170
Individuals or a community that have not the ability to preserve
themselves in this life have no power to perform works to be
judged by; consequently, there is no judgment passed upon them
for deeds done in this probation. The duty of a good people is to
know how to preserve themselves in this life. The first
revelation given to Adam was of a temporal nature. Most of the
revelations he received pertained to his life here. That was also
the case in the revelations to Noah. We have but very few of the
instructions the Lord gave to Enoch concerning his city; but,
doubtless, most of the revelations he received pertained to a
temporal nature and condition. And certainly the revelation Noah
received, so far as in our possession, almost exclusively
pertained to this life. The same principle was carried out in the
days of Moses, and in the days of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. We may say that eight or nine-tenths of the doctrines
and principles set forth in the revelations given to those men
were of a temporal nature.
171
As soon as Moses was called upon to go and deliver Israel, the
revelations the Lord gave to him were of a temporal nature,
pertaining to the temporal life of the children of
Israel--instructing Moses how to deliver them from bondage and
lead them from the servile state in which they then were. He
taught them in the same manner while they were travelling through
the wilderness; and so it continued down to the days of the
judges, and then to Saul, whom the Lord permitted them to make a
king, and then through the teachings of the Prophets. The
greatest recorded digression from that course was when the
Saviour came. He repeatedly alluded to a spiritual kingdom, in
his sayings to his brethren. The people had become so corrupt
that it was all useless to then endeavour to establish a literal
kingdom of God on the earth. The children of Abraham had wandered
so far from the true doctrine, the Priesthood, the principles,
and ordinances that the Lord had revealed, that the Saviour had
not opportunity to more than drop a hint, as it were, about a
temporal kingdom. Yet the idea of a temporal kingdom was so
indelibly riveted upon the minds of his disciples, that they
supposed he alluded to it, and that when the Saviour should make
his appearance, he would actually establish a literal kingdom on
this earth and reign over it. The institutions and traditions
which had been handed down pertained to a temporal kingdom, and
they could not see that the corruptions and wickedness of the
people were so great that he could not teach or suggest anything
that they could understand pertaining to a temporal kingdom;
therefore he alluded to a spiritual kingdom--the kingdom of God
that should be set up in the heart. And those principles taught
to the people and received by them would gather them together in
the latter days, when he could prepare and organize a literal
kingdom on the earth.
171
The first revelations given to Joseph were of a temporal
character, pertaining to a literal kingdom on the earth. And most
of the revelations he received in the early part of his ministry
pertained to what the few around him should do in this or in that
case--when and how they should perform their duties; at the same
time calling upon them to preach the Gospel and diffuse the
Spirit and principles of the kingdom of God, that their eyes
might be open to see and gather the people together--that they
might begin and organize a literal, temporal organization of the
earth. All that has been done, and has been done by the wisdom of
God. The wisdom revealed through Joseph was the wisdom of our
Father in heaven,--it was not of himself.
171
The revelations to us teach us to first cleanse our hearts--to
purify ourselves, in order to have our eyes sufficiently opened
to see that kingdom of God; for, without the spiritual birth
referred to in the New Testament, we cannot see the kingdom of
God. The revelations to Joseph were--Go forth, my servants,
preach the Gospel by the power of the Holy Ghost, and open the
eyes of the people, that they may see the kingdom of God, and not
look into eternity to see the Father seated upon his throne and
the angels around him, nor seek to know what he is doing there.
The people need teaching by the power of the Holy Ghost sent down
from heaven, that their eyes may be open to see that the Lord is
commencing a literal kingdom upon the earth. When they can
discern that, then they have the opportunity to be born of water,
to enter into this kingdom. Nearly all the teachings to us
pertain to this life; and if we have not ability to preserve our
lives in our present existence, what can we do here to promote
the kingdom of God on the earth; or to prepare the earth or the
people for the coming of the Son of Man? Nothing. Consequently
our labour is chiefly a temporal labour.
171
Brother Taylor has enquired how we are to be clothed another
year? We have either to obtain new clothes or to wear those we
have now. Some one may say, "My clothes will not last another
year." Perhaps they will, if you will take good care of them.
172
When we first came here, the people were told, and many saw and
believed it as much then as they can now, that the Lord in his
providence led the people to these mountains to separate them
from the Gentile world, in order that he might establish his
kingdom--his laws, and commence his Zion in the mountains, where
his people could have but little connection with the world. They
were taught that when they first came here; and now the prospect
is very fair for separating us from the rest of the world, and
most of the people can see it. They were taught then as much as
they are taught now, that it was necessary to go to and provide
for ourselves. Do any of the brethren who came here ten years ago
last July remember that you were instructed that every facility
that we could need was here in the elements?--that the gold, the
silver, and the iron were in these mountains?--that the wool, the
flax, the silk, the cotton, and everything necessary to sustain
man were in the elements around us? "What, is silk here?" Yes, in
as great abundance as in any part of the earth; and the finest
broadcloth is here, and everything to make life desirable is
here.
172
It is for the people to go to and develop the resources
surrounding us. Sugar, starch, and glue are the chief ingredients
in the sustenance of man. The saccharine matter is in everything
that grows here: it is in the vegetables and in the animals. We
have as good beef as there is in the world, furnishing gluten--a
substance that acts its part in sustaining man. We can raise as
good potatoes and wheat as can be raised in any other part of the
earth; also other products affording starch, and all the
necessary variety and quality of articles of food. We can make
sugar from the beet; but we are now cultivating the Chinese
sugar-cane, which produces as good a sweet as any we have
imported. We have the materials for feeding the body. And as to
clothing, we can produce as good wool here as they can in any
part of the world; but we must have the sheep to enable us to do
so. And we must sow flax and plant cotton for the manufacture of
linen and cotton cloth; but the elements are here from which they
all will grow.
172
Import silkworms and mulberry trees, and you will find that this
is as good a country and climate in which to raise silk as any in
the face of the earth. Do some understand this? Yes, there are
persons here from the Eastern States who have raised silkworms
and manufactured silk; and here are scores and hundreds of silk
manufacturers from the old country. Why, then, do we not have
silk? Because no man takes steps to organize certain elements
into the silk. All this was told you in the beginning, and why
did not men understand?
173
You may take the Latter-day Saints, as a whole and they have but
very little good, sound, worldly sense. Look over this
congregation, and then find thousands that, during the first four
years of our settlement here, flooded these valleys with waggons
and cattle, and every facility for raising what we needed. We
drove in the sheep, brought the flax-seed, and this, that, and
the other useful articles. But what did we see? Men, women, and
children run to California to get gold. They were then told what
I can now prove. "Go to California if you will; we will not curse
you--we will not injure nor destroy you, but we will pity you. If
you must go for gold, and that is you god, go, and I will promise
you one thing: Every man that stays here and pays attention to
his business will be able, within ten years, to buy out four of
those who leave for the gold-mines." Since then some of those
persons have come cringing back, and thinking, "O dear, I declare
I wish the brethren could not know that I had been away! I want
to appear as though I had not gone to California, and to be full
of good works and faith." Poor, ignorant pusillanimous creatures!
They come whining back and want to be considered in full
fellowship, after leaving this place to which our God has led us,
and after having used their means to feast and build up the
Gentiles.
173
Brother Heber and I told the company that went to San Bernardino
with Amasa Lyman, that they would never reach here again without
help from this people, and we are now sending all the teams we
can raise from the southern settlements to bring them back. Why?
Because they cannot stay there, and they are not able to remove.
They were told at the start that they would have to renounce
their religion, or else come whining back to these valleys. You
may take all who have unadvisedly gone from this Territory, [and
hundreds and thousands have so gone,] and I believe that I alone
am able to buy the whole of them, though when I came here I had
but very little property, except what I owed for. I also believe
that brother Kimball and many others who have listened to what is
taught now own more property than the whole of those characters.
They could not believe that I knew enough to instruct them in
temporal affairs. Do they now believe that I do? They are obliged
to admit it, though some think, "Really, I do not know whether it
is so or not." What are those persons good for now?
173
Obedience is one of the plainest, most every-day and home
principles that you ever thought or knew anything about. In the
first place, learn that you have a father, and then learn strict
obedience to that parent. Is not that a plain, domestic, home
principle? How long will it take the men and women here to learn
it? You have learned, from year to year, scores, if not hundreds
of principles of the Gospel taught; and one of the first
principles to be learned by the Saints is to be of one heart and
mind, to obey your leaders, to obey the Lord. If you have leaders
who do not teach you the words of life and salvation--who do not
give you the words of the Lord, why not have faith sufficient to
remove them out of the way and have better men? If this people
are righteous and have any leaders that are not capable of
dictating you, why not stretch you faith in the heavens for God
to remove them and give you men that are capable of leading you?
173
Could I make a brother in the Church believe, after passing
through the troubles in Missouri, after again being driven from
our homes in Nauvoo, Illinois, and after being led to this secret
retreat and sustained all the time by the matchless power of our
God, that the love of riches would have so blunted the minds of
many as to cause them to run to California after gold? Why not
have stayed here, where we could have improved this Territory
three times as much as we have? We could have extended our
settlements still farther on the right and on the left. But no;
they must run and leave us. And many of those that have tarried
have but a little more confidence, when they have improved upon
and learned the lesson taught by those who have left.
174
The great majority of men and women do not know how to take care
of themselves. Let me refer the whole of you to a circumstance in
winter quarters. We left Nauvoo in February, 1846, made our own
roads through Iowa, except some 40 or 50 miles, built bridges,
cut down timber, turned out 500 men to go to Mexico, came this
side of the Missouri river, and there wintered. How did you live
there? Do you know how you got anything to eat? Brethren came to
me, saying, "We must go to Missouri. Can we not take our families
and go to Missouri and get work?" Do you know, to this day, how
you lived? I will tell you, and then you will remember it. I had
not five dollars in money to start with; but I went to work and
built a mill, which I knew we should want only for a few months,
that cost 3,600 dollars. I gave notice that I would employ every
man and pay him for his labour. If I had a sixpence, I turned it
into 25 cents; and a half-bushel of wheat. How did I do that? By
faith. I went to brother Neff, who had just come in the place and
asked him for and received 2,600 dollars, though he did not know
where the money was going. He kept the mill another year, and it
died on his hands. I say, God bless him for ever! for it was the
money he brought from Pennsylvania that preserved thousands of
men, women, and children from starving. I handled and dictated
it, and everything went off smoothly and prosperously.
174
Can you sustain yourselves? Yes. How can you clothe and feed
yourselves? Keep Gentiles out of here, and not permit any more
supplies to come from them; and then you will raise sheep and
take care of them and their wool; then you will raise cotton and
flax, and dress the lint. We have women who know how to
manufacture flax into thread and the finest cloth in this house.
Why do you not make linen? "Because we can turn a calf on to the
range, and after awhile sell it for 20 or 30 dollars and buy
store goods." That course is temporal ruination to this people.
It is a far greater injury than benefit for us to purchase
imported goods. Shut down the gate and make your own hats,
bonnets, and every other article of wearing apparel. We have the
furs and all necessary facilities for making every article we
need. We can also make our dye stuffs, so soon as we can get a
greater variety of seed. For ten years we have advertised the
brethren to bring indigo seed; and I have not obtained any, only
a little that brother William Willes brought from the East
Indies. I have also wished them to bring madder seed, for you can
raise it where you can raise corn. Do we know enough to raise
indigo and cotton? Yes, when the gate is shut down.
174
I told the brethren, yesterday, that I was not afraid of men's
apostatizing when war and trouble are on hand, for then they will
stick together. It is in calm weather, when the old ship of Zion
is sailing with a gentle breeze, and when all is quiet on deck,
that some of the brethren want to go out in the whaling-boats to
have a scrape and a swim; and some get drowned, others drifted
away, and others again get back to the ship. Let us stick to the
old ship, and she will carry us safely into the harbour. You need
not be concerned. I want the brethren to raise flax.
174
I want some man, who has got the requisite spirit and nerve, to
prepare a quarter-of-an-acre as they prepare ground for flax in
Ireland, and then sow about a bushel-and-a-half or two bushels of
seed, and let it grow as thick as a horse's mane; if necessary,
brace it up while growing; pull it at the period when the lint
will be the silkiest, and prepare it for the women to exercise
their skill in making fine thread. A bushel of flax-seed to the
acre produces a course lint, suitable for making ropes and coarse
cloth.
174
Brother Taylor remarked that about 60 out of every 75 lambs had
died in this territory. Yes, you may say that, out of every 75
lambs, about 90 have died. Where were our sheep in 1848-49? I
then had 100 sheep, and I would now have 40,000 if they had been
taken care of as they ought; but instead of that, I have bought
about 550 since; and now I have 400 or 500.
175
Sheep are driven into the Territory, and then they decrease. What
is the difficulty? It is, "Hurrah for the gold! hurrah for the
stores! hurrah for the merchants! hurrah for hell!--let us have a
portion of hell here."
175
Elders who have been to St. Louis and had credit for a cent
should not have brought a thousand or two thousand dollars' worth
of good here and fooled them away, having fooled them out of
merchants who still remain fools.
175
Shut down the gate, and stop bringing ribbons and foolery here. I
wish the ribbons and like articles were all sunk in the bottom of
the sea, rather than have them brought here. Do you know enough
to clothe yourselves? Yes, when you are driven to it. It makes me
think of what we passed through in Missouri, when Joseph was
preaching the Consecration law for surplus property. Would any
man listen to that law? No, not a man. "Will you pay Tithing?" "I
cannot any way in the world, for I have not as much property as I
want."
175
When the army came and took away the guns, killed our cattle,
fired our houses, took possession of our fields, and compelled
the brethren, at the point of bayonet, to sign away their
property to pay the expenses of the war, one fellow said, "By
----, see these men, how keen and fine they look! Old Joe has
been trying for years to make them consecrate their property, but
he could not persuade them to do it. We can make them
consecrate."
175
The brethren felt well: but suppose they had been required to
sign a deed of trust to the kingdom of God on the earth, would
they have done it? No; they would have suffered themselves to be
damned before they would have done it. Can you not see the
ignorance of the people in those things? And to this day you can
see men come here penniless, and hear them say, "We had plenty of
money where we came from." Then why did you not gather when you
had money? "We wanted to make more, to bring a great amount into
the kingdom." Thus men come here penniless, and feel well about
it. Enquire into the matter, and you will often learn that last
year they had several thousand dollars, but it has gone into the
hands of the Gentiles.
175
Suppose a poor Elder, while on a mission, should borrow ten
dollars of such a person, that person will come here and be ready
to apostatize, unless that money is paid; but if the devils get
it, "Oh, it is all right." Such feelings are in the hearts of
some men and women now before me. With them it is, If my enemies
get my property, all well; but I don't want the kingdom of God to
have it." Ask them whether they want the kingdom of God to have
their property, and they will reply, "O yes; ourselves and all we
have re in the kingdom of God:" but touch a dollar of theirs, and
they will squirm.
175
We are trying to become Saints, and by-and-by we will actually
become Saints. When men are Saints, they will bring their
thousands and lay them at the feet of the Bishops, Apostles, and
Prophets, saying, "Here is my money; it is now where it should
be." But now what do you see? If an Elder has borrowed a little
money, or been helped in any manner, he must be chased home and
made to pay the uttermost farthing, or there is dissatisfaction.
Fortunately that is not the case with all. A portion of the
principle of darkness is in the hearts of the people; but it is
fast going out, and they are coming to a knowledge of the truth.
176
One of the first and plainest principles to be believed and
practised is to put ourselves and all we have into the kingdom of
God, and then be dictated by the Lord and his servants. Is there
any danger? Some are ready to say, "Yes, we are afraid to trust
ourselves and our means here and there."
176
Brother Taylor has just said that the religions of the day were
hatched in hell. The eggs were laid in hell, hatched on its
borders, and then kicked on to the earth. They may be called
cockatrices, for they sting wherever they go. Go to their
meetings in the Christian world, and you will hear them remark,
"Our ministers dictate our souls' salvation;" and they are
perfectly composed and resigned to trust their whole future
destiny to their priests, though they durst not trust them with
one single dollar beyond their salaries and a few presents. They
can trust their eternal welfare in the hands of their priests,
but hardly dare trust them with so much as a bushel of potatoes.
Is that principle here? Yes, more or less.
176
Can we feed and clothe ourselves? Yes, we can, as well as any
people on the earth. We have a goodly share of the genius,
talent, and ability of the world; it is combined in the Elders of
this Church and in their families. And if the Gentile wish to see
a few tricks, we have "Mormons" that can perform them. We have
the meanest devils on the earth in our midst, and we intend to
keep them, for we have use for them; and if the Devil does not
look sharp, we will cheat him out of them at the last, for they
will reform and go to heaven with us.
176
We have already showed the invading army a few tricks; and I told
Captain Van Vliet that if they persisted in making war upon us, I
should share in their supplies. The boys would ride among the
enemy's tents, and one of their captains ran into Colonel
Alexander's tent one night, saying, "Why, Colonel, I'll be damned
if the Mormons won't be riding into your tent, if you don't look
out."
176
We have the smartest women in the world, the best cooks, and the
best mothers; and they know how to dress themselves the neatest
of any others. We are the smartest people in the world. But look
out, pertaining to taking care of and sustaining ourselves, that
the children of this world are not smarter than the children of
light. I say that they shall not be; for we will beat them in
every good thing, the Lord and the brethren being our helpers.
The Lord bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Ezra T.
Benson, January 24, 1858
Ezra T. Benson, January 24, 1858
MISSION TO ENGLAND--REMINISCENCES, ETC.
A Discourse by Elder Ezra T. Benson, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, January 24, 1858.
Reported by J. V. Long.
177
It will be two years the 22nd of next April since I started, in
company with brother Orson Pratt and others, to take a mission to
Europe; and it seems but as a dream for me to appear in your
midst this morning. It seems as if it were only a few days since
I was in the midst of this people; for the days, weeks, and
months that have passed have gone swiftly, and it seems as though
a great deal of the time had not been measured to me.
177
I presume this is the experience of many of you who are now
before me; and although many of you have passed through scenes of
trial, yet you have felt to realize your situation in the
reformation more than you ever have done before. Feelings have
come over you that you have never before experienced since you
have been in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
But, notwithstanding all our past failings and weaknesses, we
have been greatly blessed and prospered, and the hand of the Lord
has been over us for good all the day long.
177
Now, if we all realize and do actually know that God is with
us--that he has forgiven our sins--that we are in fellowship with
this people and have confidence to go before our God in prayer,
knowing that our sins are put far away from us, no more to return
again, unless through our disobedience, it is one of the greatest
blessings that can be conferred upon us.
177
When I was called upon to leave these valleys, I felt that I had
the prayers, fellowship, and confidence of this people; and if I
had their confidence then, I am well persuaded I have it now.
This reflection causes my heart to rejoice; and it is one of the
greatest blessings that any man can enjoy to know that he is in
full fellowship with this people.
177
Shall we be thankful to our God and this people for the faith and
prayers that have been exercised in our behalf? These things have
occupied my attention ever since I arrived home.
177
True, there is a warfare within me, and there is a warfare within
every man and woman that has a name in this Church; and we have
to guard against the intrusions of the Adversary. Upon what
principles shall we guard against them? Why, live our religion.
That is all we have to do; and I know that, by the power of faith
and the Holy Spirit, we can root out everything that is contrary
to the promptings of the Spirit, and we shall know for ourselves
that we are the children of God.
178
I have been to England on a mission, sent by the First Presidency
and the general authorities convened in Conference on the 6th day
of April, 1856; and I can say I have had a prosperous mission,
and have been greatly blest. As I have told the Elders, so I will
say here, Any man who goes on a mission in these times, to the
European nations, to the United States, or to the islands of the
sea, and returns home with his scalp on, I think he should
certainly acknowledge the hand of the Lord in it.
178
When we first arrived in England, all was peace, as a general
thing. And do you know the reason why it was peace? Yes, you do.
We could preach throughout England; we could preach in Germany,
in France, in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway; we could preach in
Wales, in Ireland, and Scotland, with but very little
interruption; and, as a general thing, we had very good attention
and good congregations. But when the reformation commenced in the
Valleys of the Mountains, as the Saints were told beforehand, the
Devil began to open his eyes and look at the Saints, not only in
England, but throughout all the parts of the earth where the
Latter-day Saints were located, and wherever the servants of God
were travelling to preach the Gospel, and wherever the printed
word was being circulated.
178
In all these places the Devil was up and dressed two hours
earlier in a morning than he ever had been before, attending to
his calling and kingdom, and doing that which was committed to
him; for he has a work to do as well as we have, and he is most
faithfully performing his part. Just in proportion to the
diligence of the Saints in Zion and throughout the earth, so will
the Devil work; and you cannot tell the time when his old nose
has not been poked as near to the servants of God and to this
kingdom as he could get it; and he would be right here to-day in
this congregation and break up this meeting, if he had the power
to do it.
178
Through the faithfulness of the Saints, I am led to believe that
the kingdom is pretty well cleansed, especially from Gentiles and
from Gentilism. But it is not so in the world; for the Devil has
power in the midst of the Saints while they are amongst the
Gentiles. But, as I told the Saints in England, there should
always be a little place in the heart of every man and woman
which they can call Zion; and it looks to me as if there were a
good many here who could say Zion is in their bosoms, and that
they have a place in their hearts which they can call heaven.
178
The Spirit of God flows to a greater extent from this stand than
it does in any other place upon the face of the earth. There is
more power here than in any other place.
178
I can say, in behalf of the English Saints, that they are a good
people, and you know it as well as I do; and those who have been
there know it, and you who have not been there know it by the
spirit they bring when they come here.
178
As regards the work of the Lord, in general the Elders have been
faithful. They have gone into the streets and into the lanes and
borne a faithful testimony to the work of God and to what he was
doing among the nations. To the honest their words have been
sweeter than the honeycomb; but the great majority were unwilling
to receive the message sent unto them.
178
I have taken a great deal of comfort and satisfaction in lifting
up my voice before the people, and I have cried aloud and spared
not, but told them what was in my heart. I felt it was my duty to
vindicate the truths of the Gospel. I have also taken up the laws
of the Territory of Utah and the laws and Constitution of the
United States, pointing out to them the privileges and rights
that are guaranteed unto us by those instruments.
179
I not only say this of myself, but I can say it of my brethren
who have been associated with me: for we have had power to put
down all opposition that has been raised against us, unless it
was by an ungodly mob that was inspired by the Devil to get up
sticks and stones and every kind of weapon they could procure,
excepting firearms, which the law of the land forbids them to
carry.
179
When they come with the Bible in hand, which they profess to
believe, they are easily whipped out; and truth rises triumphant
among the people, and the high and low and all that were
intelligent could see and understand that we have the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, and that we have the authority which no other
people possessed. There was not a minister or any other
individual that held the authority which we had in our
possession; and some were ready to acknowledge it, when the
Spirit of the Lord was upon them. But how long would that last?
Only long enough for them to get out of doors.
179
It is indeed a great thing to purify the Saints; and it is a
great thing for a man to purify his heart. When a man's heart is
pure and scales are knocked off from his eyes, he can then see
and comprehend the things of God--he can know the mind of the
Lord in this land or any other; but if the scales are over his
eyes as thick as canvas, he cannot see afar off. We all know that
we have to live our religion here as well as in England; and I
sometimes think it takes more faith to live in Zion than in
another place; for there is more required of a congregation in
Zion than there is in England.
179
The Saints in Denmark and in Sweden are inspired by the same
Spirit that we are, and they are as good a people as I ever
travelled amongst in my life. They do not generally understand
the English language; but they can understand by what spirit a
man is moved when he gets up to speak. They rejoice when an Elder
from the Valley presents himself in their midst; and, to see a
Valley Elder, they would get up of a morning and go 40 miles, and
not stop for rain, thunder, or lightning till they got to their
journey's end.
179
There is a certain class of men that are honest in heart, but
fear comes upon them when trials are presented, and they do not
understand; they have not faith or confidence to stand up and
say, "I am a Latter-day Saint, and if you want to mob, mob and be
damned." There are but few who can stand the trying day. A great
many of the Saints have no faith to brook the insults cast upon
them, and hence they hide up and keep out of sight of their
enemies.
179
I told the Saints in Bath and Bristol that we were going home,
before I had got any news; and, said I, "You have been mobbed,
laughed at, and jeered by your enemies, and I want you to
understand that you do not owe them anything. I am willing to be
responsible for all the sin there will be if you immediately shut
up your chapels and henceforth hold your meetings in some private
house or little room, or some place where you will not be subject
to the insults of mobs." The next morning I got a letter for
brother Pratt, informing me that I was called home.
179
I was not sent out to convert the world, but to warn the people,
to vindicate the cause of the truth, to set politically,
religiously, temporally, and spiritually, and to declare unto the
nations of the earth the true situation of this community.
179
I want to live a long time yet, and I hope that I shall not die
until the kingdom of God rises triumphant over all the powers
that are organized in opposition to it.
180
A good spirit prevailed among the Saints in Europe when we left
them, which was about the 14th of last October. Brother Samuel W.
Richards and George Snyder arrived in Liverpool on the 9th of
that month, and brother Pratt immediately wrote me word to come
to Liverpool to prepare for returning home.
180
On the arrival of brothers Richards and Snyder, we held a
council, at which it was decided that brother Pratt, myself,
brothers John A. Ray, and John Kay, John Scott, and William
Miller should return home. We immediately went to work and
released all the Elders, except brother Calkin of the English
Mission, and brother Jabez Woodard, of the Italian Mission. The
native Elders are just as anxious to come here as the American
Elders.
180
Before we embarked for England, I had a few days' time to spare,
and I embraced the opportunity to go and visit my friends and
acquaintances; and when I went amongst them, they immediately
asked if I had come back to stay. "No," said I.
180
"Then what are you come back for?"
180
"Why, to prove that you are false prophets; for you told me that
in five years "Mormonism" would be broken up, and that the Saints
of God would be scattered and peeled. "Now," said I, "if you want
to prophesy anything more about 'Mormonism,' prophesy good
things--big things; for it is the kingdom of God, and it is set
up in the mountains. It is the kingdom that Daniel saw, and it is
going to spread and grow till it fills the whole earth."
180
On the Sabbath I was in the neighbourhood where my friends lived,
in the State of Massachusetts, and I told my brother that I
wanted to go to old Milford to the meeting, whereupon he got out
his carriage, and we drove off to the meetinghouse; and as soon
as the minister got his eye upon me, he motioned me to come into
the stand. He called me brother Benson, and said, "Sit down
here." He said, "Do you want to preach or to pray?" I said, "Yes,
for I am a praying man." I offered up as humble a prayer as I
could, and then sat down. I learned then that he had a special
lecture he wanted to deliver on politics; for it was when they
were trying to elect Fremont President of the United States. He
delivered his political sermon about the North and South; but
there was not repentance or Gospel about what he said.
180
When he had concluded, he gave me the privilege of talking to the
people, which I did for about half-an-hour. I knew that I had to
talk in a very pious style, but I endeavoured to preach the
Gospel in plainness; and the very moment that I came to the
testimony of the Gospel--to declare that Joseph Smith was a
Prophet, and the Brigham Young is his successor--good gracious!
you could see the devils dancing in the countenances of the
people, and the influence ran from heart to heart. However, they
kept quiet, though very uneasy. After my remarks, they claimed
the privilege of asking questions. One gentleman asked if we
believed in slavery. I told him, No, we did not; "but," said I,
"we believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the Gospel of
liberty, for it open the door of freedom and throws off the
fetters of bondage."
180
"Well," said he, "do not you believe in freeing the negroes?"
180
I answered, "No; the Lord will do that."
180
"Ah," said he, "the Mormons do believe in slavery; for they
permit men to bring their slaves into their Territory."
180
I them went on to show him our views upon the subject; but I
could see my remarks did not satisfy the people.
181
The next man who came on to the carpet wanted to know how many
wives brother Brigham had. I replied, "I have not come here to
lay before this people the domestic affairs of my Governor. It is
a question I never asked him myself, for I never took the pains
to inquire anything about it. But still, as I am a Yankee, I will
guess, if that will do you any good. Now," said I, "I will be
honest with you, for your pastor has given me the freedom of
speech; and if I may judge for appearances, I should presume he
has some fifty or sixty."
181
He then asked, "Why do you believe in that doctrine?"
181
I replied, "Why did Abraham believe in it? Why do you wish to
raise a quarrel with me, when all the Prophets spoken of in the
Bible you believe in both taught and practised it?" He could not
tell; but the amount of it was, he wanted to put down
"Mormonism"--not that he could rebut the testimony that was
presented, but he had a spirit to endeavour to put down the cause
of God.
181
The principles of the Gospel are going to either damn or save all
to whom they are presented. There are hundreds and thousands and
tens of thousands of people in the world who this day know that
"Mormonism" is true, and they are using their money and their
influence to hinder its progress.
181
The priests of the day are already to collect their pence and
shillings to persecute the Saints of God and to foster and
sustain those who will do it.
181
Wherever you find a man in England, in Germany, or in Denmark,
who takes the periodicals of the day, he can sit down and tell
you all about the Latter-day Saints. He can tell you what we
believe; and, providing you could converse with him without his
knowing you were a "Mormon," or a servant of God sent to him with
the everlasting Gospel, he would sit down and tell you all about
"Mormonism." But you must appear as a stranger and ask, "Do you
know anything about the Latter-day Saints in Utah?" "O yes," he
will say, and proceed to tell you what we believe. But the moment
you let him know who you are and undertake to preach to him, he
will turn round and deny everything he has said. What is the
reason of this? It is because he is dishonest and has partaken of
the spirit of the father of lies, who is determined to use his
influence and power to the injury and destruction of the Saints
of God.
181
I was received in Massachusetts as I never was before by my
friends, for they hailed me with joy. But were they ready to
receive the Gospel? No--no more than they were fourteen years
ago. I could see they had a spirit to persecute the Saints, and
they would have been as easily lit up as a lucifer match. "Well,"
said one, "did you come that way back?" "No, and I never want to
go again, unless the Almighty commands me."
181
When we came to New York we looked through the pioneer trail, but
it did not look right: but when we looked south, it was all
light; so we took the steamer for the Isthmus.
181
We had on board 1,150 passengers, 200 or 300 of whom were United
States troops. When we were loading up, the soldiers were driven
on board, like pigs, as thick as they could stand.
181
Government is shipping men round by the Isthmus of Panama to
California, and we were informed the next steamer was to bring
600 men. There was a good deal of fault found by the officers of
Government because there were only 250 along with us; but it was
said, "They are going to ship them by thousands to California,
and then forward to Utah."
181
They said they were coming to California; but when we asked them
privately where they were destined for, they said, "We are going
to Utah.
182
It is so also in Kansas. They have all sworn, old Harney
included, that they will not give sleep to their eyes nor slumber
to their eyelids until they have destroyed the "Mormons." They
design in their hearts to blot "Mormonism" out of existence, and
they feel like using their money for the accomplishment of this
object, and even go so far as to say their purses shall be open
for their means to be used in the fitting out of men for the
Territory of Utah; and they say they will come from the north and
from the south and from the east and surround this people by
thousands and by tens of thousands, until we are wiped out.
182
This is their feeling, as a general thing, and it seems as if all
earth and hell are united against the "Mormons." They have not
got here yet, have they? Catching is always before hanging!
182
The halters are already made which they design shall hang the
Governor, the members of the Legislative Assembly, and every
faithful Elder in the Church; for they feel determined to swing
you up between the heavens and the earth. We understand their
plays and their schemes, for we have been in their midst.
182
The inquiry may arise, "Did you ever hear one man say anything in
our favour?" Yes, we have heard more than one who dared come out
and vindicate the character of this people, but it would
generally be in private circles. I have heard a man say that he
had been among this people, had been treated well, and never saw
a better people in his life; and he said he believed that all
those reports that were in circulation were a pack of damned
lies.
182
There was a man travelling on the packet with us who used to
attend the threshing-machine for William Macpherson, in this
city. He vindicated the character of this people. He did not
recognize us; but I knew him as soon as I saw him. He said, in
conversation with men on the boat, "I am a rambling sort of a
chap; but if I were going to live and settle down, it would be in
Utah." I asked him if he thought the "Mormons" were going to
fight. He said, "No, they are not; for they are not a fighting
people; but it is those lying editors. The Mormons are a
peaceable, quiet people."
182
When the standard of freedom is raised, we shall bid all classes
welcome to the rights and privileges of liberty. When that day
comes, people can come with all creeds and enjoy their liberties,
providing they will acknowledge the laws of God; and I can tell
you they will come by hundreds, by thousands, and by tens of
thousands. Yes, they will flock to the standard of liberty.
182
There is not a master-spirit on the earth at the present time who
dare take this stand and raise the flag of liberty, bidding
welcome to all nations, except President Brigham Young. The very
move that has been made for the last six months will preach
louder and stronger than all the Elders of Israel.
182
The standard of liberty is about to be unfurled. Good laws will
be maintained, and the virtuous and innocent will have their
rights and privileges guaranteed unto them; and we mean to stand
in defence of those principles of right, even to the laying down
of our lives, if necessary. When a man will stand in defence of
the truth, he has more power and influence among the nations of
the earth than a dozen of the ungodly.
183
If ever I felt like preaching the Gospel, it is now; and I would
not ask for a better mission than to take my valise and travel
through the Territory of Utah; and I know that in doing so I
should travel amongst the best people in the world. I have seen
the contrast between this people and the world most visibly
during the last three or four months.
183
What is the condition of the Government of the United States?
They are all looking at the President, just as a child would,
apparently expecting that something would be done. They are
hoping and expecting that Government would take "Mormonism" in
hand and wipe it out of existence in a few days. But Uncle Sam,
uncle Bill, uncle Tom, and all our uncles and cousins, will find
something to do if they attempt such a thing.
183
The people of the United States seem paralyzed, and do not know
what to do. They are waiting for the Government to call for
volunteers, and then they say they are all ready to go.
California people say they are all ready to rally. But I tell
you, I believe what brother Brigham has said--They will not come
here. The priest in the pulpit is ready, and says, "O yes, we
must go and wipe out the Mormons; but do not ask me to go."
183
This is like an old man that had some boys, and when he wanted a
job of work done he would say, "Go, boys, and do that:" but his
neighbour, who had a lot of boys also, when he wanted anything
done, used to say, "Come, boys, let us do that." It is just so
with the priests, lawyers, doctors, and all others who are
opposed to "Mormonism:" they say, "O yes, go and wipe out the
Mormons," but they never want to go themselves.
183
I will tell you, the majority of the people of the States do not
care the ashes of a rye straw for their officers, and it is just
so in the army: in fact, they none of them care much for each
other; but they care a good deal for Uncle Sam's money.
183
When we landed in San Francisco, the officers were so much afraid
that the troops would desert, that they went and guarded them
themselves; and we left them patrolling the docks there. The
officers were Yankees, stiff and starched, and they said,
"Mormonism must be extinguished;--yes, this must be done."
183
"Colonel Casey, what do you think about it?" He seemed to be a
peaceable kind of man, and said he could not tell what would have
to be done. The Colonel was then asked if he fostered the idea of
going to an innocent people and exterminating men, women, and
children? He said, "I do not like it; it is contrary to my
feelings; but the Government of the United States have taken the
thing in hand, and we, as officers, are compelled to carry out
their plans, or resign."
183
Let us do the very best we can, brethren and sisters; for the day
may come when we may be thankful for every foot of greasewood and
of desert country there is between us and our enemies.
183
I am glad that we came through on the southern route, for I have
been enabled to learn a little of the road.
183
The editors in the States are prompting Government to bring their
troops from the south. Why, they do not know; only they are not,
on that route, so subject to snow-storms, and they can travel in
the winter. But I can tell them, the south route is ten times
worse than the east: it is one perfect desert from Muddy Creek
clear through. There is now and then a patch of grass on the
journey. But what can a large army do?
183
The kanyon coming up the Santa Clara is quite as good as Echo,
and some think a little better. It does seem as if those
mountains and kanyons have been prepared on purpose; and we have
great cause to be thankful for those natural defences.
184
Here we have liberty to do right and legislate for our own
benefit, and we feel that this is our home.
184
I told sister Richie on Painter Creek, when she invited us to
breakfast, and set before us some butter, milk, and bread, that
is was the best meal I had eaten since I left home; and I enjoyed
it much better than I did the dainties that were provided while I
was crossing the Isthmus.
184
I feel to back up all the plans of by brethren who have the right
to dictate, and to bear off this kingdom to the nations; and this
is the feeling of my brethren who have returned with me.
184
We are now ready to go and preach the Gospel, to go into the
kanyons and help to fight our enemies, or to do anything that is
required of us; and I feel to say, with all the power and
authority of the Priesthood that is conferred upon me, God bless
our leaders with wisdom, with power, with influence, with cattle,
with horses, with sheep, with wives, with children, with houses,
with lands, and with everything their hearts can desire before
God. This is my prayer all the day long; and when I feel so, I
feel strong in the mighty God of Jacob, and I know that he
blesses them with his Spirit.
184
I feel to say, Latter-day Saints, in the name of the Lord, be ye
blessed; for ye are the only people that God acknowledges on the
earth, as an organized community, politically and religiously,
spiritually, physically, and mentally,--the only people that are
to be found who are willing to acknowledge that God has
established his kingdom with Apostles and Prophets.
184
A great many of the people of this generation have turned
infidels; but still the sectarians have their Scripture-readers,
and they go through all the formalities of religion. One man came
to me and wished to know if I would like to have the Bible read
to me. I told him yes, for I was fond of anything that was good.
I asked him if he believed in angels. He said, "O no; the power
of God is done away;" and everything is done away among them,
only just what a man can do; and men set themselves up who have
no vitality nor intelligence in them. It is all like the chaff
before the wind. We are truly a blessed people, for we have the
light of eternal life; and, notwithstanding the howling of the
priests, if we do as brother Brigham says, we shall come off
victorious.
184
I believe this people are ready to do anything required of them;
and if they continue in this way, all will be well with them, and
nothing can stand before them.
184
I heard a man say that he did not care what was said against this
people, he was ready to believe it; and I can say that such a man
is ready to be damned, and he will be damned.
184
I bear this testimony that I know this to be the work of God, and
I take great pleasure in proclaiming it.
184
I ask an interest in your prayers, that I may have the spirit of
obedience and be enabled to do as I am told from this time
henceforth and for ever. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Heber
C. Kimball, December 27, 1857
Heber C. Kimball, December 27, 1857
INCREASE IN SAVING PRINCIPLES--DEDICATION--HOME
PRODUCE AND MANUFACTURE, ETC.
A Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, December 27, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
185
You have all heard what has been said, and the design thereof has
been to show you your situation.
185
There is not much profit in all the teachings that are given from
this stand to a person who simply hears the sound and does not
partake of the spirit and intent of that instruction; but the
profit is to the man who heareth the word and observeth and
receiveth the Spirit and power of God.
185
I bear my testimony to what has been said to-day, for it is good;
and every one that heareth and observeth what has been said by
brother Brigham, brother Woodruff, and brother Snow shall be
blest; for it is life to all who receive it, because truth is
life.
185
If we treasure up those principles, and they adhere to us--that
is, to the fountain of life that is within us, how can there be
otherwise than a growing and increasing in the knowledge of God?
It is upon the same principle that wheat increases, and upon the
same principle that every kind of vegetation increases. How does
wheat increase? It is because the element or germ of life is in
the wheat. If the germ was not in each kernel, of course it would
not increase.
185
If there is a fountain and the root of truth within us, then
other principles of truth will adhere to them and connect
themselves to that fountain that is within us. What will be the
result in such a case? The fruits of righteousness will appear. A
man has got to have the saving principles of life within him
continually. If they do not dwell in him, he is not in a saveable
condition, for there is no way to save a man only to plan within
him the principles of life; for in the absence of those
principles, he is like salt that has lost its saving power, and
thenceforth is good for nothing.
185
You know that salt will not save meat when it has lost its saving
principles, and it is just so with us: when a man sins to that
degree that he rejects the truth and the principles of
righteousness, he is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast
out and trodden under foot of men.
185
So it will be eventually in the United States. After the truth is
all gathered out, you will find that the rest will be destroyed.
I do not mean that the land will be destroyed, but I refer to the
wicked inhabitants, and the earth will be emptied, according to
the words of the Prophet. Why will this be so? Because there are
no saving principles there: the saving principles are with this
Church, and there is no salvation in the absence of those
principles.
186
I dwell upon these things because I wish every man to listen to
them, and I want them to watch and nourish every word, and to
cherish them as you would a crop of wheat. Let nothing come in
between you and the word of God, and then you will do well and
prosper.
186
I have got just such a wild notion in me, if you please to
consider it so, that I believe we can raise everything that is
raised in every other part of the earth. Why do I believe it? I
believe it because I have got the Priesthood: it has been given
to me and to you, and we are made saviours of men upon Mount
Zion.
186
Well, then, if we have got the seed and principles of life within
us, upon the same principle that the earth imparts nourishment to
vegetation, we can impart life to others; and if we can save a
man, upon the same principle we can save a woman and everything
that is upon the earth. What do you go to work here for? I go to
work to produce vegetables, grain, and all things that I and my
family need, and I dictate my children, and show them a course
for them to pursue.
186
We have dedicated this sacrament to the Father and to the Son,
that the saving principles of life may be in it, and that, in
partaking of it, we may become sanctified. We bless the water as
well as the bread, and ask God to sanctify it and fill it with
life and the principles of salvation. Do you not think that God
can bless this land, so that we can raise anything here, as
easily as he can bless the bread and water? Yes, he can. What
makes me believe these things? It is because the people generally
do not believe them; and they show by their works they do not.
But I endeavour to prove by my works that I am a believer in
these very doctrines which I am teaching to you.
186
The individuals who believed that it was not possible to raise
fruit here have no currant bushes, no apple trees, no apricot
trees, no peach trees, and no plum trees; in fact, they have not
got any fruit-trees at all, from the fact that they did not
believe that fruit could be raised; and their works have show
their faith. They have got most excellent faith, in their way,
but it does not produce any fruit.
186
Those same individuals now believe that we can raise fruit up
here in brother Brigham's garden, and brother Heber's, and
brother Carrington's, and those men that live up here on the
poorest land there is in the valleys; and we certainly do produce
some of the best fruit that is produced in these mountains. I
never saw better peaches in my life, nor any larger ones, nor any
that were more full of juice. Do you think I have got any dried
peaches? Yes, I have got enough to last me two years, and I
presume that brother Brigham has, and a great many others. How
were they produced? They were produced by our actually going to
work and raising the trees and nourishing and cherishing them.
186
I will ask some of you mothers a question, and you that deal in
poultry. You know we have hens, and they lay eggs, and we have
geese, and turkeys, and all other kinds of fowls; but they might
lay eggs from now till doomsday, and if they did not keep those
eggs warm, and nourish them, they never would produce a chicken;
no never. Do not you all understand that?
187
If you say you cannot raise fruit on that low land, I wish to say
to you that I know better. All the reason why they have not
raised fruit in the lower parts of the city is because they have
not planted the trees! Upon the same principle, the people of San
Pete said the could not raise fruit. It was because the never set
out an apple tree, and for several years they never planted a
cucumber, a water-melon, nor a squash, and of course they never
raised one. I presume brother Snow will bear testimony to this.
Some said they had faith; but their faith never produced
water-melons, squashes, cucumbers, nor anything else. Now, works
will produce faith, and works will produce good trees and good
fruit.
187
We dedicate and consecrate the wine or water that we partake of
in the sacrament, and we also dedicate the bread to the Lord; and
it should be just so with everything: it should all be dedicated
to the Lord; and upon all that we do and put our hands unto, we
should ask his blessings. We should never meddle with anything on
this earth that we cannot lay our hands upon and bless and
dedicate and consecrate to the Lord, that it may be for the
accomplishment of what it is designed, and produce the very
effects that we desire.
187
I could talk about a great many simple things of this kind, but
you laugh. When I talk about such things as cucumbers and
water-melons, many laugh, and I hate to be laughed at when I am
telling the honest truth and speaking of the simple things of the
kingdom of God.
187
Bless you, this world was made out of small things. I was small,
indeed, when I was in the loins of my father Adam; I must have
been very small, and so must you, for you were all there: but
here I am, a grown man, and, perhaps, nearly as large as Father
Adam was. Perhaps I am not so large: I may have become
degenerated; but be that as it may, I know that I am here.
187
Brethren, go and dedicate you gardens, and when you get a tree
that you want to set out, dedicate the ground, the root, and the
elements that you are going to place around it, and ask God to
fill it with the warmth and with power to vegetate. Dedicate the
seed that you are going to put into the earth, and then dedicate
the earth, and nourish it when it springs forth, especially in a
cold soil; and do not say that it cannot be quickened, for I say
it can. There can be substances such as bones, ashes, lime, old
hats, and old boots and shoes, and everything that you can get
into it will tend to quicken it; and why will this be the case?
Because you have asked God to bless it, and because you have put
works with your faith. By pursuing this course, you can produce
apples and peaches on the low as well as on the high lands. Do I
believe that the character and course of this people will cause
the earth to produce things that require a warm climate? Yes--the
earth will be like the people who inhabit it; and it is the duty
of us all to go to work and practise accordingly.
187
Can you produce flax in this country? Can you produce it, unless
you go to work and put in the seed? Can you produce wheat, unless
you plough the land, put in the seed, and then irrigate it? Do I
believe that this land will produce cotton? Yes, just as well as
the land down in the southern country: God can change the climate
for the benefit and salvation of his Saints.
187
There never was an ear of corn raised here till we came, and
nobody would believe that we could raise any. Bridger offered
brother Brigham a thousand dollars for an ear of corn raised in
the valley. The mountaineers had not confidence enough in God to
put the seed into the earth; but we have almost produced anything
that we have tried, and there has been cotton raised up north in
this valley. Bless you, it is colder up north than it is here.
Can we raise madder here? Yes, every one can raise it in their
gardens, and it can be raised as easily as your beds of flowers.
I cannot remember the names of them; but it can be raised upon
the same principle that your flowers are raised; and so can silk,
only the tree is first raised, and the worm eats the leaves of
the tree, and then produces the silk.
188
I am going to talk about home manufacture, and I cannot get
my mind upon anything else. You may take a hundred men who have
got a hundred wives only, and let me tell you that not fifty
years would roll around before they would revolutionize the whole
world, if they were men of the right stripe. Why would they do
this? Because they would be filled with the power of God, and the
very earth that they walk upon would be quickened by them, and
the mountains, the sage plains, and the pools of water would feel
their power. If is were necessary, those men would control them
just as much as Moses did when we struck the rock with the rod
that God gave to him, and through the gift and power of God that
was in Moses the rock was rent, and the water gushed forth.
188
Why was this miracle performed? Because it was necessary for the
salvation of the children of Israel. Is it necessary that
miracles should be performed now? Yes, it is necessary that the
Lord should hear us and help us; and he will hear us and bless
us, if we are humble and faithful; and he will bless the earth
and all that dwell thereon; he will bless our herds, our flocks,
our wives, and our children; and they will increase in proportion
to our righteousness. These are my feelings in relation to these
matters.
188
Brethren and sisters, let us go to work, every one of us, and
cultivate the earth; for it will not hurt any member of a family
to assist in these things: it will not hurt the sisters to assist
in making gardens; no, it will not hurt your delicate hands any
more than it did in England. I know, and can now see hundreds
that worked the fields with their nice, delicate hands, and their
striped petticoats, and it did not take above three yards to make
one of those petticoats. I have seen you with your nice shoes and
your bed-gowns, or some would call them sacks, and your nice
aprons tied around, and the apron would cause every pucker just
as well as if they had been made in the dress.
188
This is home manufacture! It is a common occurrence, just as much
so as it is for one day to follow another. Why cannot you pursue
that course, just as you did in England, in Illinois, in
Missouri, or in the Southern States, or in Massachusetts and in
Vermont? Did the ladies work there? Yes, they did; they used to
sow the onion seed, and then weed the onions, and attend them,
and bring them to maturity; and why is it not as well to do that
now as to have to go into it five years hence, as brother Snow
has been speaking of?
188
When the United States muster their forces, and the devil
combines his forces against us, then God will combine his forces
against them. But we do not want women to go out and fight, but
we want them to stay here and raise everything for our comfort
and consolation. We can pursue a course that will make this whole
land bring forth. You can have fruit on the low land as well as
on the high; you can have fruit at San Pete as well as here. Why,
brother Snow will acknowledge that they raise as good pumpkins
there as we do here; but they never did till they had faith to
plant the seed. Are they going to raise fruit there? Yes, they
are; and if the ground is cold, they must stimulate it, but not
with whisky, for that will cost too much.
189
I intend to take a course to worship God acceptably, and I never
saw greater necessity than there is at the present time for us to
live our religion and be one; and this is not anything new with
me, for I have seen it all the time. Then let us go to with our
might and do all things that are required at our hands. Let us
make all the cloth we can, and raise all the flax we can; and
when we have raised it, let us make that into cloth, and then we
shall be able to make every woman shine with home-made clothes,
when they come into this congregation with their beautiful wool
and linen dresses on, and their bonnets made out of straw that
has grown on their own land. I have been thinking about this
matter two or three days, for I have some straw on hand, and I
have been thinking of advising my women to braid up the straw and
have my boys' hats made before the hot weather comes. I would
rather see them do that ten thousand times that to see them go to
parties, and then half the boys get drunk. That is not home
manufacture, but that is the death and destruction to this
people.
189
Now, sisters, go to work and braid your straw, and have it ready
when the summer comes. This whole people might have their heads
covered with their own home-manufactured goods, and then they
would not have to go to those stores and buy hats that are not
worth a dime apiece. Suppose the boys were out two years, would
not the sisters have to do some of these things then? Is it not
better to have things of our own make than to give the merchant a
dollar or two for them, and then not have them half so good?
189
Sisters, gather up the rags--those little fine pieces that you
have throwing about, and sew them together, and make nice
petticoats and aprons for the little girls, coverlets, &c., and
then teach them to do it for themselves, that they may hereafter
make good wives. I can tell you there are not one-half of the
women that are fit for wives when they are married. They have not
been instructed in home manufacture, and some of them have
scarcely learned to wash the dishes properly or to take care of
things about the house; and the young men are just as bad.
189
I am talking to you, young women,--I am talking to those that are
married; for they ought to be instructors of those that are
young. How long would it take a little girl to sit down and make
herself a nice petticoat and to pick up some nice pieces to make
herself an apron of? But you women who have not got anything to
wear did not think of these things. You are now ready to say, "We
have not got anything to wear; we have not got any patches, and
therefore we cannot make any patchwork." Well, then, tear up your
dresses and make some, for that is what a great many of you do.
My desire is to stir up your minds to reflection in my simple
way, that you may go and attend to some of these matters.
189
I do not care about the army over a Bridger, and in fact I have
scarcely thought of them,--at lease not for a week past. Will
they trouble us? No, they will not, not so as to root us up from
this time henceforth and for ever, provided we do right. When you
are doing things that I have been speaking of, you are keeping
the commandments of brother Heber, the Twelve, and your Bishops.
My mind is upon these things; I am led to them, and I will talk
about them.
190
In our first start here, it was almost impossible to get any man
to start a tannery, and now a great we get. I have this from our
shoemakers; and I feel to thank God that the gate is shut down,
that a deal of the leather that is made here is the best, and
that we cannot get their miserable stuff here anymore. The Lord
will now bless our labour; he will bless the fruits of the earth,
he will bless our tanneries, he will bless our sheep, our flocks,
and everything we undertake to handle and manage; and that is not
all, for we will bless those things too, and we will dedicate and
consecrate them to God, and we will ask God to fill the earth
with the resurrecting power; for life is the resurrecting power,
whether it is little or much, and it is that power which brings
forth vegetation: it is the same power which brings forth food
and raiment; and by the same power we shall be brought forth in
the morning of the resurrection, only there will be more of it in
exercise.
190
We should dedicate all those things to the Lord, with our bodies,
our houses, our furniture, the earth that we cultivate, and the
seed that we put into the earth; and we should bless the shovel,
the hoe, the spade, the sheep, the horses, the cattle, the cows,
and all that we possess; and then will not God multiply them unto
us? Yes, he will, and we shall get heavier fleeces of wool and
more of them. What! can he bless the fleece? Yes, he can, as
easily as he blesses the sheep.
190
I recollect being in England, in the town of Chadburn,
Lancashire; and while there I felt as if my whole system was
alive; I felt quickened by some unseen power. Brother Hyde was
with me, and he knows that it is true; and I felt to pull of my
shoes. We pulled off our hats, for we felt such a sacred and holy
feeling. I told brother Joseph about it when I came home; and
said he, "Brother Heber, that place was dedicated by one of the
old Prophets, and it will always be filled with the spirit of
life." Does not that prove that we can bless the earth? Yes, it
does, and we can; and you may call me crazy if you like; and I
will say, Bang away, but that does not make me crazy. You may
call me visionary, if you please; and I wish to God you were all
visionary as those holy men were who dedicated those places in
the days of Jesus and the Apostles. They are holy places, and
they will be held sacred even as Jackson County; and there is no
a man living there but at this day has the spirit of fear upon
him and expects that he will have to march some day; and, to this
day, no man has ventured to cultivate or build upon the Temple
Block. Joseph the Prophet dedicated that land, and they feel the
effects of that dedication; and the blessing will remain there,
and all hell cannot get it off, and I shall yet see the day that
I will go back there, with brother Brigham and with thousands and
millions of others, and we will go precisely according to the
dedication of the Prophet of the living God. Talk to me about my
having any dubiety on my mind about these things being
fulfilled!--I am just as confident of it as I am that I am called
to be a saviour of men, and no power can hinder it.
190
If we do not receive these things, it is because we do not live
for them. I want to do everything by the power of God and the
inspiration of his Spirit. When I get a new wife, I always
dedicate her to God, and this is the way I have done for years. I
also make a practice of dedicating my children to the Lord, that
they may grow up in his wisdom and increase in his power.
190
These are little things; but you need not laugh about them, and
nobody but fools would laugh; for these things are our very
existence.
190
I want to know of every man and woman, if you were going to place
a sacred thing anywhere, and you were to put it in an unholy
vessel, whether that vessel would not make it impure? Yes; and it
will become unholy because of that cursed thing. If it is the
most holy thing in existence, it will become corrupted by coming
in contact with unholy things.
191
I am preaching these things to my brethren and sister, that they
may know, if they have not dedicated and consecrated their
children to the Lord, that it has to be done. But you may
inquire, "How shall we do it?" You will have to do it as brother
Brigham and others have done when in Nauvoo. We had to take our
children and wash and anoint them, and place the birthright and
father's blessing upon them in the house of God, and then have
them sealed to us; and you will have to do just so.
191
If you do not take the right course to raise up a holy seed unto
the Lord, but jangle and contend one with another, your children
will not have so good a chance to get the blessings of celestial
glory; but, in proportion as you bring yourselves in subjection,
your children will receive the blessing of heaven.
191
Just as soon as spring opens, I am going to work to put into the
earth every kind of seed, and I want my wives to take an interest
in these things, in raising the flax and making the cloth. They
take a mighty interest in wearing the cloth when it is made; and
if they will do these things, the day will come that we will be
as rich as we can desire in all things that this earth produces.
Our Governor will be rich, and there is not a man on God
Almighty's earth that will begin to compare with him: he will
swallow them all up in riches and blessings.
191
I am opposed to your nasty fashions and everything you wear for
the sake of fashion. Did you ever see me with hermaphrodite
pantaloons on? [Voice: "Fornication pantaloons."] Our boys are
weakening their backs and their kidneys by girting themselves up
as they do; they are destroying the strength of their loins and
taking a course to injure their posterity.
191
Now, just look as me. I have no hips projecting out; they are
straight down with my sides. I am serious myself, although I can
smile and laugh when I am serious; but these ridiculous fashions
I despise, and God knows I despise anything that will tend to
destroy the lives of my sisters. What is your existence worth to
you? It is worth everything to your posterity; and you ought to
consider their interest as well as your own.
191
There is not a woman in this congregation but would be as
straight as I am, if she did not destroy her shape.
191
Bless your souls, I am talking about home manufacture. I was
speaking about it last Sunday, and I would not have said a word
about it now, but there were a good many who felt disposed to
ridicule brother Lorenzo D. Young's remarks; therefore I have
spoken as I have. I want to know if some of them were not tried
by what he said; for some of them were talking about cutting
enough off their dresses to make frocks for babies and sending it
to him. I wish they would send it to me--I would show them what I
would do with it.
191
Some of you are taking a course like that of the Gentile
world--namely, to weaken and destroy the human family, and they
are going down to death as fast as they can. Shall we follow in
their tracks? Some of them have some up into the tops of the
mountains for the purpose of introducing their corrupt and
damnable practices and customs.
191
You may take all such dresses and new fashions, and inquire into
their origin, and you will find, as a general thing, they are
produced by the whores of the great cities of the world--London,
New York, and from Paris, and from all the Gentile cities. Now
this is true, gentlemen, and brother Brigham, brother Taylor, and
a great many others can bear witness of it.
192
There is a new fashion that our boys have got hold of, and
Spanish bits and bridles, and then with their hermaphrodite
pantaloons they look ridiculous. I will speak of my own boys, for
they are like the rest, and have to take things rough-and-tumble
as they come in this mountain life--to go into the woods, take
hold of a lion's beard, and tell him to stand still: their backs
are like the women's; they are cut nearly in two with these
cursed fashions, so that they have but little strength left in
them.
192
I understand those officers out yonder have got a good many women
with them, and I do not believe there are twenty in the whole
camp but that are whores, and they designed to come here to set
you a pattern and to moralize this community. I say, Will they
not feel pretty straight by next spring? I think they will feel
considerably cooled off by next spring, and I have an idea that
by that time they will feel disposed to quit their prostitution;
and if they do not go away, we will make them march pretty quick.
Those soldiers cannot rule over us, nor their civil officers
either, for they are the meanest of the corruption of the world.
It makes me angry, but I will not sin about it; but I feel
displeased at such things.
192
We shall prosper from this time forth. Now you may mark it, and
you will see that those who will do right will prosper. I will
tell you, if we cannot take a course to put iniquity out of our
midst, and if men will take a course to demoralize themselves, we
will draw the line and divide the evil from the good, and we will
have those who corrupt themselves stay at home and let the pure
in heart go out to war. And this is not all: I am opposed to any
man's going into those mountains to stand between us and our
enemies that will get drunk. We do not want any man there but
what we can lay our hands upon and dedicate to the Lord; and we
do not want any there but who will do that which is right in the
sight of God and man; but we want men that will pray and keep
their covenants sacred. In short, we want men that are acceptable
in the sight of God: they are the men we want.
192
We want the home manufacturing men; and away with your trash and
nonsense, for I am sick of it. I do not say but I have some
traditions about me, for I know that I have; and I wish they were
off far away. My desire is that I may do everything that is right
from this time forth and forever; and I feel, as I heard brother
Brigham say, a few days ago, that I am as independent of those
little, nasty, wicked spirits as God is upon his throne, when I
am right myself; and so is every other man.
192
It is true that we are the best people there are on the earth.
But still there are a great many things I do not like to see; and
one is--when men get up a party, I do not like to see drinking
whisky the very first thing that is introduced, and especially to
go so far as to pollute themselves. Some of you might say,
"Brother Kimball, you boys have been doing the same thing." If
they have, I do not fellowship them in that; but I disfellowship
them for so doing, and so does brother Brigham and every other
good man. I do not care whether it is a son or a wife that does
wrong--I will not fellowship them in that wrong, for I am not
partial: I care just as much about the English as the Irish or
the Americans, and I guess I manifest it pretty well.
192
If you cannot obey those you have seen, how can you obey those
you never saw? You never will see those whom brother Brigham and
his brethren represent, unless you first obey those that you see
every day. We are God's representatives; and if you want to know
whether you will ever go into the presence of God, I can tell you
that you never will, unless you learn to obey your brethren. Then
live to sustain the authorities of this kingdom by your works,
and we shall live scores of years.
193
Brother Brigham never will die by the hand of an enemy,
neither will I, nor any of you, if you will do your duty. Brother
Brigham is just as secure as the roots of a tree, if every limb
performs its duty. I tell you it is hard to tell things just as a
man has them in his mind. For my own part, I have not got the
language.
193
Now, if you are determined to destroy yourselves, I am perfectly
willing, providing you do not destroy the fruit of your lions;
but many of you are taking a course to destroy that by your
ridiculous fashions.
193
Now, suppose that any of you were to take a tree and tie the
limbs in a strait place, so that they were obliged to remain in
it, will that tree be as thrifty as those that are loose? No, it
will not; and if you do not believe it, go into my garden, and
you will there see trees with the limbs crossing each other at
various angles; and the consequence is that they are gnarly or
diminutive in size, and very inferior in appearance, and perhaps
they will never produce any fruit.
193
Do not desire your children or your children's children to stop
their growth, and do not you take a course to render them
impotent and imbecile. I am talking to you, ladies; and then,
again, I am talking to you, gentlemen, that wear those
hermaphrodite pantaloons.
193
May the Lord God bless this people, and bless his servant that
leads them; and I bless everything that sticks to him; and the
blessings of salvation shall be with you; for I promise you these
things in the name of Israel's God. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Brigham
Young, February 7, 1858
Brigham Young, February 7, 1858
IDOLATRY, &C.
A Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, February 7, 1858.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
193
Through the remarks of brothers Edward Partridge and Silas Smith,
who have lately returned from their mission to the Sandwich
Islands, we are made acquainted with a new variety of customs;
and I must confess that, hearing a relation of the customs and
traditions of the natives of those islands, I am almost lead to
believe that they are a people very much like ourselves--that
they are entitled to the appellation of human beings. They are
prone to wander--prone to weaknesses; and if they have any
knowledge of God, they are prone to forget him to turn to their
idols. They are prone to be froward in all their ways, very much
like ourselves.
194
We believe that we have been better taught, and that we are quite
an enlightened people. Christian Europe and America deem
themselves the most enlightened people upon the earth; and an
equal self-confidence among those islanders is all that is
wanting to make them believe that they know more than the
Europeans and Americans. I have an idea that the Anglo-Saxon race
possess more confidence in themselves and more worldly wisdom
than any other nation upon the earth; yet take the people on the
Sandwich and Society Islands, and the natives of these mountains
and of the North and South America, or of any country where there
are natives in their idolatry--those whom we call ignorant, dark,
benighted, lost, possessed of little or no knowledge, and let a
person understanding the Priesthood visit them, and I will
venture to say that we would find more and better traits of the
Priesthood of God among them than can be found among the
Christians. And though it may appear surprising and a matter
hardly credible, yet even we are more or less under the power of
traditions similar to those of the heathen.
194
There is a cause for their traditions, customs, and present
practices. They have grown into their present idolatry through a
neglect of the truth, through a proneness to wander and forget
their God and true religion. Let this people backslide--lose
their present faith and knowledge, and in after generations,
perhaps, a few would cling to the Priesthood with all the vigour
that we do, and would understand that the people were going into
darkness, and would urge them to have some custom, some form,
some representation or figure of their former faith and religion.
What is commonly termed idolatry has arisen from a few sincere
men, full of faith and having a little knowledge, urging upon a
backsliding people to preserve some customs--to cling to some
fashions or figures, to put them in mind of that God with whom
their fathers were acquainted, without designing or wishing the
people to worship an idol--to worship stocks, stones, beasts, and
birds. Idols have been introduced, which are now worshipped, and
have been for centuries and thousands of years; but they were not
introduced at once. They were introduced to preserve among the
people the idea of the true God.
194
I have frequently said, and say again, that there are and always
have been a great many in this Church that are not Saints. There
are more "Mormons" that Saints; and there are different degrees
and grades of "Mormons" and of Saints. There are many that are
"Mormons" that are not Saints; and so it will be until Jesus
comes to separate the sheep from the goats; or, in other
language, until the Husbandman shall bid his servants gather the
wheat into the barn, and the tares into bundles to be burned.
This must be; this we all believe and understand.
195
If we are not all Saints, the most of this people are trying to
be. If we are not as perfect in our sphere as are the angels, we
are trying to prepare ourselves to become so. We have not yet
received our inheritances; but we are trying to prepare ourselves
to be worthy to receive them. Yet it can readily be understood
that if this people should backslide, they would, as others have,
introduce an idolatrous worship. All Protestants accuse the Roman
Catholic Church of worshipping idols. It is the practice of its
members to carry a cross with them to worship the Virgin Mary.
They have paintings and images in their chapels and other places
of worship; and they are accused of worshipping these paintings
and images, and that they are idolatrous worshippers. But those
representations were introduced in the same way that a father
would show his children that Jesus Christ is actually a man like
their father, by showing them a figure representing Jesus as
extended upon the cross, and saying, "This gives you, my
children, an idea that he was a man." Now, let those children,
when saying their prayers, have that representation before them,
and how long would it be before some of the neighbours' children
would tell their mothers that those children were worshipping a
picture or image? This is the way that idolatry has sprung up in
the world, through a method established to keep the people in
remembrance of the God they once worshipped and were acquainted
with.
195
Do the Christian world know whether God has eyes to see, ears to
hear, or hands, or a body? They are as ignorant of the true God
as are those islanders, and all whom we call heathen. And our
traditions are such that we are yet more or less in the dark, and
are under the necessity of assembling here from Sabbath to
Sabbath, and in ward meetings, and besides, have to call our
solemn assemblies, to teach, talk pray, sing, and exhort. What
for? to keep us in remembrance of our God and our holy religion.
Is this custom necessary? Yes; because we are so liable to
forget--so prone to wander, that we need to have the Gospel
sounded in our ears as much as once, twice, or thrice a week, or,
behold, we will turn again to our idols. It is immaterial what
the idol is, whether it is what the Californians call a slug, or
whether it is a twenty-dollar gold piece, or an eagle, or
half-eagle, or whether our affections and attention fasten upon
our farms, horses, and other worldly goods,--if we are not
constantly exhorting the people and setting before them the
necessity of living their religion, calling back their minds that
have been wandering, and preaching and praying with them, behold,
they would turn to their idols.
195
Were the Lord to give us peace for a few years, so that we should
have no sorrow or trouble from without, and the land producing
abundantly, with the fine weather and the healthy climate, how
long would it be before many of you would again want to go to
California to get gold, and turn away from you holy religion to
worship an idol? Rather than neglect your holy religion entirely,
you had better keep your images right before you eyes and say
your prayers to an idol, whether it be cut out of wood or is a
dog's skull, so that you believe there is something behind that
which will actually point your affections to look beyond that
which you see with your natural eyes, and cause you to believe in
a Supreme Being, in a Overruling Hand, in a All-wise Providence,
or to worship even a god without body or parts. Are we under
traditions to the same extent that some others are? Perhaps not.
We do not think we are; and yet we have our traditions upon us;
and if we are not careful, we are liable to become as great
idolaters as there are in the world.
196
Brother Silas Smith has just told you that he had not been at
home four days when he heard his name called for another mission;
and he says the he is ready and willing, of which I have not
doubt; for I never knew him when he was not willing to do
anything that he was told to do. We say that we are willing to do
anything required to sustain us in our religious rights--to
sacrifice our all for our religion and the hope that is before
us. Brother Clapp has just taught us that we are not worthy of
eternal life, unless we are willing to sacrifice all. Brother
Clapp, what have you to give? ["Everything I have."] But you have
not got anything. John, what are you willing to give for eternal
life? You say, "Everything." What have you got? Consider well
what you have. Says he, "I live here, I have my life." No, you
have not; for it is in the hand of your Creator. "I have a wife."
She is only committed to you to enable you to prove whether you
will treat her in a righteous manner: she is not yet yours. "I
have children that are the offspring of my loins." They are not
yours; for you cannot produce them of yourself. "I have a farm."
No; that farm belongs to another. The devil says that it is his;
but we expect Jesus will have the whole earth. "I have horses and
possessions." Reflect well, and consider whether you really own
anything. Upon reflection, you discern at once that your wife may
be taken from you; your farm and your other possessions may be
taken; and your gold and silver may take the wings of the morning
and fly from you. If God withdraws his sustaining hand, you sink.
You have no wife, children, horses, houses, nor land.
196
When men and women talk about giving everything for the salvation
which they anticipate and live for. Behold, they have nothing to
give; nor have they anything to do, only to do their duty. And
what is that? To improve upon that which is committed to their
possession--to prove themselves worthy to their Father and God,
that ere long they may be worthy to receive crowns of glory,
immortality, and eternal life. Then we shall be beyond the power
of Satan. We shall be where we can control death and him that has
the power of death; and we shall reign triumphantly as the Gods
and as the sons of God. We must inherit that power and glory
before we can say that we really own anything, even the least
thing in this world or in eternity.
196
Some persons talk about sacrificing; but we have nothing to
sacrifice. All we have to do is to live and serve our God, and do
everything we can to bring knowledge to ourselves and to the
people--everything we can to make them happy, wealthy, strong,
and numerous, so that we may overcome the powers of darkness and
reign triumphantly on the earth, Jesus Christ being our head and
king. That is all we have to do. Tell about houses, lands, and
other property being ours, and that we have not traditions and
idols? I would as soon see a man worshipping a little god made of
brass or of wood as see him worship his property. I have a number
of such gods brought to me from the East Indies and from the
islands; and I would as soon see one of my brethren worship one
of those brass idols as to see him worship his property; and he
would be as much justified in the sight of God. Does this
congregation understand what idolatry is? The New testament says
that covetousness is idolatry; therefore, a covetous people is an
idolatrous people.
197
Some of you are just as much idolaters as are the heathen, but
you do not know it; neither do they realize their idolatry. Were
I on the islands and seeing the natives bow before their images
to be healed, I would say, "Have faith." And instead of
disfellowshipping a man for worshiping an idol, I would exhort
him to exceeding great faith in his idols, upon the same
principle that I exhort the brethren here to have faith in our
God. "And if your idol will not heal you, look beyond to that
Being who can." I am not for cutting people off from the Church
that worship their property instead of their God, but for bearing
with them until they shall gain light and knowledge so as to see
their errors and turn to the God of truth. I would say to
idolaters, "If you have faith in an idol, have a little more; and
if you have faith enough the Lord may work upon your minds so
that you can understand the blessings he has in store for his
people. And I say to the men and women who profess to be
Latter-day Saints, "God giveth and he withholdeth; at his
pleasure he raises up and puts down kings, emperors, thrones, and
dominions; and the power and wisdom and glory of the Almighty,
who fills immensity and operates upon all things, will prevail."
197
What good can our wealth do, were it not to promote the cause of
God upon the earth, overcome the power of Satan, and be used to
bring forth righteousness and overcome darkness? That is
dedicating ourselves and all we are made stewards over to the
building up of the cause of God on earth. In so doing we can be
justified. We cannot receive the glory, the kingdoms, the
thrones, the wisdom, and the power that are designed for us,
without a close application in our studies and our efforts in our
whole lives to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. We need
to apply our minds to wisdom as strongly and closely as brother
Silas Smith had to apply his mind to learn the language of the
natives, that he might be able to teach them his ideas without
trusting to their passing through the mouth of another. No matter
how much of the Spirit a teacher has, if his words have to be
interpreted by one who has not the Spirit; the people are not
benefitted; "For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
No matter how much a man preaches, nor how much of the Holy Ghost
he has,--the spirit may be edified, but he understanding will
remain unfruitful. And if we trust to some other person to bring
forth the hidden things of the kingdom, we are all the time
dependent on an interpreter who has not the Holy Ghost, we cannot
grow rapidly in the knowledge of the truth.
197
We must live so that our knowledge and faith shall reach beyond
the ideal, no matter what that is; and we must have knowledge of
the living God for ourselves. The people wish to know whether
they cannot find out the living God. Yes, just as quickly as you
are prepared; but you much cease worshipping idols. Then, when
persons say they are willing to sacrifice their all for the
kingdom of God, they will do it without whining. Then, if a Ward
is required to perform a certain work, they will not complain
about it. Then they will be apt to cast their idols behind them,
and will not so worship and covet a beautiful span of horses that
they will not let them go to save the whole house of Israel. But
in the first place, they have nothing to sacrifice; in the second
place, God has given them enough with which to benefit his
kingdom; and thirdly, if it is not on hand when required,
by-and-by it will be said, "Take from those persons what they
seem to have and give it to those who are worthy--who can dispose
of their property to build up the kingdom of God." It will be
said of us all, unless we improve upon what we have, "Take that
which they seem to have, and give it to those who improve upon
their talents and will gain more."
198
Whether you can see it or not, I know that this people are more
or less prone to idolatry; for I see that spirit manifested every
day, and hear of it from nearly every quarter. We must stop
worshipping idols. We are in the possession of the keys of the
kingdom; the eternal Priesthood is committed to this people, and
we are blessed as are no other people of which we have any
knowledge. This people have the words of life--the way of life
and salvation: they know how to save themselves and all that will
cleave to them. Now, what is demanded at our hands? Is it to pray
that we may be faithful? It seems to be a burlesque. It is most
disgraceful to be under the necessity of saying, "Brethren and
sisters, let us be faithful." Rather so obtain a particle of
wisdom before God that we can see our own standing, what we are
called to do, and understand what is bestowed upon us. You might
as well pray for the angels to be faithful as for this people. If
you could see and understand things as they are, your whole
souls, minds affections, lives, and everything at your control
would be sealed up in God and his work. Then would it be, "You
cannot take my horses, for I cannot spare them?" No. Who cares
for all the horses in the world? The Devil says that he has claim
on them, and he means to devote them to his use. I will see that
all the horses, mules, gold, silver, clothing, and people
belonging to this Church are devoted to the kingdom of Christ,
God being my helper; and I will out-general the Devil, and baffle
him in every turn, and head him in every nook and corner; and he
shall be turned hither and thither as the Lord will. I am
determined, in the name of Israel's God, to see the Devil whipped
from the earth, and out-generaled and fooled in all his schemes,
and whirled about by this Church until he is glad to leave the
earth and go to his own place; and then we will see whether or
not the Lord God has all things that belong to him.
198
Compare our position and situation with that of the rest of the
world; look at the inhabitants of the earth, and try to
understand the object of our being on this earth, the object of
the forming and peopling this earth, and designing and decreeing
that things should be thus and so. Try to understand why our
first parents partook of the forbidden fruit, and why Jesus came
to the earth to redeem fallen man. I always try to learn why
things are suffered to proceed on the earth as they do.
198
If you get an understanding to know the purposes and designs of
our Creator in framing and peopling this earth, do you think that
I should be under the necessity of exhorting you to say that you
will sacrifice your all for eternal life? The idea is
nonsensical. Should I be under the necessity of exhorting you to
live your religion and cling to your God? If we should not come
to meeting during the next sixteen years, and if we had never met
since the brethren were driven from Jackson County, every one
would live his religion. If this people had understood what they
ought, the early Elders might have lived in foreign nations and
preached the Gospel until this day, and they would then have been
better prepared to worship God acceptably than many are now; and
this people would have been more cautious, better prepared, and
more contented to practise what they know, instead of searching
after things that do not concern them.
198
We know enough to damn us; and when we know enough for that, we
know enough to save us, if that knowledge is improved upon. We
are a happy people. We are the only people on earth that
acknowledge God and truly believe in him. The Christian and
heathen world profess to believe in him; and the jews say that
they believe in him: but they do not believe in Jesus Christ. The
Christians profess to believe in Jesus Christ; but, if he told
the truth, not one of them really believes in him. I do not doubt
their honesty; but I doubt the manifestation of any knowledge
they have of him; for if they were his disciples, they would do
the works which he did. That alone is positive proof to me that
they neither believe in him nor have any idea what he designs
concerning them. They may be honest and sincere; but they are
very ignorant. This people have the true knowledge; they have it
not. We have the Priesthood; they have it not. We have the way of
life and salvation; they have it not. We know how to be
Saints--how to save ourselves and all who will hearken to our
counsel; they do not.
199
Now, ask yourselves, is there any necessity of preaching,
praying, teaching, and exhorting, to learn us our duty and make
us Saints? It is almost labour lost. You heard brother Silas say
that if the Elders should leave those islands, in a few years the
natives who have embraced the Gospel would be as bad as they ever
were. If there is nothing more of them than that--if they have no
desire to do good--no power in themselves to keep them from
giving way to the Devil, unless there is an Elder from Great Salt
Lake to watch them, the quicker they are damned the better. I
would not, in such a case, walk five rods for the whole of them.
If they do not know enough, after what they have been taught, to
save themselves, they will be damned, and I will not ask another
Elder to wear out his strength and waste his energies in so
useless a work.
199
Those islanders and the natives of this country are of the house
if Israel--of the seed of Abraham, and to them pertain the
promises; and every soul of the, sooner or later, will be saved
in the kingdom of God, or be destroyed root and branch. If they
do not choose in this probation to take the path that leads to
life, let them go their own road. The honest in heart in all
nations and generations whoa re worthy to receive any salvation
will receive, sooner or later and I do not care how quick the
Lord Almighty cleans the floor; for then we will build up Zion
and redeem the honest in heart. But it is not for me to know the
times and the seasons: it is for me to be contented in the
discharge of my duty today, and let tomorrow bring forth what it
will.
199
May the Lord bless you, brethren and sisters. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Orson
Pratt, January 24, 1859
Orson Pratt, January 24, 1859
TESTIMONY OF GOD'S SERVANTS FAITHFULLY BORNE TO THE
NATIONS--GENTILE
OPPOSITION--JUDGMENTS OF GOD--REDEMPTION OF ZION.
A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, January 24, 1859.
Reported by J. V. Long.
199
Once more I have the opportunity of beholding the faces of the
Latter-day Saints here in the valleys of the mountains. I begin
to be almost weary in trying to carry salvation to the wicked
nations of the Gentiles; and because of the many years that I
have spent on missions, I find myself almost a stranger in the
midst of the Saints at home. There are now but very few that I
can recognize. There are many that have known me for upwards of a
quarter-of-a-century that I have forgotten.
199
I have felt, since I started for home this last time, that I
should, perhaps, be permitted to tarry with you longer than I
have had the privilege of doing at any former period of my life.
199
If any one should ask me where my home has been for the last
quarter-of-a-century, I should answer--Among the nations; for
that has been my principal abiding place ever since the year
1830.
200
When I received a letter from the President, releasing me
from the Office at Liverpool, and also releasing all the
missionaries in that country, without specifying in the letter
what time I should return. I immediately felt a great desire to
return this winter; and by this means I believe I have saved to
myself some six or seven months time that I can dwell here in the
midst of the Saints; and at this peculiar period I feel that it
will be a great blessing to me to be with you,-- that if you have
to share toils and tribulations in having your enemies upon your
borders, I may share them with you; and that if you have peculiar
blessings bestowed upon your heads, that I also may be made a
partaker of them.
200
Should my brethren say to me "Brother Orson, we wish you to take
a mission, now, to China, or to the East Indies, or to any other
part of this globe, and tarry there twenty-seven years before you
return to your home," I would go. Yes, I would gladly go, and
feel that it was my duty, and that I was pleasing God in obeying
the counsel of his servants.
200
The Lord sent forth this message some twenty-eight years ago;
and, during this period, the servants of the Lord have been sent
out especially to the Gentile nations, that their times might be
fulfilled, and to give them an opportunity of receiving the
truth. Those servants have gone forth, though in their weakness;
and, with very few exceptions, they have been very faithful in
their duties. They have fulfilled that parable that is recorded
in the Book of Mormon, where the labourers are said to have gone
forth and laboured with their might, and the Lord of the vineyard
laboured with them; and it predicts that they should be faithful
in keeping the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all
things.
200
We must, therefore, draw this one conclusion--that the testimony
that has been borne to the Gentile nations is sufficient, so far
as our weak judgment can comprehend, to condemn them all, if they
never hear another sound from the voices of the servants of God
while they exist in the flesh. Why is it enough? Has every
individual among the nations of the Gentiles been preached to? I
will tell you what has been done.
200
Thousands and tens of thousands of large congregations have been
preached to in the United States and in Great Britain. Thousands
and thousands of the servants of God have lifted up their voices,
day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after
year, and warned the nations; and the Lord told us, more than
twenty years ago, that he had sent forth his servants to warn the
people, and it became those who had been warned to warn their
neighbours. The Lord, more than twenty years ago, said to his
servants, "Your garments are clean from the blood of this
generation."
200
Where is there a Gentile nation upon this earth, if they were to
be destroyed this very day, that could come up before the Lord of
Hosts and plead any excuse before him for not knowing concerning
the latter-day message which has been sent forth? According to my
feelings upon this subject, I believe that they have been fully
warned, beginning with the nation of the United States that
inhabit this promised land. They have also been thoroughly warned
in Great Britain. The nations of Europe have been offered the
message; but they would not receive it. It seems to me, according
to my judgment, and according to the vast amount of testimony
that has bee sounded in their ears, that they are delivered over,
not as individuals, but as nations, to the hardness of their own
hearts, to fight against the work of God.
201
The Lord says, in the preface of the Book of Covenants, "Search
these commandments; for every jot and every tittle shall be
fulfilled, and not one word shall fail." The inhabitants of the
earth were commanded to search those commandments; and you will
find in that preface that the Lord told the inhabitants of the
earth that his servants, the weak things of the earth that he was
then sending forth, had power to seal both on earth and in heaven
the unbelieving,--yea, verily, to seal them up into the day when
the wrath of God shall be poured out upon the wicked without
measure.
201
Now, the Lord moves upon the hearts of our First Presidency to
say to the Elders of Israel Abroad, "It is enough: come home.
Your testimony is sufficient. The wicked reject it; they fight
against it: therefore you may now return to these mountains and
valleys. Return from the nations of Europe, return from the
nations of Africa, return from Great Britain, from the United
States, and from the Canadas, and come home to these mountains."
201
In sending forth a message of this kind to the Elders, what does
it show? Why, it closes for the present the testimony of the
servants of God, and shows that the warning is sufficient, and
that both earth and heaven bear witness that the Gentiles are
left without excuse.
201
Apparently, all the devils that brother Kimball and the other
brethren saw in a vision on their first mission to England seem
now to have entered into the tabernacles of the people; and you
can see them gnash their teeth at the Saints, just as they were
seen by brother Kimball; for the Devil influences them and makes
them instruments to fight against the people of God.
201
Read the vision of Nephi, where the Lord showed him the sending
forth of this message to the nations;--"And it came to pass that
I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth; and she sat upon
many waters, and she had dominion over all the earth, among all
nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. And it came to pass that
I beheld the Church of the Lamb of God; and its numbers were few,
because of the wickedness and the abominations of the whore who
sat upon many waters. Nevertheless, I beheld that the Church of
the Lamb, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their
dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the
wickedness of the great whore whom I saw. And it came to pass
that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather
together in multitudes upon all the face of the earth, among all
the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb
of God, that it descended upon the Saints of the Church of the
Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were
scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed
with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory."
[Book of Mormon, 1st Book of Nephi, chap. iii, 47-50.
202
What is it going to increase righteousness and the power of God
upon the Saints that are scattered abroad upon the face of the
earth? It is the increase of righteousness here at head-quarters;
and as branches of the great vine of the same Church, they will
feel the influence of the same Spirit, even before the
intelligence can reach them by letter. When you reform and turn
away from your sins--when you practise righteousness here, the
Saints of God abroad feel stirred up to do the same things, and
the Spirit of the Lord rests upon them the same as it does upon
the people here, only not to the same extent, because you live at
head-quarters, at the fountain head, and you have a greater
experience; therefore, you experience, righteousness, and
faithfulness, entitle you to more choice gifts than those that
have not the same experience.
202
The power of God will rest upon the Saints of the valleys first,
and then upon the Saints in all the world, just in proportion to
their righteousness. The Lord is going to increase power here
among the people. Have we any dangerous circumstances to pass
through that render it necessary that more power should be made
manifest? Have we got to bear testimony to kings and to rulers of
the earth at the present time? No, we are not called to do this;
but those who are in the nations abroad may have this to do.
202
What, then, is needful to be done? We have got a different work
to do than what we have had for the last quarter-of-a-century.
202
You recollect that the Lord has said he would try and prove us in
one scale, and then he would try us in another, and see if we
would be faithful in carrying out the principles of salvation.
202
When we were thus tried, we went forth and whipped out the
religious world spiritually. Their priests, their lawyers, their
doctors, their great men, their discussionists, and their wise
men have all been whipped and backed out,--so much so that they
have confessed that they could not stand before the powerful
reasoning of the servants of God and the power which accompanied
the great latter-day message. But now we have to be tried in
another point. We have whipped them out so far as their doctrines
are concerned, and they have now come up to try physical force
upon us.
202
I do not know that the Lord would have sent us down there to
drive them if they had not first come against us. But they have
come up with sword in hand, with the best engines and implements
of war, with their best disciplined armies, their scientific
officers, with men that profess to have skill in all the arts of
warfare and ability to whip out the few Saints here in the
mountains.
202
Do you think that that God who has enabled his Saints to fight
moral and spiritual battles, to array argument against argument
and principle against principle in all the contest which they
have been called to have, and who has brought them off
victorious,--do you think he will not defend them at this time
also? If he has supported us in all these things, do you suppose
that he is going to allow us to be overcome by those who have
persecuted his servants, and to let out necks be trampled down
under their feet? If I have any understanding of Ancient and
modern prophecy and of the spirit that is in me, the Lord intends
to perform his part of the work for the deliverance of his
Saints.
202
I must say to the Latter-day Saints throughout this Territory,
that the same God who has strengthened them to overcome their
enemies spiritually will be their defence, and his power and
strength and his arm will be stretched out for their deliverance.
When you go to meet your enemies, they shall be prostrated before
you, and you shall overcome them. And as you have overcome their
priests by the strong force of argument, so shall you literally
and physically put your enemies to flight, and one shall chase a
thousand, and two shall put ten thousand to flight; and this you
will do by the power and strength of that God who fought for
Israel in ancient days.
202
Have we any ancient prophecy upon this subject? yes, we have; and
let us bring it up; for we now live about the time that the
mother of abominations was to gather together and fight against
the Saints.
203
In the last chapter of the 1st Book of Nephi, paragraph 3,
the Prophet says--"And all that fight against Zion shall be
destroyed, and that great whore who hath perverted the right ways
of the Lord--yea, that great and abominable church shall tumble
to the dust, and great shall be the fall of it. For behold, saith
the Prophet, the time cometh speedily, that Satan shall have no
more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day
soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be
as stubble, and the day cometh that they must be burned. For the
time soon cometh that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be
poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer
that the wicked shall destroy the righteous. Wherefore he will
preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so that the
fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved,
even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore the
righteous need not fear, for thus saith the Prophet, they shall
be saved, even if it so be as by fire."
203
Nephi looked upon these things and saw the condition that the
people would be in, and therefore he said "You need not fear." Do
you hear it, Latter-day Saints? You need not fear, for the Lord
will preserve his people, even if it must needs be that he sends
fire down from heaven to destroy the wicked and those that preach
false doctrines to the children of men, even the whore of all the
earth; for they must tremble and fall and crumble to dust.
203
I feel as strong, and I do not know but stronger, in regard to
the work that is now before the Saints, than I ever have done in
bearing testimony to the truth of the Gospel. I have always felt
that God would give me wisdom, argument, and testimony to
confound gainsayers and opposers of the truth; and thus God has
enabled me to do. I have the same feeling to-day,--not that we
have the strength to do it ourselves, but I know that God will
strengthen us for the work we have to do.
203
Though the Lord may suffer our enemies to come and invade our
borders, and though we have been driven and trampled upon, and
though we have laid down our necks for them to tread upon, he has
now got us here, where he will show forth his power.
203
He has let us rest in these peaceful valleys in safety and in
quietness for some ten years, and now he seems to say to the
wicked, "Inasmuch as you will not give heed to the testimony of
my servants, and you are determined to invade their borders, go
up and try it, and I will show you that I will gird on my
strength and arm my servants, and they shall defend my cause."
203
It will be just as the Lord said in December, 1830--"I will call
the weak of the earth, and I will gird up their loins; and they
shall fight manfully for me, and their enemies shall be under
their feet." he also says, "I will not only shake the earth, but
the starry heavens also; and the inhabitants of the earth shall
know that you are my people, because of the power and the
strength that shall be manifest in defending yourselves against
your enemies." This is what the Lord intends to do.
204
It needed the United States as a nation or as a government to
unjustly come up against us, in order to bring about these
things. How many scores and hundreds sit in this congregation
that have never been in one solitary mob? Have you been tried
with persecution and mobbing and death? Have you been tried at
the mouth of the cannon or at the point of the bayonet? No--many
of you have not; hence a trail is needful. Can you expect the
power of God without a trial of your faith? It is expedient that
you have a trial of your faith. It would be one of the easiest
things in the world for the Almighty to send fire and brimstone
upon the earth and destroy our enemies, or to swallow them up by
an earthquake as he did in days of Israel.
204
In those days the Lord enabled Israel to overcome the Hittites,
the Hivites, the Jebusites, &c. How easy it would have been for
the Lord to have destroyed them by earthquake, or by fire, or by
something of this kind! But he did not do it,--and why? Because
he wanted to do several things at the same time: he wanted to
destroy the wicked, and to see if his servants would flinch in
the hour of danger. The Lord is going to defend this people, but
not without their agency. He is not going to let us sit upon our
easy chairs and not expose ourselves. If we were to do this, we
should not be worthy of the kingdom of God. He offers the kingdom
and says it is ours, upon certain conditions.
204
What else does he say? "My Church shall be free and independent
of all creatures beneath the celestial world." Have we been free
from the United States? No, we have not; but we are to be made
free from every government upon the face of the earth; and
wherever there is any dominion that is beneath that of the
celestial world, we are to be free from it.
204
Now, suppose the Lord had offered us all these things, and we
should sit down and not move a finger for the blessings he had
given, should we be worthy of them? No, not at all. We should be
in this condition, if we were suffered to take possession of
these blessings without any trials.
204
If we are dilatory, we shall have to suffer as in days gone by,
and our enemies will come in here and bring in their whoredoms
and abominations that they have been accustomed to from their
youth up. This will be the case, if we do not save ourselves by
our diligence and obedience. But if we show to God that we are
willing to stand up in behalf of his kingdom and of the truth,
even unto death, then, notwithstanding our enemies may be two
hundred to our one, we shall feel strong in the Lord, and he will
fight our battles. Then we shall accomplish that which has been
promised by the Prophets; and not only the United States will
have to suffer, but as the Prophet Isaiah says--"The multitude of
the nations that fight against Zion shall become like the dream
of a night vision, as when a man who is hungry dreameth that he
is satisfied with food, and he awaketh and behold he is faint."
So will be all nations who fight against this people: they will
pass away before the power of the servants of God. His servants
will be clothed with wisdom and with the power of the Most High
to prevail against all their enemies.
204
We would let the poor curses alone, if they would stay at home
and mind their own business. The American continent never was
designed for such a corrupt Government as the United States' to
flourish or prosper long upon it. After they should become
ripened in iniquity, it was not intended they should continue.
The Lord has designed another thing, and for this reason we are
here in these mountains: the little stone has been rolling up
hill.
205
If our enemies keep coming up here, after the Lord has shown his
power and enabled his servants to cope with them, if they still
continue to fight against Zion, the Saints of God will roll down
upon their borders and take them upon their own lands. But before
that day comes, we have to show our wisdom by skirmishes and in
various conditions in which we shall be placed; and we have got
to show the nations that God intends to do something here in the
mountains.
205
When he has done this, we shall then roll down to the borders of
Missouri and take possession of your inheritances, from which we
have been illegally and unconstitutionally driven.
205
Brother Kimball says we could not roll down until we rolled up.
But we have been rolling up hill for the past ten years, in
fulfillment of the predictions of Isaiah, which says--"O Zion
that bringest glad tidings, get thee up into the high mountain;"
and having rolled up for ten years, we shall soon begin to roll
down. But I do not think it will take ten years to roll down
hill; for we shall be propelled by the power of God, and the work
will be hastened.
205
The power of God will be with us, and the Lord God will redeem
Zion, as he redeemed Israel in Egypt; and not only his angels,
but his presence will go before us, and the nations of the earth
shall fear because of the power of God which shall accompany us.
205
Then will be the time that the Gentiles can be preached to by the
Elders with some sense; or rather, they will be preached to by
Israel that is scattered amongst them. Then, brethren, you can go
and preach to them, and say the power of God is with you, and say
to the people, Look yonder, and behold the children of Zion
delivered by the power of God; and then you will be respected.
Then you can go the palaces of the great and preach to the king
upon his throne, to the great men, to the nobles, and rich men of
the earth,; and many will fear, and receive your testimony, and
flow to Zion, bringing their riches with them. But now you could
not go into their fine palaces, nor find access to their rich and
splendid mansions. You could not get them to hear you for one
moment. No: they would degrade you, if possible, to the lowest
hell.
205
There is not a people upon the face of the earth that were ever
degraded like the Latter-day Saints. They look upon you worse
than they do upon any set of pirates that travel the open
seas,--that is, if they believe their own words; for they
circulate these things in their lectures and in their
periodicals; and there is not use to try to preach to them, but
let the Lord work with them and with this people.
205
Let the Lord purify his kingdom, and let the most bitter branches
be pruned off,--not by some means entirely independent of the
Saints; but let the people go to work to trim off such bitter
branches as Missouri and Illinois, because of their wickedness
and mobocracy; and then the nations will begin to see that there
is power there. Yes, trim them up, in order that the natural
branches that bear fruit may bear more fruit--that Zion, in other
words, may increase her tents and stretch forth her curtains,
even the curtains of her habitations, and make not only the
desolate cities of Zion, but the desolate cities of the Gentiles
to resound with songs of praise to him that sitteth upon the
throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. This is what the Prophet
says about it:--"And their desolate cities shall be built up and
be inhabited by the Saints of the Most High." God will bring
about this work; and as to our being overcome in these valleys of
the mountains, it will not be, if this people do as they are
told--if they are will to do right in all things.
206
If this people will hearken to the law of God, and in everything
be humble and meek, and keep his commandments by day and by
night, from one year's end to another, we shall be, as it is said
in the parable of the vineyard, as one body--as the roots and
tops of the great tree which the Lord God has planted and made
equal, so that the top will not jostle over because there is not
sufficient strength in the roots.
206
I want to see this people of one heart and of one mind; and when
the word comes forth, I want to have them as well-disciplined as
the Gentiles, and ten thousand time better.
206
This is the people who have the right to be of one mind for the
defence of Zion, for the defence of their wives and children, for
the defence of the vineyards, and their flocks and herds, but
more especially for the defence of the kingdom of the Most High
God.
206
Let this be the main object of this people. You know that is is
the kingdom of God or nothing! Therefore may righteousness be our
object from this time for and for ever. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Joseph
Young, October 11, 1857
Joseph Young, October 11, 1857
HAPPY PROSPECTS OF THE SAINTS--PERSECUTION--UNION, ETC.
Remarks by President Joseph Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, October 11, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
Young
I not allow myself to make any apologies when I get up to speak
because it is against my feelings--it is against my principle.
Young
I have listened to what brother Lorenzo has said, and I have felt
well. It is my desire, if I suggest anything, to suggest that
which is profitable--which will do good. Language is too frail to
express the rich sentiments of the hearts of the Saints; the
tongue fails to utter the glory and the pleasures of the kingdom
of God. It cannot do it; language fails. There is a display of
the Holy Spirit in the understanding that surpasses all language;
it cannot be told; it is past being told or described. This is
right; it is as it should be, for language is poor: the best we
know of is poor.
Young
I am not precisely like some of our Elders who think that unless
somebody is talking all the time, nobody can be edified. It is
true that we come together to be edified by hearing each other
speak: but when a body of people come together, that body should
bring the agency of the Holy Spirit with them; and I drink of the
fountain of intelligence, whether any body speaks or not.
Young
We have prayed many years--we have sought many years for the
blessing which we now begin to enjoy.
Young
I feel to rejoice in these things. I feel to be glad at the
prospects that are before us. I feel to be glad;and whatever may
be the result of the present crisis, I am glad in my heart. I
never felt so in my life; and it is not I alone, but it is the
whole people of the Saints. I believe that in this thing we all
feel pretty much in the same spirit. I know that as long as we
dwell in mortality, it is impossible for us to obtain that
happiness which is in store for the sanctified. It is impossible
for me, at the present, to obtain and retain the fulness of that
pure spirit that I wish to obtain.
Young
We dwell in impure elements--in an atmosphere that is as has been
corroding from the beginning, for it is controlled by the Devil,
the "prince and power of the air." But we can seek the atmosphere
that comes from heaven, and that is pure. When we came to dwell
in the tabernacles that are so corrupt, we were placed very far
beneath the high privileges we shall attain to. We mix ourselves
with the spirit of the times; we condescend to weaknesses that
the time will come when we shall be ashamed of before the angels
and before sanctified beings.
Young
When we condescend to anything that is mean, we feel ashamed; we
feel the blush to come upon us, and we know that is not in
keeping with the Holy Spirit. I presume it is so with you. I feel
assured that you are somewhat sensible of your weaknesses. If the
enemies of the Saints should make inroads upon the privileges of
the Saints of God, what will it argue.
Young
If such should be the case, it will argue that their hearts are
not united. I do not presume to say that this will be the result
of the present contest; but, on the contrary, I believe that this
people are so much united that God will hold his hand over them,
for they are his favourites-they are the seed of his choosing;
and there his power, however variable it may be, will ever be
successful.
Young
I must prophesy. I feel it in me all the time, because I see
something of the faith and prayers of this people year after
year; and hence I must prophesy. It has been a hard struggle with
the people of God, and you have read and thought how the Saints
must succumb; but it has seemed a sort of second nature that the
enemies of truth must persecute the people of God; and when they
are out of their reach, they must still follow them up and
persecute them with a perseverance that is worthy of a better
cause.
Young
There is a handful of people in these valleys. They have come to
erect his temple, build the towers of Zion, to attend to the
ordinances of the Gospel, and prepare for the great things that
await the earth. All our children, and a large portion of our
brethren and sisters, and a large portion that persecuted their
brethren and sisters here have all got to learn that God has made
all of one blood, and that we are all the children of our common
parent. They follow us up here, and what for? To shed the blood
of Prophets and Apostles and all good men. Yes, we can say it has
been so ever since the commencement of this work.
Young
Our enemies are not sane. They are no more sane after they set
their hands against this people. The administrators of the
Government that we live under are just a insane as they can be.
They do not comprehend that those men who stand at our head hold
the keys of salvation; but I do believe that they have a desire
in them to extirpate the last vestige of hope that is upon the
earth. This is the folly and meanest of man, to destroy those who
hold the power and the keys of salvation to the inhabitants of
the whole earth!
Young
Who is it that is at the head of this? It is the Devil, the
mighty Lucifer, the great prince of the angels, and the brother
of Jesus. He left the province of his Father, and took with him a
third part of his Father's kingdom, and there was no other
alternative but to banish him. God would have saved him if he
could; but he could not. Lucifer and all his host went away to
themselves, and they are our foes; they are after us, and they
are after this whole people; and I tell you they are as thick as
I want them. Perhaps the air is clearer here than in any other
place; but perhaps I am wrong. There may be more devils here than
in any other country, and we are certainly more free from their
power than any other people under heaven. Be this as it may, I
know that there is a victory to be gained, and we have to gain
that victory.
Young
It reminds me of an anecdote of a man who was travelling. He saw
a devil as he was travelling, and the devil was asleep; and he
was asked the reason, and the answer was, the people were asleep.
When he came back, the devil was running. He inquired what was
the matter; and the answer was, the people are waked up. It has
been precisely so from the time that Joseph Smith found the
plates: the Devil has been after him, and after this people to
the present.
Young
We are safe in retreating; and here is the best retreat that we
have ever found, right in these mountain fastnesses. But does
persecution cease now we are here? No, sir. If it did it would be
jeopardising what has been spoken. What is this for? and how is
it we are so safe? It is because the Holy Spirit of God aids us
and sanctifies us, and it consecrates and devotes us to his
service, and that is the safety of his people. I tell you now,
this is a good place; but without the sanctifying power of the
Holy Spirit to amalgamate the Saints and make them of one heart
and one mind, could they live here? No, they could not. But by
living their religion, they can live here or anywhere else where
the Lord has a mind to put them. It is the conduct of the people
that must determine this.
Young
Although these mountains are good and like the ramparts of some
other countries--of Switzerland and of Scotland--yes, take away
the union that exists in the midst of this people, and then how
would it be?
Young
We have many advantages here, and yet God has seen fit to
manifest and reveal the necessity of union, and of this people
being of one heart and one mind. He has located us here in these
mountains to give us an opportunity of taking advantage of these
blessings which we enjoy, that we might receive benefits from the
advantages of these high mountains.
Young
Are we safe? We are, so long as we are united and keep the
commandment of God. But, brethren and sisters, this must be our
strength. Our trust must be in the Lord. No one can understand
for another, but it is each for himself. I know when I am right,
but I cannot always tell when you feel right. When all my family
are filled with the spirit of union and show a becoming deference
to me as the head, I see there is a good spirit prevailing. Then
I say all is peace, all is happiness, all is paradise under my
roof. Then there is no enemy that pervades my house.
Young
You should know when you are right and when you feel right; that
is, when there is no jealousy, when there is no animosity within
us--nothing that is contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. When
our desires and feelings that are constantly brooding over our
minds are to do all the good we can--when our desires are to see
the glory of God, to see the Saints made happy and comfortable,
then we are right, for that is the spirit that unites the Saint
together; that is the spirit that makes them one.
Young
There is a good deal to be done, notwithstanding we have advanced
considerably. The history of our past experience shows we have
made great advances and now a period in our history has arrived
that is more eventful--one that is more absorbing to the Saints
than any past period of our history. I have no doubt, when we
view this period in years that are to come, that we shall be able
to give a brighter account of our progress than we have done in
any times that are gone by. This will assuredly be the case.
Young
We never were placed in the position we are now in. We are
situated here, and our enemies are close by us. There have been
steps taken by them that place us in a different position to what
we ever were in before; and who shrinks? I do not, and I do not
know that anybody else does.
Young
I praise God and thank him for it, that we are placed in a
position where we dare to declare the truth to the world and to
the nation to which we have been connected, and where our
brethren now have the independence to declare the truths of God
and say what steps we will take in defence of our wives and
children.
Young
Whether I die on a scaffold or while preaching the Gospel to the
wicked through iron grates, yet I should rejoice. I leave the
result in the hands of God, and pray that he will rule all things
in a way that will be for the salvation of his Saints and for the
upbuilding of his kingdom. My heart rejoices and I feel right,
and that the Lord will overrule all for our good.
Young
Brethren and sisters, I feel that short sermons are the best, and
I feel that there is a degree of the power of God among the
people to such an extent that I have never before realized. What
is the reason of this? You know for the last year past many have
turned from their sins, and, I trust, have forsaken them. There
has been a great change; for where darkness and carelessness
prevailed, and almost wholly pervaded the minds of the people, I
perceive there is an increase of faith in the promises of God--an
increase of interest in the cause and kingdom of God upon the
earth. Many are laying aside personal interest to sacrifice all
for the building up of the kingdom of God, and all seem to be
trying who can be the most successful.
Young
I rejoice in this, and I say that nothing could be a better
symptom of the gifts and graces of the Gospel begin in the
people. I feel that God has blessed this people, even beyond my
most sanguine expectations, though I always believed that God
would save us and bring us through. But it is no matter, if it
takes twenty-five years to do that which might be accomplished in
one,--it is all right--it is all through faith. If there is faith
enough in this people to do in one hour what is the ordinary work
of years, it would be brought about by the simple act of faith.
Young
If it takes us years to gain that experience which we could learn
in a day, it is our own fault. The Lord declared to his disciples
that he had many things to say to them, but they could not bear
them at that time, for they could not bear all things; therefore
he had to give them instructions by piecemeal, because they could
not bear the fulness of the light.
Young
It is so now. It is but little that the Saints can bear, and I
want you to bear it in your minds, for every move of the Holy
Spirit softens the hearts of the people: there is with it an
accompanying blessing; there is something that warms the
conscience and makes the spirit tender. The heart should be
susceptible and pliable to the touch of the Spirit. Do not
forsake that--do not drive that out of your heart, but make
yourself more and more acquainted with the Spirit and power of
God. A man may pass through all the ordinances of the house of
God, but he must have the impress of the Holy Ghost upon his
mind, or he cannot receive that fulness of joy and happiness
which he might have. When the Spirit of God melts the heart, it
runs through a man's system, and it is like melted ore. But when
the heart becomes hard, there is no penetrating it. This is a
serious state to be in.
Young
I tell you there is the power of God in this Tabernacle, and we
may feel that we are arrested by the power of God until we should
be carried out of that door; and then, perhaps, the next moment,
we lose that feeling and become the natural man again. We should
strive to get that influence and keep it.
Young
All our domestic arrangements are to be subservient to that
Spirit, otherwise we are on the background--we are taking the
back track, which never should be the case with the Saints. When
a man gets the power of God and the Spirit of the Lord, he is
right.
Young
I would not be afraid to warrant everything that I possess upon
the earth, if this people will be faithful and live so as to
enjoy the fulness of the Spirit of God, that no enemy can
successfully invade us.
Young
We want to be happy. This is our ultimate and eternal
boon--happiness. You may point me to an individual that is not
seeking for happiness, but I tell you the ultimate design of each
and every one is happiness. I tell you a man's mind is
susceptible of feeling and cannot be satisfied with out
happiness.
Young
Well, home is our paradise--home is our heaven. We can make a
heaven in our own bosom--we can make it at home. I never can be
joyful or happy without a heaven at home; but when I have it
there, I feel well, let winds blow high or low--let adversity
come, or prosperity.
Young
I do believe that it is the design of the Almighty to bless this
people with prosperity. But I tell you, brethren, I should be
afraid of myself, if I had this world's goods. I tell you the
pathway through adversity is the safest way to heaven. When men
get prospered, they get lifted up, and then they lose the Spirit
of God.
Young
Let us not murmur or repine at poverty. We never shall know the
contrast, if we drink the bitter cup all the day long; but we
shall enjoy the blessings.
Young
I pray God to strengthen you and to arm you with faith and
patience to endure all you may be called to pass through, with
elasticity of feeling, and with the gifts and graces of the
Gospel, that will fill you with light and life--with quickness of
perception.
Young
That you and I may be what we profess to be, is my prayer. God
bless you, brethren and sisters! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Lorenzo
D. Young, December 13, 1857
Lorenzo D. Young, December 13, 1857
THE RELIGION OF THE SAINTS AND ITS REJECTION BY THE
WORLD--TRAINING OF CHILDREN--HOME MANUFACTURES.
Remarks by Bishop Lorenzo D. Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, December 13, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
211
I have tried to treasure up what I have heard to-day, and pray
God to give me power to practise righteousness upon the earth. I
am aware that the people that are denominated Latter-day Saints
occupy a very conspicuous position before the nation in which we
dwell, and also in the eyes of the intelligent nations of the
earth.
211
There is something connected with our holy religion that has
called forth the attention of the wise and learned of this
generation. And they have used their talents and their wisdom in
trying to destroy the vine that has been planted in the earth, or
the Priesthood that has been revealed in these latter days for
the benefit of the children of men, that they might be restored
again into the presence of God their Father.
211
It would be superfluous for me to say that the revealed truth of
God from heaven has not been received by the majority of the
world in any generation; so it is no new thing under the sun if
Joseph Smith's mission is rejected by them. The Lord's wisdom is
not like the wisdom of man, neither are his ways like the ways of
man.
211
The priests of the day, who professed to teach the way of Life
and salvation to the people, looked with contempt upon Joseph
Smith the Prophet, and sought by every means in their power to
destroy him and the truth which he brought forth, that the
kingdom and power of Babylon might, as it has done in days gone
by, continue to prevail, unchecked by the influence of the
kingdom of God.
211
Beloved Saints, we are now here in the valleys of the mountains,
far separated from those who have sought and still seek our
overthrow; and here we have the privilege of coming to meeting to
hear from the servants of God, and there are none who dare molest
or endeavour to deprive us of this dearly-bought privilege. This
is a choice blessing, and one which we all should strive more
fully to appreciate.
211
The false learning and wisdom of the world, concentrated, cannot
compare with one principle of eternal truth revealed to this
people through those whom God has sent to lead them. Are we
worthy of the high and holy calling whereunto we have been
called? Do we order our lives so before the Lord of Hosts that we
are worthy of his confidence, worthy to walk in the light of his
countenance from day to day?
212
If we live in such a manner as to receive nourishment from the
true vine, into which we have been grafted, then we shall have
power to overcome those sins that so easily beset us. There are a
great many more things connected with our holy religion besides
praying morning and evening, fasting, and paying tithing, as did
the Jews. Our religion comprises the holy order of heaven
revealed to man in the last days for the final establishment on
earth of the kingdom of God, which will never be overthrown; but
it will roll on and increase until the kingdoms of this world
shall become subject to the law, government, and authority which
rule in Zion.
212
It will not be long before this congregation of adults will pass
from this stage of action, and their places will be filled by the
rising generation. I was charmed by a remark which fell from
brother Kimball this morning. He said, "There are little boys
here that will live until they have power to bring the dead to
life." It brought to my mind the great obligation which should
prompt parents to bring up their children in the way they should
go. Solomon said, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and
when he is old he will not depart from it."
212
The words of the affectionate parent take deep root in the hearts
of the tender offspring; and the impressions received in
childhood remain with them during their lives. I well remember
hearing the confession of two men that were executed in an
eastern country a number of years ago. They gave a history of
their early tuition. One of them regretted that he had not
adhered to the teachings of his mother; for, if he had, he said,
he would not have come to the gallows.
212
The children of the Latter-day Saints are different from the
children of the world. We have heard to-day that those that were
begotten under the order of the Priesthood were endowed with
greater power, ability, and knowledge than those children born
among the Gentiles. The spirit in our boys is uncontrollable but
by the holy Priesthood. Why? Because the masterspirit is in them,
and it grows up with them; and when our children become men and
women, they will voluntarily adhere to the principles of eternal
truth. They have not been under the influence of a sectarian
education, and have not this to contend with as have their
fathers. They are brought up as the children of the Most High,
and they will walk in the path of their fathers and in the
precepts of their mothers, and will magnify their high calling to
a greater extent, and be far more exalted than them in the eyes
of Heaven.
212
Will the daughters of Zion follow in the footsteps of their
mothers? In some things I hope they may; in other things I hope
they will not. When we attend to and fully live up to what the
Lord has revealed unto us through the Prophet Joseph, as also
those instructions which we continually receive from the servants
of God, we shall be more like angels or heavenly beings. Our
houses will be governed according to the order of God revealed to
man. Just walk into President Young's house, and tell him you
desire to walk through his house to see the order of it. Then
walk through President Kimball's--I think neither of them will
deny you the privilege--and see if there is not an order of
things prevailing there that extends beyond your narrow
comprehension.
212
I well recollect hearing the Prophet Joseph instruct the people,
about twenty years ago, to make their own clothing, and to let
the decoration of their bodies be the workmanship of their own
hands. That revelation has not been much thought of by many. I
referred to it in the old Bowery, and there was such a rebutting
feeling in the spirit of the people, that it was with the
greatest difficulty I could say anything.
213
It has been said, "Why does not President Young go to work and
clothe his family with homespun, and set the example? Why does
not President Kimball? Whey did not Presidents Richards and Grant
and others do it. People with common sense can see the reason
why. There is not a man in the Territory of Utah that can compete
with them in this thing. They have done it all the day long, as
far as their calling would admit. Are they still doing it? Yes.
213
I see men and women before me clothed in fine apparel. I am glad
of it; but I should feel far better to see them clad in cloth of
domestic manufacture--that is, in homespun.
213
The gold and silver that found its way here has gone. This
community were not sufficiently wise to buy those article only
which were necessary to make them and their posterity
comfortable, and lay a foundation to make themselves independent;
but they squandered their means in purchasing fine goods to
gratify the fancy of women, and their money passed swiftly
through their hands to the merchants, who have taken it along
with them to the States; and I am glad of it, because this people
are destined to learn a lesson by it that they could not
otherwise learn.
213
The gold is gone; the sheep and flax in sufficient numbers and
quantity are not here, and our enemies are between us and the
states. The prospect now is fair for our obeying the commandments
of God that he have through brother Joseph with respect to
manufacturing our own clothing and the adorning of our own
bodies. The people will profit by the lesson.
213
If we, as a people, will follow out the teaching the Lord has
revealed to us through his servants, he will preserve us and be
our great Benefactor in days to come as in days gone by, and we
shall not be allowed to suffer more than we can bear.
213
Let me say to all of you, just take care of what you have got and
preserve it. I see the sisters passing along the streets, even in
muddy weather, with their dresses of silk and satin dragging in
the mud. They could cut off from four to six inches from the
skirt, and make their children a dress of what they wear out and
waste on the ground; and if they have no earthly use for it
themselves, perhaps some of their neighbours would be glad of if.
213
It does not become me, however, to correct the errors of the
people here. Brother Kimball says it is the Bishop's office. I
thank him for this information, for I did not know it before. If
you have good clothes, do not drag them in the mud, but save
everything you have against a stormy day. Let this people make
their own clothes and take care of what the Lord has put into our
possession.
213
Instead of only eight thousand sheep, there ought to have been
eight millions. If all men had used the exertion that some few
have, there would have been sheep enough to have clothed this
whole people from year to year, asking no odds of Uncle Sam or
anybody else. Flax can be grown here. I have not raised any flax,
but I expect to have some spun and wove.
213
Were it not for home manufactures, I should expect to go without
clothing. President Kimball says there are now about three
hundred bushels of flax-seed in the Tithing Store.
213
Prepare yourselves also to raise sugar-cane, and from that your
sweetening, or make up your minds to go without; and if you have
got a leaky roof, try to get it fixed.
214
If our enemies,--I do not mean those few out yonder--a swarm of
longbilled mosquitoes could eat them up at a supper spell,--I
mean the whole United States and the whole world,--if they should
come upon us, they cannot prevail, for they are fighting against
the kingdom of God and warring against the Saints of the Most
High. The combined nations of the earth will try to destroy the
man-child and obliterate the truth from the earth; but as the
Lord of Hosts lives, they cannot do it; and the reason is because
the Almighty stands at the helm, and he will guide the old ship
Zion in a safe course, and all the powers of earth and hell
cannot stop her progress.
214
May God bless you all. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Isaac
Morley, November 8, 1857
Isaac Morley, November 8, 1857
THE PROSPERITY OF THE SAINTS DEPENDENT UPON THEIR BEING RIGHT
BEFORE GOD--PRAYER AND WATCHFULNESS, ETC.
Remarks by Patriarch Isaac Morley, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, November 8, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
214
I am in hopes that what I do say will be dictated by the right
guide, as brother Heber says. I do not wish for any other. It is
difficult for me to communicate my ideas, though I do not make
this statement because I wish to apologize or to excuse myself
from any duty.
214
I thing I realize with you, brethren, the situation that we are
in and the circumstances that surround us. Every reflecting mind
will rest his thoughts and attention upon our present situation;
and if we have in us the light of the Holy Ghost, we shall
believe it is all right. This is my conclusion, and I presume it
is the conclusion of most of you.
214
If we, as individuals, are right before God, all will go well
with us and the Lord will prosper us. I do not think that the
reform that we have undertaken and that is undertaken with this
community is done with. I find that it becomes me to concentrate
my mind daily and hourly upon the grand things that lie before
me.
214
As to the enemy that is come up to destroy or curtail us in any
of our blessings, I care but little about them. It makes me think
of the past, when my mother used to have a rod over the
mantelpiece for me to look at. I think we have got one that we
can look at, and it is where it can be used; and probably if it
is used, it will be used to our advantage.
214
If we can prepare our hearts and our lives, we need not fear
anything about our enemies. The greatest fear is that I shall not
sustain and carry out correct principles in my own bosom. I
believe that our grand object it to have all things right within.
If we do this, we shall do well.
214
We are taught in one place to "pray without ceasing," and
watching is as necessary as prayer. I am of the opinion that we
can correct our thoughts so far as to know and understand what
our motives are and what our affections are placed upon. If our
minds are wandering to the nations of the earth, what will it
benefit us? The grand place for our operations to begin is in our
bosoms, and to see that our minds and bodies are influenced by
those principles that pertain to light, life, and immortality.
215
There are great attainments in reserve for the faithful of this
people. I believe that we may enjoy even more peace and
satisfaction than we do now, which may be obtained by prayer and
watchfulness. We should reflect upon the covenants and
obligations that we have made unto God and before our brethren.
There are many keys in those holy covenants whereby we can derive
comfort.
215
Obedience is the grand key whereby this people are to be exalted;
and I sincerely believe that the Presidency are comforted by the
obedience that is rendered to their requirements.
215
It is the mind that makes the man; and if that mind is centred
upon correct objects--if it cultivates and cherishes them, that
mind is improving. There is not time nor circumstances through
which we may be passing but there is opportunity for improvement.
I learn this daily. And there are opportunities for our
advancement in the principles of exaltation.
215
I believe that reformation and union can be carried to a greater
extent than they have been. If there is a love for the truth in
the people, it will be manifest in true plainness and true
honesty: our yea will be yea, and our nay will be nay. The
Scriptures say, "Whatsoever cometh more than this is evil;" but
true plainness and true honesty is what we want.
215
If we are not advancing in light, we are either standing still or
going backward. The great principles that we are to be governed
by dwell in simplicity; they are easy to be understood by any and
all who will apply themselves.
215
The condescension of Heaven is great: there can be no greater
condescension than is manifested to us. We have attained our
heirship. We know there is such a principle as well as we know
there is a God.
215
Baptism for remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the
gift of the Holy Ghost are as simple as anything can be. All the
great fundamental principles of salvation are simple. We can
comprehend and understand them--we can increase and grow by the
power of them.
215
In adding to our faith, it is necessary that we should add virtue
first, then knowledge; and these we should cultivate daily and
hourly.
215
Brethren, I intend, as far as I have power, to instruct by
example. Without it, I would give very little for all the
precepts that are or can be set forth in a family or abroad among
the people.
215
May God bless you, is my prayer, in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Daniel
Spencer, October 11, 1857
Daniel Spencer, October 11, 1857
BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE, ETC.
Remarks by President Daniel Spencer, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, October 11, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
ncer
I arise to bear my testimony to the truth of what Elder Lyman has
said this morning. I feel that it has been good to listen to him.
The principles of which he has spoken are the foundation of our
happiness; and unless we build upon what he has been speaking of,
we may seek to all eternity, and not obtain happiness.
ncer
All truth comes from God, and he makes it known through his
servants; and this is almost invariably in advance of our
knowledge. In the commencement of our connection with the Church,
in our baptism, we are told that we should receive the gifts and
blessings of the Gospel, if faithful. We did not receive positive
proof of it: but as we advanced, we realize through obedience,
the truth of what was promised us.
ncer
Brother Amasa has instructed us to be faithful--to have
confidence in God, and that in his own way he will benefit us and
establish peace. If we love God, all things will work together
for our good.
ncer
If we love God, we love the truth for all truth is from God. We
have got to have this confidence in the Lord and show that we
love all truth; and if our faith is established upon that and
upon the principle upon which he reveals it to us, then we know
that all things will be overruled for our good, our faith, and
our happiness, as we have been told to-day.
ncer
Now, we have knowledge that it is best for us to labour and
obtain clothing to keep ourselves warm for the winter. We have
been taught this by our parents. We know that it is best to live
by industry. The Indians do not know this,--at least but very few
of them do, and none of them knew it when we first came here:
they did not understand that it was best to labour to make
themselves comfortable; but now they are learning it: they are
beginning to learn that it is best to make some little sacrifice
to get clothing and food: and they are improving in this day by
day.
ncer
Now, the Gentiles have a knowledge that it is best to labour for
clothing, for food, and to make preparation for winter, and so
on; but when we speak of the knowledge of God, and that it is
best to do this or that because the whisperings of the Spirit say
so and so,--when it comes to the servants of God and the things
of his kingdom, the Gentiles do not know so much as the Indians
do; hence they act in accordance with their views and knowledge,
and hence they are deprived of may blessings.
ncer
We have derived many blessings from rendering obedience to those
things that were taught us when we first came into the Church;
and those who do not learn these things do not have our
experience.
ncer
Well, now, as Elder Lyman has remarked, if we love the truth
better than error, and have confidence in the Lord that he has
established his kingdom, and that he will reveal his will, we are
happy, and we shall abide in the truth, precisely as he has told
us. If we have that love for the truth, we shall discard all evil
from our families--we shall discard strife and every malignant
feeling that is contrary to truth.
ncer
God has not recommended any mode of procedure that will produce
discord or unpleasantness in our homes; hence we had better leave
off that which will offend God. A man that harbours a malignant,
unruly spirit does not love the truth; and these are the things
which cause men to apostatize. They say, "I will have a little
gratification upon a principle that I know is wrong." Well, this
is the foundation of apostacy; it is the method by which the
people sacrifice that which would bring continual peace: they
apostatize by sacrificing that which they know to be right,--not
that which they do not know, but that which they do know; and
that which they know it truth. Then the Spirit of the Lord
withdraws from them, and they have no relish for the truth,
because they have despised and put away his counsel; they have
not respected his counsels.
ncer
I mention these little things because they come under our
observation every day. We have counsel from Bishops, Teachers,
and Presidents. This is the method through which we receive
counsel, and we must respect the counsel that come from all these
authorities. If we respect God and his servants, he will respect
us; but if we do not respect him, he will not respect us, because
we have not respect for the truth nor for God. But if we have a
respect for God and love his teachings and his servants, then we
shall love the truth; our minds are open because we are searching
for truth; we love it and cherish it; it is visible in our
transactions in life. Well, then, it is our meat and our drink;
it is our food constantly; and we feel to do everything to
benefit mankind--to make people happy.
ncer
I have been very much interested myself, and I know that the
remarks made to-day by Elder Lyman are just what we want.
Whatever we have passed through and whatever we may in future
pass through, we shall say, if we endure to the end, that we know
God has overruled all things for our good. We know now that all
will be for our good, and we are made happy in the enjoyment of
the knowledge that God will overrule everything for our profit
and good; and upon no other principle will it be happiness to us.
ncer
It is not to be presumed that we re going to be happy and possess
all fulness of knowledge at once; but events will be continually
and gradually developed that will show us that God will bring to
pass nothing but what will be for our good and for our happiness.
ncer
My prayer is that we may have power with God--that we may have
confidence that God will do all for our good; and let us know
that he accepts our actions, and let us be ready to do whatever
is required of us, nothing doubting, and I know that peace will
be the result.
ncer
I want to make a few observations in relation to the handling of
our guns. There have been three individuals killed through
carelessness. Almost every day I hear guns fired off, and
oftentimes they go off in a direction not intended. Now, be
cautious, and let not any accident of this kind take place in
this city. Be careful where you discharge your guns, for our
lives are precious. Many have now been called to handle guns that
never have been used to it. Let such put on a double guard over
themselves, and know that they must not use firearms carelessly.
ncer
The late news from the army is favourable, as it has hitherto
been. I presume that it is well understood; therefore, I will not
repeat it.
ncer
Let us live so as to continually secure the favour of God, and I
know that we shall have constant peace and joy. This is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Elias
Smith, August 2, 1857
Elias Smith, August 2, 1857
PERSONAL FEELINGS AND EXPERIENCE, ETC.
Remarks by Elder Elias Smith, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, August 2, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
218
My brethren and sisters,--Very unexpectedly I appear before you
this morning. Perhaps it might be well enough for me to confess
my sins before you, to begin with.
218
Before I get through, I presume, with the few remarks that I may
make to you, you will learn that I am not much of a public
speaker upon any subject whatever. I have frequently of late,
received visits from brother Kimball, and he has intimated that I
might be called upon to speak before you. This morning I went to
the Office for the purpose of writing a letter to a sister that I
have not written to for several years. Brother Stout and brother
Hiatt came in, and we spent some time chatting. Brother Kimball
then came in, and I thought if I could get away from him I should
be glad,--not that I wanted to shun his company, but I knew
pretty well his business. When on the way here, I thought that I
had escaped his notice; but his eye was a little too keen for me.
218
I have often thought that if I were calculated to do any good, it
was in another line rather than preaching; for I would rather do
anything else. If anything else is required of me, I feel that I
can go and do it; but when called upon to speak, I always have
felt a diffidence. I know that I cannot stand up before this
congregation and teach anything. and I shall not presume to do
it; but inasmuch as I have been called to address you, I will
endeavour to do so a few moments.
218
It is true that I have been in the Church a long time, and I have
been with the Saints in all the scenes of persecution and trial
from that time to this, except that I had not the privilege of
being with the pioneers who came to this Territory. Circumstances
so ordered things that I could not share with those men who came
and sought out this country the toils of that memorable journey.
Aside from that, I believe that I have been with them in all the
scenes that they have passed through, and I have striven to do
all that I could for the cause, though I have never tried to make
myself conspicuous, but have endeavoured to do what I was told by
those over me; and that will be the case with me to-day; and
then, after I have spoken to you, I shall go and do something
else.
219
Although I though I was somebody, before I heard
"Mormonism," yet I can say in truth that is has made me all that
I am. I know that I have not lived up to all the privileges that
have been afforded me, and I know that I have not been as
thorough as I ought to have been in many things; but when I have
reflected, I have come to the conclusion that I would be more
persevering in the future,--though, when anything has been given
me to do, I have generally gone and done it.
219
When "Mormonism" found me, I was surrounded and enveloped with
the things of this world. My father had a name among a religious
society, and I frequently went to meeting with him; but when I
did not choose to go where he went, I went somewhere else. I
never adhered to any religious principles, but believe in living
a strictly moral life; but I did not believe in anything scarcely
that was taught by the religious parties around me. If, however,
a man wished to become popular in the world, it was necessary in
that part of the country for him to belong to some religious
body; for it was hard to rise in the sphere of respectability
without it. Notwithstanding this, I thought, if I could not be
raised in the world without having a form of religion, I never
would rise. But I believed that I could accomplish it without
that, and I was in a fair way for it, as I thought, when
"Mormonism" first came along. Under these circumstances, you will
readily believe that I did not give way to it immediately, and I
have been sorry for it many times. Instead of yielding to it, I
strove to throw it off; but at length, being convinced that it
was true, I said farewell to my popularity, threw off the things
of the world, and have tried to be a "Mormon" from that time to
this; but that I have not lived up to all the privileges I ought
to have done, I freely acknowledge.
219
I am glad that I am with you to day, although I cannot say that I
feel free to speak to you. I realize my imperfections and my
foibles, and that I am in the presence of those who have taught
you all the principles that you know, and who have also taught me
all that I know; and therefore, if I should attempt to teach
anything, it would only be reiterating those things that you have
heard.
219
I feel to rejoice every day of my life that I live with the
Saints in the valleys of the mountains, while war rages and
rumours of war are heard all over the earth. I rejoice that I
have the privilege of dwelling with the Saints in peace and
safety, for I feel that we are in safety; and if we live our
religion and obey the counsel and advice of those set over us, we
shall continue to dwell here in peace, and nothing will molest
us.
219
The United States may send all the armies they please--I have
that faith and confidence in the work of the Lord that I feel
assured, if we carry out those principles and the advice of those
set to lead us, all will be well with us, and our enemies will
have no power over us whatever.
220
The other evening, when the brethren arrived from the States,
bringing the news that there was to be not more mail, most of you
were up in the kanyon. I stayed at home to wait for the arrival
of the mail, for I thought it would be better for me to wait for
it than for it to arrive and have to lie in the office two or
three days without being opened and prepared for delivery. I
think Thursday, the 23rd, was one of the longest days I had ever
seen. I tried to do something to pass away the time. I went to
the Tithing Office and spent a little time with the brethren
there; but I could not feel to settle down to anything. In the
evening, brother Smoot and the other brethren came in and said
that Uncle Sam had taken the mail away from us, and then he had
ordered several thousand troops to this Territory. I felt
perfectly calm when I heard the news, and went home and slept
soundly, and I have slept well ever since.
220
It is true I feel somewhat annoyed and not a little vexed at the
occurrence and at the treatment we have received from the Post
Office Department in relation to the mail, to think that, after
so much had been expended to get it fairly into operation and
have it carried punctually, it should be taken from us. But as to
their conduct in this respect awing us into subjection, I feel as
though it never would be done. [Voices: "Amen"]
220
I am aware that the prophecies are fulfilling, and that we shall
soon see scenes of war and commotion, and may be brought to
collision with the United States; but as to their having power to
destroy our leaders as they wish, I do not believe they ever
will.
220
I have had a desire to live ever since I was a lad. I have always
felt a desire to live to be an old man, and I yet have that
desire. In all the scenes that I have passed through, I have
never wished to die, but have desired to live and see Israel
triumph over all her enemies.
220
A brother was speaking to me yesterday about certain places in
Missouri, and he said, You remember such and such places. I
replied, I never was there, but I expect to go. [Voices: "Amen."]
I started from Liberty once and expected to see those hills and
plains which the brother alluded to yesterday. I started with
brother Markham and brother William Burton, who died in England;
but circumstances prevented our accomplishing the journey. I
still expect to go there and see Israel victorious over all her
enemies, and that the measure they have sought to measure out to
us we shall have the privilege of measuring to them.
220
I have seen many dark days; and when I have seen and heard men,
who have been in the Church eighteen or twenty years, say that
they have had no trials, I have felt in my hear that they either
lied, or that they had not lived their religion. If I was to say
that I never had any trials, it would not be true; and if I was
to say that I ever once desired to back out, that would be
equally untrue. As I said before, in my early days I tried to
lift myself up by my own ingenuity. All that I acquired I wished
to do by my own skill. If it was not natural to me, I acquired
and had a stiff-headed disposition and that has been hard for me
to overcome, and have hardly got over it yet; but when such
things come along as try me, and I overcome them, I then feel
better.
220
I hope to overcome all those imperfections by labouring
diligently to that end. I came here in 1851, and I believe I have
made some progress since towards overcoming my weaknesses in this
respect.
220
Circumstances were such, when I left Nauvoo, that I could not
come through with the Saints: my father and mother were taken
sick by the way. My mother died in October, 1846, and my father
was never able after to come here, except upon a litter. He died
in 1848, and I soon after began to prepare to come west. I took
up my effects and came here in 1851, and I came determined to be
free from that independent disposition that I had had to contend
with, as much as possible.
221
I strove for this in crossing the Plains. The brethren frequently
asked me what I was going to do when I got there. I told them
that I did not know--that I had not thought about it. But no
difference with me what I did; anything that presented itself I
intended to do. I have been called upon since to do many things
that were not agreeable to me in their nature: in other words, I
have had a good deal of dirty work to do; but I have endeavoured
to do it and keep my hands clean; and if in any of those things I
have not done this, then I have not done what I have tried to do.
Be that as it may, it is my desire to live with you in prosperity
or adversity, let what may come. But I certainly do not expect,
if we live our religion, that our enemies will have power over
us, although I am well aware that they will endeavour to do us
all the injury they can.
221
I have been aware that they have had a design in relation to us
for some time, from the fact that all their movements have been
carefully hid from us. When we have received their papers, none
have had any allusion to their military movements in this
direction, neither have their advertisements in relation to their
transportation of freight to this Territory ever reached us; and,
to prevent us still further from knowing anything of their
doings, they have withheld the mail, and that too without raising
any legal objections. They did not even avail themselves of the
privilege always reserved in agreements with mail contractors.
But the fact of the case is, they seek our overthrow; and if any
person here do not think so, they are mistaken.
221
If they could destroy President Young, President Kimball, and
President Wells, and the leading authorities of this Church, they
would be pleased; but they cannot do that. If we do not live our
religion, I expect we shall be scourged; and for my own part, I
feel perfectly free in revelation to these things; and whether I
live or die, it is all the same to me, although I expect to live
to be an old man, and to go back with the Saints to the land of
Jackson County. [President B. Young: "God grant it."]
221
Brethren, I do not feel like prolonging my remarks. I pray that
God will bless his Saints, and that those who have no desire to
remain with us may go away. I know, if we keep the commandments
of God, we shall obtain his blessings; and I have learned from
the history of the past that has come down to us, that those who
have not done so he has chastened. If we keep his commandments,
we shall be delivered out of the hands of our enemies and be
saved in his kingdom.
221
Brethren, may God bless you and enable you to be faithful in all
things, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Lorenzo
D. Young, October 25, 1857
Lorenzo D. Young, October 25, 1857
THE LORD'S PROVIDENTIAL CARE AND PROTECTION OF HIS
PEOPLE--FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC.
A Discourse by Bishop Lorenzo D. Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 25, 1857.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
222
I can truly say that I feel like a little child in relation to
the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, which are wisdom,
knowledge, and righteousness revealed to man.
222
I have been comforted while hearing by brother speak. His words
have been truthful. His admonition has bee good to the Saints,
and his exhortation has been such as we should all reduce to
practice in our future lives.
222
When I stand before the Saints, I can only feel to thank the Lord
and bless the name of Israel's God: why? Because he has led his
people in the way they should go for their salvation. While
contemplating upon the scenes the Latter-day Saints have past
through, and those through which the Saints in former ages have
passed, I discover that there is a striking resemblance between
the two. Indeed, they are of one family; they have embraced the
same principles and are trying to carry out the doctrines taught
and practised by the Prophets and by Jesus Christ our Redeemer
and elder Brother, when he said, "The kingdom of heaven is like
seed cast into the ground, and some of it took root, but long
since has the Master taken his journey into a far country, and
the vineyard has been let out to husbandmen;" and thank God that
we live in the time of harvest, because I always find the time of
harvest more joyful than the seed time.
222
There is a great harvest to be performed, and the Elders of
Israel have been engaged in the harvest for many years past, and
some of the wheat has been gathered out and placed in the garner
of the Lord.
222
I have contemplated, while sitting here this morning, as to what
would have been the condition of the Latter-day Saints, supposing
we had been let alone in Kirtland. Every meditating mind can
contemplate at a glance the situation this people would have been
in to-day.
222
Supposing we had been left to ourselves in the pleasant groves of
Missouri, which we shall, thank heaven's King, by-and-by occupy,
with none to disturb us; but the time has not come yet;--I say,
had we been permitted to stay there, could the Lord have
fulfilled the words of the Prophets, which were spoken by the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, concerning this people in the
latter day? Verily no.
222
Suppose we had been permitted to remain in the city of Nauvoo,
Illinois, could the words of the Prophets have been fulfilled
concerning this people in our day? No. But the Lord, by his
unseen hand and outstretched arm, and by his wisdom, which is
beyond the comprehension of finite beings, led his people to this
place prepared and reserved by him as chambers of safety for his
Saints, in fulfilment of the words of all the holy prophets since
the world began.
223
You that are acquainted with the words of the Prophets can
remember that the Lord has promised through them, that he would
hide his people in the last days while his wrath and indignation
should pass through the wicked nations of the earth.
223
What is the testimony of the Elders of Israel in relation to the
situation and circumstances of the nations of the earth, where
they have travelled for the last few years? Does it not portray
to us the most horrible scene of suffering? Abominations of the
lowest caste are practised among those nations that bear the fair
title of Christian nations, and they have sunk the deepest of all
others in degradation, wickedness, and wretchedness.
223
Is the Lord vexing the nations? Yes; and there is no place where
the Lord could better secure his people than in these valleys,
behind these towering bulwarks which his enemies cannot throw
down. Powder and ball cannot move them. Behind these the Lord has
securely planted his little flock, where he has nourished and
cherished it by Prophets and Apostles, and watered it with the
dews of heaven, strengthening it with manna--the bread of heaven,
inspiring the hearts of his servants to give unto it that
nourishment that is necessary to make it grow and prosper, until
its branches run over the wall and Zion becomes terrible to her
enemies when they shall come up to war against her.
223
The Prophets have truly spoken of this day and looked upon it
with admiration. When I call to mind that I have the honour of
being a member of that Church which the Lord Almighty has planted
in the latter day, it fills my heart with sensations of joy and
gladness which language fails to express or communicate.
223
My brother said his heart leaped with joy on the 24th of July,
when the declaration of independence was made. My meditations and
sensations were, no doubt, something like those of the fathers
who fought for the liberty and independence we ought now to
enjoy. They were glad of the dawning privilege of worshipping God
in their own way, and of worshipping that God they chose to
worship, whether it was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or
none at all.
223
Did they not have to fight for that liberty? Yes. Should any of
the sons of Zion fall in the contest for similar privileges in
our day, thank heaven's King, they will have the privilege and
honour of sealing their testimony with their blood, and of
becoming martyrs in the latter day to Heaven's cause. Will their
mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters have any reason to mourn
because their son or brother has died a martyr to Heaven's cause?
No; for they will wear a martyr's crown, which makes it more
desirable for us to go out in the defence of Heaven's cause, and
lose our lives to establish this kingdom and help to sustain it
upon the earth, or to dwindle away in sickness, hunger, and
thirst, brought upon us from the ungodly conduct of our enemies.
224
Have not a great many already fallen victims to their cruelty?
Yes. Have not I seen many women and children consigned to the
silent grave because of their cruelty? I have; and all because we
are the friends of God. Were we standing in open defiance of the
mandates of king Immanuel, would they be our enemies? No. They
are the enemies of Jesus, our elder Brother, who has for a long
time withdrawn himself, as he said in the parable, when he
compared the kingdom of heaven to a man who let out his vineyard
and took a journey into a far country. Jesus has taken his
journey; but thanks be to heaven's King--to God, our heavenly
Father, he has said in these last day, "My son, take to yourself
the kingdom, because it is yours, for Lucifer has borne rule long
enough on that planet: now, you go to work and revolutionize that
planet, and purify and sanctify it from the wickedness and
abominations that exist upon it, that it may be prepared and
brought back to my presence."
224
This is the work in which we are now engaged. If there should be
a man or woman of the character that has been spoken of this
morning, that wishes to go away from this people, I wish they
would go. Every honest Latter-day Saint has felt and prayed, and
his prayer has been in the morning, at noon, in the evening, and
at midnight, that God would sweep his vineyard and purify it and
prune it of all the dead branches, that they may be burned and
blown away by the wind, like the chaff of the summer
threshing-floor.
224
Now, was it not the prayer of every faithful Saint that God would
set his furnace in Zion and burn out the chaff and the branches
which are withered up and dried, that nothing but the bearing
branches might be left--the pure in heart,--that there might be
not jarring strings, no back-bitings, slander, stealing, or any
evil thing among the Saints of God who dwell in Zion? We have
seen such things here to a certain extent. I feel glad in my
heart, and feel as though I could jump up and cry "Hallelujah!"
and "Glory!" like a Methodist, because the kingdom of God is set
up and given to the Saints of the Most High. The yoke of
oppression is broken off, and independence is give to us as far
as is now necessary and required, that the kingdom of God may
advance on the earth. Why not rejoice and be glad?
224
There are some appendages to all this, and one little item drops
into my mind now--one of the simplest things in the world--that
is, for the sisters, if they have not the privilege of knitting
mittens and stockings, to go to work and make pieces of
patchwork, or anything that will keep the brethren warm that are
out in the mountains. No doubt but we shall see tight times; but
the Lord will guide his servants, and his kingdom will prosper,
and every Saint will learn how to appreciate blessings when we
have them; but there is no occasion for any person to be afraid.
224
There have been a great many things prophesied here in the way of
common conversation. I suppose that a good many of the Saints
think that when the old Prophets, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and others
prophesied, they used to get down on a bench and kneel before the
congregation, or get into a dark closet, where they could speak
through a knot-hole and have their scribe write it, or perhaps
have a coffee-sack covered over their heads, and ashes sprinkled
over that.
224
I have heard men prophesy here every Sabbath-day; and in a
thousand years after to-day, when we read over their prophecies,
the prophecies spoken by the old Prophets will sink into
insignificance and will be forgotten. Even as the wonders of the
last days, in gathering Israel, will throw into the shade of
forgetfulness the mighty miracles at the Red Sea and in the
wilderness, so it will be a thousand hence, when we read over the
prophecies delivered in the year 1857. Why? Because there is a
great deal more pending now than formerly.
224
We now see our brethren called to go into the mountains, and this
people are expending much to defend the cause of Zion.
225
We acknowledge brother Brigham Young as President of this Church:
we have long acknowledged him as such; also brother Heber C.
Kimball as his first, and brother Daniel H. Wells as his second
Counsellor. This Quorum constitutes an embodied power. Where does
it centre? In the head, and it compares with the triune
Godhead--the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Are these three men who
compose the First Presidency one? They are. God has ordained them
on earth to fulfil his purposes, build up his kingdom, cast down
Babylon, establish righteousness on the face of all the earth,
cleanse this planet from corruption, and prepare it for a
dwellingplace for immortal Saints.
225
Has not the Lord embodied all the Priesthood and power of his
kingdom in the head of the First Quorum of his Church? yes. Where
should the power of this people be centred? In that personage
whom God has ordained to lead his people; and, as I have prayed
myself, not that the Lord would tell me anything particularly
about the armies of the enemies of God, but make it known to his
servants Brigham, Heber, and Daniel--that he would give such
counsel to his servant Brigham as would be necessary for the
advancement of his kingdom, the destruction of Satan's empire and
the downfall of Babylon, the spread of the truth, and the
universal reign of peace on this planet, until the land of Joseph
is purified and the people of God return to go back with pure
hearts and contrite spirits to Jackson County, according to the
words of the servants of God, and build the great Temple of the
Lord, according to the words of the Prophet Joseph.
225
Well, here we are, a free people. We are at liberty to go out in
the defence of Zion, which we never could do before. The Elders
have been to the nations, and besought the people to repent and
leave off their wickedness, to reform, and be baptised, and be
saved, crying as John the Baptist did, "The kingdom of heaven is
at hand."
225
Had the nations opened the door to the servants of God to freely
preach among them, before this time the Gospel would have been
sounded in every ear; and when that is done, Jesus says the end
shall come. When the olive tree begins to put forth its buds,
know ye that summer is nigh. The stone that is cut our of the
mountains without hands has begun to roll, and it will fall on
the feet, toes, and legs of the image, and crush great Babylon to
pieces: by its power the nations will be broken.
225
I have long prayed that the Lord Almighty would destroy the
nation that gave me birth, unless the rulers thereof repent. Yes,
I pray that it may be broken to pieces and become like an old
vessel that is broken and thrown out to rot and to return to its
native elements.
225
Let us keep the commandments of God, and all will be right. I
want to say a word in relation to our present position. It
becometh you and I to be valiant for the truth. All the
Latter-day Saints have said they are willing to stand up in
defence of the cause of truth.
225
The old Methodists used to say, when they got up in the pulpit to
speak as I have to-day, that they were ready to defend Zion's
cause at any risk. They knew but little about Zion and her cause
and the principles of eternal truth. But they have been revealed
and taught to us from the stand, Sabbath after Sabbath. No people
have been blessed with the privileges of the Gospel of the Son of
God as we have.
225
We are free, for Christ has made us free; and the Apostle says,
"Whom the Son makes free is free indeed." If you are free by the
blood of the covenant, and have redeemed yourself by its
requirements, see that you bring no spots upon your garments;
betray not your trust, but be constant to the truth, and stand a
witness for it under every circumstance in which you may be
placed.
226
Will the Lord give strength? yes, and all the power,
victory, and glory we need. The Lord has courageous men and women
in the last days; and I believe there is as much courage among
the women as there is among the men. I want them to have courage
enough to pray for their husbands and sons, instead of being
afraid, and not say, when one of the brethren comes into your
house, "Do you think any of the brethren will be killed?" The
Lord will dictate that; you need have no anxiety about it.
226
Lorenzo Dow told the people, in a certain occasion, "You old
professors go home and take down your Bibles that have lain on
the shelf until you can write damnation in the dust that has
collected on them, and read the old Prophets, and see what the
Lord did for his people of old." The Lord, at one time, sent
forth his angel in the time of battle and slew a hundred,
fourscore-and-four thousand souls in one night. At another time,
when the people of God went forth to battle, and they were
afraid, the servant of the Lord stood before them and encouraged
the, exhorting them with words of consolation, saying, "The Lord
is at the head of his armies."
226
Brethren, trust not altogether in the weapons which are in your
hands; but when you fight, pray, and let your meditation be unto
your God; and the Lord will regard you, and answer your prayer,
and fight your battles, as he did in the days of the Philistines,
when they defied the armies of Israel. The Lord gives victory to
his people; but we should all the time be willing to come up to
the help of the Lord against the might, whenever it is necessary.
226
May God bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Joseph
Young, July 26, 1857
Joseph Young, July 26, 1857
UNPOPULARITY OF "MORMONISM"--REDEMPTION OF THE DEAD, ETC.
Remarks by President Joseph Young, delivered in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, July 26, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
Young
I have been requested to occupy a few moments before you, my
brethren, this afternoon, I have a great many reflections in my
mind, but it is only the few that would be reasonable that I hope
may have utterance at this time.
Young
The suggestions which I heard this morning awakened in me, as
they usually do, feelings which I have for the welfare of the
kingdom of God, which kingdom, we heard to-day, is already being
established on the earth,--or we may say that it is established.
Young
It was said in the days of the Apostle Paul, "Say not in your
heart, who shall descend into the deep to bring Christ up? or who
shall ascend into the heavens to bring him down? for the word is
near thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, even the word
which we preach, which is--If thou wilt confess with thy mouth
and believe with they heart that God hath raised Christ from the
dead, thou shalt be saved."
Young
It was perilling one's life equally as much to acknowledge the
crucified Nazarene as it is now for the "Mormons" to acknowledge
Joseph Smith to be a Prophet of God. We will add on to the test a
little now, and say, If you will confess Jesus Christ to be the
Redeemer, Joseph Smith to be his Prophet, and Brigham Young his
successor, and carry out their counsels unto the end, you shall
be saved.
Young
Now, I say it was just a perilous to acknowledge Jesus, whom
almost every one then believed to be an impostor and the refuse
of all creation, as it now is to acknowledge those men whom I
have mentioned.
Young
How is it now? Why, it is popular by the Christian world to
acknowledge Jesus to be the Saviour. The Catholics all
acknowledge Jesus to be the Saviour. The doctrine has become
popular in the world, so much so that nearly the whole world now
acknowledge that Christ truly was the Saviour, the Redeemer, the
Son of God; and they believe on him. Will people be persecuted
for this? No. You may go into all ranks of society in the world,
and they will receive you, if you are a Christian; but you must
mind one thing--you must not name "Mormonism"--you must not say
that Joseph was a man that you believed in; for the moment you do
this you are in jeopardy.
Young
I have been many times in places when I did not announce my name,
but something would tell them I was a "Mormon." I do not know who
told them, except it was the Devil; but I could hear them say,
"He is a Mormon." There have been many instances of this kind
among the Latter-day Saints.
Young
I prayed, before I heard this Gospel, that I might see the
kingdom of God; and I could say as Paul did, that I was alive to
religion, but it was without the law. I was full of religion, but
I was not very noisy. When the commandment came, "sin revived,
and I died;" and I learned that I had to be baptised for the
remission of sins, for I could not deny the truth. I was as
eligible to the truth as a friction match is to the fire, and I
could not get by it. I love the truth yet.
Young
I have heard brother Brigham say, and I endorse the sentiment,
that every man and every woman who is not willing to lay down his
or her mortal life for this Gospel cannot be saved. The Lord will
bring us into a place where we shall be tried whether we are as
willing to die as we are to live, and I know this is true; and if
I have not gained that point, I have got to live so as to arrive
at it on this side of the vail. There is a vail over us at
present; but to some the vail is becoming thin, but it is not
rent.
Young
There is no greater mark of a man's being in full fellowship with
God than to see that man quickly yield to the will of God without
a murmur. This is as good a mark of a Saint as can be given.
Young
From the commencement of this work there has been plenty to try
men and to put them to the test. Shall we be mad at our enemies?
No, not unrighteously--not wickedly mad.
Young
When I look at the condition of this people, view the work for
them to do, and the reward the Lord has for them, if faithful,
and then cast my eyes around and gaze upon the bitterness of our
enemies, what are my feelings? I can feel as David did concerning
his enemies, when he went to the sanctuary; "for there," said he,
"I understood their end."
Young
Don't you think his envy was then taken from him? Yes, instantly.
He could feel as Jesus felt in his death-struggles, when the
Roman soldiers pierced him. He said, "Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do."
Young
Jesus knew the turpitude of the human heart and the wickedness
that those individuals were capable of; and knowing this, He
said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Young
I do not know of a better spirit than that which Stephen
manifested when he said, "Father, lay not this sin to their
charge." He knew their ignorance as well as their wickedness. He
saw the heavens opened, and beheld what their end would be.
Young
Do you think he had any envy towards his murderers then? No, he
felt very different from this. I have as great an abhorrence to
their iniquities as any other man; and in case the providence of
God should call me to stand forth in defence of the truth with
the sword and the musket, I probably should feel as resolute in
that case as I should on the side of Stephen, when praying God to
forgive them.
Young
My father was a native of America--of a New England State. He was
a soldier of the revolution, and fought in defence of his
country--fought for freedom. He maintained this spirit, and he
died a Latter-day Saint. He had the mortification, however,
before his death, to be forced to leave his home for the sake of
his religion; and had he survived a little longer, he would have
been driven from that land altogether, as we his sons have been,
and would have been called upon to find his way through the
trackless desert to these mountains.
Young
We have come out here and moored and shattered relics that our
enemies had not destroyed. We wandered--where, we knew not, any
more than Abraham did, only as we were led by that mysterious
influence that led the Patriarchs of old. As that influence
brooded over them, so did it brood over the pioneers that left
Winter Quarters in the spring of 1847, and crossed the plains,
the deserts, the streams, and moored themselves in these peaceful
vales. Since we have been thus driven far from the land of
civilization--far from the ashes of our patriotic fathers, why
cannot our persecutors console themselves and say, "They have
gone," and now the voice of liberty, the voice of philanthropy,
the voice of generosity would say, "Let the 'Mormons' go and rest
in peace: they are far away from us; they cannot do us any harm?"
Young
[President H. C. Kimball. They won't do it, Joseph.]
Young
As Saints, we have assembled together with our wives and little
ones, and we have ploughed and sown and raised our own bread, and
our grain is increasing. God Almighty has touched the soil and
has brooded over it as over the waters at the beginning. And, lo!
no sooner have we obtained this land, planted our orchards and
gardens, than our enemies want to drive us again.
Young
[President H. C. Kimball. Do you pray for them Joseph?]
Young
Yes, I pray for them just as the Spirit dictates, which is
something like the following:--O Lord, bless all our brethren in
the States and everywhere else throughout the world; and bless
all that bless them, and curse all our enemies and waste them
away.
Young
We have the spirit of '76; we are patriots, and we are true to
our cause. We have to be persecuted and driven. This is what we
expect, for brother Brigham told the story this morning. This is
the kingdom that Daniel spoke of.
Young
Did the world ever persecute the Methodists or the Presbyterians
as they have the Latter-day Saints? No, nor the Quakers either,
not in my remembrance.
Young
This people have been baptised for many of their dead friends;
and you remember that it is said in the Scriptures that there
would be a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness; and when this
day fully comes, the people who are now persecuting the
Latter-day Saints will begin to know who they are and what they
are.
Young
I will tell you where my hope of their redemption is. They are
going to persecute the people of God; they are going to live as
long as the Lord will let them, and then they will die and go to
hell, and there suffer the justice of God.
Young
We look at them, and sometimes feel sorrowful, and sometimes feel
as if we could deal out justice to them. Our enemies want to kill
us, and what for? It is for the purpose of cutting off the
redemption of our dead; but the Lord will hold his hand over us;
he will preserve our lives, and they will be held sacred in his
hands.
Young
What are we going to do? We are going to build a Temple here; and
when that Temple is built, we are going to have a font and be
baptised for our fathers, mothers, and friends who have died in
generations past, just as far back as we can get at them.
Young
Where is the hope of our enemies--those who have no knowledge,
and who have never received the Holy Ghost? The Scriptures say
that for those who receive it and deny it there is not hope; but
those who have never received it will die and go into the
spirit-land, and the Latter-day Saints will seek after them and
feel after them, if they have not shed innocent blood; and many
of them will embrace the Gospel.
Young
I can tell the Latter-day Saints something in relation to our
enemies; and that is, if we do not do something for them, they
will lie in hell for ever; and the very people they are now
persecuting have got to be their saviours, or they will not be
saved at all.
Young
I want you to tell them, and tell all the great men of the earth,
that the Latter-day Saints are to be their redeemers--that they
have to look to them for their redemption, or there is none for
them; and they will have to acknowledge that salvation is of
Israel, and nowhere else.
Young
The Lord gave his oracles to Jacob and to Israel, but to nobody
else, and he never will. They are those who hold the Priesthood,
and they are the only ones who could give redemption to a world.
Young
I presume that if the people who are our enemies were to come
here and hear this, or if they should know that we believe this,
they would, if possible, call us greater fools than ever, and be
more eager to destroy us than before, simply because they cannot
comprehend the principles that govern us.
Young
Brethren and sisters, I have preached you a short sermon, and I
must say that I feel good to-day. I feel well; and may God bless
you and bless us all, and enable us to live our religion and
serve God with full purpose of heart.
Young
I can endorse one sentiment of brother Smoot, in relation to our
enemies coming into these valleys. I do not fear them. I feel as
calm as a summer's evening. The Spirit of peace and quiet is in
our midst; God is in our midst; and although we do not see him,
he is here; his messengers are here, and they know our doings,
and the record thereof they bear to him, and it is good.
Young
Now, brethren, this is a consolation to us all. Believe in God,
believe in Jesus, and believe in Joseph his Prophet, and in
Brigham his successor. And I add, "If you will believe in your
heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Christ, and
Joseph was a Prophet, and that Brigham was his successor, you
shall be saved in the kingdom of God," which I pray, in the name
of Jesus, may be the case. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / John
Young, April 8, 1857
John Young, April 8, 1857
TESTIMONY TO THE TRUTH--THE TRUE YOKE OF CHRIST--MODERN
PROPHETS--THE WORLD VERSUS THE CHURCH, ETC.
Remarks by President John Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, Wednesday Morning, April 8, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
230
I rise before the congregation to make a few remarks, by request
of my brethren and by the call of the Spirit of my heavenly
Father which I feel within me.
230
I do not expect to say much, nor to detain you long; but I want
to say a few words, for I feel that my spirit is full of
testimony this morning; and I tell you what it is, or rather some
of it. I know that Jesus lives and dwells at the right hand of
his Father, and that he intercedes for the Saints. I also know
that Joseph Smith lives; and I can testify that I have felt a
measure of the spirit of Joseph influencing the minds of the
brethren during this Conference, and that, too, to a greater
extent than I ever did in my life.
230
I feel a testimony within me that I have a great measure been
asleep; but through the mercy of God I have waked up, and I feel
that the Lord has been merciful unto me and unto this people; and
he verily has met us and called to us when we were afar off; and
I am thankful for this: I rejoice in his mercy, his long
suffering, and his goodness.
230
I can tell you;, my brethren and sisters, fathers and mothers in
Israel, and all you that feel that you have got an uncomfortable
yoke upon you,--it is simply because it is not the yoke of
Christ; for Jesus said, when he was here, that his yoke was easy
and his burden light. I know by experience that when I have the
yoke of Christ upon me, it is light; and what else do I know? I
know that there are persons who complain that the Gospel yoke
chafes them; and I want you to understand that such persons have
not got on the right kind of yoke. [President B. Young: "That is
verily true, sir."] Now, you that have on such a yoke had better
pull out the bow-keys, throw off the yoke, and then put one on
that won't chafe you; for I tell you, as the Lord God Almighty
lives, it is now or never with the Latter-day Saints.
230
The Lord has been merciful unto us, and has called to us by the
mouth of his servants and his Prophets that are here, and has
given us an opportunity to renew our covenants and again receive
the blessings which it is our right and privilege to enjoy.
230
Supposing the Lord should take away these Prophets and Apostles
from amongst us, I want to know how many of this people there are
who would ever find their way to heaven? There is not a man or
woman that would ever do it. They would slumber, and sleep, and
be lost in the darkness and confusion that envelop the world.
231
We have revelation upon revelation, precept upon precept, and
shall I say, here a little and there a little? No. But I will say
that we have handed out to us here a good deal and there a good
deal.
231
Here is the fountain of life; and I feel that it is the duty of
all to improve upon that which they receive; for this is the day
of salvation, and "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a
salvation?" I believe there will be no way of escape for those
who are slothful and indifferent.
231
The other day, when brother Kimball was prophesying relative to
the wheat, and also about the granaries, and endeavouring to show
you the necessity of preparing for a time of scarcity, the good
Spirit whispered to me and said, "What brother Kimball has stated
is just as true as Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream;"
and I verily believe it, and you may depend upon it, brethren and
sisters, that all those things will come to pass as they have
been predicted.
231
Do you know that we have the Prophets of God among us? There are
people here, who profess to be Saints, who know but very little
in relation to the Gospel which they have embraced; but I tell
you that we are not only blest with a Prophet, but we have
Prophets in our midst. I know that brother Brigham is a Prophet
of God, and that he wears the mantle of Joseph; and I can tell
you also that brother Kimball is a Prophet, and these men are
filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
231
Do you not think that I am glad? Yes, I am, and my soul rejoices
in the Holy One of Israel, and I feel more happy and a great deal
better that I ever have done in all the days of my life; and I am
sensible I know more of the principles of the kingdom of God; and
I trust I shall learn enough to steer clear of the wickedness of
men, and in the own due time of the Lord make my escape from this
ungodly world.
231
I realized, while brother Wells was speaking, that the whole
world was and is Babylon; and I realize that everything outside
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one vast
Babylon, full of confusion, wickedness, corruption, and
abominations of the deepest dye. Brother Wells also showed you
that the great men in the United States are not agreed in any one
question that comes before them. He also showed that this had
been the condition of the world for ages.
231
I have found, however, that they were perfectly agreed in one
thing, and that was to destroy the Babe of Bethlehem--the Church
of Christ; and they are just so yet: they are determined to
oppose the truth and take the lives of the Prophets of God, and
their cup of iniquity is almost full. The dragon has poured out
his mighty flood after this Church, and has tried his best to
sweep the Saints of God from the earth. But we still live, and we
intend to live eternally, despite the Devil and all his
emissaries.
231
What does Daniel say, speaking of these days--the days in which
you and I live? He says, "The kingdom shall never be taken away
nor given to another people." What have the Prophets of God been
teaching us for years? They have told us, time after time, that
if they had fifty Saints of the right stripe, they would rather
have them than to have hundreds and thousands of those who are
fearful, half-hearted, and eternally grumbling.
231
We live in the dispensation of the fulness of times; and all
other dispensations, as the Prophet of God has said, were only
preludes to this great and last dispensation; for in this day
there will be the greatest work performed, the greatest miracles
wrought, and more of the power of God displayed, and also more of
the power of Satan, that have ever been witnessed since the world
began.
232
I teach the people that Joseph Smith was greater than any other
Prophet that ever lived, except Jesus Christ. [President B.
Young: "That is true. How can it be otherwise?"] It can't; and I
tell you that he is just as active to-day as ever he was, and he
can do more for this people and for the cause of Zion than he
could when here.
232
In the days of Israel of old, and in all former dispensations,
there have been many Prophets; but Joseph Smith stands at the
head of this, which is a dispensation of all dispensations: it
will comprehend and complete the unfinished work of all former
days.
232
I thank my heavenly Father that I live to behold this day. While
sitting here, I have thought of the first Conference that was
ever held in this valley. It was nine years ago last October. I
reached the valley during the sitting of Conference, and some of
the brethren said, "The conference is sitting; won't you go?" so
I walked down to where they were holding Conference, and I found
them by the side of a haystack. There was Father John Smith and a
little handful of men that might have been covered with a small
tent, and they were holding the Semi-Annual Conference of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
232
When I contrast the present Conference with the one of which I
have spoken, I feel to thank God, and my soul magnifies his name
for his goodness in gathering his people who were then scattered
by their enemies. Some were upon the Plains, a great many at
Winter Quarters, some hundreds had perished by the sufferings
there endured, and few had found their way to this peaceful
valley, where I can now behold 12,000 persons assembled at a
Conference meeting. This does my soul good, and I feel that we
have all great cause to be thankful for the great and marvelous
blessings conferred upon us.
232
Brethren and sisters, let us rejoice in our deliverance from the
hands of our enemies; let us rejoice in our happy condition and
in our prosperous circumstance. Let us rejoice, for the kingdom
is established and never will be given to any other people.
232
There is one thing more which I want you to understand, and that
is, that God is not dependent upon any one man or woman for the
carrying on and accomplishment of his work. If you have not a
mind to work for the Lord, let it alone; for he can do just as
well without you as with you.
232
I know there are men under the sound of my voice who are bound by
the chains of the Devil, and they are and will be controlled by
them, and you cannot liberate them; and what is the matter? They
are not of the right blood, and there is nothing right for them:
they are controlled by a contrary spirit; and they are opposed to
everything and to everybody but themselves. I have reflected much
upon this subject, and I have been led to conclude that if we
could just let into their veins one drop of "Mormonism," it could
not be got away from them;--I mean when the Gospel is first
presented to men and women.
232
If the right spirit and the good seed be sown on good ground, it
will bring forth good fruit. Persons who have the truth implanted
in their hearts, if they are honest, will grow in the knowledge
of God until they obtain a fulness.
233
We read in the Scriptures of a certain class of men who never
come to the knowledge of the truth, and still they are said to be
ever learning. I will tell you the reason why they never come to
the knowledge of the truth: it is because they never loved the
truth, and consequently they went the wrong way to work. There
have been such men in every age, and there are just such now, and
I expect there ever will be until the last and final separation.
233
All kinds and characters seem to be needed now, and the great net
catches all kinds that come to hand, and the fishermen have got
to separate them; and this is not the work of a moment, but still
it is an important part of the work of the Lord.
233
Brethren, let us work while the day lasts; for I can tell you, as
the Lord Almighty lives, that we have to act differently from
what we have done: we must live nearer to the Lord, and not
suffer ourselves to go to sleep any more. Have you not heard
brother Brigham say as much as two years ago that if things did
not go on in a different way from what they had been going, he
would take his pack on his back and go into the wilderness and
live his religion? Did not I rejoice last fall when he arose in
this stand and said that the time had come when the people must
reform and keep the law of God? It brought to my mind the dream
which I had respecting the lions, the dogs, and the tigers. It
was revealed to me in that dream that those men who lead this
people are the Lions of the Lord; and I know they will overcome
the dogs.
233
There has been a great work done in this Territory: the people
have reformed, and there are a great number of men in this
congregation who have been engaged in the work of reformation the
past winter; and I know that the Spirit of God is with them. I
also know that a very large majority of the people want to live
their religion.
233
I want to tell you something right here that I have told the
people in the districts where I have visited. I have told them to
look at the bait before they swallowed the hook. I tell you, our
religion is full of common sense; and I know that common sense
has got to have an important place in the mind of every man and
woman; and when the Spirit of God operates upon the minds of the
Saints, it teaches them that which is consistent.
233
If you and I keep humble, and keep a childlike spirit, and never
have anything about us but that kind of an influence, then, if a
spirit approaches that is not of the Lord, we shall know it. Let
us control our tongues, for James ways the tongue is an unruly
member and set all on fire; and I can tell you how you may
escape. When an unruly spirit approaches you, just hold your
tongue, and then the fire which is connected with that spirit
won't hurt you. I tell you, those wicked persons that come to
annoy and disturb the peace of the Saints of God will have the
fire of hell in them. [Voice: "And swallow the hook without the
bait."]
233
When I go into the company of a man, I know what kind of a spirit
he has about him; and you can know it also, if you will carry
with you the right spirit. The Lord has not given me anything
that he is not willing for you to have; therefore, strive to have
in you that Spirit which will enable you to discern the evil from
the good.
233
Let us live our religion and become sanctified before the Lord,
and remember that we are playing a game now which is not only for
the time present; but we are now acting a part that will
establish our character for a very long hereafter: therefore, let
us so order our lives that we may not look back with regret, when
we have passed through this probation, that we have not lived
better and done better.
233
I pray God to have mercy upon us and keep us humble, that we may
perform well our part, and eventually be prepared for the rest
that is promised to the people of God.
234
I cannot express how thankful I feel with I think that I am
living in the midst of a people where there are Prophets and
Apostles. Brother Woodruff said that he was glad that he had the
privilege of living in such a day and amongst such a people; and
I know there are a great many who feel just as he does, but they
cannot all speak here and tell of it. I know that I rejoice in
the privileges of the Gospel, and I wish to encourage my brethren
and sisters to be faithful, to be diligent and prayerful, and
always be ready to observe and carry out the counsel of our
superiors. Let us be united, for in our union consists our
strength.
234
I do not feel to detain the congregation, but this is my
testimony and my exhortation to the Saints; and I know that these
men who lead us are true, faithful, and valiant; and if we follow
their instructions, we shall be landed safely in the haven of
rest.
234
I can tell you there is a vast difference between a drove and a
shepherd: the shepherd leads the flock. This was the way the
ancient shepherds of Israel did, and it is the way they do now in
many of the eastern countries: and this is the way for shepherds
to do with the flock of Christ.
234
If you undertake to drive people into heaven, you will have a job
on hand. I would just as soon undertake to drive an antelope into
Emigration Kanyon. If we cannot lead them there, we cannot get
them there at all; and if we should happen to drive a few through
the gate, we should have to stand there with clubs in order to
keep them there; for I can assure you that heaven is no place for
any one who has to be driven in order to get him there.
234
It is said that the husbandman is the first to partake of the
fruit of the garden and the field, and he then administers it to
others; and I want to know if you think you can administer that
which you have not got? No, I can assure you, there is a great
deal in these things for you and I to understand; and if we will
apply our minds, we shall learn many important lessons. I want to
know if you ever heard anything from the Prophets of God about
driving people into heaven. Did they ever teach you a doctrine of
this kind? No: but it is "Come, come," all the day long.
234
In the days of Jesus there was a spirit of this kind, and the
people could not get any of the "holy water" without paying for
it; for there were so many picayunish fools around trying to
carry out their own will, and they would neither go into heaven
themselves nor allow any one else the privilege; but Jesus came
alone with the key and opened a door and told the people to come.
Yes, he cried, "Come, all ye that thirst, and drink of the waters
of life freely."
234
I thank God that we can partake of those waters of life now,
without money and without price. The Lord has chosen us according
to his promise; for he has said that he would choose the poor to
be heirs of his kingdom. When I think of his goodness, I feel to
say, Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, all ye his Saints! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Lorenzo
D. Young, August 16, 1857
Lorenzo D. Young, August 16, 1857
PAST AND PRESENT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH--TRUST IN
THE LORD AND HIS PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
Remarks by Bishop Lorenzo D. Young, made in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, August 16, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
235
It is with peculiar feelings, brethren and sisters, that I arise
to speak a few moments; and I have as good a right to apologize
for standing before you as any other man; but I have no apologies
to make, for the simple reason that I am glad of an opportunity
to express in public a few of my feelings.
235
I have not been with the people called Latter-day Saints as long
as some of my brethren; but I have been with this people
twenty-five years, and I have observed closely their meanderings,
their toils, and their labours. I have seen them in prosperity,
but it remained only for a short time; and I have seen them in
adversity, suffering from nakedness and hunger; and last of all,
I have seen them in these peaceful valleys, with none to harm
them or make them afraid.
235
The ten years past have been a sabbatic year to the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--a jubilee--a time of rest.
235
I will not go into the detail of all the scenes that the
Latter-day Saints have passed through since the organization of
this Church on the 6th of April, 1830, which most of you are
acquainted with, either by experience or by reading the history
of this people. Suffice it to say that, as a people, we have had
more peace during our sojourn in these mountains, and we have
enjoyed ourselves better than ever we did before. I believe, for
one, that I have in some degree appreciated this day of rest
which I have enjoyed with you, for I have felt in my spirit that
it was a blessing to be here; and I believe that all the Saints
of God have felt this, to a certain extent.
235
The Lord showed this place unto his servants, the First
Presidency of this Church, and the few pioneers who accompanied
them; and from that day to the present I have involuntarily felt
like shouting, "Glory! Hallelujah!" Yes, I have felt this, and
feel it now.
235
Is this because I am now more courageous than I was fifteen or
twenty years ago? No. It is because, with you, I have prayed,
hundreds of times, that we might enjoy the freedom of the sons of
God; and I can now behold the faint glimmerings of the dawn of
that day when the Saints will be free to serve their God and go
forth untrammelled in the accomplishment of his purposes, in the
building up of his kingdom, and in the establishment of
righteousness in the earth.
236
Have we not great cause for rejoicing in the prospects before us?
If we love truth more than error, virtue more than vice, honour
and integrity more than baseness and degradation, then surely our
hearts will be glad and our souls will rejoice in the God of our
salvation, that we live and are engaged in a work which will
result in the final extinction of wickedness and abomination from
the earth.
236
Within the last twelve months I have seen this people become more
humble and prayerful, and I have seen them renew their covenants;
I have seen them make restoration and restitution, and give the
pledge of their sincerity and integrity; and I have seen the
Spirit of the Lord poured out upon them. This also gives me
exceeding joy; it affords me comfort and sweet consolation.
236
Do I see this good spirit continue to manifest itself among the
people? yes, I do. We have wise men to stand at the head to lead
and guide us. The Lord God of Abraham, by the revelation of his
Holy Spirit, guides the ship in which we sail. "Is this true?"
says one. Yes, it is. Does the Lord acknowledge us as his people?
Yes, he does. How long will he continue to do so? Just so long as
we continue to be his faithful children--just so long as we
continue to fulfil our covenants with the Lord our God and to one
another.
236
Should any man cherish the spirit of war and the spirit of
revenge in his bosom, and feel that he wants to go out and fight
and tear down everything before him? The man who feels this does
not feel as I do. No: my feelings and the feelings of the people
of God should always be calm--not irritable.
236
Our nerves should not be so unstrung at any time as Sidney
Rigdon's were, when he picked up his spy-glass to look at General
Clark's army, and could not hold the glass still enough to see
anything. We must quiet our nerves and always be cool and
deliberate.
236
Is there safety for us, unless we trust in the Lord? No. There is
not other refuge. He is our only shield and protector. The Lord
fought the battles of his people in ancient times, and he can do
it again.
236
Is it the people in the Territory of Utah that our enemies are
and have been contending with? No: they are contending against
the Lord of Hosts--against the kingdom of God, the Priesthood of
the Most high. Is it the United States alone that are arrayed
against the kingdom of God and his Priesthood? No; but it is the
whole empire of Satan's kingdom--even the whole world.
236
We do not go into the United States only; but they are in every
place on the earth, excepting this, which is Zion, so far as we
are the pure in heart.
236
We have not to go particularly to one place or nation to find
opposition and the spirit to persecute and destroy this people.
It is in every place; for this kingdom has to contend with the
powers of earth and hell. Is the Lord able to bring his cause to
a successful issue? He is, most assuredly.
236
I tell you, brethren and sisters, and I want to impress it on
your minds, that the stay and the staff of Israel are in the holy
Priesthood that is vested in the First Presidency and in the body
of the people. We are not to trust in the arm of flesh, but we
are to trust on the strength of Israel's God, and live so that
our conduct will warrant us a confidential application to Him in
the hour of danger.
237
Can we trust in the man whom God has ordained and appointed to
lead his people? Yes, we can trust in him as God's agent and
representative, through whom we may know his will concerning us;
and by faithfully following his instructions, he will lead us in
the way of everlasting life. If we do this, though we may suffer
the loss of all that we posses on the earth, and even lay down
our mortal bodies for the Gospel's sake, God will reward us in
this world an hundredfold, and in that which is to come he will
crown us with eternal lives.
237
Brethren, let us individually--yea, let every man and woman,
every Bishop, every Elder, every High Priest, every Deacon, and
every member of the Church of Jesus Christ stand firm for the
cause of God in their place and station. Let every man who has a
family preside over that family as a man of God; and if he has no
more to preside over than old Henry Sherwood had, when Captain
Clark asked him who he presided over, and he answered that he
presided over himself and his wife,--let him do it in love and
mercy and righteousness before God.
237
I was in Kirtland, I was in Far West, and in Davis County; and my
feelings are just the same to day as they were when brother Hyrum
Smith announced that brother Joseph was in bonds, and that we
were all prisoners, and required to give up our arms. I said that
I would rather die a free man than submit to such tyranny. I am a
valiant man, you know, when I am a long way from danger.
237
May God bless us, and bless all Israel in the tops of the
mountains and everywhere else, and make them our friends, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Joseph
Smith, June 2, 1839
Joseph Smith, June 2, 1839
THE PRIESTHOOD--THE SECOND ADVENT--THE GATHERING--SPIRITUAL
MINISTRATIONS AND MANIFESTATIONS.
Synopsis of an Address delivered by President Joseph Smith,
in Commerce, Illinois, Tuesday, June 2, 1839.
Smith
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First
Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to
generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was
formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over
every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in
the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in
authority to Adam in the Priesthood. He was called of God to this
office, and was the Father of all living in his day, and to him
was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and
then in heaven.
Smith
The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God
from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or
end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven, whenever
the Gospel is sent. When they are revealed from heaven, at is by
Adam's authority. Daniel vii. speaks of the Ancient of Days. He
means the oldest man--our Father Adam (Michael). He will call his
children together and hold a council with them to prepare them
for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the Father of the
human family, and presides over the spirits of all men; and all
that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand
council. This may take place before some of us leave this stage
of action. The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given
him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to
Christ--that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of
the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human
family.
Smith
The spirit of man is not a created being: it existed from
eternity, and will exist to eternity. Anything created cannot be
eternal; and earth, water, &c, had their existence in an
elementary state from eternity. Our Saviour speaks of children
and says, "Their angels always stand before my Father." The
Father called all spirits before him at the creation of man, and
organized them. He (Adam) is the head, and was told to multiply.
The keys were first given to him, and by him to others. He will
have to give an account of his stewardship, and they to him.
Smith
The Priesthood is everlasting. The Saviour, Moses, and Elias gave
the keys to Peter, James, and John, on the mount, when they were
transfigured before him. The Priesthood is everlasting--without
beginning of days or end of years--without father, mother, &c. If
there is no change of ordinances, there is no change of
Priesthood. Wherever the ordinances of the Gospel are
administered, there is the Priesthood.
Smith
How have we come at the Priesthood in the last days? It came
down, down, in regular succession. Peter, James, and John had it
given to them, and they gave it to others. Christ is the Great
High Priest; Adam next. Paul speaks of the Church coming to
innumerable company of angels; to God, the Judge of all--the
spirits of just men made perfect; to Jesus, the Mediator of the
new covenant, &c. (Heb. xii, 23.)
Smith
I saw Adam in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. He called together
his children and blessed them with a patriarchal blessing. The
Lord appeared in their midst, and he (Adam) blessed them all, and
foretold what should befall them to the latest generation. (See
Doc. and Cov., sec. iii., pars. 28, 29.
Smith
This is why Abraham blessed his posterity--he wanted to bring
them into the presence of God. "They looked for a city," &c.
Moses sought to bring the children of Israel into the presence of
God, through the power of the Priesthood, but he could not. In
the first ages of the world they tried to establish the same
thing: and there were Eliases raised up who tried to restore
these very glories, but did not obtain them: but they prophesied
of a day when this glory would be revealed. Paul spoke of the
dispensation of the fulness of times, when God would gather
together all things in one, &c.; and those men to whom these keys
have been given will have to be there; and they without us cannot
be made perfect.
Smith
These men are in heaven, but their children are on earth. Their
bowels yearn over us. God sends down men for this reason. (Matt.
xiii. 41.) "And the Son of Man shall send forth his angels, &c."
All these authoritative characters will come down and join hand
in hand in bringing about this work.
Smith
The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed. The
mustard seed is small, but brings forth a large tree, and the
fowls are the angels. Thus angels come down, combine together to
gather their children, and gather them. We cannot be made perfect
without them, nor they without us. When these things are done,
the Son of Man will descend--the Ancient of Days sit; we may come
to an innumerable company of angels--have communion with and
receive instruction from them. Paul told about Moses'
proceedings--spoke of the children of Israel being baptized, &c.
He knew this, and that all the ordinances and blessings were in
the Church. Paul had these things and we may have the fowl of
heaven lodge in the branches, &c.
Smith
The horn made war with the Saints and overcame them, &c., until
the Ancient of Days came; judgment was given to the Saints of the
Most High from the Ancient of Days; the Time came that the Saints
possess the kingdom. This not only makes us ministers here, but
in eternity.
Smith
Salvation cannot come without revelation: it is in vain for any
one to minister without it. No man is a minister of Jesus Christ
without being a prophet. No man can be the minister of Jesus
Christ, except he has the testimony of Jesus, and this is the
spirit of prophecy. Whenever salvation has been administered, it
has been by testimony. Men of the present time testify of heaven
and of hell, and have never seen either; and I will say that no
man knows these things without this.
Smith
Men profess to prophesy. I will prophesy that the signs of the
coming of the Son of Man are already commenced. One pestilence
will desolate after another. We shall soon have war and
bloodshed. The moon will be turned into blood. I testify of these
things, and that the coming of the Son of Man is nigh, even at
your doors. If our souls and our bodies are not looking forth for
the coming of the Son of Man, and after we are dead, if we are
not looking forth, &c., we shall be among those who are calling
for the rocks to fall upon us, &c.
Smith
The hearts of the children of men will have to be turned to their
fathers, and the fathers to the children, living or dead, to
prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. If Elijah did not
come, the whole earth would be smitten.
Smith
There will be here and there a Stake for the gathering of the
Saints. Some may have cried peace, but the Saints and the world
will have little peace from henceforth. Let this not hinder us
from going to the Stakes; for God has told us to flee, not
dallying, or we shall be scattered, one here, and another there.
There your children shall be blessed, and you in the midst of
friends, where you may be blessed. The Gospel net gathers of
every kind.
Smith
I prophesy that the man who tarries after he has an opportunity
of going will be afflicted by the Devil. Wars are at hand: we
must not delay, but are not required to sacrifice. We ought to
have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. When wars
come, we shall have to flee to Zion. The cry is to make haste.
The last revelation says, "Ye shall not have time to have" gone
over the earth, until these things come. It will come as did the
cholera, war, fires, and earthquakes, one pestilence after
another, &c., until the Ancient of Days come; then judgment will
be given to the Saints.
Smith
Whatever you may hear about me or Kirtland, take no notice of it;
for if it be a place of refuge, the Devil will use his greatest
efforts to trap the Saints. You must make yourselves acquainted
with those men who, like Daniel, pray three times a day to the
house of the Lord. Look to the Presidency and receive
instructions. Every man who is afraid, covetous, &c., will be
taken in a snare. The time is soon coming when no man will have
any peace but in Zion and her Stakes.
Smith
I saw men hunting the lives of their own sons, and brother
murdering brother, women killing their own daughters, and
daughters seeking the lives of their mothers. I saw armies
arrayed against armies; I saw blood, desolation, fires, &c. The
Son of Man has said that the mother shall be against the
daughter, and the daughter against the mother, &c. These things
are at our doors. They will follow the Saints of God from city to
city. Satan will rage, and the spirit of the Devil is now
enraged. I know not how soon these things will take place; and
with a view of them, shall I cry peace? No. I will lift up my
voice and testify of them. How long you will have good crops, and
the famine will be kept off, I do not know. When the fig-tree
leaves, know then that summer is nigh at hand.
Smith
We may look for angels and receive their ministrations, but we
are to try the spirits and prove them, for it is often the case
that men make a mistake in regard to these things. God has so
ordained that, when he has communicated, no vision is to be taken
but what you see by the seeing of the eye, or what you hear by
the hearing of the ear. When you see a vision, pray for the
interpretation. If you get not this, shut it up. There must be
certainty in this matter. An open vision will manifest that which
is more important. Lying spirits are going forth in the earth.
There will be great manifestations of spirit, both false and
true. Being born again comes by the Spirit of God, through
ordinances. An angel of God never has wings. Some will say that
they have seen a spirit,--that he offered them his hand, but they
did not touch it. This is a lie. First, it is contrary to the
plan of God. A spirit cannot come but in glory. An angel has
flesh and bones: we see not their glory. The Devil may appear as
an angel of light. Ask God to reveal it. If it be of the Devil,
he will flee from you; if or God, he will manifest himself, or
make it manifest. We may come to Jesus and ask him: he will know
all about it. If he comes to a little child, he will adapt
himself to the language and capacity of a little child.
Smith
Every spirit, or vision, or singing is not of God. The Devil is
an orator. He is powerful. He took our Saviour on to a pinnacle
of the Temple, and kept him in the wilderness for forty days. The
gift of discerning spirits will be given to the Presiding Elder.
Pray for him that he may have this gift. Speak not in the gift of
tongues without understanding it, or without interpretation. The
Devil can speak in tongues: the Adversary will come with his
work. He can tempt all classes--can speak in English or Dutch.
Let no one speak in tongues, unless he interpret, except by the
consent of the one who is placed to preside; then he may discern
or interpret, or another may. Let us seek for the glory of
Abraham, Noah, Adam, the Apostles, who have communion with these
things, and then we shall be among that number when Christ comes.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Joseph
Young, April 8, 1857
Joseph Young, April 8, 1857
PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD--ENDOWMENTS--HINTS
TO PREACHERS, ETC.
Discourse by President Joseph Young, delivered in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, Wednesday Afternoon, April 8, 1857.
Reported by J. V. Long.
Young
I suppose, if I can make you hear who are away at the back side
of this vast congregations, that those between here and there
will be able to hear also; but I fear that it will be a difficult
task.
Young
I am a policeman, or, in other words, I profess to be a
peacemaker, and I believe this is the calling of a policeman;
consequently, when I see any difficulty or trouble betwixt any
two of my brethren, or any two of my fellow-creatures, if my
interference is solicited, I feel called upon to make peace and
to reconcile the parties. If, therefore, I see any difficulties
in this city--if I see any abuse practised upon a fellow-citizen,
I feel called upon to interfere. This is in me; it is an inherent
principle in me: I cannot cast it out. I love to see the rights
of my brethren and sisters maintained: that is my disposition
exactly.
Young
I endorse what brother Brigham has said; I do it with all my
heart; and I do know, as brother John observed this morning, that
the revelations of Jesus Christ are accompanied with good
common-sense. I have never seen any but what were the best sense
that I have ever seen manifested.
Young
I am a member of this institution which has been spoken of,
called the "Carrying Company;" I am one of those men, and I feel
interested in it. But, says one, have you got an investment
there? Yes, I have,--not exactly in dollars and cents, but I have
got my faith and goodwill there; and then you can put with that
all that I have on this earth; and if you don't believe it, try
me: it is all on hand.
Young
I am not only for this, but for every other investment and scheme
which is made through the proper channel; for I feel that I
belong to this Church and kingdom. If I do not, I know not where
I belong.
Young
I am a citizen of this planet, and I do not know that I have ever
done anything to forfeit my citizenship. I feel that I have an
inheritance in these chambers of the mountains, and I have never
forfeited that before this body of people.
Young
Do this people inherit the blessings promised? They do. Some are
afraid to plant and to build, for fear we should not stay here
long enough to eat and inhabit. Will I plant an orchard? Yes sir,
I will. To what extent will I improve? To as great an extent as I
should, if I knew that I were to be a citizen of this Territory
through all generations. I would plant as much as I should want,
if I knew that I and my posterity were to live here till the last
trumpet shall sound.
Young
[President H. C. Kimball: They will, if they have a mind to; for
there are not devils who can drive them away from here, if they
do right.]
Young
I will never cease my exertions here, but I will do all that I
can to beautify the place. I have done my best to do so,
according to my means: I have planted my grape-cuttings, and I
have eaten some fruit; I have planted my peach orchard, and have
eaten the fruit thereof; and I rejoice to see improvements among
this people.
Young
I had the pleasure of planting some three pecks of apple seeds in
Nauvoo, thinking they would be use full to some body, and I
believe the trees are there now that grew from those seeds. Yes,
there are orchards and vineyards there now, and they will stand
there as proofs that this people have been an industrious people.
Young
Why, I tell you, my brethren and sisters, it is one of the
greatest follies for men to say that they will not improve
because they are not going to stay here. I will build as good a
place as I feel I need here; and I will say something else: I
would like to see the Temple of the Lord built, and I feel that
if it is his will that I should live, I will do what I can
towards building that Temple, for I want to see it reared.
Brethren, let us rear that Temple--give it into the hands of
those who manage the affairs of the kingdom, and all the means
that we can, so that the work may be accomplished speedily, and
that we may have a renewal of our endowments.
Young
"Why," says one, "the endowments are going on." That is true: a
portion of the endowments are going on, but there are other
things that never will until the Temple is built,--of which are
the baptism for the dead and our endowments by proxy for our dead
friends. Are they going on? No. Will they, before that house is
built? No, not that I know of. That is one sermon.
Young
There is another thing. Who is there that feels generous towards
that man who has gone beyond the vail--who is gone where he
cannot do anything for himself? I tell you I want to see that
spirit among the brethren. Suppose, therefore, we get rid of some
of our selfishness, and be willing, if proper, to take the wife
of some faithful brother who has passed behind the vail, and
raise up posterity unto him. If we can do this, in connexion with
other duties which we have to perform, we shall be doing good for
others as well as for ourselves.
Young
What do the Scriptures say? "There is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest."
No--there is no device there, for so says brother Brigham, the
Prophet. He says that all the endowments have to be given on this
side of the vail, or they never will be given. [President B.
Young: That is true.]
Young
I can say, when I see what there is to do--the mighty work that
has to be performed for the living and the dead, the
responsibility is great. Who can estimate it? And good order has
got to be observed in regard to this eternal inheritance which is
in store for the faithful; for without it all are perishing; but
by the Gospel and its power there is an eternal endurance, and we
have had some forecast of a few things that are in reserve for
the faithful Saints.
Young
I feel, as brother Brigham says, that I want to see that Temple
built. Did you ever sit down and meditate, when all was quiet,
when the spirit of serenity seemed to fill the whole house, and
when it seemed as if there was some messenger there? If you have,
although you did not see him, there was a messenger there--there
was a good spirit present. As you continue to contemplate upon
the dead, you say, "How I wish I could do something for the
redemption of the dead!"
Young
You could not bear to behold that messenger who whispers in your
ears and invites you to be active in doing a work for your dead
friends. That messenger will inspire you with a desire to do
something for those who have passed behind the vail. Every man
that has the spirit of philanthropy feels that he is willing to
do anything for the great and glorious work of redeeming and
exalting the dead.
Young
You are also anxious to enter into the Carrying Company, to
gather the Saints whose faith is in our God, and whose eyes are
turned towards brother Brigham, who is the head of the Church and
kingdom of God upon the earth. To him they look for their
deliverance from the thraldom and oppression of the world.
Young
I now want to preach a sermon to the home missionaries. I do not
want to hear them preach too long sermons, neither when they are
out in the country settlements, nor anywhere else. I should like
to have them preach as long as the subject before them is
interesting, and so long as the Spirit of the Lord is feeding the
flock of Christ.
Young
Jesus at one time addressed himself to Peter and said, "Peter do
you love me?" "Yes," was the reply. "Well, then, feed my sheep."
And again Jesus interrogated him in the same manner, and Peter
answered in the affirmative. Then said Jesus, "Simon Peter, son
of Jonas, lovest thou me?" Peter answered, "Lord, thou knowest
all things, and thou knowest that I love thee." Jesus replied,
"Feed my lambs."
Young
I believe in this doctrine. When the Elders can feed the people,
it is all right for them to continue their discourses; but when
the Spirit is becoming dull and is declining, or, in other words,
when the pond is run out, then is the time to stop; for this
grinding by hand I do not believe in.
Young
I know that some preach the everlasting Gospel, and that is a
good thing; but I believe that a man can preach it in five
minutes.
Young
I love short sermons, and when I am in the country at Conference
and other meetings, I feel that they are particularly good, and I
rejoice so long as the Elders feed the people. But when the
Spirit ceases to operate through a man, I want him to sit down.
Young
It makes me think of a Scotchman, who, when he was a preceptor in
an academy, was required to give lectures at certain periods,
according to the regulations of the institution. On one occasion
he said, "I will give you the following lecture:--Never speak but
when you have something to say, and always stop when you get
through."
Young
I do love to hear men talk good talk, as the Indians say. It is
the best and sweetest music I ever hear. I won't even except
brother Smithies' big fiddle. The music of the human voice is
sweeter to me than that of any stringed instrument. I do not care
how illiterate the man is who speaks, although learning is very
good; yet, if he speaks by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,
that is what I like to hear.
Young
Brother William Kimball could not have told me his feelings
better than I know them, for I understood that he felt just as he
described. I can tell you that I would rather hear a few words
dictated by the Spirit of God than hear a long sermon delivered
without the dictation of that Spirit.
Young
I am for the building of the Temple, for the Express and Carrying
Company, and the gathering of the Saints from all nations; and if
I had ten thousand dollars, I would invest it in such enterprizes
as these.
Young
I have one boy going to England this spring. I have another in
the Printing Office, and that leaves me almost entirely alone;
yet I feel to say, Hallelujah! I am glad that my son Seymour is
going to England, for I know it will do him good. he is filled
with the spirit of preaching already.
Young
I can tell you, my friends, it is very pleasing to me to know
that my children are advancing in knowledge and usefulness; and I
sometimes hear them talk, after they return from meeting,
somewhat as follows:--"Who preached to-night?" "The Bishop." "Who
else?" "Oh, brother Clinton and brother Wheelock." And they seem
to think that all the speakers talked so well that it would be
hard to tell who talked the best.
Young
Now, do you not see, my friends, that these boys--children I may
call them--have got a relish for the Spirit and power of God? My
little girls also go to meeting in their turns, and they will
inquire of each other who preached. If the answer be that the
Bishop preached, or any other man, the next question generally
is, "Did he preach will?" "Oh yes," the reply is; "he talked
first rate;" and I find that they are filled with the spirit of
animation and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have not heard
them say "dance" the past winter.
Young
I do not discard the practice of dancing; therefore do not
misunderstand me; for "Mormonism," or the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
embraces all that is good, and dancing is a scriptural precedent;
and it is said that they should go forth in the last days in the
dance. Well, upon this principle, we believe in dancing, and a
certain portion of it is useful to the limbs and to the joints,
and to the spirits as well.
Young
But notwithstanding all this wherever there is too much of any
one thing, it very naturally produces a reaction; and
consequently, there is a suspension of dancing for the present.
Young
If our children do not dance when they are young, the
sprightliness, the vigour, and activity of youth are in a manner
checked. My father, when I was a boy, would not allow me to give
vent to the life and vigour that were in me; and now, if I were
to give way to may feelings at times, I should dance too much.
Young
[President H. C. Kimball: You would dance the bones out of joint,
I suppose.]
Young
It is not necessary that you should dance the whole of the spirit
out of you at once; for if you do, you will have none left, and
consequently, no disposition to dance any more. I thought last
winter that the people would tire themselves dancing. When the
"driftwood" was taken away, and the course was clear, they danced
as if they were never going to stop.
Young
I felt glad yesterday to hear what was said by brother Brigham
and also by other who addressed us, and I felt so well that I
could have danced. This is the way I feel a great deal of the
time. As I observed, my father checked the stream of diversion in
us, and would not allow his boys to dance at all; and probably
that is the reason why I feel so much like it now.
Young
It is natural for our children to live the Gospel, for religion
is a natural thing--it is perfectly natural. You may take a
child, and just as soon as you can put it in possession of
doctrine, that child will love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Only
let it understand right from wrong, and there will be nothing but
Gospel in that child. If we set a proper example before our sons
and daughters, the Gospel will be manifested through all their
actions, and there will be no evil desire in them.
Young
I want to know the bounds of my prerogatives in the Priesthood,
and never want to go beyond those bounds.
Young
[President B. Young: Shall I give them to you?]
Young
Yes. I want to know them. It is better for a man to run a little
behind the line that to have him go before it. I know there are
some things that I can say and do, and there are things that
brother Brigham can say and do that I cannot: it is not my
prerogative.
Young
Here are brother Brigham, brother Heber, and brother Wells, the
First Presidency; then there are the Twelve; then right behind
them come the Seventies and the High Priests--two mighty bodies
of men, whose business it is to act under the direction of the
two first Quorums; and then come the Elders, Priests, Teachers,
and Deacons, who constitute the organization of the Priesthood in
the Church, and who are called to assist in preparing the way for
Jesus to come. We are (all who magnify their calling and
Priesthood) trying to prepare a people for his coming, to purge
out those that are filthy, and to put away every evil and wrong
from us, and to prepare for the great weight of glory that is to
come.
Young
In order to do this, we are under the necessity of chastising;
and the greatest proof to me that there is a man standing at the
head who holds communion with God is, to see men receive
chastisement in the spirit of humility, without a murmur, and be
satisfied that it is for their good.
Young
My opinion was, before I received the Gospel, and is the same
now, that the man who has the hardihood and the boldness to
rebuke his brethren and to tell them of their faults and of their
errors is a man of God. Brethren, I want to get rid of my errors.
Young
Brother Brigham said to-day, when he addressed you, that he
wanted those who stand up to instruct the Saints to say something
worth hearing; and hence there has been within me a feeling of
extreme diffidence, when arising to address you, not only to-day,
but on many other occasions; for there is not in me the power and
wisdom to bring out great principles before the Saints; but
brother Brigham and brother Heber can. I feel a delicacy in
standing before such a vast multitude as are here present,
knowing that there are many bright minds in this congregation.
Young
Some think they could say a good deal, if they could have the
privilege of coming upon this stand; but when they come here,
everything seems to be shut out from their minds, and they can
scarcely say a word. The vast amount of intellect--of knowledge
that this people possess oftentimes throws persons who speak
before them into great confusion.
Young
It is the most peculiar place--the most delicate situation that a
man can be placed in; and hence I say that the simpler a man is
the better. On this very account it is that I am contending with
myself all the time and endeavouring to be pointed in my sayings;
for I do not want to go round about, but to say things just as
they are.
Young
When I retain the Spirit of God--when that light is in me which
was with Jesus in all his counsellings, at such time all the
beings upon the face of the earth would not intimidate me; but,
with a mortal tabernacle, we are subject to the weaknesses of
mortality. To communicate intelligence to this people, unless God
first communicates to me, is impossible; but when he does inspire
me with his Spirit, and I speak the thing right out, nobody need
find any fault; and if they do, it cannot be helped, for we must
speak that which the Spirit dictates.
Young
I once knew a little boy who was in the habit of being whipped by
his mother when he went to bed, in order to make him go to sleep,
and he became so habituated to the whipping that he could not go
to sleep without it, and he would say, "Mother, come and whip
me."
Young
I do not desire to be of that class but desire to so live as to
be able to discern true intelligence and present it before the
people in a way that they can all understand.
Young
Brother Brigham told me to Get up here and say something. I have
done so, and will now tell you that my all is invested in this
kingdom: it is all for the establishment of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not gold, nor silver, nor the
perishable things of this world are invaluable to me,--such
articles will perish and moulder away,--but those imperishable
treasure that can never be destroyed--the inestimable riches that
God has put into my possession; for these, my life, my good will,
my faith, my prayers, and all that I can do and possess are
devoted to the establishment of righteousness and the building up
of the kingdom of God in the earth. All my substance and every
faculty which God has given me are subject to the word of brother
Brigham.
Young
When a man thus surrenders himself, his family, his means, and
everything the controls to the servants of God, what will he have
in return? We have left all and have come off into these valleys,
in the midst of the Rocky Mountains; and what shall we have as a
reward? Jesus said, "There is no man that hath left house, or
parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of
God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present
time, and in the world to come life everlasting." Is there not a
compensation here promised? There is.
Young
Here is a key. When the Devil comes to you and asks you if you
want to serve God, tell hem that it is none of his business, and
that will bluff off the devil.
Young
Brother Kimball has said that if I had not been sick, I should
have died; and I don't know but I should. I believe it has all
been for my good and I can truly say I have not felt so well for
many years as I have felt since I recovered form my sickness last
January. When a man is sick, if the mind is uneasy, it injures
the body. Since I have got well, I have made a practice of
sitting down contemplating and holding communion with God and my
own heart; and I do feel and know that I am an heir of salvation;
and I do not mean that any enemies shall take this hope and
assurance away from me.
Young
I have thought sometimes that I would never die till I had been
to Europe. When we went to Quincy, after we were mobbed out of
Missouri, and a number of brethren were selected to go on
missions, I recollect what brother Brigham said on that occasion.
He remarked, "If they did not go and preach, they will
apostatize." I do not know but he made the remark in my presence
for my benefit.
Young
Well, we had just survived the bloody persecutions of Missouri,
and had got into Illinois, and were all as poor as a church mouse
ever was, and many of us felt almost disheartened. We had neither
cow, nor ox, nor horse, not one in twenty of us; but the people
were humane enough to take us in and assist us a little.
Young
Finally, however, the people of Illinois became hostile, and
would not let us live in their midst; and we were forced to seek
a home in the midst of these mountains; and, for one, I feel to
rejoice that I am here in this healthy climate. But, as a
Canadian would say, "This is not a poor man's country;" but I
believe that it is the best place on earth for this people at the
present time.
Young
Brother Brigham has redeemed his word in bringing the people
here, for he said he would lead this people to a healthy climate.
We are here in the midst of these peaceful valleys and mountains;
and I do not believe that we shall ever be driven from here, if
we do right,--never, no never.
Young
I have no trouble about this; for I have been in the midst of
mobs, and they once held a council and determined to murder me
and my family; but the Lord turned away their anger. This was in
Missouri. They demanded our arms; but the brethren said they
would not give them up--that they would sooner die. I said,
"Brethren, I am captain of this company, and you should listen to
me and to my counsel, and give up your arms." They did so, and
by-and-by the hearts of those men were melted, (they were
Kentuckians, who had been called upon to assist the mob,) and
they came to us and said, "We will pay you for your arms when the
war is over." No doubt they talked the matter over, and said,
"These are good people; therefore let us pay them for their
arms." At any rate, they paid down their money, but we had to use
stratagem.
Young
I do not want to detain you, brethren and sisters; but I do
rejoice that we are in these valleys, where there is nothing to
induce our enemies to come and drive us. We do not presume that
they will come, unless they are paid for coming. And if they ever
do come, it is my earnest prayer that I may be filled with the
Holy Ghost; then, peradventure, I shall want to carry the flag
and be foremost in putting our enemies to flight. But if this
people will retain the Spirit of God, and keep fanning the flame
of the reformation that is in them, our enemies will not come to
distress us--we shall not be molested; for no power can disturb
us so long as we are faithful.
Young
May God bless us all and preserve us upon the earth, and continue
our usefulness, until we have redeemed our families and
friends--till we all are brought up and fitted for his presence;
which is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Ezra T.
Benson, September 12, 1852
Ezra T. Benson, September 12, 1852
LIBERTY, REFORM, ETC.
Remarks by Elder Ezra T. Benson, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, September 12, 1852.
247
As there is an opportunity, I arise to make a few remarks. I
suppose the same privilege is granted to me that has been given
to brother Grant.
247
I feel that it is a privilege when a man can rise before a
congregation like this and say what he has a mind to. It is a law
of liberty. It is certainly like that Gospel which Paul preached
in his day. He said it was a Gospel of liberty unto all that
embraced it; and I am well persuaded, even to a certain
knowledge, that this is the Gospel that you have embraced, and
that this is the people of the Saints. When we talk about
liberty, I consider it is liberty to do just about right--to do
that which shall be for the good of the community we dwell with,
for the society of the Saints, and the kingdom of God on earth.
248
I merely rise to bear testimony to what brother Grant has said;
and I think, if there is any man in the city who ought to have
the privilege of saying what he has in mind to, he ought, for he
is the Mayor of the city. He is a man, therefore who ought to be
backed up by the people; and I am happy and rejoice to see such a
spirit manifested in the congregation to-day. From the experience
I have had, I know it to be right. The remarks are just in time
and in season, and they are worthy of the attention of every
civil person in our community.
248
We have come into these valleys to do right; we have come to
build up the kingdom of God; and we have come that the Saints may
have a place of rest, that the oppressed may go free, and that we
may be enlightened and strengthened in the principles of the
Gospel. If we do not take cognizance of the things that are
before us, how can we expect that this community can dwell here
in peace? And if we have not faith and spirit and power enough in
ourselves to put down anything that is not right in our midst, we
cannot expect to live here long unmolested. It is well that every
Elder--that every good person who dwells in this community should
stamp these evil principles that brother Grant speaks of with
indignation. I have felt since I have been gone on a mission last
year to Potowatomie County and the States, the force, power, and
spirit of the men whom he has been speaking of here to-day; and
so will every Elder who goes abroad.
248
It is just as brother Grant has said--that while they could send
forth their wrath and indignation to the States--while they could
stir up the mobs and contention in the midst of the people, it
was first-rate with them; but when the scale began to turn, and
the God of heaven began to rule and control things for the good
of this people, it was then, "How do you do? I feel first rate.
Come and see me, won't you? Come and eat and drink with me at my
table, and stay as long as you please." Why? Because God is
ruling things for our good, and softening the hearts of the
people, and gathering his Saints from the four corners of the
earth. Brethren, we are serving a God who is able to bring good
out of evil for the salvation of his chosen people.
248
Concerning dram shops, grog shops, whisky shops, and all shops,
we heard of this before we arrived in the city. We could scarcely
believe it; and had we given way to our feelings, we could have
sat down and cried about it as well as not. When we got here, we
found it to be true. But I think the medicine which has been laid
before you to day will prove effectual to some of them. I had not
the least idea, when I rose up here, that the spiritual knockings
were so close at my heels; and if I am not mistaken, if you do
not reform before next Saturday night, you will have some
temporal knockings that are going to do the business up at once.
248
I was called upon by the Prophet in Nauvoo to engage in temporal
knocking, and we knocked one grocery bottom side up, and away it
went, grog, glasses, tobacco, snuff, the Devil, and all. (Voice
in the stand: "And the Devil went with it") Now, the same spirit
is in the City of Great Salt Lake. The same spirit that dwelt in
the Prophet of God dwells in the hearts of this people; and all
we want is for the world to be given and the deed is performed.
Let me tell you, if we had the power to accomplish this thing in
Nauvoo, the way we have got it here is not weak. We have the
power to knock temporally. We will knock them into a cocked hat.
All we want is for the Mayor to say the work, and it shall be
done. I know there are Elders here before me who would do the job
up clean to night, if necessary, and cleanse the city of these
nuisances.
249
Is far as merchants are concerned, I care but little about them,
I believe every word that brother Grant has said: they would
flood this valley with shin-plasters, and carry away our gold. If
there is a banking institution to be given to this people, let it
be done by the President of the Church, and let us have the
benefit of it, and not men who would cut your throats to get your
money from you. I do not expect, however, that they will trouble
me any, for I do not seem to get hold of much money. I am a
stranger to it. I do not want any shin-plasters. I am a Democrat,
so far as that goes, and believe in a hard currency, until God
shall establish another; and if he goes in for shin-plasters, I
am in for them too. I want the brethren who have them to return
the paper to the counters to-morning, and know if they possess a
disposition to cash them. If they do, they will redeem them. You
would look well walking round here with fifty thousand dollars of
worthless paper in your pocket. Who is there in this community,
Jew or Gentile, who will do right, but what has been blessed an
prospered, and has the good feelings of this people?
249
I can go to St. Louis as poor as I am; and notwithstanding what
has been said to hurt the credit of this people, I can get as
many goods as I could wish, even if I have not a single dollar in
my pocket. I could get all I could get brought over the Plains.
But I did not go for gold and silver, nor did the Elders who went
with me. We went to do good to the kingdom of God. Have we done
it to your satisfaction? ["Yes."] May God bless you then; and may
you continue to be blessed and prospered to your satisfaction,
and put every evil thing away from your sight. I know you can do
it, and all will be right.
249
It is not temporal things we are after, nor temporal knockings;
but you, brethren, who keep dram-shops, go and put them away, and
put your bottles away, and say you will spread no more poison
among this people until you are commanded. If a man cannot get a
living here without selling whisky--without keeping a little
dram-shop, it is time he was going somewhere else; for be assured
you will never get rich here by selling whisky. It is a curse to
this people, and it will rest upon you that follow that business.
249
I have not been commanded to say what I have this afternoon, but
it rests upon my own shoulders. If I talk wrong to this people, I
am willing to be chastised by my brethren all the time. If men
take the liberty of going to St. Louis, and there using my name,
we will say what we please, and in any place we please. Neither
are we afraid to say it in St. Louis, or in any other place. We
are ready to meet it anywhere. Brethren, look out for temporal
knockings, for we are on hand. God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Parley
P. Pratt, December 26, 1853
Parley P. Pratt, December 26, 1853
EDUCATION.
An Address delivered by P. P. Pratt, at the Fourteenth Ward
School-house on Monday, December 26, 1853.
252
My friends,--As we are assembled on this occasion, I desire to
speak upon the subject of education. I consider that we never
lived in a more important time than we do now. The Lord has
something for every member of has Church and kingdom to perform,
for he has a great work to do. I consider that every faculty we
possess should be called into action; and this work is so
important, that no time should be lost. Hence we see the
necessity of schools, that we and our children may be prepared to
perform all that the Lord requires of us. What kind of a
qualification is necessary for us to perform this work? The first
thing necessary is for us to obtain the good Spirit of the Lord,
and then keep it. Without this we cannot do much good. If the
Lord wants a railroad built, or any great manual labour
performed, which the Saints are not yet able to do, he inspires
the nations of the earth to perform the work, as they have the
means to do it with, notwithstanding the nations know not God,
neither do they serve him. We are not prepared to do the work of
God acceptably, unless we keep his commandments. In order to
enjoy his Spirit, we must pursue a course of life that will meet
his approbation--we must do the things that God requires of us.
The people may be looking for some mysteries from me to-day; but
the older I grow, I feel to be the more simple. What are the
means ordained of God for the benefit of our children as well as
ourselves? I do not now refer to the obeying of the ordinances of
the Gospel alone, for that we all know to be necessary for both
ourselves and children. But what were those means laid down in
1830? We are informed in the commandments and law of the Church
given unto us, that "It is the Teacher's duty to see that the
Church meets together often, and also see that all the members do
their duty." Do this people do this? No. Our children are or
should be all members of the Church, for they should be baptised
at eight years of age; but do they meet together often to pray
and speak one to another, or even all the parents of the
children? They do not. Then they do not do their duty. All
officers in the Church are teachers, except the Deacons, and they
are Assistant-Teachers. Who should be exempt from meeting
together often if any exceptions should be made? It should be the
mother with her nursing infant, who cannot go. All others should
meet together often; and when they come together, the Teacher
that presides should see that each one takes part in their turn
and do their duty. Can the Teacher find any member, either
parents or children, that don't pray. If so, he can find those
that do not do their duty; for when you were baptised you
covenanted to keep the commandments of God, and he has commanded
us to pray. Us, each member should take a part. Which of you can
find a teacher in our schools that would spend all his time in
hearing one or two children say their lessons and all the rest
remain idle? You would turn such a teacher out of doors. The Lord
is not less wise than man. He has so arranged the school for his
children that each one is required to do his duty. As all
officers are Teachers, it should be the duty of some one--the
Bishop, or some one under his direction, to see that the children
and young people, as well as all the others in each Ward, are
collected together, and that they be taught to pray and to speak,
and be instructed in all things that are necessary; for we and
our children should learn and understand, and improve upon every
branch of science, knowledge and duty that is necessary for us,
as well as to confine ourselves to any one of those branches.
Moroni said it was necessary for the people to meet together
often to pray, speak, and teach. When I go abroad, and the people
do not do any better, and are so wild, I do not know any better
answer than that we do not do our duty to them. The question
arises, What is the matter with our children? They are full of
vigour and spirit, and they want some way to let it out. But if
the Latter-day Saints will do their duty, and gather their
children together and train their minds in that channel in which
they have soon got to walk, in following the footsteps of their
parents in bearing off the kingdom of God, we shall hear no more
complaint about them. Is this a mystery--a new thing? No. It is
according to the revelations and commandments of God, and it
should be taught and practised in every Ward in this city and in
every Branch of the Church wherever it exists, lest we come under
condemnation. The people of Zion once were told that they were
under condemnation, and would remain under it until they
remembered to do the things that were taught them. If we met
together often and did our duty, what time should we have to be
idle? None at all. If all men, and women, and children met
together to pray and teach, they would feel that they must live
consistent with their professions, and they would in a great
measure cease to do evil. Then how long would it be before the
Spirit of God would rest upon our children? And how long would it
be said that "I am sorry that we have got to fort up, because the
children of my neighbours are so bad that they will spoil mine?"
Not long; but it would be said, "I am glad that we can be
together--that we can have such good schools and prayer-meetings;
and the children have such a good spirit, that it encourages mine
to good works." We have to be called to this, for we have to be
tried in all things; for if we were not, we should not differ
from the Gentiles, who will neither borrow nor lend. The Gentile
priests have not been tried in the kanyons and many other places,
as our Elders have; but we have been tried in a manner that it
has taught us to help each other to teach each other. When our
children meet to sing, pray, and speak, some may not want to do
it. They may say it is too great a trial for them; yet they can
do it. With a little practice, that feeling will pass away. Let
the names of all in the Ward be taken and given to the Teacher,
whether it be the Bishop or any one that takes the lead of the
school or meeting, and let him call upon each one in their turn
to pray or speak. Should any young man say, "I wish to be
excused, for I got drunk the other day, and would not like to
speak," you then are the very one that ought to pray, and repent,
and do better. But what shall I say? Say that you got drunk, and
ask the school to forgive you, and that you mean to do better (if
you do intend to). This would be a good speech, if you could say
nothing more. But if you don't intend to do better, tell them so;
say you intend to get drunk every chance you can get, and do all
the mischief you can: then the Teacher will know what to do with
you--cut you off from the Church, and have no more trouble with
you. Let the child say, "I have been thinking of this work, and
mean to keep the commandments of God," or something of this kind,
if he can say it in truth; but speak the truth at all times. You
could say something, and you would increase in confidence. Some
one may think, "If I should speak or pray, I should spoil the
English language." No matter. In your prayers you do not need to
say a great many things to make a speech; but begin by saying
"Our Father, who art in heaven;" then ask for those things that
you want and have faith to obtain, and not ask for a thousand
things that you don't expect to get. And how may things can we
think of that we should thank the Lord for! No matter how broken
your speech, you can ask for what you want of men. But the child
does not often ask the parent for anything worth a hundred
dollars, for they would not expect to get it; but they would ask
for bread when they were hungry, in confidence and get it. I
would ask the Lord for things according to my wants and faith, as
Elijah did when he asked for rain, when there had not been any
for three years and six months. What would you think to hear
brother Pratt pray, and saying, "O Lord, give me some bread
to-day?" This I have had to do all my life. I ask God daily for
those things which I want. Now, do not mock God by asking him for
those things you do not expect to get.
252
When the children come to meeting, and any one should stand out,
and would not speak or pray, they will soon come to it, for they
would not like to be out of fashion, and we should make praying,
speaking, and righteousness fashionable. Then it would not be a
trial to do our duty; and all could be taught, and our follies
and errors be corrected. The Teachers should be very particular
that all the members speak, pray, and do their duty. What, if we
should neglect this branch of the kingdom, and our children
should be called to make their first speech, and that should be
before Congress or before any body of men where it required
confidence, care, and wisdom to present their views in a clear,
distinct, and understanding manner. I would not be in that
situation for a thousand dollars. But let our children commence
speaking together, and learn while they are children. And their
minds should be stored with good things in the days of their
youth; for what good would it do this people to live till the
coming of Christ, if they were not doing the work of God and
preparing themselves for it, but spending their time in
amusement?
252
All of us may not be called to go on missions, but all should
live in such a manner that they may be useful in the kingdom of
God. Every woman should help her husband to fulfil his mission.
If I am an Apostle? She may be engaged in helping in the
apostleship. And every sister that desires it can find an
opportunity of doing good in the kingdom of God.
253
How many of you in former days have spoken with delight of the
work that was promised you should perform, in you patriarchal
blessings,--that you should teach and instruct the Lamanites, not
only in the Gospel, but in domestic labours. This mission is now
about to open before you. I hope all will be ready to fulfil it;
and if all set a good example before them, it will do much good;
but if some set a bad example before them, it will do great evil,
and they will say, "Mormon like Indian; good Mormon and bad
Mormon, good Indian and bad Indian."
253
I have not said anything about our letters. The Regency are
getting out a new alphabet; and when we learn our letters
ourselves, we will teach others. We should improve all our time
to a good advantage. We have no time to spend in reading novels
or false things. Read the best books--the Bible, Book of Mormon,
Doctrine and Covenants, and those things that contain truth. Do
you think the people read those books enough? No. Now, do not
neglect those things. We want the knowledge those books
contain--the prophecies and doctrines, &c.
253
Is there one thing that we can neglect and do our duty? No; for
while we neglect those things, we can pray for more faith? No.
Can we do our duty as parents, by reading novels or permitting
our children to do it, and neglect history, prophecy, and the
revelations of God, which contain his commandments unto us, and
those principles whereby we become exalted and saved in his
presence and be purified? We cannot. May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 /
Jedediah M. Grant, June 28, 1854
Jedediah M. Grant, June 28, 1854
APOSTASY, &c.
Remarks by President Jedediah M. Grant, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, June 28, 1854.
253
I am pleased that this Conference convened upon the 27th, for it
is a date written indelibly upon our memories.
253
We have been blessed in hearing the testimonies which have been
borne by Presidents Young and Kimball, and Elder Taylor. I think
the majority of this congregation, though they might not be able
to bear as strong a testimony as those who have spoken, can bear
testimony that the Lord our God, by the inspiration of the Holy
Ghost, has revealed to them that Joseph Smith, while he lived,
was a Prophet of God, inspired by the revelations of the Almighty
to unfold the eternal truths of heaven to a perishing world.
253
I believe that the feelings of this people respond to the
testimony that has been borne to-day; and if we should wait here
for all this people to express their feelings in relation to
their confidence in Joseph Smith as a messenger of heaven, and in
the revelations of God through him, we should have to wait many
years.
253
There are some things we know by seeing, and other things we know
by hearing, tasting, smelling, &c.; but the light of the Eternal
Spirit that brought us out of darkness into the Church of God is
the great abiding testimony of this people.
254
Indeed, men have apostatized after they have seen and heard
Joseph, after they have seen angels, after they have seen the
sick healed, and after they have spoken in tongues and
prophesied, and had the interpretation of tongues. You will
recollect that long since I gave you my advice in relation to the
proper time a man ought to apostatize. My advice was that he
should never apostatize in a dark and cloudy day--never when he
felt bad--never because he felt hard towards his brother or
brethren in the Church; but when he apostatized, he should wait
for a clear day, when everything around him is prospering; and
then, before he apostatized, he should ask counsel.
254
In relation to men's apostatizing, I recollect in the upper room
of the Temple in Kirtland, Ohio, when we were assembled there, a
very noted man, by the name of Sylvester Smith, bore testimony of
what he had seen of the Prophet of God, of angels, &c. He said he
wanted to bear testimony and continued to say, "I have spoken by
what you call the Holy Ghost; the eyes of my understanding have
been touched, and I have seen convoy after convoy of angels; I
have laid hands on the lame, and they have leaped like a hart; I
have spoken with tongues and had the interpretation thereof; I
have seen the sick healed time after time;--but let me tell you,
everything I have seen and everything you have seen is the height
of idiotism." This was Sylvester Smith, after he apostatized.
254
This was the testimony of an apostate, which is conclusive proof
to me that a man may see the hosts of heaven--the chariots of
Israel and the horsemen thereof, and gaze on the glory of God,
and be filled with the Holy Ghost; and unless he retains the
Spirit of God, he will apostatize. Therefore my advice to the
Saints has been, and is, and whenever I give you good advice in
the future, it will be the same, that you propose in your hearts
never to depart from God or from his people, only when you are
filled with the Holy Ghost; and then when you do it, ask counsel
of his servants.
254
I felt glad when brother Brigham nominated John Smith, the son of
Hyrum, to be our Patriarch. I have been acquainted with his
father personally. I have lived with him for years, and I know
the spirit that is in his son; and I know the Lord God has
promised to bless his children, and that his Spirit will rest
upon the son, to unfold and teach the eternal truths of heaven to
bless the people of God.
254
I would rather have a young man to fill this office than an old
man who is filled with the leaven of sectarianism. Give me a man
who was raised by a "Mormon" father and a "Mormon" mother, and
raised up in the faith from his childhood. That is the man I want
to bless me and the people of God.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Heber
C. Kimball, August 28, 1852
Heber C. Kimball, August 28, 1852
INSTRUCTIONS AND COUNSEL TO DEPARTING MISSIONARIES.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball at a Special Conference
held in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 28, 1852.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
255
We have come together to-day, according to previous appointment,
to hold a special Conference, to transact business a month
earlier than usual, inasmuch as there are Elders to be selected
to go to the nations of the earth; and they want an earlier start
than formerly. There will probably be elders chosen to go to the
four quarters of the globe to transact business, preach the
gospel, &c.
255
I recollect reading in one of the revelations, in the Book of
Doctrine and covenants, where the Lord says--"If a man, inasmuch
as he is an Elder, has a desire in his heart to preach the
Gospel, he it is that is called to preach the Gospel." On the
other hand, the Scriptures, or some of the other revelations of
God, say that "many are called, but few are chosen." When a man
has that desire in his heart, he is called; but, perhaps, not a
great many will be chosen to go forth and preach the Gospel.
255
I suppose you are all aware, by the information that we have
received from our brethren the Apostles, who have lately returned
from foreign missions, that the work of God has commenced in many
nations of Europe and upon the islands of the sea. Still there
are many nations where the Gospel door has not yet been opened in
a direct way. Though the foundation has been laid for the
introduction of the Gospel among them, and indirectly the door
has been opened to all nations,--that is, it has been opened into
the main room; still there are a great many adjacent rooms
leading from that, that have yet to be opened with the smaller
keys.
255
I want to say one thing before we proceed to the business of
calling and setting apart those who have to go from this place to
the nations this season. We have made a selection of a
considerable number of Elders to leave home and go abroad. This
may be repugnant to the feelings of some: they may think it is a
hazardous undertaking. But at the same time, to go now is nothing
to compare with going out to preach the Gospel fifteen years ago,
when they had to go, not only without purse or scrip, but without
any knowledge that there was a friend to take them by the hand
when they arrived at their destination. Now they cannot go to any
part of the world, scarcely, but they will find themselves among
the Saints.
256
It is a pleasure to preach the truth. I will say, to those who
love to do the will of the Father, as it was with Jesus Christ;
for says he, "Father, not my will, but thine be done;" I wish to
know nothing but thy will, and that I will do until I spend my
life. Did he not do this? He did. You require that same spirit
and determination to carry out the same purpose; and I beg and
beseech of you, brethren, you that shall be chosen, when you are
elected, to go, if you don't live until you get to the United
States; for when men are called and set apart to the ministry to
go to the nations of the earth, if they refuse to go, it is death
to them--that is, to their characters as faithful Elders in
Israel: they go down and not up, backward and nor forward. I
merely speak of this from my own experience, for I have had one
in this Church of upwards twenty years. I was raised up as it
were with the Prophet; I lived with him to the day of his death.
As to our present Prophets and Elders, brother Brigham Young I
have lived with, with him I have travelled, and with him I have
suffered. I have eat and slept with him, and been by his side
almost my whole life. I could say with propriety, and I can say
it with truth, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, a Seer, a
Revelator, an Apostle of Jesus, and was ordained directly under
the hands of Peter, James, and John; and he died a Prophet, and
Hyrum died a Patriarch of Jesus--a father in Israel.
256
Brother Brigham Young is the successor of Joseph Smith; and a
better man never lived upon the earth, nor ever sought the
interest of this people more fervently from morning until night,
and vice versa, than he has done. Did he not travel in the days
of Joseph? He did, from the time he came into the Church until
the death of Joseph; and so did I. Did we ever hesitate for one
moment? No, not for a moment.
256
Jesus sought to do the will of his Father in heaven; so it was
our duty to do the will of Joseph; and now it is the duty of us
all to do the will of brother Brigham, for he reveals to us the
will of God, which is his will. We will do his will as an Elder,
as a Prophet, as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, holding the same
keys that Peter of old held--the same that Joseph Smith held as
an Apostle. You all believe this, don't you, without an
exception? Well, if this is your faith--if this is your
determination, I want you should manifest it by raising your
right hands, and saying Aye.
256
[A literal forest of hands was the result of this call, and the
spacious hall trembled when a simultaneous "Aye" burst forth from
the mouths of over two thousand persons.]
256
There it is, and it cannot be any other way.
256
I say to those who are elected to go on missions, Go, if you
never return; and commit what you have into the hands of
God--your wives, your children, your brethren, and your property.
Let truth and righteousness be your motto; and do not go into the
world for anything else but to preach the Gospel, build up the
kingdom of God, and gather the sheep into the fold. You are sent
out as shepherds to gather the sheep together; and remember that
they are not your sheep: they belong to Him that sends you. Then
do not make a choice of any of those sheep; do not make
selections before they are brought home and put into the fold.
You understand that. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / George
Albert Smith, August 28, 1852
George Albert Smith, August 28, 1852
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD.
Remarks by Elder George A. Smith at a Special Conference
held in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 28, 1852.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
257
What has been said, brethren and sisters, is verily true. The
kingdom of God has been built up by his distinguished blessings
and the exertion and energy of those whom God has called to bear
it off. When men refuse to fulfil their callings and magnify them
in the proclamation of the fulness of the Gospel to the nations
of the earth, they certainly lay the foundation for their own
ruin. When men, on the other hand, become so puffed up in their
own estimation as to think that the kingdom of God could not roll
forth without their mighty exertions, they fall into
transgression; they are fools in Israel, and their greatness will
vanish like smoke.
257
The fact is, God has planned for us the best sieve that could be
imagined. He is determined to sift the nations with the sieve of
vanity, and he has placed us here on the edge of the mountains,
where a little shaking of the winds will cause everything without
weight easily to slide off to the diggings; and in this way the
work of sifting is going on daily, and hourly, and yearly, from
time to time, according to the nature of the materials that
happen to be thrown upon the sieve.
257
No doubt many of us may be called upon, if not to-day, at some
other time, to bear the message of the Gospel of salvation to the
nations of the earth; for this was one of the commandments of the
Prophet. He enjoined upon us that we preach the Gospel to all
nations--that we should send forth the word to all people. This
responsibility has been laid upon the Priesthood of the Church,
and they are required to fulfil his commandment. There is not an
Elder, a Priest, a Teacher, or a member of this Church but what
bears a share of this responsibility.
257
The missions we will call for during this Conference are
generally not to be very long ones: probably from three to seven
years will be as long as any man will be absent from his family.
If any of the Elders refuse to go, they may expect that their
wives will not live with them; for there is not a "Mormon" sister
who would live with a man a day who would refuse to go on a
mission. There is no other way for a man to save his family; and
in order to save himself, he must fulfil his calling and magnify
his Priesthood in proclaiming the fulness of the Gospel to the
nations of the earth; and this certainly ought to be greatest joy
to the family of any man who feels the importance of building up
the kingdom--that he is actually considered worthy, in these last
days, to be one of the number to go forth, as one of the horns of
Joseph, to push the nations together, to gather out the honest in
heart, to run for the prize which we all labour for.
258
I feel deeply interested in these matters, and I hope and pray
that every man who is called upon to go forth on missions to
preach the Gospel may have the faith of the Church upon his head,
and that they all may lift up their voices in faith before the
people, that the light of truth may be a lamp in their path; and
that, by their exertions and the blessings of God, it may be
lighted up in distant nations.
258
I recollect a little incident in history, that is told of William
the Conqueror. After he had been king in England twenty years, he
became very corpulent. In consequence of a little joke upon his
corpulency by the French king, he declared war, and the
declaration was made in these words:--"Tell my fair uncle I will
pay him a visit, and I will bring along tapers enough to set all
France on fire." You may suppose we are sending but a few
Elders--probably not more than one hundred or one hundred and
fifty; but we intend to continue the work, and send out Elders
enough to set the world on fire, spiritually.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / John
Taylor, August 28, 1852
John Taylor, August 28, 1852
CONDITION OF THE WORLD, &c.
Remarks by Elder John Taylor at a Special Conference
held in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 28, 1852.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
258
Brother George was talking about setting the world on fire. I
think, when the Elders have travelled through the world as far as
some of us have, and seen the rottenness and weakness of their
institutions--the folly and corruption that everywhere prevail,
they will find that it is pretty near time, as the Prophets have
said, for it to be burned up, and all its works.
258
But I suppose it is necessary, before the world is burned up,
that the good wheat should be saved and gathered into the garner,
and prepare to take a fresh start in peopling the earth and
placing affairs upon a proper foundation.
258
There is no person that reflects upon the condition of the world,
as it now exists, but his heart must be pained--must be filled
with sympathy for the inhabitants of the earth. I have gazed upon
their proceedings myself; I have watched their follies,
abominations, and corruptions; I have seen them. They seem to me
to be regardless of God, heaven, hell, eternity, or anything
else; and there are thousands, and tens of thousands, and
millions of people upon the continent of Europe that would like
no better employment than to go into deadly combat and destroy
one another.
259
The people talk about how corrupt we, the Latter-day Saints, are.
If all they say about us be true, it is only a tithing of what
you will find in the world. I have told them to look at home--to
examine their own firesides, and they would find plenty of
corruption and abomination. They are living without God in the
world--without hope, and they are dying without hope;
consequently, they are careless, profligate, and reckless.
259
The Lord has shone upon us: he has lit up a candle of
intelligence in our souls--has imparted to us the principles of
eternal truth, opened the heavens, and sent his holy angel to put
us in possession of principles that will exalt us in the scale of
intelligence among men, and raise us up to be associates of the
Gods in the eternal worlds.
259
I know you have a desire to do these things; but I will tell you,
there are many things that are calculated to try the feelings of
men.
259
Those who have to go out have to put their noses to the
grindstone, and keep them there, and let them grind at it, and
not murmur a word; and then, before they are healed, put them
there again, and bear it all the time, and go along without
saying anything; for you know it is a sin in the religions world
to get angry. You need not attempt to without faith in God; and
you will have need of all the wisdom and intelligence you can
command. You cannot go and convert the world all at once; for it
is too far sunken in folly and vice. This reminds me of a dream a
brother had in France. He said he thought he was trying to kindle
a fire on the sea-shore. Every time he attempted to light it, a
wave came and rolled over it, and he could hardly accomplish it
until the tide began to recede; and then he considered he would
build up a fire when the wood got dry.
259
You need not think of going abroad into the world, and going, as
the Methodists sing, "on flowery beds of ease;" for a great many
consider you as impostors, and as a general thing you are looked
upon as suspicious characters, to say the least of it, and you
will be closely watched. If you go to those foreign nations, your
footsteps will be traced. No matter how privately you may make
your entrance, or how privately you may take your departure, it
will all be known to the police authorities, and they can give
all the information required touching your movements.
260
It was not more than ten minutes after I had taken the cab and
started to the railway station to take my last departure from
France, when one of the high police came to inquire after me. The
gentleman with whom I stayed was a very affectionate friend to
me, and he kept the police in conversation for two hours,
speaking very highly of me. He told them I was a respectable,
high-minded man, &c. The police told him of every place I had
been at since I came to Paris; when I came to France; what hotel
I stayed in; when I went to England, and how long I stayed there;
when I went to Germany, and how long I stayed there; what books I
had printed, &c., &c. He gave my friend a most minute account of
every step I had taken; and all this is recorded in the books of
the police. They have a congress of police among the nations of
Europe, by which they can transmit information about every person
who appears as a public character in any of those nations.
260
This is the way you will be watched. If you go to any of these
nations, it will be necessary for you to use the greatest wisdom
and prudence, and that you should pray to God to guard you in all
things.
260
This police authority did not come after me until I had finished
my work. I suppose they would not have injured me, for I had
broken no law; but this is their policy. With it we have nothing
to do; and I should recommend you strictly to obey all police
regulations, and never interfere with any national, civil, or
police institutions or regulations. I suppose they might have
telegraphed after me, if they wished; but I took another
course,--not, however, knowing that they were after me. I turned
off the main route to go by a little seaport town, and I missed
the whole concern, and was in France a week longer, and they knew
nothing about me. I was out of their track, and came off safe.
The Lord blessed me, and I have been blessed as much in these
nations as anywhere else.
260
You may talk about difficulties and what you have passed through
here and there; but we should not be men, if we did not have
difficulties to meet with; and we always feel much better when we
have conquered them.
260
This is the difference between us and the world. They meet with
difficulties, and they quash down under them, while we ride over
them and become victorious. This is the reason why there are so
many institutions among the Gentiles that come to naught. They
meet with difficulties and fall before them: we meet with the
same, but we have a God at the helm, and we triumph over them.
260
Another Elder and myself stayed in a hotel in a small town for
about a week, and the landlord of which was an infidel. After we
had been there two or three days, I told the landlord I was a
religious man. He replied, "Oh, you are religious, are you?
Religion is a pack of nonsense.?" I told him I cared as little
about most of the religion of Christendom as he did; but the one
I believed in, I told him, would benefit both body and soul, in
time and eternity. I talked to him a little about it, and he
began to feel much interested.
260
I told him about the success and the prosperity that attended our
works; and finally he said, "I don't know but I will sell out and
go to America; for I am tired of France." I said, I will tell you
where you will find a first-rate place to settle down in that
country; and I directed him to Iowa. He spoke to an Elder that
was with him after I had gone away, and said, "I don't like the
way Mr. Taylor speaks to me." "Why?" said the Elder. "He speaks
as though he wants to push me off on one side somewhere; and I
want to go where he is. You have got the right religion; and had
I found this, I should have been a religious man."
260
I talked to another gentleman who came in, who was to be
introduced to me,--a man of good education, and who talked the
English language as well as I did. We talked about everything,
almost, until religion came on in the conversation. When I was
preparing to leave, the gentleman said, "Oh Mr. Taylor, I wish
you would stay three or four days more here, and I will introduce
you to a rich sugar manufacturer; and there is a gentleman living
in a castle not far from here--I will introduce you to him." They
felt as sorry at my going away as though I had stayed with them
twelve months, and they came more than a mile to see me off and
bid me good bye, and prayed God to bless me before I left.
261
You will see many such things as these. I could have introduced
the Gospel in the whole of that country, and I had time. You will
find that the Spirit of the Lord will go before you and prepare
the way. I had men come to me and say, "God bless you!--you are
the man I dreamed about." That is the kind of feeling that
operates upon the people in those parts, as well as in the other
parts of the world. The Spirit of the Lord goes before his
servants.
261
I recollect associating with some medical professors--American
gentlemen, who had come to Paris for the purpose of attending
medical lectures, &c., at l' Ecole de Medicine, and visiting the
hospitals; and though we were "Mormons," they were glad to have
our society, and seemed to feel a desire to associate with us. We
talked "Mormonism" to them, and many other things.
261
These men came there, remained two or three months, and went
away. Nobody cared anything about them, only just as much as they
paid their way, and that was all. We went there and planted the
Gospel in the hearts of the people; and they feel as all other
people do who are members of this Church. The Spirit of God was
with them, and we could rejoice in the bosom of our friends and
talk of the things of God and the blessings he gives to his
people. I looked at these doctors, and I said to myself, You poor
miserable creatures!--you wander round the world without the
Spirit and blessings of God, and nobody cares for you, whether
you live or die, when we come here to plant the standard of truth
in the hearts of the people, and can rejoice with them in its
blessings.
261
If any of you go into those countries, you will find as
warmhearted people as you will find anywhere else. Brothers F. D.
Richard and E. Snow can bear testimony to this. The Gospel has
the same effect in their hearts as it has in yours. I won't
occupy your time further. May God bless you, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 / Ezra T.
Benson, August 28, 1852
Ezra T. Benson, August 28, 1852
ADDRESS TO DEPARTING MISSIONARIES.
Remarks by Elder Ezra T. Benson at a Special Conference
held in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 28, 1852.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
261
I feel thankful for the privilege to occupy a few moments a this
conference, and to give my testimony concerning the work of the
Lord in these last days.
261
I feel thankful that we are here, and that we are blessed with
the Spirit of truth, which is one of the greatest blessings in
the kingdom of God. When we have the Spirit of truth dwelling in
our hearts, we are ready, and not only ready but willing to do
the things that are required at our hands.
262
We have been hearing this morning that there are many that will
be called to go to the nations of the earth. I feel that I can
say that there is not an individual that will be called upon, if
he has the Spirit of the Lord or of "Mormonism" in his heart, but
what will respond to the call with all his soul. He will feel to
thank God and his brethren that he is worthy to be called with
such a high and holy calling as to be a messenger of salvation;
for I do actually know, by experience, that there is not calling
under the heavens, among the children of men, that is so
desirable and so great as to go and preach this Gospel.
262
If a man will magnify his Priesthood, he can do more in one hour
in the vineyard, preaching the Gospel and gathering the Saints in
one, if he is sent to do so, than he can do here in ten,
labouring with his hands for himself, for his family, and for the
kingdom of God on the earth; for it is impossible for us to
retain the Spirit of God--it is impossible for us to love the
Lord, or ever keep in good fellowship with this people, unless we
do as we are told. Inasmuch as there are honest people in the
earth, scattered among the nations, is it pleasing in the sight
of God for us to sit down here (unless we are commanded to do
so,) and refuse to give them the truth? It is perfectly right to
tarry here and prepare for the Saints who are gathering, unless
we are commanded otherwise.
262
I wish to say a few words to those who shall be called upon to go
to the nations. The time is now--I feel persuaded of it--for us,
Elders of Israel, to work while the day lasts--to work while
there is time and opportunity, while God is softening the hearts
of the people. Now is the time for the Elders to visit the