Journal of Discourse Volume 7
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7
Journal of Discourses,
Volume 7
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, July 3, 1859
Brigham Young, July 3, 1859
NATURE OF MAN--HAPPINESS--INFLUENCE OF GOD'S SPIRIT UPON MANKIND,
ETC.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, July 3, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
1
It is good for those who profess to be believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and to practise his doctrines, to keep his
principles before them. It is good to speak often one to another
concerning the things of the kingdom of God.
1
Man is a mystery to himself, and but few of the inhabitants of
the earth inquire into their own organization--their being, their
capacity, or even into principle. The nations of the earth come
and go, and every person of reflection discerns a deep mystery in
man. There is a spirit in man, and that spirit is more or less
enlightened and instructed by a superior spirit; yet the hearts
of men are absorbed in the things of time, and they wear out
their lives in their efforts to preserve them. This is the reason
why so many pass like a cloud. They are here; they take no
thought only to subsist as long as they can, and they are gone
for ever.
1
Of those who have leisure and means to improve their minds and
make themselves very useful, there are but few who do not
squander their time and means. They do not improve upon their
talents; or, as brother Heywood observed, they do not improve
upon the capital they possess. There is a great amount of
ignorance in the world; and most people are lacking in researches
concerning their own origin. Some have not the opportunity,
others have not the time, and with the majority their education
is such that they have not the disposition for those researches.
But above all, they waste the knowledge that is naturally within
them--their natural endowments. All men should study to learn the
nature of mankind, and to discern that divinity inherent in them.
A spirit and power of research is planted within, yet they remain
undeveloped.
2
There is one very predominant trait in the human family--the
seeking for power. The great majority constantly study to gain
influence--they traverse the world over to attain it. This trait
is, in a great measure, derived from their traditions. As the
master acts, does, says, and believes, so does the servant. As
the parent marks his steps through life, so the steps of the
children are measured, and the millions of consequent
peculiarities have to be taken into account in dealing with the
human family. Tradition seizes upon the scholar when he first
commences his education, and, more or less, clings to the human
family through life; and we have to deal with people according to
their understanding. They are only capable of receiving a certain
portion at a time.
2
What will satisfy the mind? Will gold? Will silver? Will houses,
lands, and possessions? Search the world over, and you will at
once discover that they will not. Will power and influence over
their fellow-beings satisfy? They will not. They may give a
momentary satisfaction; but it soon passes away like a morning
cloud, and the possessors are still labouring and striving to
attain more. This was exhibited in the career of Alexander the
Great, who conquered almost the whole of the then known world,
and was still so dissatisfied with himself and with his
life--with his power and possessions--that he died in debauchery
at an early age. He obtained power, wealth, fame, and renown, and
was still so dissatisfied that he mourned, and wept, and threw
away his life ere arriving at middle age.
2
What would satisfy the children of men, if they had it in their
possession? Only truth and the true principles and conduct
flowing from its observance. True, certain classes of the
inhabitants of the earth are pretty well satisfied with
themselves, through their researches in the philosophies of the
day, and especially in the science of astronomy, which gives the
greatest scope to the mind; and yet they are not fully satisfied.
What will satisfy us? If we understood all principles and powers
that are, that have been, and that are to come, and had wisdom
sufficient to control powers and elements with which we are
associated, perhaps we would then be satisfied. If this will not
satisfy the human mind, there is nothing that will.
2
Is there any such thing as happiness upon the earth? There is;
and could people understand its beginning--its germ, they would
strive to obtain truth and to increase in true knowledge: then
the person calculated to receive much would have enjoyment in
proportion, and one capacitated to receive but little would be
satisfied therewith. Is there such knowledge upon the earth?
There is. Are there true principles? There are, and we heard a
portion of them this morning in the doctrine of salvation.
2
If people understood true philosophy--eternal philosophy, they
would understand that there is an eternity of matter. Astronomers
estimate that there is between us and the nearest fixed star
matter enough from which to organize millions of earths like
this. There is an eternity of matter, and it is all acted upon
and filled with a portion of divinity. Matter is to exist; it
cannot be annihilated. Eternity is without bounds, and is filled
with matter; and there is no such place as empty space. And
matter is capacitated to receive intelligence.
3
If we could so understand true philosophy as to understand our
own creation, and what it is for--what design and intent the
Supreme Ruler had in organizing matter and bringing it forth in
the capacity that I behold you here to-day, we could comprehend
that matter cannot be destroyed--that it is subject to
organization and disorganization; and could understand that
matter can be organized and brought forth into intelligence, and
to possess more intelligence, and to continue to increase in that
intelligence; and could learn those principles that organized
matter into animals, vegetables, and into intelligent beings; and
could discern the Divinity acting, operating, and diffusing
principles into matter to produce intelligent beings, and to
exalt them--to what? Happiness. Will nothing short of that fully
satisfy the spirits implanted within us? No.
3
You can daily observe the operations of the spirits of men in the
streets of this city. There you can now see the world exhibited
as it is. You can see people hurrying from the east to the west,
from the west to the east, from the north to the south, and from
the south to the north. Have they an object in view? Ask the
traveller whether he has; ask the bystander whether there is an
object in his mind. Whether I stand or walk, whether I labour or
rest, lie down or rise up, in all my acts in life there is an
object. I have something in view, you have something in view, and
so has the whole human family, as also all intelligence of every
grade.
3
What principal object have human beings in view? Happiness. Give
me glory, give me power, give me wealth, give me a good name,
give me influence with my fellow-men, give me all these, and it
does not follow that I am thereby made happy; that depends
altogether upon what principle those acquisitions were gained.
Absolute tyranny never can produce happiness, neither can an
influence unjustly gained and used; but give me influence with
the children of men, and can that alone produce happiness? It
cannot. What will give a man joy? That which will give him peace.
What will produce joy and peace? If a man gains influence from
the confidence he enjoys through his integrity, his honesty,
goodness, uprightness, virtue, and truth, that influence will
satisfy his mind; and influence gained in other courses cannot.
3
Many have been hated, despised, and hunted, on account of their
influence with their fellow-beings. Has any one in our
generation? Yes. Are there not scores of men and women here who
are familiar with the death of our Prophet? Why did people hate
him? Because of his influence. Did he gain or exercise an
unrighteous influence? By no means. He possessed a righteous
influence over the spirits, feelings, passions, and dispositions
of all who delighted in truth and goodness, so far as he
associated, and could guide them at his pleasure.
3
Am I hated for the same cause? I am. I am hated for teaching
people the way of life and salvation--for teaching them
principles that pertain to eternity, by which the Gods were and
are, and by which they gain influence and power. Obtain that
influence, and you will be hated, despised, and hunted like the
roe upon the mountains. The way to obtain that influence is
pointed out--by whom? By him through whom the worlds were
created, and who has redeemed this earth and all things upon it.
4
He gave his life a ransom to atone for the sins of the world, and
he has pointed out the way. His law is sacred, omnipotent,
eternal; and that is the law to obey. Let the Lord speak, and let
the people obey. That is the way to gain that happiness which all
mankind are seeking, and no other course can satisfy the noble,
Godlike spirit placed in man, who is formed for the express
purpose of preserving his identity to all eternity. Without
strict observance to the laws by which worlds were and are
created-- to the words of the Eternal, no being can inherit
eternal lives.
4
These are the principles that this people, who are by many deemed
to be the most ignorant, outlandish, corrupt, base, vile, and
wicked people on the globe, have imbibed, and are striving to
practise, and through so doing are hated all the day long.
Ignorant? Yes, we are ignorant; but we are on the high road to
that eternal knowledge that fills the bosoms of the Gods in
eternity. If we are faithful to the end, we have the promise that
we shall obtain that crown of glory and eternal life that will
give us the satisfaction we are seeking. These principles are
true; and let me observe to all, Saints and sinners, young and
old, wise and ignorant, Do not mistake any points of doctrine you
hear preached. The spirit in man is always enlightened, more or
less, by the Spirit of the Holy One of Israel--that Being who
gave the law.
4
When he pleases to bless the children of men, he is able to
accomplish his purpose. If he is disposed to permit a
Nebuchadnezzar to see a finger writing on a wall, it is his
privilege to do so. If he is disposed to talk with an Enoch, or
to show himself to the brother of Jared, it is his privilege. And
if he is disposed to pour out the Holy Ghost upon the house of
Cornelius before he embraced the Gospel in the usual way by
baptism for the remission of sins, it is his privilege. The
principle is, God must be obeyed. And even after Cornelius and
his house had received the Holy Ghost, they did not, like some in
our day, rise up and say, "We have no need to be baptized." Why
did not Cornelius tell Peter that he had received the Holy Ghost,
and was as good a Christian as he? But, no; he must send to Joppa
for one Simon Peter, who would tell him words whereby he and his
household could be saved. What words? To be baptized in water.
Peter did not tell them to receive the Holy Ghost, for they had
received it.
4
They had already been endowed with the Holy Ghost, and it was the
right and privilege of him who laid down his life to redeem the
children of men to bestow that Holy Ghost where and when he
pleased. If Cornelius had refused to have been baptized, he never
would have received the influence of the Holy Ghost afterwards.
He must obey the outward ordinances to secure to himself eternal
lives--to attain the blessings consequent upon obedience.
4
Jesus of Nazareth, who appeared to Saul of Tarsus in the way,
opened the vision of his mind, and conversed with him, and told
him what to do. Did he tell him that he was a Christian, that his
sins were forgiven, and that there was nothing more to be done?
He did not. Did he intimate to him, in the least, that he was
prepared to go and preach the Gospel? Not in the least. It could
be said to him, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest;" and Paul
could cry out, "Lord, what shall I do?" Go to Damascus, and you
will there find a man, named Ananias, who will tell you what to
do. Paul was led into the city, and immediately sent for Ananias.
After the Lord told Ananias to go, he refused, for he had heard
of the persecutions by Saul--of his dragging men and women to
prison; but the Lord informed him that he had appeared to Saul on
the way; and told him to go and converse with him, and fear not.
What did Ananias tell Saul to do? To go and be baptized; for the
same Jesus who appeared to you on the way told me to come and
tell you what to do.
5
It is the Lord's privilege to give the Holy Ghost to whom he
will, and it is not for us to question him in his right, power,
and privilege--in the extent of his doings. He blesses the human
family; he raises up nations, kingdoms, and governments, and
controls in the armies of the world. He rules in the heavens, and
makes the wrath of man praise him, and gives his Spirit when and
to whom he pleases. Shall I say that he has given it to his
Saints all the day long? Yes; for I know that he has. Have they
enjoyed the light of the Spirit of revelation? Yes; and so, more
or less, has every being that has been born upon this earth. I
never passed John Wesley's church in London without stopping to
look at it. Was he a good man? Yes; I suppose him to have been,
by all accounts, as good as ever walked on this earth, according
to his knowledge. Has he obtained a rest? Yes, and greater than
ever entered his mind to expect; and so have thousands of others
of the various religious denominations. Why could he not build up
the kingdom of God on the earth: He had not the Priesthood; that
was all the difficulty he laboured under. Had the Priesthood been
conferred upon him, he would have built up the kingdom of God in
his day as it is now being built up. He would have introduced the
ordinances, powers, grades, and quorums of the Priesthood; but,
not holding the Priesthood, he could not do it. Did the Spirit of
God rest upon him? Yes, and does, more or less, at times, upon
all people.
5
Christ is the light of the world, and lighteth every man that
cometh into it. Were it not for the light that is in the people,
they would not hate us; they would not exclaim as they do--"We
came here to cut your throats, but we cannot quite accomplish our
purpose." That is what they came for: they had no other intent,
except, in addition, to plunder and destroy our property, and
pollute our wives and daughters. What causes them to hate us? The
light that is in them--the Spirit of the Almighty that rests on
the nations; which proves the old Scriptures to be true, where
they state that the report of the work that the Lord would bring
forth in the last days should make the people tremble and quake.
The light that is in them convicts them and teaches them that the
doctrine the Elders of Israel preach among them is the Gospel of
salvation; and say they, "We will not have it." Have you not
heard many of them say that they would rather go to hell than
believe it? "I will not believe what you preach, though I go to
hell for disobeying it."
6
That Spirit that is in them--the inspiration of the Almighty
which giveth understanding--convinces them that the doctrine is
true. Were it false doctrine, it would be thought no more of than
any other of the numerous isms in the world. They would pass by
it as kindly and as easily as they do Socialism, or any other
doctrine. But it convicts the people. Am I sorry for them? I am.
My soul aches for them, because they cannot resolve and act in
accordance with the dictates of that Spirit which ever prompts
the human heart aright. But rise up and declare, "We will not
believe this doctrine." What then? You must suffer. Thousands are
suffering now; ministers are groaning in pulpits, and deacons and
lay members are groaning in congregations; there are groans in
secret places, in public places, in highways and by-ways:
everywhere people are in pain, in sorrow, in misery; and, in
short, are in hell. What is the matter? "'Mormonism' is yet in
existence--it is not destroyed." Why can they not muster courage
enough to say, "Our independent organizations we will use, and
will not suffer the Devil, nor fathers, mothers, priests,
neighbours, worldly reputation, riches, or anything else, to
deter us from embracing and practising the principles of eternal
life?" That course would at once start them on the road to
happiness. "But," says the Devil, "If I let you go, you will get
out of my power and reach, and I cannot get you again." Suppose
the world should turn round and say, "Mr. Devil, we have been
co-partners long enough!"
6
I remember that when I made a profession of religion, after being
called an infidel by the Christians, I often used to get a little
puzzled. The Evil One would whisper to me that I had done this,
that, or some other thing wrong, and inquire whether that looked
like a Christian act, and remark, "You have missed it; you have
not done right, and you know it; you did not do as well in such a
thing as you might; and are you not ashamed of yourself in saying
that you are a Christian? You profess the religion of Jesus
Christ, and now manifest such weakness!" Said I, "Mr. Devil, it
is none of your business. You may go behind, or before, or in any
other direction; but you and I have dissolved partnership; and
what I do, I am accountable for to a more glorious Being than you
are. So long as we were in partnership, I had to give an account
of my doings to you; but now it is not for you to fret yourself
about my doings, for you have no interest whatever in the
matter." And thus I have acted with him from that time until now.
6
I have experienced and learned much since I embraced the Gospel,
and have become thoroughly convinced that the world lieth in
ignorance, and are wandering after a shadow--that is, false
principles. There is no solid peace and joy, no permanent comfort
and consolation to be found between--shall I go to the extremes?
Yes, the sectarian extremes--the top of the topless throne, and
the bottom of the bottomless pit. There is not a particle of
permanent happiness between these two extremes to the noble
spirits within us. It is only to be found in the principles of
eternal life that open the gates of heaven to all believers. The
mans that places his affections upon the gold, the silver, the
goods, chattels, and precious things of this earth, and seeks for
power over his fellow-man upon false principles, will never
realize the happiness that the noble spirit within him is
designed to enjoy.
6
Then cling to the principles of life that open eternity and
reveal to us what we are, making known to us our relationship to
God, which to the world is a great mystery.
7
In the year 1850 I entertained one of my Baptist friends some two
or three weeks. I could not persuade him to preach, but asked him
a great many questions; and I found him just where I had left
them years ago. I asked him questions with regard to the
doctrines taught in the Bible. Could he answer them? No: he was
as ignorant as a child of the great plan of salvation. During his
stay, I preached in the old Bowery; and when I came to the point
that I knew he was looking for--to tell who God the Father and
God the Son are--I dropped the subject. When we arrived home, he
said, "Brother Young, why did you not go on a little further? You
drew my whole soul out to learn something that I never had
learned." I said to him that I did not proceed further because he
was there. He then remarked--"I have been preaching thirty years,
and I was very anxious to learn the true doctrine upon the very
point you spoke of today. I have heard much about your people,
and I tarried here to learn. Why could you not have told us
more?" I replied--"I wish you to teach." "But I do not know
anything about the subject." "I will so couch my questions that
you soon will. Do you believe the Old and New Testament?" "Yes."
I then asked him a few questions with regard to the coming forth
of the Son of Man, as he is called in a few places. "Do you
believe that he was born of the virgin Mary?--that he was the son
of Mary?" "Yes." "Do you believe that the Apostle told the truth
when he said that he was begotten by the Father?" "Yes." "Why do
you dispute it, then, or throw a doubt upon it? Was he not flesh
of our flesh and bone of our bone, if the history given of him is
true?" "O yes." "Whom did he look and act like? and whose errand
did he come to do?" I then turned and read--"Whoso hath seen me
hath seen the Father," and inquired, "Do you believe that?" "Yes
but I never before viewed the matter in the light it now
appears." "Is he not the very express image and likeness of his
Father in heaven? The Bible says he is. Do you believe the
Bible?" "Yes."
7
In a short time he answered my questions; and I took him back to
Adam, and gave him to understand clearly who the Bible taught
that he was. I learned from my Baptist friend that his sect were
just where I left them twenty-five years ago.
7
As brother Heywood has just remarked in your hearing, the people
do not improve on their capital. Every man and woman that has
talent and hides it will be called a slothful servant. Improve
day by day upon the capital you have. In proportion as we are
capacitated to receive, so it is our duty to do. Some learn more
and faster than others--more readily see and comprehend the
bearings of their lessons and the relationship they sustain to
their fellow-beings. Then will every one who secures an
exaltation be happy? Yes. Will all be of one mind there? Yes.
Should we not be one here? Yes. Should every man be a President?
Should every man be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve? Should
every man be the President of our Government, or a King? No; but
each should possess the Spirit of the Lord; and through observing
its teachings, every one will be rewarded and enjoy according to
his capacity. Each vessel will be filled to overflowing, and
hence all will be equal, in that they are full.
7
Every man and woman will receive to a fulness, though the
quantity will vary according to the extent of their capacity, and
each will be crowned with glory and eternal life, if faithful. He
that endures to the end the same shall be saved. Not to run for a
season and then turn away; but those who endure to the end will
receive a fulness of joy which will give them satisfaction.
7
But, as Jesus said, these things are spiritually discerned. And
though he was diligent in teaching his disciples, their
traditions were such that, after he had been with them a long
time, there were many points that they did not fully understand.
When the question was asked Peter, "Whom do men say that I, the
Son of man, am?" he replied, "Some say thou art John come to life
again, and some that thou art one of the old prophets risen from
the dead; some say one thing, and some say another." "But whom
say ye that I am?" "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God."
"Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father
who is in heaven." Why cannot you at once understand that you
must imbibe in your faith and hold to that principle of
revelation? Men cannot reveal the principles of eternal life to
you; flesh and blood cannot; scientific books cannot; history
cannot; another man's experience cannot; no, nor the whole world,
with their wisdom and power; for they must be revealed from our
Father which is in heaven.
8
Peter was blessed, because he had eyes to see; and when he
saw with his spiritual eyes, he acknowledged it. He was not so
proud and highminded as to turn round and deny. If the conviction
of their own minds had free course, and were not trammelled
through their erroneous traditions, millions and millions would
hail this day with thanksgiving. They would rather see it than to
be assured that the whole Rocky Mountain range was solid gold. If
all Cherry Creek bottoms, and Pike's Peak, and the mountains
around were a mass of pure gold, they would walk over it and say,
"We will go to Utah and learn for ourselves, though we have to go
on our hands and knees. Let us find the fountain of eternal
intelligence--the way of life: let us find that which will
satisfy the noble spirits God has placed in our tabernacles.
8
What is their condemnation? Light--truth--the true
Priesthood--has come among them. And will they receive it? No.
"They choose darkness rather than light, because their deeds are
evil," and their sins remain upon them. They are the ones who
must suffer the loss, and not those who will be faithful.
8
There is not a man or woman on this earth that I hate; but I do
most cordially hate their wicked acts. I am at war with false
principles--with wickedness, sin, and abomination; and I expect
to continue my warfare until I overcome.
8
Let this people continue to strive, to toil, and hold fast to the
cause of their God, and they will conquer. I am for never
forsaking the ship, and for never ceasing to watch the sails and
the compass--for never ceasing my operations, until God shall
reign King of nations, as he now reigns King of Saints.
8
People say, "If we only knew that this work was of the Lord, we
would be satisfied." How can you know? Yield to that Spirit that
influences the heart--that Spirit of the Almighty that gives your
spirits understanding and teaches you truth from error, and God
will take you by the hand and lead you by the right hand of his
influence and power to victory and glory. The whole world might
be saved. Will they be? No.
8
I am at war with evil principles, and I shall contend against
them, and continue to do so until I see the kingdoms of this
world bow to the sceptre of King Immanuel. Will any man be
deprived of his rights when that is the case? No; but they will
find it a Republican Democratic Government. "But we thought that
the government you are talking about was a theocratic
government." It is; and it is the only true form of government on
the earth--the only one that possesses all the true principles of
republicanism. It puts every man and woman right, puts everything
in its place, and gives to each one his due according to his
works; for so will they be judged in that day.
8
May the Lord bless those who are inclined to do right and follow
out their religion. And I pray continually that they may elude
the grasp of hypocrites and ungodly men--of those who are
determined to hate God and his righteousness. I intend to
persevere in the path of righteousness until I overcome; and,
with the help of God and the Saints, I will out-general the
wicked. And I declare to-day that every person endeavouring to do
right shall have his rights in due time, and rejoice in the God
of freedom; which may God grant. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, July 4, 1854
CELEBRATION OF THE FOURTH OF JULY.
A Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, July 4, 1854.
9
I realize the nature of my position in rising to speak to an
assembly of intelligent gentlemen and ladies on such an occasion
as the present. I probably feel my incapability more than can be
perceived by my hearers. Still my mind is active, and my
understanding is fruitful, whether I have ability or not to
express that which is in me.
9
While my friends have been speaking, I have been much amused,
edified, and delighted, especially in having Whiggery and
Democracy so ably illustrated. I do not think they could have
been exhibited more easily more naturally, more to the
understanding of all, and more true to the spirit and universal
deportment of those two leading parties of the nation, as they
now exist, than they have been by my predecessor in the stand
to-day; and I presume I am speaking the feelings of the greater
part of this assembly.
9
While brother George A. Smith was speaking upon the rise and
progress of the American Revolution, a few items ranging in the
same line occurred to my mind, which I have a desire to express
in the hearing of this assembly.
9
The revolutions made by the Government of the United States, with
regard to real progression generally, are small indeed; so small
that it is impossible to perceive any advancement. It is true the
Constitution has been revised by the voice of the people; but
wherein is it bettered? Some say it is bettered; but as to the
light and knowledge that now exist with regard to the true spirit
of republicanism, the revolution is on the retrograde motion. No
one will question for a moment that many revolutions in the
United States have become in a great degree popular,
notwithstanding they have been in many instances unconstitutional
and in open violation of the statute laws, and have been winked
at by the most influential officers of the Government. There has
been a progressive revolution since the close of the war, but not
in virtue, justice, uprightness, and truth. It has become quite a
custom, and by custom it has the force of law, for one party to
mob another, to tear down and destroy Catholic churches, drive
citizens from the ballot box, disallowing them the right of
franchise, and persecute, plunder, drive from their possessions,
and kill a great people. Revolution in the United States is
progressing; but to the true spirit of Democracy and the science
of government, the Revolution I refer to is strictly opposed.
9
With regard to Democracy and Whiggery, no person can exhibit them
better and in a true light than Judge Shaver has to-day. The
General Government, as a whole, do not understand truly what
Democracy and Whiggery really are.
10
What would my friend George A. Smith tell you with regard to
these two political bodies that now rule over our country, were
he to address you upon this subject? He would tell you that one
of them is a monster having many heads, and the other is a
monster with no head at all. The impulse that is given to the
Government is like that of the animal creation: when they are
hungry, they are impelled to eat, and to drink when they are
thirsty. When this necessity presses upon them, all the sensitive
powers are on the alert to search for food. All their natural
impulses to action originate in the appetite: they receive them
from the demands the interior of the animal makes upon the
creature. It then becomes the duty of the head to search out a
method to supply these demands with food suitable to the nature
of the animal, which administers health, strength, vigour,
growth, and beauty to the whole body.
10
What ought to be the Government of the United States? And what
are Whiggery and Democracy as they now exist? Nothing, and a
little less.
10
I believe in a true Republican government; but where is the man
capable of exhibiting in their true character the principles of
such a Government? I do not profess to be that man: still I
believe I am as capable to search into the merits of the subject,
and can understand the general principles of true Republicanism
as well as any other man, though I may not be capable of setting
it before the people in its perfection. I can, however, talk a
little about it.
10
Is there a true Republican government on the earth? There is. Do
you inquire, Where is that government? I answer, It is here. I am
a true Republican;, if I understand what the term signifies. But
I put my own definition upon such terms; for in many instances
our lexicographers have widely mistaken ideas, and widely
disagree upon the meaning of words. They may trace the etymology
of words, through the living and dead languages, to their roots,
as they suppose; but there is a great probability of their being
mistaken still.
10
A government that is perfect would be called Democratic. True
Republicanism, and what is meant or understood by true Democracy,
is the same; but the full extent of true Democracy cannot be told
by any man at this time. In entering upon a point that I do not
fully understand, and can in nowise fully explain, I shall
content myself to talk about it according to the extent of my
capacity and the understanding I have of the subject, and leave
the little I have to say with the people. The question, What is a
true Republican government? is easily answered. It is a
government or institution that is perfect--perfect in its laws
and ordinances, having for its object the perfection of mankind
in righteousness. This is true Democracy. But Democracy as it is
now is another thing. True Democracy or Republicanism, if it were
rightly understood, ought to be the Government of the United
States. They might have had that government long ago; but as it
was said by my predecessor in the stand, "Whom the Lord would
destroy, he makes mad;" consequently, he must take away the
wisdom of that man, or of that people. No man or people
possessing wisdom will give vent to wrath, for that is calculated
to weaken, to destroy, to blot out of existence.
11
When the Supreme Ruler of the universe wishes to destroy a
nation, he takes away their wisdom in the first place, and they
become insensible to their own interests, and they are filled
with wrath; they give way to their anger, and thus lay the
foundation of their own destruction. To him who seeks to save, he
gives wisdom, which enables any people, nation, or individual to
lay the foundation for strength, increase, and power. When we
look abroad upon the nations, we can see this truth verified; and
when we look at home in our own nation, it is no less verified.
We see that wisdom is actually departing from the lawgiver, and
the knowledge and the discretion the judge possessed years ago
have vanished. We discern that the very policy adopted by the
nations to fortify them in strength is calculated to sap their
foundations. The axe is laid at the root of the tree, and all
nations are filling up the cup of their guilt.
11
Supposes I were speaking to the assembled millions of the
inhabitants of the United States, what counsel or advice could be
given to them that they might regain what they have lost? Can any
temporal means be adopted to save them from the vortex of ruin
into which they are fast approaching--a doom which they never can
avert without sincere repentance? Yes, there is seemingly a human
policy, if adopted, that would snatch them from destruction. What
is it? Let the people rise en masse to lay the foundation of a
wholesome, independent, free, Democratic (as the people call it),
Republican government--a government which, if carried out, will
be perfect in itself.
11
Let us look at it in another point of view. Suppose this people
inhabiting these mountains are broken off entirely from the
nations of the world, rendering no allegiance to any earthly
power combined or isolated; free to make laws, to obey them, or
to break them; free to act, to choose, and to refuse, and, in
every sense of the word, to do as they please, without any fixed
order of government whatever; and they wish a Constitution--a
system of government for mutual protection and advancement in the
principles of right, to be framed according to the best wisdom
that can be found in this community;--I say, let them govern
themselves by a Republican system of government, selecting a man
from their midst to preside over them. And whom should they
select to fill so important a station? The best man they can
find. Should they keep him in office only four years? Should they
make a clause in their Constitution that a President shall serve
at most for only two terms without a vacation in his services?
That is an item that should not be found in the Constitution of
the United States, nor in the constitution made by this or any
other people. We should select the best man we could find, and
centre our feelings upon him, and sustain him as our President,
dictator, lawgiver, controller, and guide in a national capacity,
and in every other capacity wherein he is a righteous example.
Though we find as good a man as there is in the nation, yet we
should not lay facilities before him to become evil, were he so
disposed. Great care should be exercised to guard against placing
such a power at the command of any mortal.
11
Shall we give him twenty-five thousand dollars per annum, and
make him superior to any other honest man in the Territory,
State, or kingdom, in things pertaining to this world? or lay
inducements before him to become proud, haughty, and neglectful
of the true interests of the people? No. For if he is capable of
ruling the people and dictating them, he is capable of taking
care of himself. If we cannot find a man willing to control and
guide us without our pouring the gold and silver into his coffers
and exalting him above the rest of us, then we will take one less
capable, who will do it for nothing.
12
Do you ask why I would recommend this course? I answer, Because
of the weakness of man. Were we to elect a man to preside over us
in this capacity, and give him three, four, five, eight, or
fifteen thousand dollars a year, the streets would be full of
demagogues; you would see them perched upon every ant-hill,
croaking out their stump speeches for this or that man to be our
ruler; and the paid lackeys of each candidate for office, in the
streets, in the public places, and in the houses of the citizens,
would be using their influence for their employers in their
respective circles, and wherever they would be listened to.
12
Whether such a man as a ruler will do good to the people, is not
thought of, either by the candidate or by his lackeys; but the
one is after the thousands of dollars, and the other his paltry
fee. The welfare the people they do not consider. What will be
the best policy to pursue for the good of the people at large is
not in all their thoughts.
12
Let the people see to it that they get righteous men to be their
leaders, who will labour with their hands and administer to their
own necessities, sit in judgment, legislate, and govern in
righteousness; and officers that are filled with peace; and see
to it that every man that goes forth among the people as a
travelling officer is full of the fear of the Lord, and would
rather do right at a sacrifice than do wrong for a reward.
12
What would be the result, if this course was adopted by the
people of the United States? It would destroy the golden
prospects of those who were seeking for gain alone, and men would
be sought for, in the nation, State, or Territory, who were for
the people, and would seek earnestly for their welfare, benefit,
and salvation. We want men to rule the nation who care more for
and love better the nation's welfare than gold and silver, fame,
or popularity.
12
Are there any such in the United States? Yes, plenty of them
among all classes of men, though they have little or nothing to
say about politics. Many of them are much like one Mr. Hovey,
from Cayuga County, New York, that I once asked if he was going
to the election? "No," he replied, "I will never give another
vote in the United States." I asked the reason for such a course.
"Why," said he, "they will set up the Devil as a candidate for
the office of President, then set up his apostate brother, who
has forfeited his inheritance, and run him in for sake of
opposition." There are plenty of men who would do that and worse.
The nation, however, is not lost yet; there are as many as five
righteous men in the city, at least.
13
Let the people lay the foundation for carrying out the Republican
Government which was instituted by our fathers, instead of
maintaining a government of anarchy, confusion, and strife. Were
this people here an independent people, and had the privilege of
selecting their own officers, and I should be chosen to dictate
them in their selections, I would watch and guard faithfully
their rights, and see that they selected men who had not the
dimes in view. The motto should be--"If you do not labour for the
good of the people, irrespective of the dimes, we do not want
your services; for if you labour for the money, you seek to
benefit yourselves at the people's expense." I make this
application and turn it eastward, which you know is the way the
world rolls. If the Government knew what the wants of the people
were, they would take away the salaries of political demagogues,
and stop their running and their stump preaching, from one end of
the land to the other, to make proselytes to their cause. This
would have a tendency to put an end to party names, to party
jealousies, and to party conflicts for ever. And the people
should concentrate their feelings, their influence, and their
faith, to select the best man they can find to be their
President, if he has nothing more to eat than potatoes and
salt--a man who will not aspire to become greater than the people
who appoint him, but be contended to live as they live, be
clothed as they are clothed, and in every good thing be one with
them.
13
It is yet in the power of the people of the United States to lay
a foundation to redeem themselves from the growing consequences
of past errors. What would be the result, were the United States
to take this course--viz., to strike out that clause in the
Constitution that limits the services of a President to four
years, or the term of service of any good man, and continue to
revise the Constitution and laws as they become familiar with
their defects; then reduce the salaries of all officers in all
the departments? Would not such a course revolutionize any
kingdom or government, and be very likely to produce union and
prosperity?
13
Are there any more improvements that might be made? Yes. If we
are what we profess to be--a Republican Government, there is no
State in the Union but what should be amenable to the General
Government holding to the old English rights in Rhode Island.
Then Congress, with the President at their head, could meet and
veto every act made by any department of the Government, if it
was necessary. So let Congress come together when any of the
States transcend the bounds of right, and hold them amenable for
their actions. The General Government should never give any
portion of the nation license to say they are free and
independent. This should only apply to the nation as a whole. We
have a little experience in this kind of independence. For
instance, the Government of the United States were willing to
take my money for lands in Missouri, which were in the market;
but the people in that sovereign, that free, and independent
State rose up and mobbed me, drove me from my possessions, and
confiscated my property to themselves; and the General Government
has no power to redress my wrongs. This is only one instance
among many of the kind which I might enumerate to show the
impolicy and down right mockery of such boasted independence.
While such outrages remain unredressed, this nation never should
defile the sacred term by saying they have a REPUBLICAN
GOVERNMENT.
13
The General Constitution of our country is good, and a wholesome
government could be framed upon it, for it was dictated by the
invisible operations of the Almighty; he moved upon Columbus to
launch forth upon the trackless deep to discover the American
Continent; he moved upon the signers of the Declaration of
Independence; and he moved upon Washington to fight and conquer,
in the same way as he moved upon ancient and modern Prophets,
each being inspired to accomplish the particular work he was
called to perform in the times, seasons, and dispensations of the
Almighty. God's purpose, in raising up these men and inspiring
them with daring sufficient to surmount every opposing power, was
to prepare the way for the formation of a true Republican
government. They laid its foundation; but when others came to
build upon it, they reared a superstructure far short of their
privileges, if they had walked uprightly as they should have
done.
14
What shall be done? Let the people, the whole American people,
rise up and say they will have these abuses regulated, and no
longer suffer political demagogues to gamble away their money,
but turn them out of office to attend to their own business. Let
the people make a whip, if not of good tough raw hide, of small
cords at least, and walk into the temple of the nation, and
cleanse it thoroughly out, and put in men who will legislate for
their good, instead of gambling away their money and trifling
with the sacred interests of the nation which have been entrusted
to their keeping.
14
I would not speak so plainly, were it not that statesmen use the
same privilege, and that, too, in the halls of Legislatures. We
can never get a true Republican government upon any other
principle. The object those have in view who look and long for
the gaudy trash of this world should be removed, that men may
occupy the high and responsible seats of the nation who will care
for the welfare of the people, and cannot be bought with money,
or that which it can purchase.
14
Can the Constitution be altered? It can; and when we get a
President that answers our wishes to occupy the executive chair,
there let him sit to the day of his death, and pray that he may
live as long as Methuselah; and, whenever we have good officers,
strive to retain them, and to fill up vacancies with good men,
until there are none who would let the nation sink for a can of
oysters and a lewd woman.
14
The signers of the Declaration of Independence and the framers of
the Constitution were inspired from on high to do that work. But
was that which was given to them perfect, not admitting of any
addition whatever? No; for if men know anything, they must know
that the Almighty has never yet found a man in mortality that was
capable, at the first intimation, at the first impulse, to
receive anything in a state of entire perfection. They laid the
foundation, and it was for after generations to rear the
superstructure upon it. It is a progressive--a gradual work. If
the framers of the Constitution and the inhabitants of the United
States had walked humbly before God, who defended them and fought
their battles when Washington was on the stage of action, the
nation would now have been free from a multitude of place hunters
who live upon its vitals. The country would not have been overrun
with murderers and thieves, and our cities filled with houses of
ill-fame, as now; and men could have walked the streets of
cities, or travelled on conveyances through the country, without
being insulted, plundered, and perhaps murdered; and an honest,
sober, industrious, enterprising, and righteous people would now
have been found from one end of the United States to the other.
14
The whole body is deranged; and the head, which ought to be the
seat of sense and the temple of wisdom, is insensible to the
wants of the body, and to the fact that, if the body sinks, the
head must sink also.
14
I want to tell a political anecdote; or, at least, I will tell it
so nigh that you will guess the whole of it. Two fellows were
stump speaking for office in the State of Illinois: one of them
was a lawyer, of flowery, eloquent speech; and the other was a
rough and ready homespun mechanic, but a man of sound sense. The
lawyer made his speech in flaming language, interlarding it with
expressions of sensitive regard for the people's interests. The
mechanic mounted the rostrum, and says he--"I cannot make a
speech to cope with this man's speech; but I can tell you what he
and I want. He wants your votes. Now, if you will give me your
votes, when I get into office, you may----and be damned." They
both felt so; and there are but few exceptions to this practice.
Office-seekers are full of tricks and intrigues of every kind to
get an office, and then the people may----and be damned.
15
The progress of revolution is quite considerable in every
government of the world. But is the revolution for the
constitutional rights of the people in progress? No: it is on the
retrograde. I know how they can be brought back to the people,
and the Government be redeemed and become one of the most
powerful and best on the earth. It was instituted in the
beginning by the Almighty. He operated upon the hearts of the
Revolutionary Fathers to rebel against the English King and his
Parliament, as he does upon me to preach "Mormonism." Both are
inspired by him; but the work unto which they are called is
dissimilar. The one was inspired to fight, and the other to
preach the peaceable things of the kingdom of God. He operated
upon that pusillanimous king to excite the colonists to
rebellion; and he is still operating with this nation, and taking
away their wisdom, until by-and-by they will get mad and rush to
certain destruction.
15
Will the Constitution be destroyed? No: it will be held inviolate
by this people; and, as Joseph Smith said, "The time will come
when the destiny of the nation will hang upon a single thread. At
that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it
from the threatened destruction." It will be so.
15
With regard to the doings of our fathers and the Constitution of
the United States, I have to say, they present to us a glorious
prospect in the future, but one we cannot attain to until the
present abuses in the Government are corrected.
15
You have heard our Judge relate an incident, which is only one
more among numberless abuses perpetrated by the rulers of the
nation. The particulars of this incident can be found upon our
dockets, showing that the President of the United States assumes
to himself power to remove a circuit Judge. I am not a lawyer;
but I wish to propound a question--By what law, constitutional or
statute, has the President a right to remove a United States'
Judge, except for illegal conduct or inability? It is, to say the
least, a flagrant assumption of power. What business have they
thus to remove our Judges? What end have they in view? I'll tell
you. It is--
15
"Tickle me, tickle me, O Billy, do;
And, in your turn, I'll tickle you."
15
I have perhaps detained the congregation too long. May God bless
you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Heber
C. Kimball, July 16, 1854
Heber C. Kimball, July 16, 1854
SANCTIFICATION.
A Discourse by President H. C. Kimball, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, July 16, 1854.
16
There can be no person, who is at all acquainted with the
Scriptures, but must be satisfied that the remarks that brother
Herriman has made this morning are strictly true. They are fully
substantiated by the Bible, which you all profess to believe, and
which the professing world say they believe.
16
Brethren and sisters, let your minds be composed and
settled down in the Spirit of the Lord, and have his Spirit to be
with you always, and especially when you come to the house of
worship.
16
It is a common thing, not only in this Church, but in the
churches of the sectarian world, for people to say, "Come, let us
go to meeting to-day, and try if we cannot get warmed up in our
hearts and refreshed by the Holy Spirit." Now, that is customary
among all religious people. Well, whom do you expect to refresh
you here, if you are not refreshed when you come to meeting? For
you should always have your hearts warmed up, and your bodies
pure, when you visit the house of the Lord. Make not the outside
of the cup and the platter clean alone, but also the inside.
People who keep the inside of the cup and platter clean are very
apt to wash the outside of it. You all hate to eat food from a
filthy dish, and to drink water out of a dirty cup; but you love
to eat out of a clean dish, and sleep in a clean bed. Every
person naturally loves to see a clean house and clean garments,
if they themselves are filthy.
16
Upon the same principle, inasmuch as we will repent of our sins
and turn from them, and then go down into the waters of
baptism--into pure water, and be immersed--overwhelmed in the
same, that our sins may be remitted--washed away, (not however,
for the washing away of the filth of the flesh, but to answer a
good conscience before God and man,) and then receive the
imposition of hands by a man having authority, that we may
receive the Holy Ghost,--I say, the Holy Ghost, being a pure
spirit or influence, even after all this is done, will have an
objection to perform his office in an impure tabernacle. That is
the reason why a great many never receive the Holy Ghost, because
they say they are pure, and lie to God, and also to the Holy
Ghost.
17
This is the Gospel that was taught you by the first Elders who
bore the joyful message to foreign nations; and the moment the
Holy Spirit rested upon you in your first introduction into this
Church, you actually felt the Spirit of prophecy and revelation.
I know this to be a fact when we introduced the Gospel into old
England. Here is brother George D. Watt, our reporter, for
instance. I never told him anything about gathering to the land
of America--that it was the promised land. One night, we met with
a small company of the new members in Preston, Lancashire, and
brother George commenced reading the Book of Mormon. After a
little, he rose up and said, "The land of America is the promised
land; it is Zion, and we shall be gathered there, although you
have not told us anything about it." He prophesied that within
two weeks after he was baptized. The Holy Ghost dwelt in you to
show you things to come. It showed brother George that this was
the land of Zion, and that the Saints in all nations had to be
gathered there: it brought it to his remembrance, if he had ever
thought of the thing before and forgotten it. This is the effect
it had upon you. I presume there is not a single individual but
what can exclaim, "It was really so."
17
That same Holy Ghost inspired you to speak in new tongues, to
prophesy, to interpret tongues, to see visions, and have dreams
to edify and comfort you. It was with you when you went out, and
when you came in,--when you lay down, and when you rose up. That
is the office of the Holy Ghost--to dwell and abide with those
who keep the commandments of the Almighty in faith believing. He
delights to dwell with such; but he does not delight to dwell in
unholy temples. You know that naturally, because there is not one
of you, unless you make a practice of being filthy and dirty
yourselves, that ever wishes to go into a filthy place.
17
Now, if these are your feelings, for heaven's sake do not ask the
Holy Ghost to dwell with you, when you do not pursue a course to
cleanse the body, not only internally, but externally, from the
crown of the head to the soles of the feet. You know this is what
I believe to be sanctification.
17
I have heard brother Gifford talk about sanctification, and I
understand the principle of sanctification was laid before you by
President Young. What would sanctify you and prepare you to enter
into the presence of God, and to enjoy his Spirit?
17
We read in the Bible that the Lord told Joshua to sanctify
Israel; for, says he, "there is an accursed thing in the midst of
thee, O Israel." And on the morrow they sanctified themselves by
stoning to death Achan, the son of Carmi, who stole the wedge of
gold and the Babylonish garment. They also stoned to death his
wife and his children, his oxen and his asses, and burnt them
with fire, together with his tent, the silver, the gold, and the
garment, in the valley of Achor.
17
Thus all Israel put to death the transgressor, and sanctified
themselves before the Lord. Would it not be an excellent course
to pursue with this people, to sanctify them to the fullest
extent of the word? There are individuals in these valleys who
profess to be Latter-day Saints; but do they by their works make
their profession honourable? No; their works and their profession
are very dissimilar indeed. I think it would be an excellent
thing for this people to be sanctified from such persons, and
have them cleansed from our midst, by making an atonement.
17
You may say, "You might put this into practice; but it would
extend to many who are passing through here, who steal and
plunder, and drive away cattle and horses." But let me inform you
that there are many instances of that kind, where they are
encouraged, or property is put into their hands by characters who
dwell here and profess to be Saints.
18
When you undertake to prune a diseased tree, you commence your
operations at the root of the evil, and continue to trim it out
to the top of the tree, or as far as it extends, and throw the
diseased branches into the brush-heap and burn them, as I used to
do when I was logging, and then take the ashes and make potash
and soap with them, and then cleanse away filthiness with it.
This is what I call sanctification.
18
So you see I am in full fellowship with my brethren, though I was
not here last Sunday when the subject was introduced: I can bear
testimony to every word they said as being true, because I never
knew them to tell a lie. My feelings are, I wish to God
wickedness was done away from our midst. My brethren and myself
have often reflected and remarked upon the happiness we should
enjoy when we could fully separate ourselves from the world, from
wicked men, wicked women, and wicked practices.
18
Previous to our coming to these valleys, I wished and prayed
that, when we went to the valleys, there would not any of the
wicked persons follow us who are eternally hanging on our skirts.
These are my feelings and desires now, and the earnest wishes of
hundreds and thousands of men and women who dwell in these
valleys.
18
I know there is a good people here--a better people than dwells
in any other portion of the world. And the emigrants who are
going to California are perfectly astonished, when they arrive
here, to see that we are a civilized people. They are astonished
beyond measure as they gaze upon this people, whom they supposed
to be a poor, miserable outcast race of beings. Did any of them
ever go into a city where there were more peace and prosperity,
and as few loafers, since they were born? We never saw any
loafers in our streets until they came. I am not saying anything
against them, but I am noticing the views they entertain about
us. They have expressed it many times, that they never were so
astonished as when they came into these valleys and found a
civilized and industrious people--a people who knew how to build
up a city, and incorporate it, and enforce the laws. And a day
will come when we shall put them in force more strictly. God is
only waiting upon you in his compassion, that peradventure you
may repent of and forsake all evil, and turn to him.
18
We are the people of God; we are the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, the foundation of which, in these last days,
was begun by the Almighty sending an holy angel to Joseph Smith
to reveal to him his will and establish the everlasting Gospel
that was preached in the days of Jesus, even faith, repentance,
and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and
the ordaining of Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Evangelists,
Pastors, Patriarchs, Bishops, Deacons, Priests, and Elders. This
is the true Church of God, although there may be a few in the
valleys who do not live up to their holy profession; but because
they are unfaithful to their God and to their religion, it does
not affect in the least the truthfulness of the principles of
heaven. I see some turn away from this Church because of the
conduct of others. This has nothing to do with our faith; but we
are to have our faith grounded. It is for us to dig deep, and lay
our foundation upon a rock, that when the winds blow, and the
storms and hurricanes beat upon us, we may still find ourselves
firmly established upon the rock of truth.
19
I will tell you, gentlemen, (I address myself to those who have
nothing to do with us as a people,) this is the Church and
kingdom of our God; and the day will come, eventually, when the
nations and kingdoms of the earth will become the "kingdoms of
our God and his Christ." This doctrine is found in this good old
book, the Bible, which all of you profess to believe, and have to
kiss to give validity to your oaths, when you are sworn before a
magistrate to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth.
19
We believe in every man having his rights, and being sustained in
them. And we wish you to understand that we are not exactly such
a people as many suppose.
19
It is believed in the world that our females are all common
women. Well, in one sense they are common--that is, they are like
all other women, I suppose; but they are not unclean, for we wipe
all unclean ones from our midst: we not only wipe them from our
streets, but we wipe them out of existence. And if the world want
to practise uncleanness, and bring their prostitutes here, if
they do not repent and forsake such sins, we will wipe the evil
out. We will not have them in this valley, unless they repent;
for, so help me God, while I live, I will lend my hand to wipe
such persons out; and I know this people will.
19
Such things cannot exist here. The civil authorities will never
make a law admitting of prostitution in the City of the Great
Salt Lake: it never can be permitted while we live. We know it is
the custom among some nations to authorize by law such
abominations, giving licenses to houses of ill fame. But
remember, if ever it is allowed among this people, it will be
when righteousness has ceased to dwell in their midst. It never
can be allowed in this community in male or female, whether they
belong to the Church or not; and we will wipe out such
abominations, the Lord being our helper.
19
That is sanctification. Our holy religion is to purify, purge,
cleanse, and sanctify this people. We care not what people think
or say about our course in this respect; it is our religion, and
we will not have corruption where we dwell, if we can help it.
That is one reason we were not permitted to live in the States:
we were determined, by the help of God, to be virtuous men and
women. So they drove us, from time to time, and from place to
place, until they drove us into the mountains; and I assure you,
I, for one, feel thankful to my God that I live in these
mountains, and that there is no man or woman who loves
righteousness but what will fell as I do.
19
The Lord has led us up stairs until we have entered into the
chamber; and, for heaven's sake, let us not pollute it, for fear
we should be led down stairs again. We are now high up towards
the presence of the Lord, and he feels to bless us, and his hand
is over us for good; and he will curse every hand that is raised
against us, if we will do right; and our enemies will go
backwards and nor forwards.
19
My prayer is, by night and by day, that every man and woman that
bless this people, and desire to do them good, may be blessed of
the Lord God; and I know he will bless them. But every man and
woman who shall raise a weapon against this people, or devise
evil against them, my prayer is, that they may be cursed; and
they certainly will be cursed, and God will frustrate all their
designs, and he will lead his people on from victory to victory
until they triumph over all their enemies.
19
What do you say, brethren and sisters? Do you not think it best
for us to do right, each person individually being led by the
dictations of the Holy Spirit, listening diligently to those who
are appointed to lead, govern, and dictate this people? You know
what I mean by this. President Young is our governor and our
dictator. It is for me to walk with him, and for you to walk with
those who go before you.
20
I know how it is in the world, for I have lived there. I was born
in vermont, and raised, the most of my days, in the State of New
York, Ontario County, and so was President Brigham Young; yet
many emigrants who came through our valley thought we were moose,
camels, or dromedaries. They did not know what we were; they, no
doubt, thought we had horns on our heads: they had no idea we had
eyes and legs like human beings; but they supposed we were some
kind of nondescript animal. I know this is so: I have been in the
world, and they cannot think we are human!
20
However, whether we are human beings or not, I know that I was
born in Vermont, among the rocks, and have lived the greater
portion of my days among those who are without God in the world;
and I know their corruptions--yes, as well as they do. I know the
wickedness in their cities, in their synagogues, and in their
high places. I understand it all. Still they calculate that we,
who have more than one wife, shall not have land in proportion to
our families. Well, we are ready to buy what we need, when it
comes in market.
20
This we learn from the public prints; so there can be no harm in
my talking about what is published all through the United States.
If a law was put in force throughout the Union--namely, that no
grant of land shall be given to any except those who have but one
wife, and no mistresses, many of the first class of the nation
would have to console themselves with as little land as the
"Mormons."
20
Our wives are publicly acknowledged by us, and we sustain them as
such, and we hold them sacred. How is it with the world? Do they
have mistresses for illicit intercourse, hired and sustained to
satiate their want on appetites? We cannot have any land, because
we honourably marry and sustain our wives; but others are
entitled to privileges, notwithstanding their secret
abominations.
20
We are a people who want to purify ourselves, and be clean from
such characters, and bring up our children in the way they should
go. One of my sons and brother Brigham's oldest son went to
England this season through the United States. They never knew
what was in the world before, for they never were there under the
same circumstances. In their letters to us, they wrote something
like this--"My God, my God, help us to get safely back again to
the mountains; for we had no idea of the awful corruptions of the
world we live in, until we travelled through the United States."
And they have yet seen only a small portion of the ungodliness,
wickedness, and corruption of the New and Old Worlds. The old
countries are corrupt indeed; but the new are not a whit behind
them in the blackness of their wickedness.
20
These are my views, and the Lord knows that I believe in the
principles of sanctification; and when I am guilty of seducing
any man's wife, or any woman in God's world, I say sever my head
from my body. These have ever been my feelings from the days of
my youth. This is my character, and the character of President
Brigham Young. It was the character of Joseph Smith and of Jesus
Christ; and that is the character of the Apostles of Jesus, and
that must be sustained by this people.
21
If we pursue that course, do you not think we are bound to rise
and to prosper--that is, in Jesus Christ? Yes; and we will stand
to him, and to his cause, and to him who is placed to govern and
dictate the kingdom of God on the earth. By taking this course
continually, subjecting ourselves to the Priesthood, we never
shall fall,--no, never. We shall never get into a difficulty but
what we can get out again. But let us be careful to get into it
lawfully, and we shall prosper, and shall rise triumphantly over
every difficulty, on that principle; and on the ship of Zion we
shall bravely live through every storm, though they may be heavy;
and though rocks and quicksands and the Devil and the world may
be in our way, they cannot move us from our path.
21
Let us do right, and sanctify ourselves before the Lord God, and
purify our habitations (I mean the tabernacles of our spirits),
and then our houses, and our children, and our servants, and our
handmaidens, and everything there is about us with which we have
to do, and then use all with clean hands and pure hearts. If we
take that course, do you not suppose God will stand by us? There
is not one of you but what knows this naturally.
21
Now, when you go home, every one of you begin to live as you were
told last Sabbath and the Sabbath before, and do right, and seek
to build up the kingdom of God; pay attention to all things that
God requires of you by his servants.
21
Many wish for the time when President Brigham Young and his
brethren will be relieved from attending to temporal matters, and
attend to spiritual matters altogether. You will have to wait for
this until we get into the spiritual world and have to deal with
spirits. All things pertaining to this world, both spiritual and
temporal, will be dictated by the Prophet of God--by our
President. He dictates how to build a Temple--how high, how wide,
how many rooms it must contain, whether it shall be of this,
that, or the other form; and the Tithing House and all public
works pertaining to this people are dictated by him. Some wish to
rid him of having anything to do with temporal matters. That
cannot be, in the nature of things; for, as one of the ancients
said, "As the body is dead without the spirit, so is faith
without works, being alone." So, as long as the body, which is
temporal, is joined to the spirit, he must have to do with
temporal things.
21
Reflect upon it. The spirit is joined to these bodies to quicken
them, that we may have to do with temporal matters; for when the
spirit leaves vegetable or animal organization, the body dies, or
returns to the earth. There is not a being in heaven or on earth,
but what has had a body, has one now, or will have. Cease your
works, and then your faith is dead. I care not for a man's faith
unaccompanied by works, and his works must correspond with his
faith. He must be virtuous, and enjoy the Holy Ghost, and the
revelations of God, that when a man speaks, you may know it is by
the same Spirit, and you will be edified; then you never will be
deceived.
21
My prayer is for you to be faithful, active, and retain the
Spirit of the Lord God, and go a head, and fight manfully,
purifying yourselves from all iniquity.
21
I never had a bloodthirsty spirit; for I never fought in my life,
but I always yielded before I would have any difficulty with any
man. But let the Spirit of God Almighty rest upon me, and see if
I do not walk up to the battle's front. I had that spirit when I
was in the world, and it is never in me only when the Lord puts
it there.
21
Let us be pure and keep the commandments of God, and let the
world say and do what they please. These are my feelings all the
time.
21
May God bless you, and help you to do right, whether other people
do right or not. This is my prayer and blessing upon you, from
this time henceforth and for ever. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Pratt, January 2, 1859
Orson Pratt, January 2, 1859
EVIDENCES OF THE BIBLE AND BOOK OF MORMON COMPARED.
A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 2, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
22
I will commence my discourse by reading the testimony of three
witnesses of the Book of Mormon.
22
[The speaker here read the testimony referred to.]
22
I will also read the testimony of eight witnesses.
22
[The speaker then read it.]
22
Brethren and Friends,--I appear before you to-day for the first
time for many months, feeling grateful to our Father in heaven
for his condescension and mercy unto us as a people, that we are
once more, through his kind providence, permitted to assemble
ourselves together in this Tabernacle for the purpose of public
worship.
22
Whether I say much or little, it is my sincere desire to be
dictated by the Spirit of the living God. The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints was established upon the earth in the
year 1830. Had it not been for the Book of Mormon, which I now
hold in my hands, such a Church would not have had an existence.
The probability is, there would have been no settlements formed
in this Territory, no cities to adorn these dreary wastes, no
tabernacles erected for Divine worship, and no congregations
assembled to hear the words of life. The vast solitudes of these
deserts would have been interrupted only by the howling of wild
beasts, or the still more dismal yells of the ferocious savage.
But this wonderful book has wrought a vast change; and these
sterile regions now "rejoice and blossom as the rose." This book
professes to be sent forth as a Divine revelation from God.
22
If it be an imposition, as many of our opposers say, then this
Church is an imposition also, and our faith and hope are vain. On
the other hand, if the Book of Mormon be a Divine revelation, as
the witnesses have testified,--if God has indeed brought forth
the ancient history of the American continent, and the writings
of the ancient Prophets and Apostles that once inhabited this
land,--if he has done this, and re-established his kingdom and
Church upon the earth, then our opposers, that condemn the book,
will be found under condemnation. If this book be of God, it must
have sufficient evidence accompanying it to convince the minds of
all reasonable persons that it is a Divine revelation. If it has
been translated by the gift and power of God, through the means
of the Urim and Thummim, and angels have been sent from heaven to
bear testimony of its truth, then all the inhabitants of the
world are concerned and have an interest in it.
23
It is not the few individuals only who are within the walls of
this Tabernacle that are interested in its truths; it is not the
few individuals only who inhabit this Territory and the few
Saints abroad in the world who are interested in it; but all the
nations of the earth, without one exception,--their presidents,
governors, and rulers,--their popes, archbishops, and
bishops,--their learned and unlearned of every religious society,
whether Jews, Mahomedans, Pagans, or Christians, are all equally
interested in it, if it be what it professes to be.
23
If the Lord will assist and strengthen me by his Holy Spirit,
which I believe he will do, thorough your prayers, I will
endeavour to bring forth some few of the evidences which
establish the Divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
23
I shall compare this evidence with the evidence for the Divine
authenticity of the Bible. If the two books are supported by an
equal amount of evidence, then all are required to have the same
faith in the one as the other. But if the divinity of the Book of
Mormon does not rest upon as sure a foundation as the Bible, then
the people will have some little reason for rejecting it.
23
In the first place, I shall examine what evidences the present
generation have to believe the various books incorporated in the
Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be of Divine
origin. It must be recollected that the book called the Bible was
translated from manuscripts 247 years ago by King James'
translators. The manuscripts from which the Bible was taken are
not now in existence. Up to the year 1749, they were deposited at
a Spanish University, called Alcala, anciently named Complutem.
The librarian sold them to one Toryo, who dealt in fireworks as
materials for making skyrockets. (For authority, see Marsh's
Michaelis, vol. 2, part 1, page 441.)
23
The oldest manuscripts of any of the books of the Old Testament
at the present day date from the twelfth century of the Christian
era. You will find proof of this in the Encyclopaedia Britannica,
the 8th edition, vol. 4, page 695, which series is now being
published in Edinburgh, Scotland. That celebrated work says, "The
sacred books of the Old Testament have come down to our times in
MSS., the oldest of which date from twelfth century. Nothing is
known of the history of the text previous to that period after
the return of the Jews from their captivity."
23
It is believed by the learned that the Old Testament Scriptures
were all destroyed by the Assyrians nearly six hundred years
before Christ. The Apocrypha informs us that Esdras was inspired
to re-write them. In this manner it is conjectured that the Jews
again came in possession of their sacred writings. These books
again perished in the great persecution of Antiochus. (For
further information upon this subject, see Brett's Dissertation
in Bishop Watson's Collect, vol. 3, page 5.)
23
The history of the inspired writings anterior to the Babylonish
captivity is very brief. The number of copies were very few. In
the days of Josiah, all of the Jews seem to have been destitute
of a copy of the law. During the reign of that king, in repairing
the house of the Lord, a copy of the book of the law was found;
and when presented to the king, he went five messengers to
Huldah, the prophetess, saying, "Go, inquire of the Lord for me,
and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the
words of the book that is found." The messengers returned and
reported to the king that the book found was indeed a Divine
revelation, and the king caused all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
to be assembled to hear the words of the book. (See 2 Chron. 34.)
24
For a long period previous to finding the book, the Jews had been
ignorant of the Scriptures, and had fallen into the grossest
idolatry. A new revelation through the prophetess Huldah seems to
have been sufficient to convince the king and all Israel of the
divinity of the book. They must have been inclined, in that age
of the world, to believe the history of the servants of God more
than in this age; for now the people generally require a vast
amount of evidence. The testimony of a dozen witnesses is
scarcely regarded.
24
I have already observed, through the persecutions raised against
the house of Israel, their books were destroyed; yes, even the
tables of stone, for some reason, were taken from them, and all
Israel were left without even a copy of the law, until
accidentally they happened to find one that had been hid in the
house of the Lord, as I have already named; and they were so
ignorant with regard to this copy that they were obliged to send
for Huldah one of the prophetesses in Israel, to inquire of the
Lord to know if it really was his word. They found a book, but
they did not know whether it was true or false; and they thought
it important that it should be determined by the immediate word
of God.
24
Why not this generation go and do likewise? Why not inquire of
the Lord whether the Book of Mormon is a Divine revelation? The
copy found anciently contained the words of the Lord. And the
people were so rejoiced that the whole nation of Jews gathered
together to hear it read, and rejoiced over it, and gave heed to
its precepts. They were not like the present generation; they did
not fight it, and testify all manner of evil against it, and
publish lies against it; but they believed it on the testimony of
the prophetess.
24
It is very probable that the Jews copied these sacred writings
upon various materials. Bishop Watson informs us that "the
Hebrews went so far as to write their sacred books in gold, as we
may learn from Josephus, compared with Pliny." He further says,
"Those books which were inscribed on tablets of wood, lead,
brass, or ivory, were connected together by rings at the back,
through which a rod was passed to carry them by." "The first
books," continues Bishop Watson, "were in the form of blocks and
tables, of which we find frequent mention in Scripture, under the
appellation of sepher--that is, square tables. That form which
obtains among us (he quotes from Pliny,) is the square, composed
of separate leaves, which was also known, though little used
among the ancients."
24
These copies of the Scriptures were destroyed, so that the Jews
were again left destitute of the sacred writings. How they again
obtained a copy, this generation are not informed.
24
Esdras informs us in the Apocrypha that he was inspired of God to
write a great number of the books of the Old Testament
Scriptures, so that the Jewish people might again be in
possession of them. But how are this generation to know whether
Esdras was a true Prophet or not? How are they to know that he
was actually inspired of God to perform so great a work? It seems
that the learned have no confidence in him, or they would not
have placed his books among the Apocryphal writings as being
doubtful.
25
But soon after the days of Esdras the sacred books again
perished. How did the Jews again obtain copies? None of the
learned can answer this question. For seventeen long centuries,
the history of the sacred text is unknown. We are informed by
learned writers that about three centuries before Christ the
Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek, called the
Septuagint; but have we any copies of the Septuagint? No. You may
search all the archives of the nations, and you cannot find one
of these ancient copies. Fifteen hundred years after this
supposed translation, you find some Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.
Let us inquire into the situation of the manuscripts from which
our present Hebrew and Greek Bibles were formed. We are informed
by St. Chrysostom, and ancient Christian writer who lived soon
after the days of Christ, that "many of the prophetical monuments
have perished; for the Jews being careless, and not only
careless, but also impious, have carelessly lost some of these
monuments; others they have partly burned, partly torn in
pieces."
25
We are also informed by St. Justin, another early Christian
writer, that the Jews actually did destroy a great number of the
prophetical books, in order that the world might not perceive the
agreement between the ancient Prophets in the Old Testament and
Christianity. Here, then, we have the testimony of early
Christian writers that many of the prophetical books of the Old
Testament were destroyed.
25
We are also informed by the Catholics, "That many, and very many
of the canonical books of Scripture have quite perished, and not
so much as appeared in the days of the very ancient fathers; so
that nothing but the names of those books have come unto us."
(See Mumford's Question of Questions, sec. 1. 7.)
25
We are also informed, by those manuscripts that are dated from
the 12th century of the Christian era, that the few books that
were preserved during the long reign of persecution and error had
become very much altered and mutilated,--so much so, that when
the learned gathered a large number of manuscripts together, they
found no two that agreed. A great variety of readings in these
manuscripts discouraged many of our translators, some three
centuries ago, from translating the Old Testament, lest the world
should turn to atheism. If they had translated them all, they
would have had several hundred Bibles, all clashing and differing
from each other.
25
It must be recollected that the Catholic canon of Scripture was
not formed until the year 397. Prior to that period, the people
were left, some of them to believe in this manuscript, and some
in that,--some to reject this one, and some that; and many of the
Christian fathers in the second and third centuries of the
Christian era were entirely unable to determine what manuscripts
were spurious, and what one to receive as divine. Mumford speaks
thus upon this subject:--
25
"If you fly to the tradition of the Church only of the first four
hundred years, remember that the Council of Carthage, just after
the end of those years, alleged the ancient tradition of their
fathers, which they judged sufficient for defining our canon.
They, who were so near those first four hundred years, knew far
better the more universal tradition of that age than we can,
twelve hundred years after it. True it is, (nothing being defined
till then,) private doctors were free to follow what they judged
to be truest; and as you find them varying from our canon, some
in some books, some in others, so you will find them varying from
one another, and varying also from you" (meaning the Protestant
Canon). "For, in those first four hundred years, Melitus and
Nazianzen excluded the Book of Esther, which you add. Origin
doubts of the Epistle to the Hebrews, of the second of St. Peter,
of the first and second of St. John. St. Cyprian and Nazianzen
leave the Apocalypse or Revelations out of their canon. Eusebius
doubts of it."
26
Mumford further says:--"All those holy fathers agreed ever in
this, that such books were evidently God's word which had
evidently a sufficient tradition for them. Now, in the days of
those fathers who thus varied from one another, it was not by any
infallible means made known to all that those books about which
their variance was were recommended for God's infallible word by
a tradition clearly sufficient to ground belief; for the Church
had not as yet examined and defined whether tradition did clearly
enough show such and such books to be God's infallible word. But
in the days of St. Austin, the third Council of Carthage, anno
397, examined how sufficient or insufficient the tradition of the
Church was which recommended those books for Scripture about
which there was so much doubt and contrariety of opinions. They
found all the books contained in our canon, of which you account
so many apocryphal, to have been recommended by tradition
sufficient to found faith upon. For on this ground (Can. 47,)
they proceeded in defining all the books in our canon to be
canonical. Because, say they, we have received from our fathers
that those books were to be read in the Church. Pope Innocent the
First, who lived Anno Domini 402, being requested by Exuperius,
Bishop of Toulouse, to declare unto him which books were
canonical, he answers, (Ep. 3,) that having examined what
sufficient tradition did demonstrate, he sets down what books are
received in the canon of the Holy Scriptures, in the end of his
Epistle, chap. 7. To wit, just those which we now have in our
canon; and though he rejects many other books, yet he rejects not
one of these." (See Mumford's Question of Questions, sec. 3,
pars, 4, 12.)
26
The Pope of Rome gathered together these contending persons in
the form of a council, and they sat in judgment upon various
manuscripts professing to be divine. That quarrelling and
contending Council decided that a certain number of books should
be admitted as divine, and should form the true cannon of
Scripture, and that no other books should be added. We are
informed that this Council rejected a vast number of books. Some
of these rejected books were considered by part of the Council of
Divine origin.
26
The manuscripts of the New Testament which these ancient
apostates in the third Council of Carthage pronounced canonical
have never reached our day. The oldest manuscripts of the New
Testament which this age are in possession of are supposed to
date from the sixth century of the Christian era. We have none of
the original manuscripts written by any of the Apostles or
inspired writers. We have five manuscripts in existence that were
supposed to have been written as early as the sixth or seventh
century after Christ. Three of these you will find deposited in
the Royal Library of Paris.
26
1st. The Vatican Manuscript, noted 1,209. This was probably
written by the monks of Mount Athos; first heard of as being in
the possession of Pope Urban the eighth. Some of the leaves are
wanting; the ink in some places faded. The letters have been
retraced by a skilful and faithful hand. (See Unitarian Editors
of the Improved Version of the New Testament, and Marsh.)
26
2nd. The Clermont or Regises Manuscript, 2,245. This dates from
the seventh century. It was found in the monastery of Clung,
called Clermont, from Clermont in Beauvais, where it was
preserved. Thirty six leaves of it were stolen by one John Aymon,
and sold in England, but since recovered. it is Greek and Latin,
and contains the Epistles; but that to the Hebrews by a later
hand. Like other Greek-Latin Codices, the Greek has been
accommodated to the Latin. (For authority, refer to Wetstein,
Unitarian Editors, Professor Schweyhausen, quoted by Bishop
Marsh, vol. 2, page 245.)
27
3rd. The Ephrem Manuscript. This also is said to have been
written in the seventh century. It was first discovered by Dr.
Allix, in the beginning of the eighteenth century. It is in great
disorder; many leaves lost, many wholly illegible; and the whole
is effaced to make room for the works of Ephrem, the Syrian,
under which the scared text may be perhaps deciphered by
transparency. (See Unitarian Editors of the Improved New
Testament.)
27
The Vatican, Clermont, and Ephrem Manuscripts will be found in
the Library at Paris.
27
4th. The Alexandrian Manuscript. This was probably made in the
sixth century; Cassimer Odin says the tenth. It was deposited in
the British Museum in 1753. Cyril, Patriarch of Constantinople,
presented it to Charles the First in 1628, by his ambassador, Sir
Thomas Roe. It was written by the monks for the use of a
monastery of the order of Acoemets, i. e., vigilant, never
sleeping. Its original text is no longer visible; written with
uncial letters; no intervals before the words. It has been
altered from the Latin version, and was written by a person who
was not master of the Greek language. (For authority, see
Cassimer Oudin, Wetstein, &c., &c., as quoted by Bishop March in
his Michaelis' Introduction, vol. 2, page 185, and following.)
27
5th. The Cambridge Manuscript, or Codex Bezae. Concerning this,
Bishop Marsh says--"Perhaps, of all the manuscripts now extant,
this is the most ancient." Theodore Beza used it for his edition
of the New Testament. It was found at Lyons, in the monastery of
St. Irenaeus, A.D., 1562. Beza himself owns of it that it should
rather be kept for the avoiding of offence of certain persons,
than to be published. It was deposited in the University Library
at Cambridge, England. Uncial letters; no intervals between the
words. It is very ungrammatical. It varies from the common Greek
text in a greater degree than any other. (See Unitarian Editors,
Bishop Marsh, vol. 2, page 229.)
27
Besides these, there are above twenty manuscripts of later date
in large letters, of different portions of the New Testament; and
some hundreds in smaller characters. It appears, from the
superscriptions of very many manuscripts of which we are in
possession, that they were written on Mount Athos, where the
monks employed themselves in writing copies of the Greek
Testament. Some manuscripts, ascribed to the highest antiquity,
have been discovered to be the composition of impostors as late
as the seventeenth century, for the purpose of foisting in
favourite doctrines and imposing upon Christian credulity. The
Montford and Berlin MSS., for instance. (See Marsh, vol. 2, page
295.)
28
All the most ancient manuscripts of the New Testament known to
the world differ from each other in almost every verse. And the
same is also true in relation to those of the Old Testament also.
One of the ancient Christian writers, Jerome, in his commentaries
upon the Prophets, complains of the corruption of his manuscript
Greek copies. Bellarmine testifies that the Greek copies of the
Old Testament are so corrupted that they seem to make a new
translation, quite different from the translations of other
copies. All, therefore, is uncertainty, not only in relation to
the Hebrew manuscripts, but also the Greek. If, soon after the
beginning of the Christian era, the Old Testament manuscripts
were by the Jews partly destroyed, lost burned, and torn in
pieces so that the learned of that early age could not obtain
anything but the names of the lost books, it is not to be
supposed that we, who live some seventeen hundred years later,
are in possession of copies more pure and genuine than Jerome,
Bellarmine, and other ancient writers.
28
In relation to the manuscripts of the New Testament, Mr. Cressy
writes in these words--"In my hearing, Bishop Usher professed
that, whereas he had of many years before a desire to publish the
New Testament in Greek, with various lections and annotations;
and for that purpose had used great diligence and spent much
money to furnish himself with manuscripts, yet, in conclusion, he
was forced to desist utterly, lest, if he should ingenuously have
noted all the several differences of reading which himself had
collected, the incredible multitude of them almost in every verse
should rather have made men atheistical than satisfy them in the
true reading of any particular passage." (See Exomol. Ca. 8, Nu.
3.)
28
The learned admit that in the manuscripts of the New Testament
alone there are no less than one hundred and thirty thousand
different readings. (See Encyclopaedia Brittanica, eighth
edition.) It is true that many of those differences are of no
particular consequence, as they do not materially alter the
sense. But there are many thousands of differences wherein the
sense is entirely altered. How are translators to know which of
the manuscripts, if any, contain the true sense? They have no
original copies with which to compare them--no standard of
correction. No one can tell whether even one verse of either the
Old or New Testament conveys the ideas of the original author.
28
Just think! 130,000 different readings in the New Testament
alone! How our translators could separate the spurious from the
genuine is more than I can tell. How they could distinguish
between the original communicated to the ancient Prophets and
Apostles, and 130,000 different readings that were introduced in
the dark ages by copyists, is not easy to determine.
28
But, admitting that we had an ancient copy of the Bible, or the
Old and New Testament,--supposing the translators by some means
were put in possession of such a copy, and that the individuals
whose names are attached to many of those books professed to be
inspired, yet how is this generation to determine whether those
authors, if they were indeed the authors, were inspired men? How
do we know they were inspired to write those books? The
Latter-day Saints believe that the Bible in its original was the
word of God, and was written by Divine inspiration. But we do not
believe it because history informs us of this, or tradition tells
us so; but we believe it because the Book of Mormon, confirmed by
the ministry of angels, informs us of the fact.
28
But how is this generation to know that those ancient authors
were inspired of God? Do they bear testimony of their own
inspiration? Bishop Chillingworth, Hooker, and many other learned
commentators have told us that the Bible cannot bear testimony of
its own inspiration. If the Bible cannot prove its own
inspiration, how are people in the present and past ages to know
that these books are inspired? It is true, we are informed that
some individuals wrote by commandment; and some, we are told,
wrote according to their own opinions. How are we to detect that
part which they were inspired to write from that part which was
written according to their own opinions? We cannot, without new
revelation. Without some testimony of a higher nature than
tradition, we never can learn these matters.
29
Having made these few remarks in regard to the Old and New
Testaments in their present condition and bearing, and having
learned that they are very imperfect in their present state, and
that they have been translated from manuscripts that cannot be
depended upon,--that there are no original copies in this day
with which the world are acquainted;--having established these
facts, now let us turn to the Book of Mormon, and see if it rests
upon evidences of the nature of these I have already presented to
this congregation.
29
The Book of Mormon professes to be translated not from
manuscripts containing 130,000 different readings, nor by the
learning of men who can render a translation as they please;
neither does it profess to be translated from altered, mutilated
manuscripts manufactured by monks or impostors upon Mount Athos
to impose upon Christian credulity; but it was translated from
the original plates themselves--the very plates on which the
inspired writers themselves wrote: and they were also translated,
not by the learning of men, but by the power of God and the
inspiration of the Almighty.
29
We are told, in the beginning of the Book of Mormon, that three
men--Oliver Cowdery David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, saw the
plates, or the original from which this book was translated by
Joseph Smith, jun.; he having obtained the plates in the western
part of New York through the ministration of an holy angel, as he
testifies, from where they were deposited by an ancient Prophet
that inhabited America some 1,400 years ago. He testifies that he
was sent by an angel of God to bring these gold plates to
light--that he obtained with them the Urim and Thummim, and
translated the book. But, before the Lord would permit the book
to go to the nations, he was determined that they should have
more than one witness. Joseph Smith's testimony was not to go
forth alone. Therefore, in 1829, about one year before the rise
of this Church, or before this book was offered to the world,
three other names were called upon by an angel from heaven.
29
"Perhaps," you may say, "they were deceived." Let us examine
whether there was any possibility of their being deceived. They
had learned, by reading the manuscript from which this book was
printed, that the Lord, when he should bring this book to light
in the latter days, would bear testimony of it in a miraculous
and wonderful manner to three witnesses, besides the translator.
These three men, after having learned this fact, met together,
and went and saw Mr. Smith, and inquired of him whether it would
be their privilege to behold these plates and know from heaven
that this book was true. Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord
concerning the matter; and the Lord gave them a promise that, if
they would sufficiently humble themselves, they should have this
privilege.
30
They, in no connection with Mr. Smith, who made the fourth
individual, went out into the open field, near a grove of timber,
a little distance from the house of Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca
county, New York. They bowed down before the Lord in broad
daylight--not in the night; so there could be no deception: they
humbled themselves before him called upon his holy name with all
their hearts; and while they were thus engaged in calling upon
the name of the Lord, they saw in the heavens above a glorious
light, and a personage descending. This personage came down and
stood before them: he laid his hands upon the head of David
Whitmer as one of the three witnesses, and said, "Blessed be the
Lord and they that keep his commandments;" and then he took the
plates and turned them over, leaf after leaf, excepting a certain
portion of the leaves that were sealed up, which Mr. Smith was
not permitted to translate; but that portion he had translated
was turned over, leaf after leaf, and presented before their
eyes, and they saw the engravings upon the plates.
30
This angel, clothed in brightness and gory, stood before them
with the plates in his hands, showing them the engravings upon
them. They also heard the voice of the Lord out of the heavens,
commanding them to hear record of the things they saw and heard
to all nations, kindred, tongues, and people. The testimony which
they have borne I have read in your hearing.
30
Now, was there any possibility of these three men, together with
Mr. Smith, who was in their company, being deceived? If they were
deceived, then there is the same reason to suppose the Apostles
were deceived, who profess to have seen Jesus ascend into heaven
from the Mount of Olives. There would be the same reason to
suppose that Peter, James, and John were deceived when they saw
Moses and Elias on the Mount of Transfiguration; if these men
were deceived, then there is no truth nor certainty in anything
that ever was beheld; for no persons could bear testimony in
stronger language than these three witnesses have done in the
Book of Mormon.
30
Joseph Smith, jun., could not be deceived himself; for it was by
an angel that he was commanded to go to the place where the
records were deposited; it was by an angel he was told to take
them from the place of their long deposit, together with the Urim
and Thummim; and it was by the Urim and Thimmum, connected with
prayer, that he was enabled to translate the plates into the
English language: consequently, he could not be deceived.
30
We have proved that the other three witnesses could not be
deceived; consequently, four men bear testimony that they not
only saw the plates, but also that they saw an angel of God: they
also heard his voice, and saw the plates in his hands and the
engravings upon the plates, and heard the voice of God out of
heaven commanding them to bear their testimony to all people upon
the face of the earth to whom the translation should be sent.
30
Can you find, among all the nations and kingdoms upon the earth,
one individual that can bear testimony that he has ever seen the
original of any one of the books of the Old and New Testament?
No. We defy the world to produce a true copy of the original of
any book of the Bible, and prove it to be such. They may search
their libraries from beginning to end, and examine all the
archives of the nations and they cannot find an original copy, or
even a copy written centuries after the original writer was known
to exist.
30
The learned have conjectured that some of those five manuscripts
I have mentioned were written in the sixth century; but this is
disputed. Cassimir Oudin says that the Alexandrian Manuscript,
instead of being written in the sixth century, was made in the
tenth. With regard to the times of their being written, no
dependence can be placed.
30
But here four men actually beheld the original plates, saw an
holy angel, and heard the voice of God. Are they the only
witnesses? No: there are eight other men, whose names and
testimony I have read before this congregation,--persons with
whom I am individually acquainted as well as with the translator
and the three witnesses I have already named. I have been at the
house where this Church was organized. I have seen the place
where the angel descended and showed them the plates.
31
Eight other witnesses testify that Joseph Smith showed them the
plates, and that they saw the engravings upon them, and that they
had the appearance of ancient work and curious workmanship. They
describe these plates as being about the thickness of common tin,
about eight inches in length, and from six to seven in breadth.
Upon each side of the leaves of these plates there were fine
engravings, which were stained with a black, hard stain, so as to
make the letters more legible and easier to be read. Through the
back of the plates were three rings, which held them together,
and through which a rod might easily be passed, serving as a
greater convenience for carrying them; the construction and form
of the plates being similar to the gold, brass, and lead plates
of the ancient Jews in Palestine.
31
Thus we see that twelve individuals saw the plates before the
contents were placed before the world, and before they were
called upon to believe in them. Is not this a sufficient
testimony and evidence? If the world would not believe twelve men
who have seen the originals, handled them with their hands,
beheld the engravings upon them,--four of whom had seen the angel
of God and heard his voice;--if they would not believe this,
would they believe the evidence and testimony of ten thousand
individuals? Jesus declares--"In the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word shall be established."
31
When we appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and go into
his presence, we are informed we shall be judged by his word. "My
word shall judge you at the last day," says Jesus. "The words
that I speak unto you shall judge you." If, then, the words which
he spake, and which he inspired his Apostles and Prophets to
declare to the people, are to be the laws by which mankind are to
be judged at the last day, it is necessary that they should have
some little evidence and testimony concerning his words.
31
We are presenting this evidence and testimony before you; and if
the Lord gave four witnesses, and by them condemned the
antediluvian world--namely, Noah and his three sons;--if their
preaching, their testimony, and works of righteousness condemned
the antediluvians, and they were overthrown by the flood, why may
we not suppose that four witnesses alone, if God did not see
proper to send any more, would condemn any other generation?
31
We find that Lot was the only witness who was sent to warn the
inhabitants of Sodom, and to call upon his kinsmen to flee from
the midst of those cities, in order to escape the terrible
judgments announced against them. He testified that an angel of
God came to him and told him that the Lord was about to destroy
those cities: he said that this angel lodged with him over night,
and that the Lord had sent him as a witness; and his testimony
condemned his kinsmen and the inhabitants of Sodom, and they were
overthrown and perished in their wickedness.
31
Who was sent to the inhabitants of Nineveh to warn them? Only one
witness--namely, Jonah. He was sent to a strange nation--to a
people that were unacquainted with him: they could not tell by
any natural appearance whether he was a righteous man or an
impostor. He had a curious story to tell them, that he came part
of the way to their country in a ship, and part of the way in the
belly of a whale. But how could they know that he came in the
belly of a whale, or that he was not an impostor? Yet the Lord
told them, through Jonah, that if they did not repent, they would
all be destroyed in forty days. They concluded to repent, and the
Lord spared them, which made Jonah angry.
32
When the Lord sent a preparatory message to prepare the way for
his Son, he sent one witness, instead of raising up four. John
the Baptist went forth into the wilderness, clothed himself in a
curious style, living on locusts and wild honey, and began to
preach repentance to the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem, and
to the Jews throughout the land. How were they to know he was a
messenger to prepare the way before the Most High? Yet they
certainly would be condemned for not receiving his testimony; for
Jesus himself said--"The scribes and Pharisees rejected the
counsel of God against themselves in rejecting John."
32
How did John convince the vast multitudes that he was sent to
testify of the first advent of the Son of God? We are informed by
one of the Evangelists that "John did no miracle," as great a
Prophet as he was; yet the people were condemned because they
rejected the counsel of God against their own souls, by rejecting
his testimony. How much greater, then, will be the condemnation
of individuals who reject four witnesses, instead of one!
32
If the present generation have the testimony of four witnesses
sounded in their ears,--if the Book of Mormon, containing their
testimony, is published and sent forth in the different languages
of the earth, and the people have the privilege of hearing and
reading that testimony, will it not produce far greater
condemnation upon them than what came upon the Jewish nation in
ancient days, by rejecting the testimony of one witness only?
32
We see, then, that we have the advantage of this generation so
far as evidence concerning the Book of Mormon is concerned. There
are men now living that have seen the original of the Book of
Mormon--that have heard the voice of God. Where is there a man
who has heard the voice of God testifying concerning the truth of
King James' translation? Where is there a man on the face of the
earth that ever had it confirmed to him by the administration of
an angel? But here comes evidence in favour of the Book of Mormon
such as any court of justice is obliged to receive.
32
But are we to receive the testimony of all individuals that may
come and pretend to have heard the voice of God and to have seen
angels? May not impostors come forth and say they have seen
angels? I reply that there is this distinction to be made: A man
that is sent of God, who has a true message, will always be able
to present something connected with the nature of the message and
the circumstances surrounding it, which will prove it to be true.
If there should be a thousand individuals bearing witness that
they had heard the voice of God and seen angels, we shall always
be able to detect the impostor from the servant of God by
examining the doctrine. There are evidences distinguishing a true
message from a false one, that the whole world may be enabled to
discern between the two.
32
For instance, there is no individual upon the face of the earth
who can directly prove that Joseph Smith did not see the angel of
God and obtain the plates: no individual upon the face of this
earth can prove that the three witnesses did not see the angel
and the plates: consequently, their evidence cannot be directly
negatived, unless they deny their own testimony, which they have
not done. The only possible way to condemn these men as impostors
is to examine the nature of their testimony, to see whether it is
reasonable and scriptural.
33
Is there anything unscriptural in hearing the voice of God, or in
an angel's descending from heaven, bearing testimony to a book in
which all nations are interested? It is a book sent to prepare
the way of the Lord for his second coming. Was it unreasonable
for the Lord to send angels to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Was it
unreasonable for them to take dinner with Abraham, and for him to
wash their feet?--for Lot to lodge them in his house?--for
Joshua, Gideon, Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Peter, Paul, or the wise
men and shepherds of Israel, or for Joseph, the husband of Mary,
and Zachariah, or for various other holy men and women to see
angels sent from heaven? It was neither unreasonable nor
unscriptural.
33
Paul says, "Are they (the angels) not all ministering spirits
sent to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation? If,
then, they have this office assigned to them, to minister to the
heirs of salvation, it is not an unscriptural doctrine that they
should minister to those four men. It is just as reasonable that
God should send an angel to four men in the last days, and
introduce his kingdom and preparatory work for the second advent
of the Son of God, as it was for an angel to be sent to Zachariah
in order that a messenger might be raised up to prepare the way
for his first coming. The one in a little more reasonable than
the other; for the latter-day coming is to far transcend in glory
and power his first coming, when he appeared among the Jews. At
his second coming the earth will tremble and roll to-and-fro like
a drunken man; the mountains shall fall, the valleys be raised,
the crooked places made straight, and the rough places smooth,
when the Lord is revealed in his glory and power.
33
If all these things are to be fulfilled, Israel gathered, the
fulness of the Gentiles brought in, and Zion built up,--if the
great Latter-day Work mentioned by the ancient Prophets has to be
fulfilled, then it would not be unreasonable that an angel should
be sent from heaven to begin a work of this magnitude.
33
But, perhaps, you may admit that it is perfectly scriptural and
reasonable that an angel should be sent; but, then, you may ask
if there may not be something connected with the Book of Mormon
which would render it inconsistent, and not entitled to credit,
and which would prove that its pretences were an imposition.
33
In reply, I ask, What is there about the Book of Mormon that is
inconsistent? What does it profess to be? It professes to contain
the history of part of the tribe of Joseph, who came out of the
land of Jerusalem 600 years before Christ, and colonized the
American continent. These Indian tribes are their descendants.
When they first came here, they were a righteous people, and had
with them the Scriptures, containing the law of Moses. When they
came here, they made plates of gold, and on them they recorded
their history, wars, contentions, &c. These plates were handed
down among the ancient inhabitants of America for a thousand
years after they came here. Their prophecies were recorded from
generation to generation. Jesus Christ appeared to them on this
land after his resurrection, just the same as he did to the
people in Palestine, and showed them the wounds in his hands and
in his feet. He descended before them in South America, and put
an end to the law of Moses, which they practised on this
continent; and he introduced the Gospel in its stead, taught them
faith and repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, as
in Jerusalem. He taught the people to come with broken hearts and
contrite spirits, and humble themselves, and be baptized by
immersion for the remission of their sins, and had his servants
lay hands on them for the gift of the Holy Ghost, as Paul and
Peter did.
34
The teachings of Jesus were recorded on these gold plates, and
they were handed down until some 400 years after Christ. Many
sacred revelations are recorded on them, and prophecies that
reach to our day, and down to the end of all things.
34
If you search this record from beginning to end, you will find
the historical part perfectly consistent. You cannot prove that
Joseph Smith is an impostor from any inconsistencies in the
historical part of the work.
34
If you search the discoveries of all the antiquarians that have
written since the discovery of America concerning the ancient
inhabitants of this land, you cannot put your finger upon one
particle of evidence from their researches that will come in
contact with the Book of Mormon.
34
If you examine its prophecies, you will find many that the Jewish
records speak nothing of--prophecies that relate to the Indians,
and that relate to the rise of this Church, to the Millennium,
and to many things that the other Prophets have not touched upon;
and also many of the events predicted in the Jewish Bible were
delivered to the Prophets in this land. Compare the prophecies of
the Jewish records with those in the Book of Mormon, and you will
find no clashing or jarring; consequently, you cannot condemn the
Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and these witnesses to be impostors
from the prophetic declarations of that book.
34
Try its doctrine, and you will find that the Gospel taught in
ancient America 1,800 years ago is like that taught in ancient
Judea and the regions round about. Did the ancient Apostles in
Palestine teach faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and baptism
for the remission of sins? So did the ancient Apostles and
Prophets in America. Did the Apostles in Judea practise the
laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost? So did the
ancient Israelites of America. Did Jesus and his disciples
organize the Church in Asia with revelators and inspired men in
it--with prophets and prophetesses, with dreams, visions, and
revelations? So did the ancient Israelites in America do the same
thing. They, the ancient Apostles, organized the Church with
miracles and gifts, with power to heal the sick, to cast out
devils, to work miracles, and with power over the elements. The
Book of Mormon tells us that the Israelites on ancient America
organized one after the same pattern. Consequently, if we examine
the whole structure of the Church in Palestine and the structure
of the Church in ancient America, we find no jar; so, no man upon
the face of the earth can condemn Joseph Smith and these three
witnesses from any inconsistency in their doctrine.
34
Compare the miracles that are recorded in the Book of Mormon with
those recorded in the Bible, and you will find no unreasonable
miracles in the one, more than in the other. There is no fish
story in it--nothing about a man's being carried in a whale's
belly three days and three nights; though, if such a story was in
it, we should believe it, the same as we do the Jewish history of
Jonah. There is nothing said in this book about three men being
put into a furnace of fire, heated seven times hotter than ever
before, and yet the three men receiving no harm. We believe the
Bible when it records this great miracle; but there is nothing
which to the atheist is so apparently inconsistent as that.
35
The miracles recorded in the Book of Mormon were of such a nature
as to be worthy of the exertion of Divine power. If the sick were
healed, it was because Jesus had promised his servants they
should lay their hands on them, and they should be healed. If
they prophesied, it was concerning future events, because the
Lord wanted them to understand that which was to come.
35
Is there anything in this book that contradicts any scientific
truth? You may ransack all the libraries in the world, and gather
together all the books of science, and compare with this book,
and you will find no clashing; consequently, where is your ground
for condemnation? You cannot condemn it from its historical,
prophetic, and doctrinal writings, or because of any unreasonable
miracles said to have been wrought among the ancient Israelites
on these lands, or because it contradicts any scientific truth,
or because it is unscriptural or unreasonable that people should
see angels in these days.
35
We defy this whole generation to bring up any testimony to
condemn the truth of this book. It will face this generation from
this time until the second coming of Christ, and then through the
Millennium. And when this generation come up from their graves at
the great and last day, the books will be opened, and by the word
of God declared on this continent and on the Eastern continent
the inhabitants of the earth will be judged.
35
You may bring all the lies and newspaper stories you can hatch
up, and all the misrepresentations you can conceive, and use them
against the Divine truths of the Book of Mormon, to save your
crumbling apostate systems from utter ruin; you may pile up your
falsehoods like mountains; you may fill your railroad carriages
to the brim with them, or you may send them by the electric
current the world round, and it will not stop the onward progress
of the truths of "Mormonism" revealed from heaven: it cannot stay
the arm of the Almighty from building up his kingdom in the last
days, or hush the voice of his servants from warning the nations
to repent and to turn away from their lyings and whoredoms, and
from all their wickedness and abominations which they continually
practise before the Lord.
35
The word of God is something that cannot be destroyed; but it
will appear in the day of judgment, and you and I will be judged
by it.
35
I believe the Book of Mormon; I believe it because I consider
that I have not only the testimony of these twelve witnesses, but
a vast amount of other evidence and testimony such as you have
not in relation to the things that are contained in the Jewish
record.
35
For instance, what evidence and testimony have the present
generation and the generations that have lived during the last
seventeen centuries that Jesus Christ, the great Redeemer of the
world, arose from the dead? You have the testimony of four
individuals, and no more, provided that their testimony has not
been corrupted, altered, and mutilated in the oldest manuscripts
now known. Who are they? Matthew, John, Paul, and Peter. The
other four writers of the New Testament have not said a word
about seeing Jesus after his resurrection. The New Testament was
written by eight men--Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter,
James, and Jude. Four of these men have given their testimony
that they saw Jesus after his resurrection; the other four have
told us nothing about it.
35
But it may be asked, "Does not the Apostle Paul testify that
Jesus was seen by upwards of five hundred brethren at once?"
35
But none of those five hundred brethren have spoken of this, or
handed down their testimony.
35
Perhaps it will be argued that the four witnesses that saw
Jesus--namely, Matthew, John, Paul, and Peter, performed great
miracles, and thus established their testimony; and consequently,
we are bound to believe them.
36
But how do you know that they performed miracles?
36
"They have told us so."
36
How do you know they tell us the truth? Were you there to behold
the miracles they wrought? Only six of the eight writers of the
New Testament say anything about miracles. Suppose they all
testify that there were wonderful miracles wrought, have we not
as good reason to believe eight men that testify to miracles in
these days?
36
If all the men of this stand have kept journals, (and some of
them have for a quarter-of-a-century,) and if they have recorded
what their eyes have seen and their ears have heard; and if the
several hundred Elders in this large assembly have done likewise,
and recorded all the miraculous things their eyes have seen and
their ears heard; and if the generations to come should gather up
our journals and manuscripts, and entitle them, The Acts of the
Apostles and Elders of the Nineteenth Century, they would find
tens of thousands of miracles recorded in these journals where
the sick have been healed, the eyes of the blind opened, the ears
of the deaf unstopped,--where the lame have been made to leap as
an hart, and where people have been raised up from the last
stages of cholera, in the name of Jesus Christ, and where those
who were born blind have had their eyes opened.
36
Would they not have as much reason to believe the journals and
writings of the Latter-day Saints in relation to the miracles
wrought as you have to believe the testimony of the six writers
of the New Testament on the same subject? Who are the New
Testament writers? They are interested witnesses, every one of
them.
36
"But the world saw their miracles."
36
How do you know?
36
"These six writers say so."
36
Have you the testimony of any of the world that they actually saw
even one miracle wrought by the Apostles of Jesus Christ? No, you
have not.
36
Perhaps you may say that when the lame man at the beautiful gate
of the Temple was healed, it was done publicly before the
multitude.
36
How do you know this? Luke says so in the acts of the Apostles,
and you believe it on his testimony alone. How do you know that
Jesus Christ was transfigured on the mount?--that Moses and Elias
appeared to Peter and James and John on that occasion? Have
Peter, James, and John given their testimony? Not a word; but
Matthew, Mark, and Luke--three men who were not present, who did
not see the transfiguration, and who did not see Moses and Elias,
say so; but their testimony is second-handed.
36
We believe that Peter, James, and John actually did see holy
angels--did behold Moses and Elias, and see Jesus transfigured,
upon second-handed testimonies given on the subject.
36
Now, we have the testimony of individuals themselves concerning
the Book of Mormon,--not the testimony alone of Elders Richards
and Woodruff, or of any of these Elders,--but the testimonies of
persons who beheld the angel and heard his voice.
36
Therefore, the testimony establishing the truth of the Book of
Mormon is far superior to that establishing the Bible in its
present form.
37
I do not know but I am wearying you; but I have endeavoured in my
simple way to lay before you the evidence and testimony you have
for believing the Jewish record, compared with the evidence and
testimony you have for believing the ancient records of America,
called the Book of Mormon; and any persons who will carefully
examine this subject will be obliged in their own hearts to say
there is a hundredfold more evidence to prove the Divine
authenticity of the Book of Mormon than what we have to prove the
Palestine records.
37
But this is not all. We do not rest our evidence alone on the
testimony of these twelve witnesses; our hopes are built upon a
foundation surer than all these external testimonies. The
Latter-day Saints are not that enthusiastic people who open their
mouths and swallow down doctrines because they are popular,
because their fathers believed them; but we believe a doctrine
because we have evidence to substantiate it; and then, in
addition to this, we seek for more truth and knowledge.
37
The Book of Mormon informs us how we may not only have faith in
that book because of the evidence and testimony accompanying it;
but how we may obtain a knowledge concerning its truth. The Book
of Mormon informs us, as well as the Holy Scriptures, that if we
will repent and be baptized, we shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost.
37
We have tried the experiment. We have repented of our sins, we
have turned from our transgressions, and humbled ourselves, like
little children, before the Lord; we were buried in the water,
and brought out of the water; then hands were laid upon us, and
we received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and this gave us a
knowledge of the truth.
37
What are the effects of the Holy Ghost? Jesus says, in the last
chapter of Mark, "These signs shall follow them that believe: In
my name they shall cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take
up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not
hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover.
37
The promise of the signs was not to the Apostles alone, but he
said unto them, "Do you go and preach the word in all the world;
and he that believes your testimony and is baptized shall receive
salvation, and those that will not believe shall be damned; and
these signs shall follow them that do believe." We have believed,
repented, been baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost;
and we found the promise verified. If it were not so, we should
then know it to be an imposition. If we found that Jesus did not
fulfil his promise after we fully obeyed his word, we should then
know the same to be false.
37
Let me say to this congregation that there would not have been a
Church of Latter-day Saints five years upon the earth, had he not
fulfilled his promise after we had obeyed his word, because he
made this promise not only in the Book of Mormon and the New
Testament, but by direct revelation through the Prophet, that if
the people would do thus and so, they should be blessed with such
and such gifts. Now, suppose the people, after having tried it,
did not receive those gifts, the whole Church would have
apostatized, and turned and declared it all false--Book of
Mormon, Bible, and everything else. Why? Because these books made
a promise on certain conditions, which was not fulfilled.
37
But when the people believed and were baptized for the remission
of sins, and filled with the Holy Ghost, and the visions of the
future were opened to them, and the spirit of prophecy rested
upon them, and they beheld the sick recovering, the blind
receiving their sight, and the deaf hearing, "Surely," said they,
"this must be of God; for the Lord never would have confirmed an
imposition to us by granting the gifts of the Gospel."
38
But may not the Devil perform miracles? Satan was to come with
all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness
of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they had pleasure
in unrighteousness. "Now, how do you know but these are some of
the strong delusions?"
38
But prove to us that we have had pleasure in anything contrary to
the Gospel of Jesus Christ--that this people have not obeyed the
Scriptures of eternal truth. Those signs that were to come, and
these living wonders, &c., were to be practised by individuals
that had pleasure in unrighteousness and who rejected the Gospel
of Jesus Christ--they were to go forth like the magicians in the
days of Moses to withstand the power of Moses. We see them on one
hand turning the water to blood, and Moses doing the same; in
short, Moses performed numerous miracles (by the power of God),
and the magicians did the same. How are we to distinguish between
the two? Moses believed and obeyed the words of the Most High
God, and the magicians were fighting against him, and yet they
did miracles--not in the name of God, but by their enchantments;
and so it is with all wicked miracle-workers from their day down
to the second coming of Christ: they perform their lying wonders
by the power of Satan--by the means of somnambulism,
spirit-rapping, spirit-writing, or whatever it may be. But when
people repent, and are baptized, and perform miracles in the name
of the Lord, such miracles are designed to profit and benefit
mankind--such as laying hands on the sick that they may be
healed, speaking and interpreting tongues; hence you may know
them to be of God: therefore it is easily to be distinguished
which of the two powers should be received, and which should be
rejected.
38
May God bless all those who love the truth, whether Jew or
Gentile, bond or free,--whether it be those who have received the
Gospel and Book of Mormon, or those who are inquiring to know
concerning its truth. If they desire to know the truth, may the
God of heaven, who has sent forth his angel and confirmed the
truth unto many, pour out his Holy Spirit upon them, and
enlighten their minds, inasmuch as they go before God with an
honest heart, that they may know, as the Latter-day Saints know,
that this work is a message from the Almighty, to be proclaimed
to every nation, kindred, and people upon the face of the whole
earth. And when they know from God that this work is true, they
will not be tossed to-and-fro and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, but they will be built upon a foundation upon which
they can rest secure. Though the whirlwinds of persecution may
beat upon them--though they may be hated, derided, and suffer the
loss of all things, time after time,--though they may be driven
to-and-fro, and scattered from city to city, and from synagogue
to synagogue, and their Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles be put
to death, yet, with all this distress and poverty brought upon
them by being robbed and plundered of their lawful possessions,
and with all the injury they may sustain from year to year, they
will have something in the midst of it all that will give them
joy, peace, and happiness; and that something is a KNOWLEDGE OF
THE TRUTH,--not merely a faith that the foundation on which they
are built is of God, but a knowledge that they are established
upon a rock that cannot be moved, which is a firm as the throne
of Jehovah, and as secure as the eternal attributes of the
Almighty.
38
May God bless us and prepare us for his heavenly kingdom, and
save us therein, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Heber
C. Kimball, October 6, 1854
Heber C. Kimball, October 6, 1854
ADHERENCE TO "MORMONISM"--PERPETUAL EMIGRATION FUND.
An Address by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered at
the General Conference, in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1854.
39
We have heard a very beautiful relation from Elder T. D. Brown,
of the mission at the South. It seems that everything we
undertake in righteousness prospers, and the Devil and his agents
cannot help themselves, if we are faithful.
39
The Zion's ship that was spoken of to-day, which runs in Snag
harbour, has prospered from the first day it was launched, and
every man and woman who stick firmly to that ship will prosper
from this time henceforth and for ever. That I know, for I have
been on board that ship, and am now sailing upon it.
39
The first time I went to England, I was on board of Zion's ship,
and Joseph came to me while I was sailing, and put into my hand a
rod; and I presume, if I have dreamed once of being aboard of
that ship, I have dreamed it a hundred times. I have been in it
in the midst of dangers and in the most dangerous places. I have
seen trees and stumps, mountains and rocks, and everything else
that could be placed in her course thrown before her to stop her
in her course; but she can sail through a mountain or on dry land
as well as upon the water. I have this in dreams; and I will say
to the brethren, Just so long as you keep aboard of that ship you
will prosper. I do not care whether it is in the midst of the
Lamanites or among the Jews--whether it is in Italy or in
Denmark, in Europe or in America, we will prosper, and I know it.
That is my testimony.
39
As brother George A. Smith was saying, there are some who want to
enjoy ancient "Mormonism,"--that is, as "Mormonism" used to be
when it was a small sapling. But it is now becoming a lofty tree,
and its branches are beginning to shoot forth all over the
nations of the earth; ancient "Mormonism" has grown to such a
degree. Many have been in the background, and have left the tree,
and it has grown to that extent, they do not know it. That is the
trouble with them: they don't know what "Mormonism" is. But this
is "Mormonism" and this is the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, and President Young is the true and legal
administrator and delegate sent from God, and we are his
brethren, and he is on board of Zion's ship, and he is the
captain; and if we will stick to it, we shall never run foul of
the rocks; and whoever he tells to take hold of the helm, he will
tell them in what direction to steer; and she is such a good
sailor, and so true to the helm, she will run right between or
over all snags.
40
Do you believe it, you old "Mormons?" ["Yes."] Well, then, why
don't you grow with the tree, and with the branches thereof?
Brother Brown would grow faster living on bread and water, and
water and bread, with a little milk. Gentlemen, if you don't look
out, the ship will get out of reach, and the tree will grow out
of your knowledge, so that you will forget what manner of a tree
it was; because, as the tree grows, it changes in size and
appearance, just the same as a child as it grows to manhood; and
if you had not been with him all the time, you would not know
him, although he were your own son.
40
The text that President Young gave us bears upon my mind
considerably, and it is a thing we ought to take into
consideration; not me alone, but every man and woman that belongs
to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; not only
those who are indebted to the Perpetual Emigrating Fund, but all
ought to throw in their mites and enlarge this Fund. The means
can be paid in here, and the poor can be brought out from the
nations. Hundreds have come on this year on the strength of this
Fund. It is the duty of those who have been brought out by it to
go and work forthwith for means to pay their indebtedness. It
does not belong to you, but it belongs to those who have made the
Fund: it belongs to that Company, and to every individual, if
they have not placed in it any more than a picayune or a
halfpenny.
40
Look at the poor in old England. I have heard that some have
feelings against me, because I have spoken of the poverty of the
people in that country. I know more about its poverty than the
natives of the country do. Those who come from there don't know
as well about it as we do. In the last letter that came from my
son William, he wrote that "I feel to weep and mourn and lament,
when I behold the poverty of the people: they are starving to
death, and there are scores and hundreds of my brethren in the
poor-houses of the country: the husband is put in one poor-house,
the wife in another, and the children in another."
40
That is the case with our brethren there; and while you are here
in the midst of luxuries--while you are enjoying these blessings
of the Lord, can you see your own brethren afflicted? it is not
only so in England, but in Ireland, in Scotland, in Denmark, and
in Sweden, and in all the nations of the earth. Do they enjoy
what we enjoy? No. Although there are some who want to return to
their native country, to enjoy their own habits and customs, yet
there is no rational man or woman who wants to return.
40
Brethren, did you ever reflect upon these things, and try to find
out what you could do? Supposing there were not any more Saints
than what are in this room to-day, if we were to put forth our
hand as one man, what could we accomplish? There are people
enough in this congregation to accomplish more than the whole
Church has, if they would only believe and act upon the
instructions given them. Solomon says, The liberal man deviseth
liberal things, and by his liberality shall he live. I have
proved the truth of this saying to my fullest satisfaction and to
my astonishment, time and time again. When I have been poor and
penniless, and could not raise five dollars, I have gone to work,
by the counsel of my President, and built me a good house, and
furnished it; and says brother Brigham, "you shall build that
house, and you shall have your fit-out." I did it according to
his word, and it was clear of debt, and I had a good fit-out.
41
I have done the same here upon the same principle; and said the
President, "Brother Kimball, take one load of rock, and a load of
sand, and a load of clay, and say to the masons and joiners, Go
a-head; for I never built a house yet, but I was better off when
I had done it than when I began." And brethren and sisters, that
is the reason I keep on building. [Voice in the stand: "you will
get poor if you stop."] Therefore I go a-head. Many will sit down
and count the costs--how much it will cost to put a potatoe in
the ground, and then how much it will take to raise a hill around
it; and they find out the expense is so great, they will never
plant a potatoe nor make a hill, and they never will accomplish
anything. Do you know that is true?
41
Let us go to work now and enlarge this Fund, and let us do it at
this Conference; and let those who are indebted to it go to work
immediately and pay up. We shall probably hold this meeting for a
time, and your hearts shall be enlarged; and if you could only go
home while they are enlarged, and all the puckering strings
loosened, and back the thing right up, the Perpetual Fund would
be rich. I know that men and women have consciences that want to
screw this way, and twist that way, and every way under God's
heavens, before they can come to the right thing. If you want to
grow and thrive, and want to have the Spirit of the Lord, and the
Holy Ghost to be with you, and have dreams and visions, and gold
and silver, and herds and flocks, wives and children, and every
other good thing, go a-head in every duty, and never falter one
moment, and tell the devil to kiss your foot.
41
The Devil is on the puckering line, and he will pucker every
Saint and every man there is upon the earth, so that they would
let their fellow-beings lie down in a furrow of the field and
starve to death; and these are you brethren and sisters, if you
only but knew it just as much as your brethren and sisters are
according to what you call the flesh. This is the feeling of
many--"Well, if I could only get dad, and mammy, and grand-dad,
and uncle John, and aunt Nancy, and Sally here, I would not care
a damn for all the rest." Who cares about having only Nancy and
Sally? Let us have Susan and Polly and Timothy and Andrew out,
too. What do you say? [Voice in the stand: "Let us bring them all
out."] Yes, let us bring them all out. The wars, distress, and
confusion among the nations are increasing the value of
provisions. It was just as much as you could do to live, when you
were there.
41
What do you say, brethren and sisters? I do not want you to say
anything, unless you go a-head and do what you say. Shall we go
a-head and enlarge these funds, and pay up our debts? [Voice in
the stand: "Aye."] Well, all who are in favour of paying up your
debts to the Fund, to the Church, and everybody else, I want you
to signify it by raising your right hands, and then say, "Aye."
["Aye."] And when you come tomorrow, bring along your pennies,
and let us keep gathering and enlarging the pile, and keep
enlarging it, and gather the Saints together from the four
quarters of the earth. We are the persons to do that business;
and when we have accomplished our part as servants in the flesh,
God will send angels he has had in reserve to accomplish what we
cannot accomplish. But he will make us buckle up to the work; and
if we should happen to lie down and sleep before we have done all
we might do here, he will tell us to awake and go about our
business, and accomplish that we might have done while we were in
the flesh. You have got to do it, as sure as the sun ever rose
and set; you may wait as long as you have a mind to before you
begin.
41
My feelings are for us all to concentrate our energies with the
head of this Church;, and put the wheel in operation, that, when
another year comes, we may see a hundred times more come out by
the Perpetual Emigrating Fund than we have ever seen.
41
I believe I have stuck to the text pretty well. May God bless
you, and help you to be faithful and fulfil your covenants, from
this time henceforth and for ever. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, March 28, 1858
Brigham Young, March 28, 1858
WISDOM MANIFEST IN ALL GOD'S DEALINGS WITH THE SAINTS.
A Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 28, 1858.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
42
One thing is very true concerning the Gospel of salvation--the
revelations of Jesus Christ--the kingdom of God upon the earth:
Let any people enjoy peace and quietness, unmolested,
undisturbed,--never be persecuted for their religion, and they
are very likely to neglect their duty, to become cold and
indifferent, and lose their faith. That is the experience of
every person, more or less; and I wish to offer a few reflections
on the propriety of the Lord's leading this people in the way
that he does. We believe, for it is so written in the Bible, that
the Lord wishes a people of his own--a kingdom of his own upon
this earth, which is his.
42
June 27, 1844, a little over fourteen years after the
organization of this Church, Joseph Smith was slain. In his day
there were but very few years of rest for the Saints. They
occupied Nauvoo longer than any other one place: they lived there
about seven years. We left Nauvoo in 1846, and from that time
until now this Church has not been compelled to abandon their
property and homes. We came here in the best and quickest way in
our power, and have been building, fencing, planting, sowing, and
making ourselves comfortable. It is now more than ten years since
we first located here, unmolested and undisturbed.
42
If we reflect upon our own experience, and what has passed before
us during that time, and notice the facts now transpiring, we
cannot avoid knowing that much of the conduct of this people has
been directly in opposition to our becoming the kingdom of God in
its purity on the earth. Let the people consider for themselves
whether we have, so far as we could have done, been taking a
course to become that kingdom that we anticipate, or whether we
have not been more or less dependent upon our enemies for many
things that we could have produced, or done without. When persons
can understand the ways of the Lord, and what he designs
concerning his people, they will know that it was absolutely
necessary for the Lord to take the course he has with this
people, in order to bring forth that which he designs to produce
in the latter times. Were we to live unmolested, uninterrupted,
without persecution and hatred from our enemies, as I have told
you, and it has been sounded in your years all the day long, we
might expect that we had apostatized from the truth. Persecution
and hatred by those who love not the truth are a legacy
bequeathed by the Saviour to all his followers; for he said they
should be hated of all men for his name's sake. If we had ceased
to be persecuted and hated, we might fear; but the prospect is
encouraging.
43
For a few weeks past, so far as I have knowledge from the
reports made to me, the people have never felt so well since they
have been in these Valleys. The prospect of ancient "Mormonism,"
of again leaving our homes, probably gives a spring to our
feelings, especially since we, for the first time, have the
privilege of laying waste our improvements, and are not obliged
to leave our inheritances to strangers to enjoy and revel in the
fruits of our labours. It is a consolation to me that I have the
privilege of laying in ashes and in the dust the improvements I
have made, rather than those who would cut my throat, solely for
my faith, shall inhabit my buildings and enjoy my fields and
fruits. Heretofore I have often left my home and the fruits of my
labours for others to enjoy.
43
Persecution is learning us to adopt a course for
self-preservation, as you will readily understand from a few
circumstances I will mention. Within a few weeks, for the first
time to my knowledge since we have been settled in these valleys,
a sister, wife, or family in this community has taken the pains
to pick up a few potatoes, that would otherwise be wasted, and
make them into starch. A woman can, in an hour or two, make a
pound or a pound and a half of starch from potatoes that would
lie and rot. Has this been done heretofore? Not to my knowledge.
And so long as brooms were brought from the States, people would
not raise broom corn. And so long as traders brought in starch,
would our women make it? No; though a woman can, in a short time,
make a dollar and a half or two dollar's worth from potatoes that
would otherwise go to waste. Would this community condescend to
make starch, so long as it was imported and they could buy it?
They would not. I say it, because they did not. And if there were
tons of starch here, they would find market for the whole of it,
while the hard-earned fruits of the husbandman's labour would lie
and rot.
43
Who has controlled circumstances to learn us to sustain
ourselves? Have you and I? No, not in the least; but it has been
accomplished by the Providence that leads us. We have been urging
the people for years and years to do those things they are now
compelled to. From the time we came here, you have been told to
take bran or potatoes and make starch, and not buy it in the
stores. Who would have been at the trouble of making cloth, if it
could be bought of Gentile traders? Do you think many in this
community would? No, no more than the women would have made
starch. The women had not time, though they had time to visit
from one end of the city to the other. They could take time to
run to the stores--to walk a mile or two shopping every day but
they never had time to make a little starch, or spin a little
stocking yarn for themselves, if those articles could be bought
in the stores.
43
I am satisfied that the people now begin to learn that they can
make their own clothing, and that those who do not learn will run
the risk of being uncomfortably clad. But would this people, by
their wisdom, ever have brought themselves to that independence
that God will, by his providence, in a seeming chastisement? I
say seeming, for it is no chastisement: it is a blessing to this
people, and one of the greatest that can be bestowed upon us, to
cut the thread between us and our enemies, and oblige us to
sustain ourselves in everything that we can produce with our
labour, skill, and economy. The Lord can bring this about, or
cause the Devil to do it, just as he pleases.
44
If we would only forsake our religion, our enemies would spare us
and hail us as friends; but if we will not yield that point, they
will endeavour to destroy us. But the Lord Almighty rules in the
heavens, and controls our enemies to a certain extent, and
overrules their acts. He has his own purposes to accomplish as
much now as he ever has had upon the face of the earth--as much
as he had in the crucifixion of the Saviour. Could he have found
a righteous man on the earth who would have betrayed his only
Son? He could not. Would a man with his eyes open to see, and
filled with the revelations of the Lord, have betrayed Jesus into
the hands of Pilate? No. God overruled and selected a
hypocrite--an ungodly, base, vile wretch, and placed him among
the Apostles to accomplish that purpose, as much as he raised up
Pharaoh.
44
God never hardened the heart of Pharaoh; he never ordained that
wickedness should possess any man. Judas loved wickedness from
his youth. Pharaoh was raised up to do what he did, because he
was wicked from his youth: wickedness and hatred to every holy
principle took possession of him, and God set him on the throne
of Egypt to accomplish his purposes.
44
So it is with the men who are at the helm of our Government: God
has selected them to rule, because the people are wicked, and
will not hearken to his voice. They have killed his Prophets and
many of his people, and he has placed corrupt, wicked men in
office to rule and bear sway--what for? To show forth his wisdom.
The hand of God is in all this, and he lets loose those wicked
creatures, in order to drive us to do that which his mercies fail
to induce us to perform.
44
Let him pour gold and silver into our laps, and cause the earth
to yield that abundance we desire, and would we know how to
appreciate and use such great blessings?
44
If we constantly have plenty, pleasure, ease, and comfort, will
the women make starch? No. Will they braid straw for hats and
bonnets? No. How many bonnets are manufactured in this Territory?
Can you see a woman here to-day wearing a beautiful straw bonnet,
the work of her own hands? There are a few coarse ones, when you
can make them either fine or coarse.
44
I have prevailed upon a few men to commence hat-making, and they
have done something towards supplying the market; and a few are
engaged in tanning leather: but if we had plenty of gold and
silver and stores full of goods, would the people engage in and
encourage home manufacture? No, as past experience has proved.
They would be riding around in their carriages, and talking about
going to California, where they can get gold and make themselves
rich.
44
The Lord cannot save us in riches, because we do not yet know
what to do with them. And when we are blessed and favoured, like
the children of Israel in olden times, we wax fat and kick.
44
It is purely in order to save the greatest possible number of
this people, that circumstances have transpired as they have; and
it is a marvel that the Lord has let us have so long a time of
peace.
44
Now the sisters begin to learn that such an article as flax used
to be raised and manufactured in their young days; and I hear a
number saying, "If I had flax, I could work it up." You may now
hear men say, "We used to make oil from flax seed." But if you
had plenty of money, and traders brought oil here, you would
never raise a seed.
44
Flax cultivated only for oil will pay as well as any other crop
that is raised, to say nothing of the lint, which is in great
demand.
45
Have I been able to procure a single gallon of home-made
flax seed oil? No. Some of our mechanics, who were used to making
oil mills, heard that I was determined to make one, and proffered
their plans and services. When the new-fangled press was
completed, at a cost of about a thousand dollars, it was
reported, for the first time to me, that some haircloth of a
peculiar kind must be procured for making sacks in which to press
the seed; and we sent to New York and many other cities in the
States, without success, for cloth to suit the "wedge press."
They made an expensive press; but, as yet, what is it good for? A
cheap old-fashioned press could have been readily put up, and
long ago we might have been using oil of our own make. I would
commend a man who would begin to make linseed oil here. Had I
have followed my own judgment in the matter, I would have had a
press and plenty of oil, without paying eight dollars a gallon
for it.
45
For the first time since we came to this country, sheep are being
regarded and cared for as they should be. I brought sheep into
this valley and have bought many here, and ought at this day to
have forty thousand head, if I could have had men that would take
care of my flocks. I have a few hundred left, which, no doubt,
have cost me from twenty-five to fifty dollars each; but I
persevere, and my women make cloth: you see my children dressed
in home-made. And now some women begin to recollect that flax was
raised in England, Scotland, Ireland, and the United States; and
they have a faint remembrance of certain articles what their
mothers called spinning-wheels; and they really begin to think
that they can spin, and many of the younger ones would like to
learn to spin.
45
Let the calicos lie on the shelves and rot. I would rather build
buildings every day, and burn them down at night, than have
traders here communing with our enemies outside, and keeping up a
hell all the time, and raising devils to keep it going. They
brought their hell with them. We can have enough of our own,
without their help.
45
This is the deliverance of our Father in heaven, placing us in
the circumstances we now are in; and it is for the benefit,
growth, welfare, and up-building of the kingdom of God, with us
in it. Nothing else would do it.
45
We can raise cotton, flax, and wool for manufacturing all the
cloth we need. We can make our own leather, hats, &c. And that is
not all: the Lord intends we shall do it. I am thankful. How do
you feel? Better, I presume, than you ever have.
45
There is a great deal of inquiry as to whether we shall be under
the necessity of burning. We are now under the necessity of
preparing for it, and that is enough for the present.
45
I wish union: it is stronger than buildings, and will accomplish
much more for us. And I hope the Lord will suffer us to pass
through enough to cleanse sin and selfishness from us. When I
reflect upon it, it is almost discouraging that many who have
been in this Church a score of years, and have been in drivings,
mobbings, death, and affliction, are filled with covetousness,
which is idolatry, and do not know what to do with blessings when
they have them, nor know where they come from. I am not
discouraged, but intend to persevere as long as I possess life.
46
The Lord is leading this people as he designs for the building up
of his kingdom, and we need not worry ourselves about it. You
were told, last season, when we heard that an army was on its way
here, that we would rather lay waste this Territory than yield
our rights to men who have no regard for, neither understand the
Constitutional rights of the people; and the people said amen to
that purpose. We were able, last fall, to keep them from us, and
we are well able to defend this city;--how long, I do not know.
46
If we love our improvements and property better than we love the
lives of our brethren, the Lord will lead us in a way to waste us
instead of our property. Can you understand that it is better to
lose property than the lives of men, women, and children? But if
we are so wedded to our property that we would rather fight for
it than sacrifice it, if required, for our religion, then we are
in a condition to be wasted, and our property would go into the
hands of our enemies.
46
We are able to defend the city and keep out our enemies; but if
we prove to our Father in heaven and to one another that we are
willing to hand back to him that which he has given us, (which is
not a sacrifice,) and that we love not the world nor the things
of the world, he will preserve the people until they can become
righteous.
46
You never heard me say that we would stick to this city; but we
will defend ourselves against the floods of iniquity which our
enemies wish to overwhelm us with by the introduction of a
licentious and corrupted soldiery.
46
If we vacate the ground that may satisfy them; but if they
undertake to come in before we are ready, we will send them to
their long home.
46
Some may marvel why the Lord says, "Rather than fight your
enemies, go away." It is because many of the people are so
grossly wicked, that, were we to go out to fight, thousands of
the Elders would go into eternity, and women and children would
perish.
46
Is every man and woman wicked? No: the majority of this people
are doing the best they can; but the ignorance of the people is
astonishing. Be patient. The Lord is full of mercy and great
kindness, and bears with our weaknesses; and he wishes to bear
with us until we come to understanding--until we know how to be
righteous before him. I do not want men to go into eternity
clothed with unrighteousness.
46
We have talked about redeeming Zion, but the people are not yet
righteous enough to receive and build up Zion in its purity
though they are growing to it.
46
I have a certain knowledge within me that the Elders of Israel
will never be permitted to lay judgment to the line and
righteousness to the plummet, with regard to the wicked and
ungodly, until they understand righteous principles, and live to
them. I do not care if we live until doomsday, and are hunted as
long as we live, and go into the grave, and our sons and
daughters come up after us, if they cannot arrive to the
knowledge of the truth, they also will have to live in sorrow and
affliction until they are worn out, and another generation shall
come up after them. God is not willing that unholy hands shall
carry out his judgments in the latter days.
46
When men go out to fight, I want them to go so full of the power
of God that balls cannot hit them, and that the judgments and
mercy of the Almighty may rest in their hearts: then they will
know what to do.
47
Let this people go together, and be together, and let the women
say there is such a thing as flax, and such a thing as a wheel
with which to spin it. That makes me think of a young Boston lady
on a visit to the country. She did not wish it known that she was
at all countryfied, but wanted to appear quite delicate, and upon
seeing a flock of geese, "O dear me," said she, "what are those
geese?" Some of our women are inclined to say, "What do you mean
by a spinning wheel? What do you mean by a loom?" Such are female
loafers, who bring up their children in idleness and buy starch
in the stores instead of making it. But now, thank God, there are
no stores in which to buy; and I hope there will not be any more
here, for it is the conduct of traders who have fattened in our
midst that has brought an army into our Territory. I would rather
see every building and fence laid in ashes than to see a trader
come in here with his goods. I want you to understand that we are
in favour of home manufacture in good earnest. Raise sheep and
flax, and make cloth, and raise cotton, as fast as you can, and
we will try to improve.
47
I am willing to leave this place, if I am called upon, and to
take joyfully the spoiling of my goods. It is all right. It is a
trouble for us to take care of the property we have; and if I
knew that it was just as pleasing to the Lord, I would rather
reduce it to ashes. We can move chairs, bureaus, &c. "Shall we
take out such articles first?" Charge your minds with this
counsel, Bishops and all Elders of Israel: The articles of food
are first to be moved to safe places. Take care of the eatables,
and see that they are well secured. Take care of our grain, &c.,
first; and see that the Indians cannot get our oxen and cows.
Then we will take care of the people; and then, if we have time,
we can move more or less of the valuable furniture, and cache our
doors, lumber, &c. Perhaps we may come back here, and perhaps
not. I would as soon be here as anywhere, and anywhere as here,
wherever the Lord may require me.
47
With regard to doctrinal points, that which we do not understand
should not be talked about in this stand; and the Elders of
Israel should never contend about any point of doctrine that does
not pertain to the present day's salvation. Brother Hyde has been
speaking of our Father and God. The remarks are very good; but
what does the point involved in his remarks concern us? It is
neither here nor there; and there are many ideas that may be
advanced without enlightening our minds. When I go to where
Joseph is, he will be the President of this dispensation. If he
is the God that stands there, and I do not see any other, it will
be right; or if Peter is God, all right, for he never will become
a God, unless he is duly exalted to that station. Joseph will not
be God to this people, unless he is crowned a God; and if he is,
he will be like the rest of the Gods, and what will be the
difference? Suppose that Enoch, Abraham, or Moses be our God, or
the Prophet Isaiah, what is the difference? Who cares? There are
many things the brethren talk about that are neither here nor
there to us. They had better be looking after a few potatoes from
which to make starch, or straw for making bonnets.
48
Eight years ago I told you to gather up and save your
waggon-covers and tents, for you would want them; and since then
I have seen thousands of good cloth needlessly exposed to the
elements, and rotting in our streets. Now people need the cloth
they walked underfoot years ago. Who will pity them? Not I. There
has been more cloth wasted, during the ten years past, than would
clothe this community,. The calicos, starch, sugar,
candle-wicking, &c., are now gone. Are there many in this
congregation who can make candle-wicking out of cotton? "Do they
make it of cotton? Really I am surprised!" Do not be so ignorant,
but say you can make it. A few years ago, a widow came here with
five children. She was poor, and at first engaged in binding
shoes, next in closing them, then in putting on the soles, and
finally in making light shoes; and last fall she had apprentices,
and made thirty pairs of the boots that were furnished to the
Quartermaster's Department. She has a house, a cow, and a
garden--the fruits of her labour and economy, and would outstrip
many of our mechanics in earning a living. She knew what leather
was; and when she saw a flock of geese, she did not ask, "What
are those geese?" but said, "Those are geese, and I wish I had
them to pick."
48
Remember the counsel you have hear to-day, and prepare for
burning.
48
May the Lord bless you! You have my prayers, good feelings, and
faith all the time; and I trust that the kindness and mercies of
our Father in heaven are such that he will bear with us in our
weaknesses until we can learn truth and righteousness, and
practise it; which may God grant. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Hyde
Orson Hyde
DIVINE GOVERNMENT--HOSTILITY OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TOWARDS THE SAINTS.
A Discourse delivered by Elder Orson Hyde.
48
God is the legitimate Ruler of the universe, and no government
under him is strictly legal, except it be duly authorized and
commissioned by him: and as evidence that he has ordained and
established a Government direct on the earth, the voice of an
inspired Prophet is most weighty in its counsels, and first and
foremost in guiding its administration. Indeed, the Prophet of
God is the mouthpiece of the Almighty to portray his will, that
it may be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
48
There never was a legitimate government on the earth standing in
the favour of Heaven without an inspired Prophet of God to direct
its policy; neither will there ever be.
49
There have been and still are many governments on the earth that
share the goodness of God to a certain extent; and he raiseth
them up and putteth them down by his wise providences over them.
But if a nation be not raised up by an inspired Prophet of God,
or Patriarch, as in the days of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus, it is bastard, and not a legitimate son, and,
consequently, not heir to the sceptre, neither can he be
canonized as lawgiver in the house of God, though he may be in
the house of Hapsburgh or York. Ishmael was blessed in many
things, yet the covenant of God was with Isaac, who was not born
according to the flesh, but of promise, according to the spirit.
He, therefore, who was born after the flesh (Ishmael,) persecuted
him that was born after the spirit (Isaac). Even so it has been
since, and still is. Governments that have been born or
instituted pursuant to the fleshly desires, vain glory, worldly
pride, and ambition of fallen man persecute, those that are born
of the spirit, or instituted and established by the commandment
of God, and sustained by the promise of Jehovah. This principle
was clearly manifest in the case of Joseph sold into Egypt. God
designed him to rule, and indicated the same by singular dreams
and visions to the lad. This excited the jealousy of his
brethren, and they began to persecute him: yet their persecutions
hurried him into the very place that God designed him to fill.
When men attempt to oppose the purposes and designs of God, their
very oppositions is overruled to the furtherance thereof, and to
the disappointment and mortification of such characters.
49
Is there now a court or cabinet on earth among the acknowledged
nations at which a Prophet of God would be admitted and
accredited as minister from the court of heaven? I know of none:
yet if these courts and cabinets were truly legitimate, and
standing in the light and favour of God, not one would reject
such a minister. "I know my sheep, and am known of mine." "He
that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me."
49
In view of this estranged, alienated, and illegitimate condition
of the nations of the earth, God foretold by Daniel the Prophet
that he would set up his kingdom at a certain time, which should
break in pieces all others, and stand for ever. This will be the
time to try men's souls. To step forth to maintain the only
legitimate sovereignty on earth and in heaven, in the face of a
jealous and persecuting family of nations, rich and strong,
requires bold hearts and valiant spirits. The sword, the rifle,
the cannon, the hemp rope, and prison are arrayed before such as
the reward of their patriotic devotions to the "Prince of Life."
When God does set up his kingdom, some men must of necessity be
placed in this critical position,--not because of a hostile
spirit towards the kingdoms of this world, but because of strict
loyalty, supreme love, and devotion to God and to his government.
This will try the grit of men, and show who is willing to lay
down his life for Christ's sake, and who is not. To be tried and
executed for treason cannot be a pleasant ordeal to be subjected
to; yet it must needs be that offences come, and that some men
suffer the penalty of treason against the powers of this world
for Christ's sake, that a precedent may be established to judge
the nations by, who will all prove themselves guilty of high
treason against God and his government. When the Saints judge the
world, (as Paul declares they will,) they will have a precedent
to go by; and the illegitimate nations of the earth will learn
that out of their own mouth they will be judged; and with the
very same judgment with which they judge they shall be judged, by
those who had the power to bind and loose on earth, to remit sins
and to retain them.
49
May not the Latter-day Saints cherish the desire to live in such
interesting days? They may. They do live in these very days when
God is establishing his kingdom as spoken of by Daniel the
Prophet. We have a great and responsible work laid upon us; yet,
God being our helper, we will accomplish it.
50
The king of Egypt sought to destroy, by an infernal order, many
of the Hebrew children, fearing that by their great and
astonishing increase they would endanger the Egyptians. But his
fears and hellish precaution did not save him or his army. His
oppression of Israel and his evil treatment towards him had
provoked the Almighty to destroy Pharaoh and his adherents; and,
consequently, he hardened his heart, and led him on to the snare
in which he was taken. Had that haughty prince remained at home
with his army, he would have lost Israel only; but, with hard
heart and stubborn will, he pursued him with a mighty host, (even
such as is now recommended to pursue the "Mormons,") to chastise
and persecute him; and behold and lo! that proud monarch, with
all his soldiers, perished in presence of all Israel.
50
Here is a glass that reflects the position and fate of the United
States, if they persist in following the Saints with their
forces. If the serpent will cast out a flood of waters after the
woman who has fled into the wilderness from before his face, the
earth may kindly open her mouth in the form of an earthquake, and
drink up the flood or army. "This would be a mode of warfare upon
which their tactics furnish them no information."
50
Then the remnant of her seed, not yet gathered, may beware of the
dragon.
50
Herod slew the male children of Bethlehem under a certain age,
with the hope of catching the illustrious child whose birthplace
was shown to the wise by a peculiar star. This wicked and
murderous plan did not succeed. An angel flew to Joseph in a
dream by night and defeated the whole plan.
50
God will defend his cause and protect the righteous! The work of
God brings a fear and a terror upon the ungodly. It smites them
with confusion and consternation, as did the handwriting upon the
wall the Babylonish monarch. There is a spirit attending what is
called "Mormonism" that carries conviction of its truth to many
in high places as well as low. Conviction generally begets faith,
and causes repentance in low places,--in high ones, often rage
and desperation. "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make
mad." By this spirit people are moved upon, confused, maddened,
and infuriated, even like the waters, when the breath of heaven
sweeps over their surface.
50
The press is frantic with fear. It magnifies the molehill into a
mountain, and the still, small voice of truth into the terrific
roar of all the artillery of the allied powers before the walls
of Sebastopol. Inasmuch as the press has, in most cases, made
lies its refuge, and by that means raised a storm of fury against
us, by giving publicity to the most foolish, extravagant, and
wicked things that men could invent, and as the Government, in
its haste and rashness, has been greatly influenced by these
publications to send a military force upon us, may the God of
armies magnify us in reality and truth more than the press knows,
or can even think.
50
The clergy show their lack of faith to guard the destinies of
man, and to guide his actions in a manner to bring about the
purposes of the Creator. Their dogmas, creeds, and isms, together
with their salaries and selfishness, must be sustained, if
Heaven's truth has to be nailed to the cross. "O fools and slow
of heart to believe!" Have you not long opposed one another? And
yet, have you not prayed for the watchmen to see eye to eye? The
principles having now been revealed upon which the true and
faithful watchmen of Zion may and will see eye to eye, reveal
also another thing with equal certainty,--that is, who the wolves
are in sheep's clothing. Though clad like sheep, they howl
against the kingdom of God, its institutions, and laws, like
wolves, and with equally as much sense and intelligence,--not
even omitting the implied sound of blood!
51
The press, the clergy, and the tiger-footed politicians have
doubled teams upon the Executive to draw him into a snare, that
he may be punished, as was Ahab by the lying prophets. An army is
raised in the very flood-tide of excitement, and hurried away
into the field to operate against the "Mormons." Rash and
inconsiderate movement! The avowed object is to vindicate the
nation's authority and honour: but, alas! it will turn more to
its shame and mortification than any step it ever took.
51
The kingdom that Daniel prophesied of is represented under the
figure of a stone cut out of the mountains without hands, rolling
forth, before which the mighty image fell. They find a rolling
kingdom here. Our Saviour speaks of the very same stone in this
language:--"Whomsoever falleth upon this stone shall be broken."
The United States have sent their army to fall upon this stone in
the mountains; and for this hasty and ill-advised act, and
because of the flood of the Prophets that cries from the ground
in the ears of Jehovah that has never been avenged, they will be
broken.
51
One thing is certain--The Latter-day Saints will never
forget their persecutors who repent not. Though they bear up
under their losses and misfortunes with a degree of fortitude and
cheerfulness, yet the fire of indignation burning in their
breasts towards their enemies who have robbed, despoiled, and
driven them will never be quenched until they are punished, and
justice satisfied, even if it should require time and all
eternity to accomplish it.
51
We have asked the Government repeatedly and most respectfully to
redress our wrongs; but they told us it was not their place to do
it. "Your cause is just, but we can do nothing for you," was the
sentiment of the Executive of the nation. If the General
Government could not lawfully interfere to punish our persecutors
and murderers, they could at least have made us an appropriation
to relieve our immediate wants, when they saw that we were
houseless, homeless, distressed, and wandering. They were asked
to do it. But they never gave us a dime to enable us to say of
them, When I was hungry, you gave me meat; naked, and you clothed
me, &c. But we were told by our leaders to be of good cheer--that
it was wisdom in God that the nation should be applied to by us
to redress our grievances; and if it had undertaken, with sincere
intention and vigorous hand, to wash from its skirts the blood of
our Prophets, as it should have done, Divine Justice would have
been appeased with far less, under such circumstances, than it
now will. We have reason to thank our God that our sufferings
have been but slightly mitigated by the sympathies of this world:
hence, the more abundant sympathies of Heaven in its time.
51
After patiently waiting many years, we have unanimously adopted
this opinion--that God now requires us to redress our own wrongs;
or, in other words, to take a stand that will enable him to do it
for us; and his late promises to us are to this effect.
51
It sometimes falls out, when justice is denied to the weak by the
strong, whose duty it is to administer it, that an overruling
Providence confers power on the weak and oppressed to take their
own part, and even to punish the great and the strong for not
doing their duty. This is an honour sometimes conferred upon the
down-trodden, to console and comfort them, and to bring
dishonour, shame, and humiliation upon the great, who were
clothed with power, but declined using it in an unpopular, though
just cause. All is going on right. "It must needs be that
offences come."
52
United States Judges have often required posses and guards in
this Territory for various service at great expense; and, after
assuring that the Federal Government would pay the expenses, they
have, in some cases, reported adversely to those claims being
allowed when their own requisition caused them; and the
Government has declined paying them, repudiated the acts of its
own officers, and saddled upon Utah the entire responsibility.
This also displeased the "Mormons;" and we say that we will have
no more such servants or two-faced scamps among us; and if the
Government itself repudiate the acts of its own officers, it is
sufficient reason that we also should do the same, even if there
were no other reason for doing it. Why, then, send an armed force
upon us to compel us to honour officers whose official acts you
repudiate?
52
If God does not help us, we may be killed and destroyed; but we
can never feel right towards the United States till they hang the
murderers of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, punish the miserable
incendiaries that burned our houses, grain, and fence,--that
drove us from county to county, and from State to State, and,
last of all, drove us into this wilderness to perish (what they
did not kill or cause to perish in our persecutions); and,
fearing now, if we are let alone, that we shall grow into
strength sufficient to chastise our enemies ourselves, a military
force is sent against us to crush us out; and fear, inspired by
guilt is the very cause of this demonstration now being made
against us.
52
The "Mormons" will carry the remembrance of their wrongs to the
grave; and in the resurrection, at the bar of god, they will
say--"When I was weak and defenceless, you persecuted me; when I
was in prison, you mocked and derided me--you threatened my life,
and took it; when I was sick, you carried me out of my house, and
burned it--also my grain, and killed my husband; when I had no
house, home, or friends that could assist me, with a feeble
infant in my arms, you forced me across the Mississippi river at
the point of the bayonet,--where I had perished, had not God, in
mercy and compassion, sent thousands of quails into our camp, and
I and my children caught scores of them with our hands, which we
ate, and thanked the giver. When I enlisted in your army to fight
your battles, you killed my aged father and my brother that were
left behind at Nauvoo. When we purchased lands of you and paid
your our money, you covenanted that you would warrant and defend
them to us. You broke your covenant, by allowing us to be
forcibly and illegally removed, and our possessions occupied by
others, without our consent, and without compensation."
52
This is the way we shall talk; and who, under such circumstances,
could talk otherwise? Our enemies can go on just as far as the
Lord will allow them, and make their damnation doubly sure. Time
is the only witness in this case that the nation will listen to;
and when they fully get this evidence, it will be too late for
them to profit by it. The antediluvians would not listen to the
testimony of Noah. Time alone could convince them of the truth of
what that venerable father taught them. The convincing argument,
however, at length came on the wings of time; but, alas! it was
too late! The Lord had closed the door of the ark, and
disappointed outsiders lived only to see the vengeance of an
angry God hurled at them in the watery element. "This was a mode
of warfare upon which their tactics furnished them no
information."
53
The Government, no doubt, think they can soon use up the
"Mormons" so effectually that they will not be troubled with us
any more. This might be, if they had none but the "Mormons" to
fight. They will, however, find this saying verily true--"They
that are for us are more than all those that are against us."
"Behold, how great a fire a little matter kindleth." But the
Government will always be troubled with the "Mormons" in this
world and the world to come; but the "Mormons" will not always be
troubled with the Government. The more they meddle with "Mormon"
affairs, the more difficult and awkward they will find them. They
will be a stone of stumbling and ROCK of offence, even a stone
cut out of the Rocky Mountains without hands, awkward and
unseemly. The God of Jacob preserve the righteous, "if it must
needs be that the wicked be destroyed by fire from heaven," in
the name of Jesus Christ!
53
Our enemies need neither fear nor hope that our trust is in the
Indians. Yet they do fear that the Indians will rally to our aid;
and yet they hope that we have no more reliable source for help
than they. Their fears many come upon them, but their hopes will
utterly perish.
53
What the world calls "Mormonism" will rule every nation. Joseph
Smith and Brigham Young will be the head. God has decreed it, and
his own right arm will accomplish it. This will make the heathen
rage, and the people imagine a vain thing. Yet upon the words of
these men the eternal destiny of the generation in which they
lived hangs. Whosesoever sins they remit will be remitted, and
whosesoever sins they retain will be retained.
53
O ye Saints of Latter-days, be humble, be faithful, be watchful,
and very prayerful! Murmur not against Brigham, nor against God.
Trouble not yourselves about what you shall eat, drink, or wear;
but be patient in afflictions, and remember that the great
Captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings, and
we are called to walk in his steps. Do as your leaders direct
you. Be prudent and careful with what you have. Remember that we
are called to be saviours. Therefore, save everything that you
can save that will save you. Boast not, only in God, that you are
worthy to suffer shame and condemnation for his sake; and two
things you shall behold:--One, the fulfillment of the prophetic
words of Colonel Johnston--"The American army never goes back!"
Two, a germ shall spring out of "Mormonism," whose branches shall
leap over the wall, and whose foliage shall exhale welcome odour
in every nation!
53
Be not, therefore, too anxious or forward to persecute and
destroy the men in whose hands Heaven has placed your destiny,
lest, when the day of their power cometh they may remember all
your acts, and reward you according to your deeds. These men are
bound to overcome; and he that overcometh shall have power over
the nations, and shall rule them with a rod of iron. "Be wise,
therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when
his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that pout
their trust in him."
53
This is my testimony, and the testimony of the living God through
his Apostle to all connected in the name of Jesus Christ; and the
Spirit beareth record. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, June 27, 1858
Brigham Young, June 27, 1858
PECULIARITY OF "MORMONS"--OBEDIENCE TO THE DICTATES OF
THE SPIRIT--KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, ETC.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Bowery,
Provo,
June 27, 1858.
54
Previous to the arrival of our brethren, the lately returned
missionaries, I had requested brother Harvey Whitlock to address
the congregation to-day, for my own satisfaction; and I will give
you the reason. In 1834 I went to Missouri. After the brethren
had been driven from Jackson County, I saw brother Harvey
Whitlock, and heard him converse only a very few minutes; and
from that time I have not had the privilege of hearing him preach
until to-day, although I have greatly desired it, from the short
conversation we had twenty-four years ago.
54
I shall give way for the missionaries when I have said enough to
satisfy my own mind.
54
I am very well satisfied with brother Whitlock's discourse; but I
wish to make a little addition.
54
The people called "Mormons" by the world have a peculiarity about
them that is understood by very few. In a great degree it is not
comprehended even by the Church, and yet they acknowledge it. The
nature of that peculiarity is simply this: The Gospel of
salvation--the Priesthood of the Son of God--is so ordered and
organized in the very nature of it, being a portion of that law
of heaven by which worlds are organized, that it is calculated to
enlighten the children of men and give them power to save
themselves. It is of the same nature as the further principles of
eternal existence by which the worlds are and were, and by which
they will endure; and these principles are pure in their nature,
from the fact that they are of God, who is pure: but, without the
revelation of the SPIRIT OF GOD, NO MAN can understand them. That
is the peculiarity there is about this mysterious work, and the
whole world are astonished at the unity of this people.
55
"How is it that this great people can be controlled by one man?"
is the question. To a certain extent they can be controlled and
form a unit, though not as much so as they will when they rightly
learn and practise the true principles of union. You may theorize
and prove by philosophy--in fact, convince the world,
theoretically, of the blessings of unity; and yet there is no
union among them. What is the reason? Because they will not be
governed by the Spirit of God. We may correctly say that there is
no difficulty in convincing people of the truth of the work in
which we are engaged. We send our Elders into the world, in the
midst of all the religion and philosophy of the day, and
"Mormonism" takes them up and weighs them "in the balances," as
the Prophet says of the Lord's measuring the seas in the hollow
of his hand, and taking up the mountains as a very little thing.
A person who understands the truth of the principles and
doctrines we preach and believe in can handle the religions and
philosophy of the day as a small matter; consequently, it is not
difficult to convince the world. There is but very little
difficulty in convincing every person who will hearken to reason.
You can convince them; but what is the difficulty brother
Whitlock was speaking of? The majority of the human family do not
love the truth, and many forsake it after they have embraced it.
55
To me it is evident that many who understand the truth do not
govern themselves by it; consequently, no matter how true and
beautiful truth is, you have to take the passions of the people
and mould them to the low of God, and nothing less will
accomplish that union and salvation which we are striving for.
There is no other principle, spirit, or power that will cause
people to adhere to the truth. Take this whole people: they know
that "Mormonism" is true as well as they know that the sun now
shines; their judgments, their feelings, and their hearts
convince them that it is true. There is no saving faith merely
upon the principle of believing or acknowledging a fact. Take a
course to let the Spirit of God leave your hearts, and every soul
of you would apostatize.
55
Do you think that people will obey the truth because it is true,
unless they love it? No, they will not. Truth is obeyed when it
is loved. Strict obedience to the truth will alone enable people
to dwell in the presence of the Almighty. Do people know this?
55
We see men and women leaving this people--this community. Are
their judgments convinced that "Mormonism" is not true? No; for
they know that it is true. What did Oliver Cowdery (one of three
witnesses to the Book of Mormon) say, after he had been away from
the Church years and years? He saw and conversed with the angel,
who showed him the plates, and he handled them. He left the
Church because he lost the love of the truth; and after he had
travelled alone for years, a gentleman walked into his law office
and said to him, "Mr. Cowdery, what do you think of the Book of
Mormon now? Do you believe that it is true?" He replied, "No, sir
I do not." "Well," said the gentleman, "I thought as much; for I
concluded that you had seen the folly of your ways and had
resolved to renounce what you once declared to be true." "Sir,
you mistake me: I do not believe that the Book of Mormon is true;
I am past belief on that point, for I KNOW that it is true, as
well as I know that you now sit before me." "Do you still testify
that you saw an angel?" "Yes, as much as I see you now; and I
know the Book of Mormon to be true." Yet he forsook it. Every
honest person who has fairly heard it knows that "Mormonism" is
true, if they have had the testimony of it: but to practise it in
our lives is another thing.
55
When the people cleave to the Lord almighty, receive of his
Spirit, and purify themselves continually, and walk in the light
of the Lord, they will never forsake their religion; they will be
"mormons" by day and by night, and for ever: in other words, they
will be Latter-day Saints. Every one of you know that these
things are true. When men come into this Church merely through
having their judgments convinced, they still must have the Spirit
of God bearing witness to their spirits, or they will leave the
Church, as sure as they are living beings. The Saints must become
one, as Jesus said his disciples should be one. They must have
the Spirit testifying to them of the truth, or the light that is
in them will become darkness, and they will forsake this kingdom
and their religion. I wished to bear this testimony and make this
addition to what has been said by brother Whitlock.
56
Many of this congregation have left their homes, and, no doubt,
are anxious to learn the current news. It is needless for me to
rehearse the past. That we have all experienced. It is best to
speak of that which is before us, for our present acts prepare us
to meet the future. And, for their encouragement, I will ask the
Latter-day Saints, When and where has the Lord our God deceived
us? You would all answer, Never, and in no place. I would ask
another question, with all due deference to the God we serve,
When have our leaders--those whom God has placed to guide the
affairs of his Church and kingdom upon the earth--deceived us?
Let any person, if he can, rise up and point out the time and
place when and where this people have been deceived by their
leaders. We have not been deceived by them; for which, God be
thanked. He is on Israel's side. His arm is almighty to save, and
we have a refuge that the world have not. Whether in peace or
war, in poverty or wealth, the Saints have a refuge that the
ungodly have not. We have the wisdom that the Almighty has
incorporated in our organization.
56
When people are dictated by the power of the Holy Ghost there is
but little danger of that people or that community being led
wrong: the danger consists in your own neglect of your duty.
56
With some the question arises, Are we in danger from our enemies?
No; there is no danger, only in our neglecting the duties of a
Saint. Are we in danger now? No. Have we been? No. Shall we be?
No, we shall not.
56
It has been written that many should be slain for the testimony
of Jesus; and, in my humble opinion, there have already been
enough slain to fulfil that prophecy. If I can live until I am
one hundred and thirty-five years old, I shall be perfectly
satisfied to die a natural death, and to believe the revelation
fulfilled, without being slain by my enemies. I strive to live to
do good on this earth; and I have all the time asked my Father in
heaven, in the name of Jesus, to let me depart, when I cease to
do good; for I do not want to live any longer than while I
continue to do good. I want to live to oppose wicked men and
devils, until the last one of them are righteously disposed of,
though at times it is pretty hard work to get faith enough to
desire to live to stem such floods of ignorance and sin.
56
We are not in opposition to anything in earth or hell, except the
principle of death. God has introduced life, and it is the
principle of life that we are after. The power of the enemy is
all the time trying to destroy this life, and I am opposed to
that power. I am at war with it, and expect to be. I do not
expect to cease my exertions in a million of years hence, no more
than I do to-day; but the world is seeking that which will cause
them to perish.
56
We are striving for eternal life, and are opposed to those who
love and have the power of death. We have the influence and the
power of life and that necessarily brings us in opposition to
those who prefer the principles of death.
56
I do not wish to say anything in regard to the life and conduct
of this people: those things are before the world. And, as we
have often published, we challenge them to prove that we are not
loyal subjects of this Government and the kingdom of heaven. We
have everything that produces peace and comfort, and will advance
all men in life and happiness, so far as they will permit us.
57
Let this suffice, and I will give you the news. What is the
present situation of affairs? For us the clouds seem to be
breaking. Probably many of you have already learned that General
Johnston passed through Great Salt Lake City with his command
under the strictest discipline. Not a house, fence, or side-walk
has been infringed upon by any of his command. Of course, the
camp-followers are not under his control; but so far as his
command is concerned while passing through the city, he has
carried out his promises to the letter.
57
We told Commissioners Powell and McCulloch, in Conference and in
answer to questions, that we most assuredly believed all they
said and all that President Buchanan dictated them to say, so far
as their interest was concerned. We said that we believed that
President Buchanan would fulfil his words, when his own interests
prompted him so to do. We did not say whether he would, or not,
in opposition to his interest.
57
We have reason to believe that Colonel Kane, on his arrival at
the frontiers, telegraphed to Washington, and that orders were
immediately sent to stop the march of the army for ten days. That
savours of an anxiety for peace. I expect to see, if the late
advices of the Government are carried out, that portion of the
United States' army now here have the privilege of going when the
interest of the country demand them, and the portion that was to
start for this place ordered in other directions. And when we
hear certainly that there are no more troops coming here, we will
believe that the Government means peace, just as their
Commissioners have told us.
57
I can say, so far as the moves have been made since the President
sent his messengers of peace, that everything bids fair for the
fulfillment of so desirable a result, and that the President is
doing all he can to correct past bad management.
57
We have no shirt-collar dignity to sustain, for we have no
character, only such as our friends and enemies give us. It is
only a shadow, and we are willing that they should have the
shadow, and make the name of our President honourable, if we can.
They are welcome to traduce our character, if they choose; but
they must not undertake to walk us under foot, contrary to every
principle of the Constitution, right, and law. The character of
those who are such sticklers for it will perish, for they are
taking the downward road to destruction. They will be decomposed,
both soul and body, and return to their native element. I do not
say that they will be annihilated; but they will be disorganized,
and will be as though they never had been, while we will live and
retain our identity, and contend against those principle which
tend to death or dissolution. I am after life; I want to preserve
my identity, so that you can see Brigham in the eternal worlds
just as you see him now. I want to see that eternal principle of
life dwelling within us which will exalt us eternally in the
presence of our Father and God. If you wish to retain your
present identity in the morn of the resurrection, you must so
live that the principle of life will be within you as a well of
water springing up unto eternal life.
58
I frequently think, when our enemies try to destroy us, and are
afraid that "Mormonism" is going to overrun the country what a
pity it is that they cannot see that "Mormonism" is the very
principle that preserves them. They cannot understand that. If
they could see things as they are, they would change their
present course and be the disciples of the Saviour. They would
say, "We will be one with you, for we wish to dwell in all
eternity and enjoy our rights and happiness without molestation."
All beings in the world might have that privilege, for it is
offered to all without money and without price. We can prove by
our Elders that we have offered them salvation. They can accept
and follow good or evil, just as they please, and we desire the
same privilege.
58
So soon as General Johnston finds a place to locate his
command--when we get news what he is going to do with his
troops--we will go home. Women, do not induce your husbands to go
home just yet, but wait until the proper time. It will not be
long first. How would it have been if this community had been at
their homes at the present time? It is just as much as can be
done, day by day, to bear the reflection that gamblers and
corrupt men of every kind are coming into these valleys. Do you
not know that you are much better here than you would be if you
were nearer to them? The Government has been prejudiced against
the Saints, because we would not submit to such corruption; and
for that alone we have been cast out and driven to these
mountains. I am happy in being able to say that gamblers and
robbers have never dared to establish themselves here. We can
dwell in safety and in peace in these mountains, if the people,
who should be our friends, and who nourish and cherish such
characters, would let us alone. We will never permit any such
practices in these mountains, God being our helper.
58
There has been much prejudice raised against us on account of
Indian depredations, notwithstanding the great trouble and
expense to which we have been subjected in preventing them, and
without which no person could have travelled across these
mountains and plains. What is the reason the Indians have acted
so badly? Because of the practice, with many emigrants, of
killing the Indians wherever they could find them. I can say to
the nations of the earth, that they may take these Indians, with
all their ignorance, and their not being brought up to labour,
and their being taught from their infancy to steal, and there are
as noble spirits among them as there are upon the earth. In this
there is one man in the Senate of the United States who, I think,
agrees with me, if there is nobody else; and that one is General
Samuel Houston. He has had experience, and has good sense. You
will find as fine natural talent among these Indians as among any
people; and often, when one of them, who has as kind a heart and
good appearance as need be, walks up to an emigrant camp with
kindly feelings, he is shot down; and because they are ignorant,
they commit the error, in wreaking vengeance, of confounding the
innocent with the guilty.
58
Brethren, tarry where you are for a short time, and make
yourselves comfortable. If any of the sisters say they have not a
house to live in, they can go a short distance from their waggon,
and get bushes, and make a comfortable shade. What!--sisters go
and get bushes? Yes. The women can get bushes and make shades,
and look as well, in my estimation, in doing that, as in going
round to gossip with their neighbours. We came to these mountains
about ten years ago; and have you not as good kitchens, parlours,
and bedrooms as there were then? I can offer to you what I
offered to Judge Snow, when he came into G. S. L. City. He came
to me and said--"Governor, I would like to rent a house to
comfortably shelter my family." I replied--"I will offer you the
same kitchen and parlour that I came into when I first came here.
I had a large room, canopied by the sky and walled by these
mountains; and if you can find any place that the people do not
occupy, you are welcome to it; but as for my hunting a house for
you, I have not time to do it. You can take the same liberty I
did, and have the same privilege I had when we first came here.
58
Brethren and sisters, God bless you all! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / George
Albert Smith, October 6, 1854
George Albert Smith, October 6, 1854
PERPETUAL EMIGRATING FUND, ETC.
An Address by Elder George A. Smith, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1854.
59
I can say, in connection with brethren who have addressed you in
the former part of the day, that it is with the greatest pleasure
I arise at the present Conference to cast in my mite, and offer a
few reflections upon the things of the kingdom as they are
rolling before us.
59
Our beloved President, at the close of the forenoon service, gave
us a text he wished to have considered.
59
It has been my lot to be somewhat conversant with the Saints who
dwell in the Valleys of the Mountains or especially those who
reside south of this city. My acquaintance with them has been
very great for the last five years. There is no doubt but that a
feeling of carelessness and indifference has been manifested by
many in these valleys in relation to bequeathing their debts to
the Perpetual Emigrating Fund for the assistance they have
received. It is not only an indifference which has been felt
towards the Perpetual Emigrating Fund, but also to individuals
who have expended their means to help their friends, neighbours,
or brethren to this valley. They have frequently been treated
with indifference and neglect, and I may say almost with cruelty,
by some persons who have thus been helped. They are unwilling,
until they can be very comfortable themselves, to assist those
who have helped them. I have had my feelings hurt by instances of
this kind which have been laid before me.
59
Now, then, if I understand the text, it amounts to about
this--namely, our Saviour's golden rule--"Therefore, all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do you even so to
them; for this is the law and the prophets." Or, to use this
expression of the Saviour's, in connection with that of our
President, which would be, "Whatsoever ye would that men should
do to you, do ye even so to them, under like circumstances; for
this is the law of the Prophets."
59
There is no object on the face of the earth more to be desired,
than to bring the poor and honest Saints from the condition in
which they are placed in the Old World, and set them down here in
the midst of these mountains, where, by their own industry,
economy, and prudence, they can provide for their wants and for
the wants of their children. The difficulties which surround the
Saints in the Old World are increasing. The great wars are
involving the principal nations of the earth at this time in very
serious expenses, which are taking from the labouring masses
millions and millions of dollars to supply the fighting hosts
with weapons of death, and engines for the destruction of their
enemies and the prosecution of their ambitious designs. While the
Allied Powers are thus engaged, they are consuming the very
source upon which the millions of the poor and needy are
depending for their bread--for their existence.
60
If, during the time of peace that has prevailed in Europe for the
last ten years, it was necessary to help the poor and the needy
away, it becomes tenfold more so under the present circumstances,
when the nations are involving themselves in very expensive and
disastrous wars.
60
It may be supposed that I am a little partial to some particular
parties that are connected in this war. I am referring more
particularly to the Allied Powers; but really I feel very little
interest in the matter, any further than wherever Britain carries
her sway the Gospel can follow in her liberal wake. To be sure,
when a boy, my playmates used to say, "Two upon one is one too
many:" and consequently, if there is any sympathy, it would be in
favour of Russia, as they are the weaker party, and are likely to
have the worst of it. Then, as far as the contest is concerned,
there may be a very great feeling of indifference in the minds of
many whether Turkey is actually devoured by the Russian bear, or
carved up by the lion of the west of Europe. The event is
precisely the same, let it turn which way it may, as far as it
affects us in our emigration movements: it serves to stop the
channel of trade, and consequently affects the interests of the
labouring classes of Great Britain, and a great proportion of the
members of our Church are of this class.
60
I would say to those who are in arrears to the Perpetual
Emigrating Fund, who know themselves to be such--If you have got
houses, lands, cows, sheep, farms, or property of any
description, come forward like honest men and settle up to the
uttermost farthing, and begin again to amass property; and if you
have been owing to this institution for one year, or from the
first of its operations, give a liberal interest for the capital
you have held, and which could not be used or increased by the
operations of the Fund. That would be my advice upon this
subject; and then, if you are able to subscribe enough in
addition to bring one or two families, do that also. My advice to
those who have just arrived is that they fall not in the rear, as
it has been this day complained of; but let them make it their
first business to square off with the Fund that brought them
here--to furnish this means as soon as it is in their power, to
bring somebody else out from distant countries; and then you can
take a fresh start in this mountain world. Even if you are a
little behind when you have done this, scramble until you catch
up again; for the facilities are a thousand to one in these
valleys to what they were seven years ago.
60
When the Pioneers came here, it looked a hard chance. There was
not a single house to rent; and as to their being any prospect of
having any, it looked very slim. But there have been slight
changes since, and a very great change in relation to breadstuff.
We have bread in abundance now; but then the only prospect of
supply we had was millions of black crickets. The change has been
effected, and persons who land here with nothing but their hands,
their bone and sinew, if they are indebted to the Fund or to
persons for bringing them, they can soon pay these debts; and not
only that, but they can soon establish themselves comfortably,
and be prepared to help others.
61
I have noticed, in the course of my travels, an occasional
individual, which, I presume, had lost by some of those who have
not been willing to pay up. Be that as it may, I have come across
individuals who would lurk among the Saints. "Why," say they,
"what can be the matter? Something is dreadfully wrong: this is
not ancient 'Mormonism'--this is not the old religion we used to
have years ago in the days of Joseph: something is entirely
wrong. I do not see things as I used to; I do not understand
them." And they finally begin to complain, and find fault, and
murmur; and so it goes on from one time to another, until they
wonder if they could not get a better location in California. I
have heard men murmur when they were surrounded with plenty, with
peace, and the blessings of heaven. What is the cause of this?
The cause is in themselves. Do you who have crossed the Plains
this season expect to find the inhabitants of these valleys
perfect? I think, from all accounts, you were ill prepared to
associate with them, if you had found them perfect: there would
have been room, at least, for a doubt whether you could have been
admitted at all. The great fault lies in individuals not doing
right themselves, but undertaking to make others do right, or to
find fault with others for not doing right.
61
It is some time since I read the New Testament; but I believe, if
I recollect rightly, there is a passage, somewhere in the Gospel
according to St. Mark, which says, "So is the kingdom of God, as
if a man should cast seed in the ground, and should sleep and
rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up he
knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself;
first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the
ear. But when the fruit is brought forth immediately, he puteth
in the sickle, because the harvest is come." Well, I met a man
that in the days of Joseph Smith used to be a very great man, in
his own eyes at least,--very spirited in the Church--tremendously
so; and he tells me that things are going wrong. "Why," says he,
"things are not now as they used to be." We will admit it: things
are entirely different to what they were twenty years ago. Did
any of you ever raise Indian corn in your lives? If so, you
remember, when it is six inches high, it is very beautiful to the
eye; it looks green and lovely; and it will grow very rapidly, if
you will only keep the weeds out of it: it will grow so rapidly
that you can almost see it growing from day to day, and it is a
pleasure to cultivate it. Suppose a man should go into a
corn-field when the corn is six, eight, or ten inches high, who
had not been raised in a country where it was cultivated, but in
some corner of the earth where it did not grow, and he had never
seen such a plant before, and let him employ himself a few days
in hoeing it and admiring its beauty,--suppose by some means he
becomes perfectly blind for two or three months, and then goes
into the field after he has received his sight, he now beholds
corn seven, eight, and ten feet high, with large ears upon
it,--he would exclaim, "What is this? Who has destroyed the
beautiful plants that were here two months ago? What has become
of them?" He is told it is the same corn. "Oh, it cannot be, for
the corn is little stuff, and only grows eight or ten inches
high, and very unlike this awkward stuff."
61
This compares well with some of our "Mormons," who are a little
afflicted with the grunts: they do not know that the work of the
Lord has been spreading rapidly, and growing stronger, and become
more formidable than it was twenty years ago. There has been
considerable advance since we used to gather around Joseph and
Hyrum, in Kirtland, to keep the mob from killing them.
62
I remember on a certain occasion the brethren were called
together to prepare to defend Joseph against the mob, who were
coming to destroy him, if possible. Brother Cahoon was appointed
captain of one of the largest companies, and it had ten men in
it: it was the biggest company we could raise but one, and that
contained fourteen men. Brother Cahoon gave us some advice: he
advised us, if the mob came, and we were obliged to fire, to
shoot at their legs. But, should they advance upon us now, we
would shoot higher than that: so, if anybody will look at it
candidly, they will see that we have grown and improved
considerably in our ideas. To shoot at the legs of a mob is now
altogether behind the times in "Mormonism." After brother Cahoon
had advised us, brother Brigham rose and said that if the mob
tackled him, he would shoot at their hearts; and some of the
company nearly apostatized. We must remember that we are in the
advance; for the lord has said, in these days, he has commenced
to do a great work, and called upon his servants to lay the
foundation of it. The foundation being laid, then the work has to
be done. In order to be participators in this, we must be honest
with ourselves, with our brethren, and with the poor among the
Lord's people. If we are, the blessings of God will flow upon us,
and our knowledge will increase, and all the light and
intelligence that we desire from God will be poured out upon us,
and our means will increase, and our substance will be blessed
unto us. But if we adopt the other principle, although men do it
from covetousness, it is the identical way to become poor. The
Prophet said, The liberal deviseth liberal things, and by his
liberality he shall stand. This is the truth: it has been so
among all generations, and with this people from the beginning.
62
It was customary, before we entered this Church to hear a great
deal of text preaching. The learned ministers would select a text
or passage of Scripture, measure it by a theological rule, divide
it into heads, and then preach from it, preaching about
everything in the world but the thing in the text. After they had
gone through this kind of manoeuvering long enough, they would
then appeal to the congregation to know if they had not preached
to them the doctrine laid down in the text. Well, if I have
preached from the text, excuse me.
62
I will close my remarks with the old-fashioned appeal; and if I
have not preached the doctrines contained in the text, let me
advise my friends to give heed to those doctrines anyhow.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, June 6, 1858
Brigham Young, June 6, 1858
APOSTACY THE RESULT OF IGNORANCE--TRUE GOVERNMENT, ETC.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Bowery,
Provo, June 6, 1858.
Reported by J. B. Milner.
63
I wish to say a few words before the close of the meeting.
63
You have heard me say, a great many times, and it is the
experience of all men who understand wisdom, that the greatest
difficulty we have to meet is what may be termed ignorance, or
want of understanding in the people. If people would readily
understand and practise what they are taught, they would do very
well without so much teaching as now seems to be necessary; but
when they have not that intelligence which leads and guides to
victory in the acts of life, they should be taught to know how to
overcome every difficulty and enemy they have to meet. And if
people could understand things as they are, there never would be
any apostacy--none would fall through lack of faith and good
works. In regard to this people's sustaining the First
Presidency, they believe that they do; but still there is
something beyond which many do not as yet understand: there are
instances in which they do not fully sustain the Presidency. It
may be asked, "Have not this people voted to sustain the
Presidency?" Yes; but do they sustain them in every particular?
The great majority sustain them, as far as they understand. The
main difficulty is that many do not know how the Presidency
should be sustained, through lack of intelligence to rightly
discern and classify their acts and reflections. They will
sustain, with their prayers, every department of the Priesthood
as being teachers of the plan of salvation, but do not understand
that there is not an act in the lives of intelligences but what
has a tendency to either sustain or oppose--a tendency either for
good or evil.
63
The Government of the United States is Republican in form, and
should be in its administration, and requires a man for President
who is capable of communicating to the understanding of the
people, according to their capacity, information upon all points
pertaining to the just administration of the Government. He
should understand what administrative policy would be most
beneficial to the nation. He should also have the knowledge and
disposition to wisely exercise the appointing power, so far as it
is constitutionally within his control, and select only good and
capable men for office. He should not only carry out the legal
and just wishes of his constituents, but should be able to
enlighten their understanding and correct their judgment. And all
good officers in a truly Republican administration will
constantly labour for the security of the rights of all,
irrespective of sect or party.
64
This people would do many things that would tend to death, if
they did not listen to correct instructions; for, as yet, they
have not wisdom enough to guide them under all circumstances. And
although you think that you sustain your Presidency yet many
conduct themselves in some things precisely as do the people in
the world. They take a course to destroy themselves politically
and religiously, and they will destroy themselves; and so would
many of you, if you were destitute of counsellors dictated by the
Spirit of the Lord to direct in all things, whether relating to
religious or political government. We stand upon this platform;
still we are in a measure yet like the world. There are some
contentions and discords, and some are taking a course which will
bring evil upon us. Do they know it? No, they do not: but their
ignorance will not prevent the effects. They do not know the
consequences of unwise acts; but they will produce evil, whether
they understand them or not.
64
There are those who, it would seem, can never come to
understanding: they are apparently stereotyped, never to improve
any more, while others have their minds open and constantly
learning and increasing in wisdom and understanding. When the
people learn to partake of the Spirit which governs this kingdom,
and become fully imbued with that Spirit, they will understand
the objects, examples, and designs of those who are placed to
counsel and direct them. Do you understand that, brethren and
sisters? You must enjoy that Spirit, or you cannot walk in the
same path with those who are appointed to be your counsellors and
teachers. But if you possess that Spirit, instead of taking
various by-paths, you will be able to walk in the path that
leadeth to life. Who are your leaders? The First Presidency. Who
was the master-spirit? Joseph. Who were his leaders? Those who
immediately presided over him. If we will live upon the
principles which our Government professes to be built upon, we
shall follow him, and not make devious paths.
64
All the acts we perform should be governed by the guidance of the
Priesthood. Were that done, you would see blessings result from
all the acts of a nation, just as we wish to see in our Republic,
and as we would see, if the people of our nation would learn and
practise the principles of the Priesthood. The Priesthood does
not wait for ignorance: it instructs those who have not wisdom,
and are desirous of learning correct principles. But our
Government is controlled by ignorance; and thousands who are
ignorant of the true principles of correct government are placed
in important positions, and every department is more or less
governed by ignorance, folly, and weakness. More imbecility has
been manifested in the management of public affairs, of late,
than ought to be manifested by any government.
65
Let those called Latter-day Saints so learn wisdom as to carry
out the true principles of government, that they may be able to
wisely govern and control all things. Do any suppose that we
shall ever war against the principles or form of our National
Government? We shall not; for we love and cherish them and always
have and ever expect to, because they are good and just. It is
published from east to west, and from north to south, that the
"Mormons" are opposed to the Government of the United States.
That is not true, and never was. But many of the officers and
people of the United States are too much opposed to their own
institutions, and are taking a course to destroy the best form of
government instituted by man. They lay the axe at the root of the
tree, and it will fall and be as though it had not been. They do
not understand the principles which will build them up. Each one
strikes out and follows his own way. Do the members thereof know
how to sustain their own party? No: they sap the foundation of
their own party.
65
Such is measurably the case with a portion of this people. They
wish to be saved--they desire to gain celestial glory; but their
own acts sap the foundation of all their desires. This people
desire to do right, and the reason why all of them do not is
because all do not strive to know how. True principles will
abide, while all false principles will fall with those who choose
and cleave to them.
65
The government of this Church is based upon true principles, and
the reason people fall out by the way is because of their
ignorance--because they do not thoroughly canvass their acts, and
wisely ponder the probable results.
65
Brother Wells has been speaking about many of the brethren's
being careless about going north to look after their property. I
have reflected upon that, and I conclude that the brethren feel
to say, "We have left our property, because the Lord in his
wisdom is leading us in a way that requires us to leave our
buildings and other improvements; we have cheerfully left them in
the line of duty, and we do not particularly desire to go back
and guard them. They have passed from our affections, and shall
we turn round and cling to them? We do not feel to care how soon
the Lord sees fit, in his wisdom, to require us to lay them
utterly waste." That feeling proves to me that the affections of
this people are not placed upon earthly things; still there is a
lack of understanding with some in regard to using them aright.
If we have made the sacrifice complete in our feelings, we have
been driven far enough; and I can tell the world that all earth
and hell will never gain power to drive us out of these
mountains, unless it is the will of the Lord, though we may be
required to move from place to place. We have to learn that all
the elements are eternal, though their varied earthly forms are
organized to be dissolved. We must not place our affections upon
these things until they are organized for eternity. If we will
take that course, we shall be laying up treasures in heaven.
Earthly things will be decomposed, and their reorganization will
be by the power of the resurrection: then we shall begin to
understand the proper use of element.
65
I hear some say, "Why should we wish to go to Box Elder to guard
our property there?" The Lord gave us the ability to obtain what
we have; and if our affections are so chastened that we can
measurably realize that he gave us the power to accumulate our
possessions--that he organized the elements and gave us bodies
and life upon the earth--that all blessings are the gift of the
Lord, then we have profited by the experience now offered; and
now it is our duty to preserve that which the Lord has blessed us
with, so far as circumstances will permit, and patiently await
the development of future events and requirements.
66
Some do not understand duties which do not coincide with their
natural feelings and affections. Do you comprehend that
statement? I have tried to tell you; but I am sometimes at a loss
to convey a correct understanding with words. I should have the
language of angels to enable me to exactly convey my ideas, and
that would require an audience who understand that language.
There are duties which are above affection. Our enemies have
driven this people from their homes until their affections are no
longer placed upon the things of this world, which is more than
all other communities can say in truth. No other people can
truthfully say that they can handle the things of this world
without having their affections placed upon them, even though
many of them will endure more or less affliction for their
religion. Some will throw themselves under the massive wheels of
the car of Juggernaut, and be crushed to pieces, and others will
endure all that is possible for their religion, no matter whether
it is true or false. There is not so much difficulty in leading
persons to death for the religion we profess, as there is in
inducing them to live to its pure principles. There is but little
trouble in inducing people to sacrifice and suffer for their
religion: but who lives for it? If this people do not, no people
upon this earth do. And I am happy in being able to say that they
have proved that they place less value upon their farms, houses,
and other comforts of life than they do upon their religion, and
that so many of them try to live their religion day by day.
66
If you have superior wisdom in your midst for your guidance, why
do you not learn that fact, and permit yourselves to be guided by
that wisdom in your business transactions as well as in
doctrine?--for there is no dividing between matters spiritual and
temporal. There is no act of a Latter-day Saint--no duty
required--no time given, exclusive and independent of the
Priesthood. Everything is subject to it, whether preaching,
business, or any other act pertaining to the proper conduct of
this life. It takes the whole man to make a Saint: there are no
exceptions in "Mormonism." Learn so to think and direct your acts
in every transaction of life, that we may overcome the evil that
is sown within us. Overcome the inward enemy; then we can
overcome the Devil's kingdom. And while others choose evil
principles and build upon a foundation which leads to
destruction, let us build upon the principles of eternal
salvation, as we have striven to do all the day long.
66
We are a mystery and a stumbling-block to this generation. One
man will say, "What a numbhead that Brigham Young is!" and
another that "this people are dupes and fanatics;" and yet no man
can controvert, with sound argument, the principles we advance.
No society, political or religious, can cope with us in correct
principles. In the opinion of some we are the most foolish people
in the world, and in that of others we are the wisest. If this
people live to the principles they have embraced, they will be
capable of counselling the nations; for we build upon a just
foundation, and our principles are truth, righteousness, and
holiness. Let us stand by those principles until they crush out
folly from these valleys, and we become teachers of wisdom to the
nations. It would not require a great stretch of mind to teach
them now, did duty require it. A man who has wisdom to control
one wife and five children can control ten wives and one hundred
children; then he can control a town, a city, a state, a nation,
a kingdom, or the whole world.
66
Understand and practise those holy and just principles that reach
to the comprehending of all wisdom, until the nations of the
earth look to Zion for wise counsel. Whether it be in these
mountains or elsewhere, and whether it be within ten years, or
fifty years, or in one day, I will do all I can to prepare for
the glory of Zion. I would build a good house here, had the
opportunity, though I knew I should not enjoy it five minutes. We
intend to build a Temple in these mountains, and not act upon the
principle of some who have been here ten years without a
comfortable dwelling. I want the Elders of Israel to know how to
lay the foundation of Zion.
67
I will now say a few words on business affairs. A road up
Provo kanyon is much needed, and we want ten or twenty companies
of labourers to go to work upon it forthwith, in order to finish
it in about fifteen days, so that you can go into the valleys of
the Weber, where there is plenty of timber.
67
I understand that a company has been chartered by the Legislative
Assembly to make that road; and if those men will come forward,
we will take the responsibility of making it. We shall need about
five hundred labourers. I also want a mill-race dug some
three-quarters-of-a-mile in length, and an excavation made for
the foundation of a grist-mill. When that is done, we will plan
something else; for we want every one to have the privilege of
being actively engaged in some useful occupation. We want men to
labour in every mechanical pursuit that they can; for I believe
that the time will come when we shall have to depend upon our own
resources; and I pray the Lord to so hedge up the way and shut
down the gate, that we may be compelled to depend upon our own
manufacturing for the comforts of life.
67
Last spring I wanted to detect some spirits that I could not make
manifest to the people, only in the course I then took. There are
those who, when they know that they have liberty to act in a
certain manner, do not care about moving in that direction; but
if you say that they cannot or shall not, they are then very
anxious to do so. That class reminds me of the Frenchman who
loaned his money, and upon learning that the borrower was likely
to fail, asked him when he could pay him. The answer was,
"To-day, if you wish it." "Why, have you got it?" "Yes." "Oh, if
you have got it, I do not want it; but if you have not got it, I
want it very bad." With the exception of a short time during the
late difficulties, all persons have always had the privilege of
going away from here when they pleased, and have been repeatedly
invited to do so, if they wished to; and a certain class did not
avail themselves of the privilege: but when I said that they
should not go until I gave them permission, we learned those
spirits, and they have gone.
67
I want the clay well ground and well worked over. I want the pure
in heart to receive their blessings, and to be free from the
oppressions of the wicked.
67
God bless you, brethren and sisters! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Hyde, December 14, 1858
Orson Hyde, December 14, 1858
ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
Opening Address of Elder Orson Hyde, delivered before his Class
at the Social Hall, G. S. L. City, on Tuesday evening,
December 14, 1858.
68
Brethren and Sisters,--Allow me to congratulate you upon this
occasion of assembling yourselves together for the laudable and
praiseworthy object of engaging in a course of studies in the
science of the English language. I cannot withhold an expression
of my feelings of gratitude to our Father in heaven that we are
blest with peace, tranquility, and health, and also with the
staple necessaries and comforts of life. I humbly hope that we
are all exercised with that gratitude to our Supreme Ruler which
his manifold favours extended to us so richly and fully demand.
68
In consequence of the troubles which you and your parents have
undergone in years that are past, some, and perhaps I may say,
many of you, have not met with an earlier convenient opportunity
to acquire the kind of knowledge you now seek. Late, however, as
the hour is, there yet remains sufficient time, if well improved,
to remove the embarrassments under which you may have laboured,
and to embellish your minds with jewels that will render you
distinguished, whether destined to move in the humble or more
elevated walks of life.
69
A thorough knowledge of our own mother tongue is an important key
to that wide field of usefulness which in this day more
especially invites the energies and enterprize of the rising
generation than at any former period in the history of the world.
By some, the inspiration of God is considered to supersede the
necessity of this and every other science. On this erroneous
principle some of you may act, and require me to impart to you a
knowledge of our language without any mental labour on your part.
This I would not do, if I could; for I do not want this class
dishonored with one drone in the hive. I intend to do my duty,
and shall expect you to do yours. Although I thus speak, I do not
believe that any one of you entertains any such opinion. Persons
of this faith will not come here for the object that has called
you out. It is true that God generally calls upon the illiterate
or unlearned to bear his name and testimony to the world. In
this, the policy of our Heavenly Father differs materially from
that of the world. Under his policy, none can say that the
important truths which the servant of God is required to declare
are the result of his great or superior learning. But the
question with me is, Must the servant of God always remain an
unpolished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty? I answer, No. The
Spirit of God directs improvement in everything that is good and
useful. If any doubt this, consider what our leading men were
when called, and then consider what they now are! The inspiration
of God sometimes furnishes the words, but more generally the
thoughts only. Then a flow of correct language is highly useful
to convey those thoughts clearly and distinctly to others. City
Creek is a gracious bounty and gift of Heaven to this community;
yet it requires no small amount of manual labour to conduct it in
suitable portions to every citizen's door. The candle of the Lord
was never lighted up in any man's heart to be put under a bushel.
It will bring him into public notoriety, and he must of necessity
communicate with others. If he understand not his own language
correctly, he is often put to the trouble of applying to another
to correct his sayings, and sometimes under circumstances that
are mortifying and humiliating, or suffer an exposure that might
be still more unpleasant and annoying to his feelings. A few
months of diligent application to the study of grammar will carry
you beyond the reach of all these little perplexities and
embarrassments, and place you upon the summit of this science,
from whence you may view at a glance the wisdom of those who are
with you, and the folly of them beneath you, without a second
person to explain the one or point out the other.
69
There are persons who profess a knowledge of grammar, and yet
they pretend to say that there are no correct rules of language.
Were I to attempt to pass off upon any one of you a base or
counterfeit dollar, and, being detected in my dishonesty, should
attempt to justify myself by saying, "All dollars contain more or
less alloy, and my bogus dollar is just as good as any
other,"--would my apology be satisfactory to you? No. You would
naturally conclude my self-justification to be an index to a
heart not wholly fortified by correct principles.
69
I am free to admit that, since the original language was
confounded at the Tower of Babel, no perfect system of
communications has existed on earth to my knowledge; and
consequently, a perfect set of rules could not apply to an
imperfect language. But is this a sufficient reason why we should
condemn all the rules of syntax, which are the result of the
combined wisdom and labour of ages, adapted in the best possible
way to the construction and use of speech? Such sweeping
declarations may generally be regarded more as an effort on the
part of the delinquent to hide some radical violations of just
laws than the display of any real wisdom or merit. We might just
as well say that men are of no account or worth, because they are
imperfect, and hence go to heaven and deal with them there as
they were before they came to earth and made flesh their
tabernacle. Even then, such rabid opposers to anything that has
the scent of imperfection might find themselves disappointed and
disgusted, even in the presence of the Holy One; for we read that
"he chargeth his angels with folly."
69
There are some, also, who affect to place more confidence in
their own literary acquirements than many others can
conscientiously do. They often resort to the Greek and Latin
languages to justify any aberrations of theirs from the known and
established rules of the English language. There are just as many
imperfections in those languages as there are in the
English,--all languages inheriting similar effects from the great
confusion. Hence, if you show the "cloven foot" in the English
language, you cannot hide it under the folds of the Greek or
Latin.
70
Some of you, my friends, may have a limited knowledge of Hebrew,
Greek, and Latin,--some a pretty fair knowledge of German,
French, and Spanish: but permit me here to suggest one important
rule or caution to be observed by all who wish to be thought
correctly educated. Never volunteer the introduction of a foreign
language in conversation with the unlearned. If you do, you may
be regarded as novices, and, in the light of "Holy Writ," as
heathens and barbarians. Moreover, such pedantic or ostentatious
claims to superior knowledge are palpable breaches of good
manners. He that is at war with the rules of the English language
cannot fail to give unwelcome evidences of the fact in his speech
and writings.
70
We are bound, my friends, to deal with men as we find them,
perfect or imperfect; and we are also bound to use their language
as we find it and as they use it, if we put ourselves in
communication with them, with the hope and expectation of doing
them good and of guiding their actions. We are met for the
purpose, my brethren and sisters, of acquiring this very kind of
knowledge; and I trust that you are all sufficiently impressed
with the importance of this branch of learning to stimulate you
to that diligence, patience, and perseverance in applying
yourselves to its acquisition that cannot fail to secure to you
the object of your pursuit.
70
Permit me here to speak to you in much plainness. To become
thorough grammarians requires much mental labour. The lazy and
inactive mind cannot penetrate far into the intricacies of
language. You must give to this branch your undivided attention,
if you expect to progress with the rapidity that you desire. It
is worthy of all the attention you can give it. How often have I
heard men say--"I would give a thousand dollars to understand the
rules of language, and their proper application to practical
use." Consider, now, that in the short space of fifteen weeks (a
season of the year in which you can do little else to profit,)
you may be led by the hand of your teacher gently forward in the
pursuit of this study; and at the expiration of the term you may
continue your progress alone without an instructor to take you by
the hand. Suffer no sloth, inactivity, or ordinary business to
prevent your attendance at every lesson. If you will all be
diligent between lessons, and labour for yourselves as faithful
as I intend to labour for you, you will be able, at the close of
this school, to march boldly forward, without further aid, to the
most elevated heights of grammatical science.
70
I cannot flatter you with the expectation that you will know it
all at the close of this term, lest your disappointment should so
far react upon your minds as to induce you to cease your efforts
to learn. There is no end to the path of science and improvement.
Learn all you can in this world that is good and true, and it
will only form the basis or grammar of that higher order of
education that awaits you among the classified millions that have
gone up to celestial institutions through the rugged and thorny
way that has been sanctified and honoured by the footsteps of Him
who "taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
70
I am pleased to see you all apparently cheerful and
light-hearted, buoyant with hope and expectation, indicating
feelings good and true, warm and kindly. Virtue and integrity,
with due respect for others according to station and
circumstances, will secure to you a continuation of that glow of
charity and goodwill which now animates your breasts. And when
you shall bid adieu to earth, may your garments be clean and
white, thoroughly washed in the blood of the Lamb, and meet with
a kindly welcome in your Father's house! I will try to be with
you there. Heaven bless the pure in heart, hence forth and for
ever!
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / George
Albert Smith, July 4, 1855
George Albert Smith, July 4, 1855
CELEBRATION OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.
Speech by Elder G. A. Smith, delivered in the Bowery,
Great Salt Lake City, July 4, 1855.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
71
My Friends,--I arise on the present occasion to address you, with
my heart filled with emotions that are not easily described,
apart from feelings which pervade my mind resulting from the
present celebration of the anniversary of our country's
independence. It is with a high degree of pleasure that I witness
such an immense assembly and compare it with celebrations of this
ever-memorable day which I have attended in my native State, in
my early life. The anniversary of the day on which our fathers
declared the independence of the American States I have ever felt
a disposition to celebrate, whenever circumstances and situation
would possibly admit of it, as the day on which our fathers
declared the independence and freedom of millions of people yet
unborn. It was a great step for a few colonies to take, to
attempt to wring from the hands of the king of the most powerful
nation upon the face of the earth their liberties, the right of
self-government--of choosing their own rulers,--those inalienable
rights which belong to man, and are the boon of his Creator, and
which kings had held in their grasp for ages. Our revolutionary
fathers were unwilling longer to be ground down by iron rules and
cast-iron notions of one stupid and corrupt ruler that oppressed
them, and struggled for their freedom. Under the guidance and
fostering care of the God of heaven, these colonies were made
free--free to act in obedience to all those principles he has
given the sons of men their agency to act upon.
71
This is a great illustration of the importance and power of the
principle of union. When the signers of the Declaration of
Independence put their names to that heaven-born instrument, they
were perfectly aware that the success of their cause depended
upon their being united. It was absolutely necessary that they
should all hang together; for if they did not, they were
perfectly sensible they would all hang separately. The united
colonies at that time were ready to sustain the leader of the
revolution almost en masse. There were a few districts where
divisions took place, and those divisions caused more cruelty,
bloodshed, and sorrow than any other circumstance pertaining to
the whole revolutionary struggle.
71
By this grand step our fathers secured to us the right of
self-government. However much wicked men may have opposed and
abused the institutions the revolutionary fathers have
established and put in motion--whatever corrupt office-holders
may have done in violation of them, the great point is gained
which enables the American people to choose their own rulers and
produce such a form of government and such protection as are
necessary for their growth, their freedom, and their continual
wellbeing.
72
It was through the most flagrant violation of these sacred
rights and principles of the Constitution of our country by
perjured officers, who were sworn to do their duty and suppress
mobs and violence, that the rights of freemen, which were
bequeathed to us a priceless legacy, sealed with the blood of our
fathers,--that the Latter-day Saints were driven, en masse, from
their peaceful homes in the United States, and were obliged to
flee, destitute, into a desolate wilderness, where we are laying
a foundation for a State in the great Federal Union, where we can
enjoy our own religious institutions and form a government, and
where we are organizing our own community, agreeable to the
general Constitution of our country, that we may be made
partakers of the blessings which are actually guaranteed unto us
by that sacred instrument. Under these circumstances we rest
until the day shall come that shall so revolutionize our American
Government as to put every treacherous scoundrel where he ought
to be, to reap the reward of perjury and corruption, that he may
have the privilege of being banished by his Maker--that he may
enjoy the society of the father of lies, until he is satisfied
with that kind of fare. [At this point of the speaker's remarks,
a small round table, that had been brought for the Honourable
Judge Kinney to lay his papers upon, fell from the stand upon
which the speakers were sitting, and was broken by the fall.] So,
the end cometh suddenly, the day of corruption is short, and its
dawnfall is sure. [Great laughter.] The old fabric of corruption
is getting so rotten, it will fall of itself and crumble to dust,
without any effort to overthrow it; and the pure principles of
good government, justice, righteousness, and purity will become
so clearly unfolded, that we shall wonder that it was ever
possible such a mass of corruption ever shrouded our country, or
that so great a number of the rulers of the American States
should ever give countenance to the rule of mobs, or the
destruction of the people's rights by any common convention of
scoundrels.
72
The circumstances and pleasures of the day which have so far
passed would have been without alloy or a pang of grief; but I
behold on this platform the vacant seat of one who was associated
with us on the last celebration--one who addressed us on that
occasion with such a flow of natural eloquence and pathos of
feeling, and to whose talents and instruction we were indebted
for a great portion of the interest of that occasion. The
Honourable Leonidas Shaver, Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court, and Judge of this judicial district, has been suddenly
called from the busy scenes of this life into eternity,--a worthy
man and profound jurist, who, by his straightforward and upright
course, has honoured his profession. His studious attention to
his duty, his fine intellect, polished education, and gentlemanly
bearing have won for him the universal admiration and respect of
this community. It was only necessary to be acquainted with him
to love him. Our worthy instructor and expositor of the law has
been called from our midst suddenly. He not only administered the
law, but honoured it himself. Hear it, O ye judicators of the
law, and pattern after him. And we this day look round upon those
that surround us, with this solemn reflection, that but a short
season can pass until it will be our turn to follow him.
73
This circumstance should caution us against sin of every
description, and prompt us to live uprightly, walking in
accordance with all the laws and principles of human right and
Divine revelation, that we may be prepared for so great and
solemn and event when it shall come, when it will be our turn to
participate in the realities of death.
73
It is well understood that the principles of truth are bound to
prevail. It makes no difference what the opposition may be, or
what length of time that opposition may continue, or how much sin
is perpetrated to prevent it, or rivers of blood and millions of
treasure wasted to oppose it, yet truth will ultimately prevail;
and the day will come when a "Mormon" can be respected in other
portions of the world as much as any other man,--yes, exactly as
much as though he professed any other religion. Why? Because
"Mormonism" is truth;, and truth will prevail. Those principles
which are laid down in the very formation and genius of the
General Government of the United States knew no religious sect:
all were alike. And when these principles can prevail as our
fathers handed them down to us, freedom will not be a name: and
the day is approaching, and it is not far distant, when all the
corruption and wickedness which serve to bring distress and
misery upon a considerable portion of the community will be done
away. That order of things will vanish, and this people will have
the opportunity of enjoying all their privileges and rights in
every portion of their loved country that they can in these
mountains.
73
If ever William Tell was happy when he found himself free from
the grasp of his enemies, so this people felt to rejoice when
they were encircled within these vast deserts and almost
impenetrable mountain walls. It was not the beauty of the
country, the barren deserts, the rocky mountains, this isolated
position, that invited us here: we came here simply because it
was the only place of refuge which offered to us security from
the hands of our persecutors, where we could actually enjoy our
constitutional rights. We are here, thank God, enjoying all the
privileges of American freemen, and all the blessings and
ordinances and powers which lead to an eternal exaltation in the
celestial kingdom of our God.
74
And I will tell you, my friends, what I hope. I hope that the
first mob that rises in these valleys will experience the same
sensation (and worse, if possible,) that a certain gentleman, a
leader of a mob in Jackson County, Missouri, did, whose name was
James Campbell, who had been long famed among his comrades as one
of the bravest men in that county. It was on the occasion of the
Battle of the Blue. He gathered up his men and fired fifty-three
rifles into a small party of the "Mormons" that were hastily
gathered together for mutual protection. There were only fifteen
or sixteen guns among the "Mormons." They returned the fire, at
which many of Campbell's comrades left in a hurry; but he
concluded to stay and tussle it out with the "Mormons." There was
an old revolutionary soldier, named Brace, in the "Mormon"
company, who had fought in many battles under Washington, in the
war of Independence. He fired his musket at Campbell without
effect, and he fired at the old soldier also without effect; but
Campbell being able to load quaker than he could, there was no
alternative for Brace but to run at him with the butt end of his
gun before the could re-load: so he commenced yelling like ten
thousand Indians, and charged Campbell with the butt end of his
musket. Campbell, to save himself, suddenly wheeled his horse and
plied the whip. This gave the old veteran a chance to re-load. He
then fired his piece, and killed Campbell's horse as he was
jumping over a fence, which left him hanging there; but Campbell
in his terror did not know whether he was running on his feet or
riding on his horse. So he ran across the country with all the
power he possessed, whipping behind him, as he supposed, his
horse, crying, "Get up, or the Mormons will kill us!--get up, or
the Mormons will kill us!" So I want the first mob that rises in
this country to feel, and all those who hold power and influence
in the nation, who, by that means seek to distress and afflict
the innocent,--I want all such men to feel like the illustrious
Campbell. I want the same terror to fall upon them that fell upon
him, and the same powers of locomotion to clear out, crying, "Get
up, or the Mormons will kill us!" as he did, although his horse
lay on the fence dead, near a mile behind him.
74
With these sentiments, these few ideas, which are offered without
having had time for studied reflection and preparation, I say,
May we long live on the face of the earth, and enjoy the
blessings and privileges of American Independence! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Pratt, August 28, 1859
Orson Pratt, August 28, 1859
ELIJAH'S LATTER-DAY MISSION.
A Sermon by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, August 28, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
74
I will call the attention of the assembly to the last chapter of
Malachi, 5th and 6th verses. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and
smite the earth with a curse."
74
I do not feel, this morning, to make apologies particularly, but
present myself before you because I am requested so to do,
feeling that I am fulfilling the duties of my office and calling
to comply with the requests of those set to preside. There is one
subject which I will briefly touch upon as a kind of preface to
my remarks, and that is in relation to one's preparing himself,
as a servant of God, to preach the principles of eternal truth.
We should not study beforehand the precise subject upon which we
will preach, or the precise language that we shall use in
treating upon any subject; but this does not preclude the idea of
a man's informing himself upon all subjects. This, I have often
thought, is not understood as it ought to be by the officers of
this Church.
75
There are many, perhaps, who feel a disposition to neglect all
improvement of mind, thinking that if they are placed in a
position where they are called upon to preach, God will give
them, not only the subject, but the language also, and everything
pertaining to the duties of their callings as public speakers.
Although we are taught that we are to take no thought beforehand
what we shall say, yet we are nowhere taught in the revelations
of God to let our minds run down--our understandings and our
judgment to be spent in idleness, without treasuring up the
things of the kingdom of God, and storing up useful knowledge.
Indeed, we are commanded in the revelations of the Most High
directly to the contrary from the idea which has prevailed among
some.
75
We are commanded over and over again to treasure up wisdom in our
hearts continually--to treasure up the words of eternal life
continually, and make ourselves acquainted not only with ancient
revelation, but with modern; to make ourselves acquainted not
only with things pertaining to time, but with things pertaining
to eternity; to make ourselves acquainted not only in regard to
things of earth, but also in regard to things that are in heaven;
to inform ourselves upon theories, principles, laws,
doctrines,--upon things that are at home, and upon things that
are abroad. And the same Almighty Being who has commanded us to
do these things has commanded us to take no thought beforehand
what we should say; for every well-instructed scribe, we read in
the New Testament, bringeth out of his heart things both new and
old. It is not the ill-instructed scribe, we read in the New
Testament, bringeth out of his heart things both new and old. It
is not the ill-instructed scribe--it is not the person who
suffers his time to run to idleness, but it is that man that
instructs himself in all things within his reach, so far as his
circumstances and abilities will allow. Such a one will bring
forth before his hearers things that will edify in relation to
old times, and also in relation to the present and
future,--things both new and old. Moreover, we read that the Holy
Ghost shall give you in the very hour what ye shall say.
75
What need, then, inquires one, is there for a person to inform
his mind, if the Holy Ghost will give him, in the very hour what
he shall say? It is not every man that has sufficient faith to
obtain that amount of the Holy Spirit that will bring the
subjects, the ideas, the language, and the system of the subject
all before his mind at once. There are but a very few persons
which ever lived upon this earth that have had sufficient faith
to obtain all this fulness of these gifts; and it is one great
reason why the Lord has commanded his servants to instruct
themselves, because of the weakness of their faith. Then, if they
have fulfilled this commandment, they will have more confidence
in God; but if they have neglected this commandment, what
confidence have they that the Holy Ghost will be given to them?
75
Will the Lord bestow his Holy Spirit upon an unwise and
unfaithful servant--upon one who disobeys his commandments, who
sits himself down in idleness, and will not attempt to inform his
mind upon all subjects within his reach?
75
If any person supposes this, he is greatly mistaken; but if he
tries to fulfil the commandments of God, making himself
extensively acquainted with the attributes of that Being whom he
worships,--if he tries to become acquainted with all useful
subjects, he will then have faith. He can then go before the Lord
and ask him for his Spirit to indite, in the very hour, that
particular subject which he has previously informed himself upon,
and to bring it forth before the people in a proper light and in
a proper manner. But without this his efforts will be in vain.
76
It is most likely that an individual who has disobeyed this
commandment, instead of preaching by the Holy Ghost, will preach
by his own wisdom; and he will tell you about ten thousand things
which the Holy Ghost never puts in his heart: he will preach
about so many things, that it will be impossible for the
enlightened among his congregation to see anything in his ideas
that will be calculated to edify or instruct.
76
I have made these preparatory remarks particularly for the
benefit of my brethren of the ministry; for I know the
difficulties they encounter when they go abroad. I have been
abroad with several companies of missionaries from this place,
and I have seen them lament and mourn, and have heard them tell
their feelings one to another, saying--"O that I had occupied my
time that I have spent as it were in folly, in treasuring up the
principles of eternal life,--that I had studied the
scriptures--that I had made myself acquainted more extensively
with the doctrines of the Church--that I had made myself
acquainted with those principles revealed from heaven for our
guidance! I should then have been prepared to stand before the
inhabitants of the earth and edify them with regard to our
principles." I have heard these lamentations for months after
they were in their fields of labour; and I have really been
astonished at the idleness of those who are growing up, who
expect to be servants of God and to occupy a conspicuous place in
the kingdom of God. I know many of us can plead some sort of an
excuse. The hard labours we have to endure in irrigating the
soil, in penetrating the mountain kanyons for wood and
timber,--all these things have a tendency to fatigue the body and
the mind, so that we have not the same opportunity for
information that we would have, if we were more at leisure. After
all, cannot every man look back upon many hours that have been
spent in foolishness--perhaps in going to dancing school, or in
going to parties wherein there is no particular profit? Not only
hours, but days are spent that might have been used for better
purposes; consequently, you have not a sufficient excuse to
justify you in spending your time in idleness.
76
Having made these remarks, we will now call your attention to the
words of our text. How far I may, on the present occasion, treat
upon the subject that is laid down in the text, I do not know. I
will endeavour to treat upon it as far as my mind shall be opened
by the Holy Spirit; and if any other subject is presented to me,
I shall follow it, and deviate from the subject couched in the
text. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall
turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of
the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth
with a curse."
76
What "great and dreadful day of the Lord" is meant in the words
of our text? Was it the great day of the coming of our Saviour in
the flesh to make an atonement for the children of men? Is there
nothing contained in the last chapter of Malachi that will give
us a clue to that day--that will give us an understanding of what
is meant by the great and dreadful day of the Lord? Go back to
the beginning of that chapter, and you will read thus--"Behold,
the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud,
yea, and they that do wickedly shall be stubble; and the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall
leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my
name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his
wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall,
and ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under
the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the
Lord of Hosts."
77
Were these things predicted in revelation to the first coming of
the Messiah? No. All the proud and all that did wickedly in that
day were not consumed as stubble, and the righteous did not go
forth and grow up like calves of the stall, and tread down the
wicked as ashes under the soles of their feet, at the first
coming of our Lord. Then surely this coming of our Lord had
relation to the great and terrible day, the day of burning, the
day in which wickedness should be entirely swept from the earth,
and no remnants of the wicked left, when every branch of them and
every root of them should become as stubble, and be consumed from
the face of the earth. That is the terrible day that was spoken
of by the Prophet, before which a certain messenger was to be
sent. "Behold, I will send to you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Who was Elijah
the Prophet? He was a man that lived upon the earth some 2,500
years ago. He was a man of God that had power to call down fire
from heaven and consume his enemies.
77
You recollect, on a certain occasion, that the king of Israel
sent up fifty men to take Elijah the Prophet, that he might be
slain. Elijah went up and sat on the top of a hill, and when
those fifty men approached him, they said, "Come down, thou man
of God," &c. Elijah said, "If I be a man of God, let fire come
from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty." Fire descended, and
they were consumed. Another fifty were sent, and they repeated
the same mockery, and the Prophet of God repeated the same, "If I
be a man of God, let fire descend from heaven and consume thee
also and thy fifty;" and it was done. That same man of God was in
his day filled with faith--with confidence in God; and on a
certain occasion he came forth before the Israelites, and said to
them, "How long do you halt between two opinions? If God be God,
serve him; if Baal be God serve him."
77
How shall Israel test the matter? How shall the people know
whether God is really the God of Israel or Baal? Why, says
Elijah, I will tell you how to test it. You gather together all
the prophets of Baal into one assembly, and let them offer an
offering unto their god Baal; and I, as a Prophet of the other
God, will offer an offering: and if Baal answers by fire, then he
shall be the true God; but if the God that I, Elijah, worship
answers by fire, then he shall be the true God. They concluded to
put the thing to a test; so they assembled the Prophets of Baal
(some four hundred and fifty in number,) into one grand assembly,
and they killed a bullock, and laid it upon the altar, and
commenced crying to Baal, "O Baal, hear us!" They were very
earnest and very zealous in their cries and petitions to Baal:
but no voice--no answer; no fires descended from Baal to consume
the sacrifice. By-and-by the Prophet Elijah began to mock them.
Said he, "Cry aloud, for he is a god: either he is talking, or he
is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth,
and must be awaked:" cry louder! And they did so, and cut
themselves with knives and lancets, to excite the compassion of
their god. But, with all their cries, continued all day long,
they could obtain no voice, no revelation, no answer, no
messenger, no fire.
78
By-and-by, Elijah the Prophet killed a sacrifice and built an
altar of stones, and laid his sacrifice upon the altar, and told
them to turn out water in great abundance into the troughs around
about the altar; after which, Elijah merely offered up a simple
petition to the God of heaven, the true God; and behold, fire
fell from heaven and devoured the sacrifice, and not only that,
but it consumed the water itself, and all things pertaining to
the sacrifice were consumed by the fire that descended from
heaven. Many of the people were convinced that Baal was not the
true God, and that the prophets of Baal were false prophets. What
was the result? This true Prophet said to them, Take those
prophets of Baal and slay every one of them: so they went to work
and killed all the prophets of Baal. By-and-by, this same Prophet
went forth into a certain place, followed by Elisha, knowing that
the time was come for him to be taken from the midst of Israel;
and behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horsemen, and it
came down from heaven, and Elijah was placed in the chariot, and
wafted to heaven, body and spirit, flesh and bones.
78
Then Elijah is not dead. If we could have a view of the heavenly
host at the present day, we should see Elijah there. But he is to
be sent from heaven on a mission to our earth. "Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the great and dreadful day of
the Lord shall come." We need never look for the coming of the
Son of God--for the day when he shall suddenly come to his temple
and sit like a refiner of silver, and as with fuller's soap to
purify and purge the sons of Levi, &c., until Elijah the Prophet
is sent. But the great question is, Has he been sent? If he has,
it must have been of a very recent date, for the great and
dreadful day of the Lord has not yet come; for there are still
wicked men upon the earth. What is the testimony of the Prophet
Joseph Smith? We believe him to be the Prophet of the Lord in
this great and last dispensation. We Latter-day Saints believe
this fact. What did he testify in the Kirtland Temple, after it
was built and consecrated and dedicated unto the Lord of hosts?
He testified that he, in connection with others, had the
ministration of Elijah the Prophet, who appeared to them in great
glory. You can read this in the History of Joseph Smith, the
Prophet: we can read all the instructions that were given in
relation to his particular mission.
78
We cannot suppose that that great Prophet is coming down upon the
earth to wander about among the nations, and to continue in this
wicked world. If he is sent at all, he will be sent with power
and authority like other angels sent from heaven, to bestow the
same authority that is upon himself on some individuals on the
earth, that they may go forth holding the same authority that
Elijah himself held, having the same keys, receiving the same
instructions, in regard to the Latter-day dispensation,--a
mission, in other words, sent from heaven by Elijah as a
ministering angel to seek out the chosen vessels, and ordain
them, and send them to administer to the inhabitants of the
earth. This is the way the Lord commits dispensations: instead of
sending angels to wander on the earth, he sends them to ordain
others, to restore the authority, and set the work agoing. This
Church had already been organized, and certain authority and
officers had been restored; but no Elijah had yet come. John the
Baptist had come, in fulfilment of the 3rd chapter of Malachi and
the 40th chapter of Isaiah: he came to restore the Priesthood of
Levi, in order that those holding it might be purified as gold
and silver, to offer an offering in righteousness when the Lord
should suddenly come to his temple.
79
Peter, James, and John had also been sent as Apostles to restore
the Apostleship to the earth; for no man held that power and
authority; and in order that it might be restored, it was needful
that an Apostle, holding the office, and authority, and the keys,
should lay his hands upon an individual to restore these keys,
and authority, and power to act in the Apostleship. Peter, James,
and John, therefore, restored to the earth the same authority and
power that they themselves had. But no Elijah had yet come. Years
had passed along, and the Temple in Kirtland was at length built
and consecrated unto the Most High God.
79
The time had now arrived for other ordinances to be
made manifest, for other things to be revealed, for greater light
to shine forth, for other keys, powers, and authorities to be
bestowed upon chosen vessels of the Lord. The full time had
arrived for the prophecy of Malachi to be fulfilled, when the
hearts of the fathers should be turned to their children, and
when the hearts of the children should be turned to their
fathers, lest the Lord should come and smite the whole earth with
a curse.
79
In order to restore a mission of that kind and magnitude, Elijah
had to be sent. We have the testimony of the servants of God in
this Church that this was accomplished in the Kirtland Temple, in
the State of Ohio, many years ago.
79
But now let us inquire into the nature of this peculiar calling
or mission of Elijah. All that is said in Malachi on the subject
is that he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers, and there leaves
it. What did he mean? Did he mean only to bind the hearts of the
fathers to the children living with them in greater affection, or
the hearts of the children in greater affection to the fathers?
Was that all the fulness of the great mission that was to be
intrusted to this great translated man, called Elijah? I think
not. And when we come to contemplate that which God has revealed
in these latter times, we find that the mission of Elijah was
something of far greater importance than merely to accomplish
this that I have named.
79
In what sense of the word are the children to be turned unto
their fathers, or the fathers to their children? I will tell you
what we know and understand upon this subject. The strangers who
have attended our meetings have oftentimes heard from this stand
that the dispensation in which we live was intended to benefit
not only the generation living, but also past generations that
have lain in their graves for ages. You have heard this often
hinted at; but perhaps no one, since you have attended our
meeting, has taken up the subject to any great length, but merely
a few words thrown out and there it was left. A sufficient,
however was said to give you an understanding that we believe God
will have something to do with the generations of the dead; that
the children that are living here on the earth would be required
to feel after their fathers that are in the graves; in other
words, that the hearts and minds of the children should be
turned, by the mission of Elijah, to the fathers, to search after
them, to redeem and save them, though they have lain in their
graves for generations.
80
Inquirers would really like to know if there is such a principle
as mankind living on the earth having any thing to do with the
salvation of those that are dead. The Saints believe that the
Gospel was ordained from before the foundation of the world: in
other words, the Lamb that, in the mind of God, was slain from
before the foundation of the world, has instituted a certain plan
of salvation by which the whole human family, from Adam down to
the latest man and woman that shall have place upon the earth,
are to be judged. Thousands of millions have gone down to their
graves who never heard one single lisp of the Gospel. They know
nothing about it. They know nothing about Jesus Christ, nothing
about his atonement, nothing about the fall, and nothing about
the true God; but they died in the greatest of ignorance. Will it
be consistent with the great attributes of Jehovah to judge them
by a law they had no knowledge of? It would be inconsistent, if
they were always to remain without that knowledge. But if they
are to be judged by that law--that great plan of salvation
ordained before the foundation of the earth, they must be made
acquainted with it, either in time or in eternity.
80
There have been dispensations pertaining to time, and these
dispensations have generally been of short endurance. The
wickedness of the world has been such as to drive those holding
authority and power to administer in the various dispensations
from the earth; and the systems of men have been instituted in
the stead thereof, and our earth has been left from time to time
overwhelmed with the darkness, confusion, jars, and discords of
men-made systems of religion; and the people have been shut out,
for many generations, from the true light of heaven.
80
What has been the condition of the people for some seventeen
centuries past on the great Eastern hemisphere? We have often
told you that the ancient Church was destroyed from the face of
the earth--that the authority of the Priesthood of heaven was
taken from the earth--that no such thing as a Christian Church,
with all its authority and power, as it stood upon the earth in
ancient days has existed for generations and ages that are past.
This we have proved to the people from time to time, and we have
showed them that this state of things has taken place in
fulfilment of prophecy: hence, the people who died during these
dark ages, have gone down in ignorance of the law by which they
are to be judged--in ignorance of the authority and power of the
Gospel--in ignorance of the Christian religion. They, having only
a history of it, had no one authorized to administer it. They
could barely read what it was in ancient days, and that was all.
80
Were not those ancient fathers of ours as good, in many respects,
as we? And if they had had the same opportunities we enjoy, would
not many of them have embraced the Gospel as well as we? If they
are not permitted to hear the Gospel in the eternal worlds, could
they not come up before the Judge of all the earth, and say You
are a partial Being; you are judging us by a law we never heard
of--condemning us for something we never had the opportunity of
receiving?
80
They would have the right to plead this excuse before the great
bar of judgment. But, that they may be left without excuse before
the bar of God in the last dispensation of the fulness of times,
God will send a holy messenger from heaven, called Elijah, the
Prophet, to give power to chosen vessels on the earth to
officiate in the ordinances of that Gospel in their behalf. Thus
the hearts of the children will be turned towards their fathers;
otherwise the children must also perish with their fathers, and
all flesh would be smitten with a curse. Why? Because we have the
power given unto us from heaven to feel after our fathers, and
yet we will not do it; consequently, we would be cursed and we
could not escape from it.
81
Though the Gospel may be revealed to us, we cannot partake of it,
and enjoy its principles, and neglect the fathers. That is a duty
enjoined upon the children in the last dispensation; that is the
duty enjoined upon us, and by no less a personage than the one I
have named. That Prophet who had such great power while he
remained on the earth--that had power to call down fire upon his
enemies--that had power to call fire from heaven and consume the
sacrifices,--that Prophet who was wafted to heaven in a chariot
of fire--that same august personage has been sent from the
eternal worlds with this important message to the children, that
we might extend a helping hand to our fathers that are dead, that
they might be benefited, as well as we, by the great plan of
human redemption.
81
Now, the great and grand question to be understood by us is,
Wherein do the children benefit the fathers? In what respect,
how, and in what manner are their hearts turned to them? And
also, on the other hand, in what way can the fathers benefit the
children? For not only the hearts of the children have to be
turned to the fathers, but the hearts of the fathers are to be
turned to the children. Both of these objects are to be
accomplished in the great mission given to Elijah.
81
Let us first inquire, In what way are the children that are upon
the earth to be benefited by their fathers that are dead? I have
already told you. Had it not been for the fathers that are dead,
where would have been the Priesthood?
81
Could we have got it from the Church of Rome? No; for it never
was restored to them. Is there any possible way by which the
people calling themselves Latter-day Saints could have been
benefited by the authority and Priesthood of heaven, unless it
were through our fathers who were sent from heaven, holding the
authority and conferring it upon the children, that they might
officiate in behalf of those who died without the knowledge of
the Gospel? There is no other way; and this is the way we
obtained it; and we have certainly been benefited by it, and the
hearts of our fathers holding the Priesthood have really and
truly been turned unto us. While they lived upon the earth, they
looked down through the dark vista of ages, and beheld their
children in the last dispensation, and the work they were to
accomplish. They beheld the time when all things in heaven and on
the earth, that are in Christ, should be gathered together in
one; and they called it "the dispensation of the fulness of
times:" in other worlds, a dispensation that includes all other
dispensations. Do you understand that? For instance, the former
dispensations that have been upon this earth have been
dispensations only in part: they were calculated in their nature
to accomplish certain objects upon the face of the earth, but
they never embraced the fathers and the children down to the end
of time.
82
In the last dispensation of the fulness of times all other
dispensations will be consolidated. It will be the winding-up
dispensation of this earth, introduced before the great and
terrible day of the Lord comes. It will be a dispensation that
will take hold of the fathers back to the earliest ages of the
world. It will be a dispensation in which the keys that were
committed to the Apostles in the ancient days will be delivered
to chosen ones--a dispensation in which all the keys and powers
held by all the ancient Prophets will be delivered--a
dispensation that will reach back unto the days of Moses, and
that will take hold of patriarchal keys, and the righteous
institutions of those that lived in the days of the flood, and
back to the days of our father Adam; and there will be keys and
powers restored once revealed to him. All these dispensations
could not be perfected without the grand dispensation of the
fulness of times that will encompass all the inhabitants of the
earth, of all ages and generations, in one vast general assembly.
All things in heaven, recollect, and all things on the earth that
are in Christ are to be gathered in one.
82
Did any other dispensations accomplish this? Contemplate the
works of all past dispensations, and you will find all were not
gathered in one. It is true they were gathered from time to time
in the heavens, to wait there for the time when all the righteous
of this globe should be gathered into one vast assembly--the
fathers with the children, and the children with the fathers: the
one could not be perfected without the other.
82
Herein, then, both the fathers and the children are interested,
and the children are benefited through the assistance of the keys
handed down from heaven by the fathers; and on the other hand,
that portion of the fathers who died in ignorance are benefited
by the assistance of the keys committed into the hands of the
children who will officiate in their behalf.
82
But now let us come to particulars in regard to this subject. How
do the children officiate in behalf of the fathers? We can
officiate while in the flesh so far as ordinances are concerned.
We cannot believe for our fathers, we cannot repent for them, we
cannot receive the Holy Ghost for our fathers, and we cannot
attain to any other point pertaining to the mind or the spirit of
man.
82
Wherein, inquires one, can we benefit our fathers, if we cannot
repent for them, nor believe for them, nor receive the Holy Ghost
for them? In what manner can we benefit them? I will tell you
what we can do. We can be baptized for the dead. Can it be
possible that there is such a principle? Turn to the 15th chapter
of Paul's 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, where you can read the
words of the great Apostle upon the subject of baptism for the
dead. "Else," said he, "what shall they do which are baptized for
the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized
for the dead?"
82
He understood the matter; it was all plain before him; and he was
writing to a people who understood it: they had received previous
instructions, although these words are contained in what is
called Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians; and in this first
Epistle we read that he had written another epistle to that same
people; but that is lost. If we had that first epistle which Paul
refers to in what is now termed "the first Epistle," we should
probably find this doctrine fully revealed, for he wrote to them
as though they understood all about it. He could with propriety
have addressed then in a style something like this:--You
Corinthians have received the ordinance of baptism for the dead;
you have gone forth and been baptized for and in behalf of the
dead; you have been buried in water in the likeness of Christ's
death, and raised from it in the likeness of his resurrection, in
behalf of the dead: and now, inasmuch as you understand it, what
will you do, if the dead rise not at all? As much as to say that
baptism will give you a full and clear title to come forth in the
morning of the first resurrection; and also your dead can rise in
the morning of the first resurrection, inasmuch as you have been
baptized for them: but if the dead are not raised from their
graves, neither you nor they can be benefited by baptism.
83
This is the argument of Paul. This looks consistent.
Those spirits of our fathers whose bodies are in their graves can
repent, for they have not lost their agency; they can believe in
Jesus Christ, for that is an act of the mind: they can reform
from every evil, because they are agents; for it is the spirit
that can do good or evil. That same being, called the spirit, can
repent in the eternal worlds as well as here; it can believe in
Jesus Christ and in this atonement in the eternal worlds as well
as here: and if the Gospel is preached to them there, they can
receive it there, so far as the acts of the mind are concerned;
but they could not receive baptism there, for that is an
ordinance pertaining to the body: it is an outward ordinance--an
ordinance instituted particularly for those that are in the
flesh.
83
Baptism is for the remission of the sins of those who are in the
body; and it is the same for the generations of the dead, if
their sins are to be forgiven through the atoning blood of Jesus
Christ. The conditions of forgiveness are the same in the spirit
world as here--namely, baptism for the remission of sins. But,
inasmuch as they have not the opportunity of being baptized in
that spirit world, some person else must officiate for them in
their behalf. What power and authority do the servants of God
justly receive who administer here on the earth? Do they
administer as persons that have no authority? Do they officiate
as having received authority from man? Do they assume authority?
Is this the kind of authority with which the true servants of God
administer in ordinances? No. The authority committed into the
hands of the servants of God, in all dispensations of the Gospel,
is the power to bind on the earth, and it is bound in heaven,--to
seal on the earth and it is sealed in heaven,--to loose on the
earth, and it is loosed in the heavens; and whosesoever sins they
remit here on the earth, they are to be remitted in the heavens;
and whosesoever sins they retain here upon the earth, they are
retained against those individuals in the heavens. This is the
authority of the servants of God in all dispensations of the
Gospel from the earliest ages of the world until the present
time. Any authority which does not embrace this power in the
ministration of ordinances is altogether useless and in vain.
Baptism received at the hands of any unauthorized person is good
for nothing.
83
When the children of men here in the flesh receive the Gospel for
themselves, they are baptized for the remission of sins, and
receive the fulness of the Gospel and the hope of eternal life in
the kingdom of God for themselves: when they also have a
dispensation committed to them for the benefit of their fathers
who are dead, unless they exercise their agency in trying to
benefit the fathers, they will, as Malachi predicts, be smitten
with a curse: they will not be profited themselves by the Gospel
which they have received. Why? Because they do not reach forward
and try to reclaim others whose bodies are sleeping in the grave.
84
The Latter-day Saints have had this subject revealed to them; and
the great God that sent his angel to Joseph Smith, to give him
power and authority to translate the history of ancient America,
with the Gospel and prophecies contained in it, has spoken to the
same man, revealing to him the keys of Elijah, and power to seal
on earth that which shall be sealed in the heavens: therefore,
when by that authority the servants and handmaids of the Lord go
forth and are baptized for those that are dead, it is recorded
and sealed on the earth. The administrator who officiates for and
in behalf of the dead does it by authority. He says--Having
authority given me in the name of Jesus Christ, I baptize you for
and in behalf of your father, of your mother, of your
grandfather, or of any of your ancestors, as the case may be,
that are dead: and I do this in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. This is recorded in the sacred
records kept on the earth; and the recording angel who takes
cognizance of the ordinances on the earth makes a record of the
same in heaven. I do not know but Elijah himself may be the
recording angel for eternity.
84
The sacred books kept in the archives of eternity are to be
opened in the great judgment day, and compared with the records
kept on the earth; and then, if it is found that things have been
done by the authority and commandment of the Most High, in
relation to the dead, and the same things are found to be
recorded both on earth and in heaven, such sacred books will be
opened and read before the assembled universe in the day of
judgment, and will be sanctioned by Him who sits on the throne
and deals out justice and mercy to all of his creation. Our
fathers who are in the spirit world must have a message sent to
them. What benefit would it be for you and me to go forth and be
baptized for our fathers, or for our grandfathers, or for any of
our ancestors who are dead, if no message is to be sent to them
in the spirit world? A message must be sent to them.
84
There are authorities in heaven as well as upon the earth, and
the authorities in heaven are far greater in number than the few
who are upon the earth. This is only a little branch of the great
tree of the Priesthood--merely a small branch receiving authority
from heaven, so that the inhabitants of the earth may be
benefited as well as the inhabitants of the eternal world; but
the great trunk of the tree of the Priesthood is in heaven. There
you will find thousands and millions holding the power of the
Priesthood; there you will find numerous hosts of messengers to
be sent forth to benefit the numerous nations of the dead. They
go forth having authority; they enter into the prison-houses of
the dead; they open their mouths by authority and commandment of
the Most High God; they preach to them Jesus Christ as the Lamb
slain from before the foundation of the world; they show to the
inhabitants of the dead, in their prison-houses, that his
atonement was intended to reach them as well as people dwelling
upon the earth. And in proof of this, let me refer you to what
the Apostle Peter says in relation to Jesus our great High Priest
and Apostle, who was sent forth by the commandment of the Father
to our world. Peter says that after he was crucified and put to
death in the flesh, he went to preach to the spirits in prison
which perished in the floods, when once the long-suffering of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing.
84
We learn from this that Jesus has set the example--that he came
forth while in the flesh to minister unto those in the flesh; and
while his body slept in the tomb, and his spirit was separate
from the same, he still felt himself authorized as an Apostle and
High Priest to go to those prison-houses and open the prison
doors and set the captives free. He found those old antediluvian
spirits that existed on the earth some two thousand years before
that time; he preached to them; and, as Peter says, in the next
chapter, he preached the Gospel to them:--"For for this cause was
the Gospel preached to them that are dead, that they might be
judged according to men in the flesh, and live according to God
in the spirit." They could not be judged by the same law, unless
it was preached to them. The same Gospel must be sounded in their
ears that was sounded in the ears of the living. If they reject
it in their prison-houses, they will be punished by the same law
you and I will be punished by, if we reject it in the flesh.
85
One of the powers of the Priesthood is that whatsoever you
shall loose on the earth shall be loosed in the heavens. Now, if
a spirit does sincerely receive a messenger in that prison--if he
believes his testimony and hearkens to all things that are
said--if he believes that Jesus Christ has tasted death for every
man--for those who die in ignorance, as well as for those who
hear the Gospel in the flesh, he will be informed that in yonder
world, or in the world he came from, there is authority given for
men and women to be baptized for such.
85
Those messengers sent to preach in prison will most likely
interrogate the prisoners in language something like this:--Will
you receive our testimony? Do you believe that Jesus Christ has
tasted death for every man? Do you believe that through your
repentance and faith, and through the ordinance of baptism in
your behalf, by those that are living in yonder world, you may
have a remission of your sins? If they believe it, and actually
do repent, the ordinance of baptism administered here in their
behalf will benefit them there. But, says one, this being
baptized for another looks rather inconsistent to me. Why does
it? Suppose a man is placed in a situation that he could not be
baptized for himself, must his sins be retained unto him? Must he
remain in prison throughout all ages of eternity, because he has
lost his body, and has not the privilege of being baptized? Does
that look inconsistent with the justice of God? Then why not
another person administer in his behalf? How could you have
atoned for yourselves? If it had not been for the agency of
another being that acted for you and in your behalf, you must
have perished eternally. You had forfeited every right and title
to the blessings of the kingdom of God: all mankind were shut out
from the presence of God, and became dead as to things pertaining
to righteousness: the sentence of the first death was placed upon
father Adam and his children, which was irrevocable, if there had
been no atonement.
85
We would have had to lay down these bodies, never to rise from
the tomb, if there had been no atonement: our spirits would have
been for ever subject to that being that tempted our first
parents, and we could not have helped ourselves. Hence, the Son
of God came forth and made an atonement, not for himself, but for
and in behalf and in the name of his younger brethren, that they,
through his blood, and through certain conditions of the Gospel,
might receive forgiveness of their sins. One of these conditions
is baptism: but spirits are placed in a condition where they
cannot receive this ordinance. And now, why not somebody have
authority to go and administer for them and in their behalf? Not
only Jesus has acted in behalf of the children of men, but it
pertains to the same Priesthood and Apostleship, wherever it is
placed, to act for and in behalf of the children of men: hence,
Paul says, We beseech you, not in our own name, but in Christ's
stead, be ye reconciled to God. They came forth to officiate for
the children of men, that could not help themselves without
authorized ministers.
86
Just so, the dead could not help themselves without messengers
being sent to them in their prison-houses, and without persons in
the flesh being authorized to receive Gospel ordinances for them
and in their behalf. How are we to know the individuals for whom
we should be baptized? We know nothing about our ancestors very
far back. We can, perhaps, go back to our grandfathers, and some
of you may possibly trace your genealogies back seven or eight
generations, and get the names of your ancestors. But when you
get these, there is a still longer chain, with many links to it,
before you get back where the chain has been mended up by ancient
administrators. How can we be baptized for persons whose very
names are lost? Do you suppose that the Prophet Elijah would be
sent from heaven with this great and important mission to turn
the heart of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the
children to the fathers, and then leave them in entire ignorance
with regard to their genealogies?
86
If Elijah the Prophet is to be sent before the great and dreadful
day of the Lord to turn the hearts of the children to the
fathers, you may be assured that we shall learn something about
the genealogy of those fathers.
86
We shall learn by the spirit of revelation whom to be baptized
for, and whom to officiate for in the holy ordinances of the
Gospel. Herein is the necessity of revelation. Take away
revelation from this great dispensation of the fulness of times,
and I would not give you much for the mission of Elijah, or for
the dispensation itself. Take away that great principle that
always characterized all other dispensations, and you throw us
into uncertainty on tens of thousands of important subjects.
86
But when a communication is opened between man and his Maker, and
angels are sent down to restore their keys and their powers,
light shines at once upon our pathway. It may be asked, Where are
these ordinances to be attended to? Can we run over the world and
pick up Saints here and there and baptize them for their dead?
No. The house of God is a house of order, the kingdom of God is a
kingdom of order, and everything must be conducted with order,
and with power and authority, so that when it is sealed on earth
it is sealed in the heavens, that the records on earth and in
heaven may agree--that the Priesthood on earth and in heaven may
agree--that they may be one.
86
These things cannot be attended to in all places on the earth.
There are certain appointed places for the ministration of these
holy ordinances. Temples must be built, by the commandment of the
Almighty, unto his holy name, that shall be sanctified and made
holy from the foundation stone unto the top thereof, consecrated
to the living God for the administration of holy ordinances, not
only for the benefit of the living, but for the benefit of the
fathers who are dead. But in what apartments in the Temple shall
the baptism for the dead be administered? It will be in the
proper place--in the lowest story or department of the house of
God. Why? Because it must be in a place underneath where the
living assemble, in representation of the dead that are laid down
in the grave. There a baptismal font must be erected by the
commandment of the Most High, and after the pattern he shall give
by revelation unto his servants; and in such a font this sacred
and holy ordinance must be administered by the servants of God.
86
We will mention another thing in regard to the authority that
receives these communications. Every man will not be his own
revelator in these matters, for there would be ten thousand
revelator, and perhaps no more than five hundred of them would be
true.
87
In the manifestation of spiritual gifts which God has given to
his servants in all ages of the world, he has has those appointed
with authority and power to discern which were from God, and
which were not. In the days of Moses there were many Prophets.
The spirit of prophecy rested upon seventy Elders of Israel on a
certain occasion; and when Joshua saw some of them in their tents
prophesying, he ran to Moses, with great zeal, and said, "My lord
Moses forbid them." He felt zealous for Moses, for fear he would
lose his honour as a Prophet among so many. Moses exclaimed, "I
would to God all the Lord's people were prophets." If they had
been, it would have required a great many having the gift to
discern the spirits of the Prophets to know which were true. So
it will be in relation to the revelations of genealogies of the
Saints of the living God. If they are to feel after their fathers
that are dead, and redeem them by the holy ordinance of baptism,
they will not go to work in the dark, nor by the prophecies and
revelations of every person who may offer himself as a revelator
or prophet. There will be an order in the house of God; there
will be a Moses there, or, in other words, a man holding the keys
and authority of these things.
87
Moses was the great Prophet in Israel, though there were other
prophets. Says the Lord, I will reveal myself to those other
prophets in dark sayings; I will instruct them in figures and
dreams; but not so with my servant Moses: I will talk to him face
to face, and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold. So, in
the dispensation of the latter days, a Moses will stand in the
congregation filled with the Holy Ghost, and the spirit of
revelation will be upon him to receive instruction from the
heavens in regard to the fathers and the dispensation over which
he presides.
87
Now, let me refer you to a little Scripture on this subject. I
have already referred you to what Peter and Paul said. Isaiah, in
the 24th chapter, prophesies of the great day of burning--of the
great day when the earth shall reel to and fro as a drunken
man--of the great day when all nations of the wicked will perish;
after which, he further adds. "And it shall come to pass in that
day that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are
on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they
shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit,
and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall
they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun
ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in
Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously."
87
You see, from these passages, that in the last days many of those
kings and high ones who will not place themselves in a position
to receive the Gospel, and who die ignorant of its principles,
will be gathered together as prisoners in the pit, and be shut up
for many days, with a fearful looking for the judgment of the
great day. They will not know what is coming--what will befall
them, like all prisoners guilty of crime. But after many days
they shall be visited by the servants of God, as Jesus visited
the antediluvians with a message: the door of their prison will
be thrown open, after they have been sufficiently long confined;
and if they repent, they can be redeemed; but if they will not
repent, they will be taken from thence and cast into outer
darkness.
87
You know that men are taken up for crime and shut up in the
calaboose, or jail, or some such place to stay there for a length
of time until they are brought to judgment; and then they are
sentenced to hard labour, perhaps, in the Penitentiary. These
will be in torment until they obey the message sent to them; and
if they do not receive the message of pardon, they will be
punished until they have paid the uttermost farthing; that is,
they will be punished with eternal punishment.
88
We might quote you many other passages in relation to this
subject; but it is unnecessary for us to multiply passages on a
subject that ought to be familiar to all the Latter-day Saints:
and as it is a subject that does not particularly benefit
strangers, I do not know that it is necessary for them to have
all the evidence; for they have not authority to be baptized for
their dead, because they have not been baptized for themselves.
88
They may like to know what the peculiar doctrines of the
Latter-day Saints are, and that is all the good it will do them.
But, as Latter-day Saints, we have principles to lay before the
inhabitants of the earth that embrace, not only the people living
on it, but all the generations of the dead. It is the most
charitable doctrine that was ever preached to the nations of the
earth. The Universalists think they are very charitable. Why?
Because they send all to heaven, whether they are good or evil,
saints or sinners. Murderers, drunkards, and all classes of
society are to dwell together in heaven. And what a heaven it
would be--Methodists contending against Baptists, and Baptists
against Methodists, Presbyterians against Quakers, Roman
Catholics against Protestants, and Nothingarians against
Sectarians, and Sectarians against Nothingarians; and then add to
the whole catalogue of contending sects drunkards, blasphemers,
whoremongers, murderers, and every species of wicked beings, all
jumbled up together. Oh, what a happy place! Brother Kimball
says--"And all of them with a revolver and bowie knife at their
sides."
88
I think I should pray for an outside corner without the walls. I
should want to get at a great distance from such a heterogeneous
mass. They call this charity; but it is different from the
charity which dwells in the bosom of God. I do not think he has
charity enough to associate with a company of this description.
But the Latter-day Saints have their Church founded on true
principles, law, and order,--principles revealed from heaven,
that all on the earth, and in the eternal worlds may be saved on
pure principles, and pure principles only. If they ever inherit
the kingdom of God, they must go there with hearts as pure as the
angels of God; if they dwell in his presence, they must be pure
as he is pure, perfect as he is perfect, that the holy order of
heaven may be graced with all the perfection, holiness, and
godliness of character that we read of in the Scriptures of
eternal truth. Such a heaven will be a heaven indeed. It is the
goodness and virtue of beings that inherit a place which make it
desirable.
88
You select a place that is surrounded with many disadvantages,
like these deserts and mountain wilds, and place a pure people
there--a people perfectly organized and influenced by the Holy
Ghost in all things, doing unto others as they would have others
do to them in everything, meting out justice on the principles of
righteousness and truth; and let every one be perfectly honest in
his deal, and let his hands be continually stayed from stealing
other people's property, and let there be no quarrelling or evil
speaking; and if such a people do have to toil and labour in the
midst of these mountains and kanyons, yet they are happy; they
carry heaven in their own bosoms, or the principles that make
happiness abide within them. When these Godlike principles become
more fully developed--when the Saints become more rooted and
grounded in them, and enter into the eternal worlds and find
everybody there, like themselves, pure in heart, it will make a
perfect heaven. You place the wicked there, with all their
abominations, and it will transform heaven into a hell.
89
It matters not how beautiful a place it may be,--although it is
as lovely as the garden of Eden--though everything in the eternal
world harmonizes and the elements all conspire to produce
happiness, yet place a people there with wicked hearts, and it is
hell. You take a man full of corruption and introduce him into
the society of the pure and just, and it would be a perfect hell
to him.
89
I have often heard blasphemers and drunkards and abominable
characters say, I really hope I shall at last get to heaven. If
they get there, they will be in the most miserable place they
could be in. Were they to behold the face of God, or the angels,
it would kindle in them a flame of unquenchable fire; it would be
the very worst place a wicked man could get into: he would much
rather go and dwell in hell with the devil and his host. On the
other hand, you take a man that is pure in heart--a holy being,
and place him in the society of the devils, and he is not in his
element; the society is disagreeable. If he were obliged to stay
there and behold the corrupt and evil doings of the wicked and
abominable, it would in some degree make a hell for him to look
upon their conduct, and still such a being would have one
principle about him that would enable him to control, in a
measure, his feelings; that is, he would have control over those
characters; and herein is the power of the Priesthood. If the
servants of God are sent to the spirit-prison to minister unto
them, if they are sent to those who are in a state of wickedness
and degradation to minister to them, they have one source of
comfort--they are not confined there as prisoners; they go there
voluntarily; they do not associate with their wickedness, but
hate it; they are willing to stay there, peradventure they may
bring some of them to repentance; and the Devil has no power over
them: they have learned to control him in this life, to rebuke
him, and to say unto him, Get behind us, Satan! When a Saint
arrives in that eternal world, if he be sent on a mission into
the dominions of Satan, to reclaim some under his power, he can
say to Satan and to all his armies, Depart hence! He has the
power of the Priesthood to command him and all powers under him,
and they are obliged to obey. Not so with a wicked man: he gets
into a perfect hell, wherever you place him, so long as he
harbours wickedness in his breast.
90
But we have spoken concerning our fathers that are to be
redeemed. We have spoken concerning the work of the children to
redeem them. Let me here say that before this last dispensation
ends there will be a perfect unbroken chain from the first of the
fathers to the time of the close of the dispensation; and all
will be saved who can be saved: all who are placed within the
power of redemption will be redeemed,--not redeemed to the same
degree of salvation, but some will inherit one kingdom, and some
another; some receiving the highest or celestial glory, being
crowned with crown of glory in the presence of God for ever,
shining forth like the sun in its meridian strength; while
others, though celestial, will be subject to them, inheriting a
less degree of celestial glory. Others will inherit a terrestrial
glory, or the glory of the moon. Others will inherit a glory
still less than this, which may be termed a telestial glory, like
that of the stars--a glory small indeed! They are all redeemed,
according to their repentance, faithfulness, and works of
righteousness, into these various degrees of glory. On the other
hand, opposite to these various degrees of glory, are various
degrees of punishment; some inheriting a prison, where they may
be visited with rays of hope; others inheriting outer darkness,
where there is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth; others
cast into a bottomless or lowermost pit to dwell with the Devil
and his angels throughout eternity, having committed the
unpardonable sin, for whom there is no forgiveness in this world
nor the world to come; and thus the justice of god will be
magnified as well as his mercy; for God is perfectly just, being
just according to our notions of justice; for among the original
qualities of our minds we have correct notions of justice
implanted in our bosoms originally by God himself: also what we
know of mercy originated from God. He implanted the principles of
justice and mercy in our hearts, and he implanted the same
principles that dwell in his own bosom.
90
What is justice with us, when we are truly enlightened, is
justice with God; and what is mercy with us, when we are truly
enlightened, is mercy with God: and these great attributes will
be magnified in the dealing out of punishments and rewards.
90
Every man which ever has lived, or ever will live, will be dealt
with according to his works and the law of the Gospel. There is
another thing I wish to lay before this congregation, and that is
in regard to those generations to whom the Gospel has not been
committed in time. While I have been traveling abroad, many have
said to me, How is it? You teach us that there has been no Church
of God for many generations on the earth. you teach us that our
fathers and mothers in generations gone past have died without
the knowledge of the Gospel; you teach us that God is a just
being, and will punish men by the law of the Gospel; and how is
it that he suffered all these generations to remain without the
Gospel while in the flesh? I want to answer this question, and
tell you why there was no Church on the earth six hundred or a
thousand years ago--why generation after generation have fallen
into their graves, without hearing the voice of God, or any
communication from him. I will give you the reason why, and then
leave you to judge in relation to the matter. It is well known
that the nations killed off the old Apostles and Prophets, and
banished the Church of Christ from the earth. Those who remained
were corrupt, evil, and devilish, desiring to work wickedness,
having no desires for righteousness, having apostatized from the
truth. Because of the great wickedness which reigned, the Lord
Almighty saw that it was impossible for him to reveal a
dispensation and protect it on the earth; he saw that it was
impossible to be done in those dark ages. For if he had revealed
himself to any man, and that man should go forth and say, Thus
saith the Lord God, he might, before the sun went down, look for
his head to be taken off his shoulders, or to be stretched upon
the wheels of the Inquisition, to be tortured with all manner of
cruelties as a heretic. And if he should undertake to work
secretly with mankind, after it was found out publicly, he would
have been hunted from one end of the earth to the other, until he
was destroyed and all his followers. This would have brought
innocent blood again upon the people. The Lord saw that they
would bring greater wickedness on themselves, if he revealed a
dispensation, than to withhold it; for they would have been sure
to take the lives of his servants, and bring innocent blood upon
their heads, even as their fathers did. This would effectually
prevent them from entering into that prison where they, in due
time, could hear the Gospel.
91
To prevent the effusion of innocent blood and give them a chance,
the Lord withheld from them his Church. The Lord might have
reasoned thus:--I will not raise up my Church in their midst, for
they will put the people of that Church to death. If I restore
the authority to the earth, they will root it out; they will shed
innocent blood; therefore, I will send these generations into
their graves in ignorance; and when governments are established
so liberal that there will be some prospect of establishing my
kingdom on the earth, then I will send Elijah the Prophet, and he
shall give authority to the children to search after their
fathers who died in ignorance of the Gospel.
91
We are willing to go the earth over to save the living; we are
willing to build temples and administer in ordinances to save the
dead; we are willing to enter the eternal worlds and preach the
every creature who has not placed himself beyond the reach of
mercy. We are willing to labour both in this world and in the
next to save men.
91
I will now close my remarks by saying, Let all rejoice that the
great day of the dispensation of the fulness of times has come.
Let the living rejoice; let the dead rejoice; let the heavens and
the earth rejoice; let all creation shout hosannah! glory to God
in the highest! for the hath brought salvation, and glory, and
honour, and immortality, and eternal life to the fallen sons of
men. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Daniel
H. Wells, March 9, 1856
Daniel H. Wells, March 9, 1856
DUTY OF SUSTAINING AND UPHOLDING THE FIRST PRESIDENCY IN
ALL THEIR OPERATIONS, ETC.
A Discourse by Elder Daniel H. Wells, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, March 9, 1856.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
91
It appears to have fallen to my lot to occupy a few moments of
this morning. Though unexpected to me, I rejoice in the
opportunity of addressing you in a public manner, in meeting with
the Saints of God, and learning those principles which are
calculated for our exaltation. I rejoice in being numbered with
the Saints of the Most High, and that I have a part in the great
work of the last days in connection with my brethren--those with
whom I am more closely associated, and those who are before me.
91
I feel assured that this work is all-important, and that we
consult our own interests more than those of any one else in
being engaged in it. I rejoice in the present position,
prospects, and condition of this people, and in the progress
which they have made in gathering those who are zealous of good
works, and whose aim and designs are to build up the kingdom of
God on the earth. We are fast becoming a great nation; we have
passed on from stage to stage until we are recognized as a nation
composed of Saints--of "Mormons." We have made great strides in
power and influence since this people were organized, and it is a
matter of great rejoicing with me.
92
Of all government organizations on earth, I deem the organization
of this Church, with its First Presidency, its Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles, of High Priests, of Seventies, its Bishopric,
&c., the most perfect. It is one great whole, and perfect in all
its parts. That First Presidency have called around them men to
aid and assist in carrying on the business requisite in rolling
forth this work, to build up cities and temples, and to assist in
counselling and leading the people.
92
Then does it not become our duty to rally round the standard
raised by that Presidency, and to sustain and uphold them? I
think it does; and it is more particularly to this point that I
wish to direct the attention of the congregation.
92
Our cause affords sufficient occupation to absorb the attention,
energies, and ability of every man and woman in the world, aside
from the few who embrace the faith. We will say, then, that
whatever the First Presidency wish to accomplish should be
sustained; and they should be supported by the entire mass of the
people, in order that the people may be united, and that all
operations may be carried out as directed from day to day.
93
We expect to build up the kingdom of God on the earth, that we
may have access to the courts of heaven and participate in those
endowments and exaltations in this life and in the life to come
which we anticipate. Do the people understand, or do they not,
that it is their privilege and duty to devote all they have, as
well as their energy and ability, for the furtherance of this
Gospel? It sometimes appears to me that if they understood this
matter in the light in which I do, the First Presidency would not
be so burdened with debt as they now are. Many are probably not
so well acquainted with the business operations of the Church as
I am; for they are not appointed to specially operate in that
department. Last season's operations in the emigration of the
poor created over fifty-three thousand dollars indebtedness,
which was rolled in upon the Presidency to meet here. In whose
hands are these means? In the hands of those who have been
brought here, and the brethren who have lent them come with their
drafts to draw the pay. The past season has been financially
disastrous; and when disasters visit the people, they affect the
heads of the Church, who feel them more sensibly than do any
other part of the community. Large numbers of cattle perished on
the Plains, our crops were destroyed by drought and grasshoppers,
and many cattle and horses died during the winter. These losses
have materially curtailed the resources of the Church, and it had
not funds with which to promptly meet all indebtedness. Worse
than all, most of the creditors require every dollar to be paid
in money, and that, too, forthwith; the amounts must be
forthcoming in money. Suppose we say that the Emigrating Fund
Company are responsible for their debts, and should be; but what
are their resources? It is well known that they consist of the
debts which are held against those who have been assisted, and
the cattle and waggons with which they came. Unless these debts
are collected, and the oxen and waggons turned into money, how
can the Company meet their liabilities, so long as only cash will
be taken in payment? There has been no sale for this kind of
property by which money could be realized; and the poor, who have
been assisted, have not been in a situation to refund the money
which has been expended in their transportation. Wherefore it is
easy to comprehend what becomes of the means of the Perpetual
Emigrating Company. The whole weight of indebtedness falls upon
the President, when at the same time he is not obliged by law or
by any fair, reasonable, or honest requirement to pay one
farthing of it. He has absorbed the resources of the Church to
meet this indebtedness, for which nothing but money would answer;
and that is the source from whence money has come, and not from
the resources of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company.
93
Why cannot the brethren who hold claims against the Company
exercise a little judgment and patience, and wait until the
people who have been assisted are able to pay? Some of the
creditors may say that they are poor. And what if they are? They
say that they had means once, and they take it hard to be
shortened. What of that? What if they should come on a level with
the rest of their brethren? Is there no reward in this? Are they
not professedly Saints? and do they not wish to gain an eternal
exaltation with the Saints? Suppose you do let your means go in
this way, what of it? And suppose you never get it again in cash,
there are the resources of the Company. Take them, and that in
strictness is all you could do.
93
But no: many are ready to apostatize if they cannot get their
money. Some were not in the city a week, and others not a day
before they came to see if they could not get their money, for
fear they would come to want. I mention this conduct because it
is not right. I would like brethren to come into this kingdom
with an understanding that their salvation will cost them all
they have got and all they ever will have. Perhaps there are a
few who measurably feel and realize what the Presidency have to
encounter in these and other business operations; for there is
hardly a poor person in the Church but expects to have the
Presidency sustain them. They are the first ones they apply to,
it seems to me, to sustain them. This they are willing to do, if
they had the ability, and generally they have had the ability;
and perhaps that is one reason why the poor throng them.
93
We have Bishops, Teachers, deacons, and Priests in this kingdom,
according to its organization; and I would here ask one question:
Is it not manifest that these helps should stretch forth their
hands and strive to assist? There is such a thing as
overburdening the Presidency in these matters.
93
I do not presume, in this crisis, that the Bishops and their
helps have food sufficient to support all the poor in their
Wards; but what do I suppose? That they have heads on their
shoulders, and that the Teachers have, and they can calculate,
and devise, and manage, and arrange for their neighbors, and
those who are under their care; and I suppose that it is their
duty to do so, and take that care from the Presidency of the
Church. The conduct of many would indicate that they think that
the Presidency can easily attend to each of their individual
affairs, and those too of a trifling character. I almost daily
turn away numbers who press to the President with trifling
questions.
93
I will mention one instance, by way of illustration. The other
day a man came to ask the President if he could not inform him
how he could collect a debt from one who owed him. What was that
to President Young? I told him to attend to his own business, and
to go to the proper authorities. Do you suppose that President
Young is going to collect all the debts of this people? Just
reflect for a moment what an immense amount of business would
roll upon that man, if he would let the numbers who wish to,
consult him upon every trifle.
93
I have referred to only one instance; but similar ones are as
numerous as the stars in the heavens. He has the most patience of
any man in the world, or he would not listen to nearly as many as
he does. I have observed one thing--the poor, the weak, and
afflicted I never knew him to turn away: he will always
condescend to their smallest wishes. It is a great burden upon
him, and I can tell the people that it is wearing heavily upon
him. Let any person, if he wishes to comprehend the matter fully,
tax his mind to the utmost in a thousand different ways in a day,
seeking to advise and counsel for the best good of those who
apply to him, and he will find that it will fast wear him down to
the grave.
93
The power of faith and the blessings of the Almighty sustain our
President. Were it not for them, no man on earth could perform
the labour he performs; and I believe that no other man ever did.
93
Circumstances render it impossible to go on with the Public
Works. We have work enough to do, but we have not provisions to
give the labourer. It is unpleasant to stop the Public Works, not
only because it retards improvement, but because those who have
been labouring on the works look to that quarter for their
subsistence. Many who have laboured there are without breadstuff
or anything to eat; and they think that if they can get to work
as formerly, they will get food. The only wonder to me is that
anything has been left until now, and there is not much. We have
to get along from hand to mouth in order to conduct matters on
the present limited scale, and are obliged to stop operations
until after harvest. It is the counsel of the First Presidency
for every one to be diligent in raising grain and other products
of the soil, that we may replenish the granaries and storehouse,
and have food to sustain the labourers.
93
The every-day duties of life are the ones which are particularly
incumbent on the Saints; and it is for them to be humble and
perform their duties faithfully, and the great work of the last
days will go on. It is rolling forth with magnitude and power,
and these small appearing matters are as important as anything
else towards the accomplishment of that end.
93
We have a few business operations that we would be pleased to
keep in motion, if we could get the provisions with which to do
so. In this connection I will make a few remarks touching the
Deseret News. Is it not a good paper? and are not the people
edified and profited by it? How do they pay for it? There is not
enough received on subscription to sustain the hands who publish
it--the compositors, and pressmen, and others necessarily engaged
upon it. I know this fact from what little knowledge I have of
that department, although that is not particularly the department
I have much to do with. Subscriptions are paid in everything
except provisions and money, and other valuable articles
requisite in publishing a paper.
95
Aside from that, there are not one-fourthas many papers
subscribed for as there should be, and then paid for in good
available means, at least so far as each one might be able. About
4,000 papers are now issued, and certainly 12,000 should be. Then
it might be afforded cheaper and be paid for promptly; and the
people can easily pay for it, because EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE
THOUGHT OF is taken in payment. Why do not the people sustain
their paper more liberally? They will do some good by doing that
both to themselves and the cause. A new volume is now commencing,
and I recommend those who take it to continue to do so, and to
use an exertion to have their neighbours take it. And let those
who realize its value procure subscribers and send in their
names, accompanied with the pay, so far as possible, and that
will help to sustain the paper. What makes me think and speak of
it? Simply this: There are men who work on it that are weak,
through want of suitable provision, insomuch that working off the
4,000 per week is too hard for them. They are now rationed on
half a pound of breadstuff per day, and they begin to look sickly
and to sink under the labour, for want of more food. We have to
give extra rations for extra work, on account of having to carve
so closely. Then why not come on with six dollars in advance for
the new volume, that the men who work on it may have something to
administer to their health and comfort from week to week?
95
Has there been means enough in the hands of those who attend to
that department to sustain it? No: they have had to call upon the
Church for aid. The subscribers have failed to furnish provision
enough to feed the men actually at work on the paper, or money
with which to purchase it. There are many who have available
means, but do not take the paper. They could and should take it
and pay for it: I am satisfied of this.
95
It is the wish of the President that the Big Cottonwood canal be
completed this spring. When provisions are again plenty, we may
set men to quarrying rock for the Temple, and the canal be
prepared for its transportation. It is desirable to have this
work done with labour-tithing, particularly so far as the
labourers can furnish themselves. Let the Bishops call out the
brethren to complete that work as speedily and as extensively as
it can be done without interfering with tilling the soil, that it
may be timely secured against high water. These are some of the
labours which the First Presidency desire to carry out, and
everybody should respond and manifest, by their performances,
their faith concerning them.
95
I am not much of a hand to go into the mysteries, or to strive to
peep into futurity, to see how this or that is going to be done
in the world to come, and to strive to find out how high an
exaltation I am going to attain to. Those are matters that do not
concern me at all. I have no uneasiness on those subjects. I have
always felt that if I did my duty from day to day, and remained
faithful to the end, I should get a reward that would be
perfectly satisfactory to me, whatever it might be: therefore I
never concern myself about what is going to be my reward in
future life. It was sufficient for me, when I learned this faith,
that I might be permitted to have a name among the Saints, be
numbered with them, have the opportunity of showing by my works
whether I was a Saint of the Most High God, and be permitted to
assist my brethren, and do what little I could for the rolling
forth of this kingdom, and building it up, regardless of the
consequences in the future, and perform those duties set before
me from day to day with the best ability and talent I could
command, devoting myself exclusively to the building up of this
kingdom.
95
That is the way in which I at first looked at "Mormonism," and it
is the way I have looked at it ever since. I am so strong in the
belief of the doctrine, that I recommend every one of the
brethren and sisters to look at it in the same light in which I
do. It is the all-absorbing topic with me; and it is no matter
what I am called to do in this work, it is for the sake of
truth,--no matter how tired and fatigued I may be, it is for the
sake of truth.
96
The more we can do, so much the better; for it is our duty,
nothing more,--it is our privilege, nothing less. And it is one
of the greatest privileges that has ever been extended to the
children of men. That privilege is a blessing which should be
appreciated, and which I have often found was not sufficiently
so, by some portions of the people. I have known people applying
for inducements to dwell among this community, asking, "Can I get
a living, in case I obey the truth? Shall I be sustained in my
profession as a lawyer, teacher, &c.?" as though that had
anything to do with the question--as though "Mormonism" must
support and sustain them. It will do it, it is true; but it is
their business to do all they can to sustain and promote that.
96
The heavens are ready to shower down blessings, if the people are
ready to receive and sufficiently appreciate them. The reasons
that we have not the blessings of the Almighty in greater
abundance arise from the fact that we are not at present capable
of receiving more. When and where have this people ever seen the
day when they have not had just as much labour to perform as they
could stand under? I have never seen that day, and I do not
expect to.
96
Then let us firmly bear up our shoulders, and nobly bear off the
kingdom. It is our work, if we will do it. The Lord wants us to
do it: it is a privilege he has extended to us. We have this to
perform, and he is letting the duty rest upon our shoulders as
fast as we are able to bear it. Shall we complain that it does
not come fast enough? Let us gird up our loins and go forth in
the strength of the Almighty, and accomplish the work as rapidly
as we can.
96
The Lord has set his hand to gather his people. Then let us
realize the good he has called us to perform, and be more
diligent to do his will. Let us exert ourselves in this work to
the utmost, and be more humble, faithful, and diligent, and the
labour will increase, inasmuch as we are able to do more. Who
does not wish to see a Temple reared? Whose hearts would not leap
for joy to see that structure going up? Then let us go to with
all our might and raise grain; and when we raise it, let us be
careful how we use those blessings, and not, as in times past,
treat them lightly and tread them under our feet.
96
Let us improve in this particular, as in all other duties, and
the blessings of the Almighty will be continued with us in
greater abundance as we progress. Let us do all we can to sustain
the Presidency in the operations they wish carried out. Let us
respond to their calls when made, and abide the counsel given
from time to time. Let us live unitedly and shape our lives
according to the Gospel, both in the sight of our God and our
brethren. Let us put away quarrelling and contention, and be
willing to edify and counsel one another.
96
Let us do these things, and remain prayerful and humble before
the Lord, and see if he will not pour out a blessing greater than
we have ever yet enjoyed. But when the blessing comes, there is
the danger. Let us remember that we are always dependent on the
great God, the giver of all good. Do the world realize this? He
will make this people know it, and make them understand that they
are, whether he does the world or not.
97
If the past will not suffice, we shall be chastened until we
understand that we are dependent on Him, and that we have to walk
by faith. Can we walk by faith? He is trying some of us, I think.
Do you feel afraid that you will not have plenty to eat? I never
do. I recollect a circumstance that took place with myself in
1849. I was living in a family of twelve persons, and we were out
of provisions. A neighbour, whose family was sick, informed me
that he had not anything in the house to eat. I told him to call
and I would give him some flour. I went out to get some
breadstuff, and when I was out he called. My sister-in-law told
him to call again. When I made him that promise, I did not know
where the flour was coming from, and there was not half as good a
chance as there is now. When he called again, I had the flour for
him. In that way we lived and I felt no uneasiness about where
the next meal was coming from. We had to ration ourselves, and
had something every time we needed it. If the brethren would feel
that way, I think they would save themselves much anxiety.
97
I think if the people will exercise their faith as well as their
works, and use every means in their power, that they will be able
to manage pretty well, with the help of their Teachers and
Bishops. I am not in the least concerned but what there are
provisions among the community sufficient to carry us through, if
a proper disposition is made of them, and economy is adhered to
by all. I have no uneasiness on this matter, and recommend my
brethren to have none.
97
I would recommend to every individual a proper diligence in
providing; and if the brethren who have would open their hearts
and distribute in wisdom, it would be a very good thing; and I
know that they do in a great measure. Some are apt, at times, to
make complaints against those who have a little grain stored
away, if the owners do not deal it out to suit their notions.
Some will complain of the person who is doing his best to
accommodate them. Though there may, sometimes, be cause for
complaint, at other times, when the matter is fairly scanned,
there is no cause.
97
I am rejoiced with being able to say that there are not many in
our midst who would refuse to divide to the last crumb they have,
even if they did not know where the next was coming from. Hence,
the people may feel encouraged, (those who are destitute,)
because they have assurance of faith that, so long as food is
among the community, they will have a part of it. I speak of
these things, that the inexperienced may have their faith
increased, and that they may feel to rejoice that they are as
well situated as they are, amid Saints of the Most High, and that
the Lord loves them while showing them that they are dependant
upon Him.
97
He has work for us to do. Do we realize that we are the persons
he has called to do it? That we are in his hands, and that he is
teaching us from day to day by his Prophets, and servants, and
his hand-dealings towards us? If we do not realize this, should
we not? Remember that it is our Governor who governs, rules,
controls, and directs all matters for the best interests of this
people. Then let us be submissive and humble in his hands, like
clay in the hands of the potter, and let him mould us to his
likeness. If we will do this, the Lord will bless us; and if we
appreciate his blessings, he will continue them.
97
Do you not know that he delights to give good gifts to his
children, more than any of us do to our children? Do you not know
that the heavens are full of blessings designed for this people?
Then why do we not uniformly walk in the paths of righteousness,
that we may continue to be the people of the Lord's choice, to do
his work in the last days, and give him the honour and glory? Who
can rise up and say, in their own minds, I have done this; this
is my work? No--the Lord has done it. And if we are privileged to
be his humble instruments, let us be satisfied with that honour.
Let us put on the harness and work a work of faith, for the
interest of the kingdom of God upon the earth. This is my
exhortation.
98
I know that this Gospel is true, and I feel to bear my testimony
that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the Most High God, that the
Book of Mormon is true, and that President Brigham Young is
Joseph's lawful successor; that the organization of this kingdom
is the organization owned of the Almighty, even the kingdom of
God upon the earth.
98
That kingdom does exist, and it is our happy privilege to be
numbered with the Saints, and to have a part in this matter. Then
let us rejoice continually, and do what we can to promote the
interests of the cause of Zion, build up cities and temples, do
whatever else may be laid before us, and improve upon the
blessings the Almighty bestows upon us continually. May we
improve our minds and strengthen our understandings that we may
be fully qualified to perform those duties incumbent upon us,
from day to day, with ability before our God. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Wilford
Woodruff, January 10, 1858
Wilford Woodruff, January 10, 1858
EARLY EVENTS OF THE CHURCH, ETC.
A Discourse by Elder Wilford Woodruff, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday afternoon, January 10, 1858.
Reported by J. V. Long.
98
While I meet with the Saints in this Tabernacle, and partake of
the sacrament with them, especially with such a large body of
people as there are here in these valleys of the mountains it
leads my mind in a train of reflection and thought concerning
this work in which we are engaged; and whether I think of it long
or short, I have the same feelings and come to the same
conclusions; and I say within myself, It is the work of God, and
it is marvellous in my eyes.
98
There is a marked difference between the work of God and the work
of men or the work of the Devil, and that difference is manifest
in the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. There is one characteristic connected with the work of
God that has been manifested in its establishment in these last
days, as in all former periods, and that is, that whenever the
Lord has attempted to establish his Church and kingdom upon the
earth, he always makes use of instruments whose peculiar
circumstances in life will naturally lead them to acknowledge the
hand of God in all that is manifested unto them. You have the
example of all the Prophets from the days of Adam; and as far as
we have any knowledge of them, they were nearly all men of low
degree and of humble birth; and the Lord has ever given them his
Spirit to enlighten their minds, and to qualify them for the work
assigned them. Men of this character have stepped forth and
obeyed the Lord in various ages of the world, and they have given
him the credit for what has been accomplished. This has been very
clearly manifested in our own day.
99
Thirty years ago the 22nd day of last September, the angel of god
delivered unto the hands of Joseph Smith the plates containing
the record from which the Book of Mormon was translated, in which
is recorded the history of the ancient inhabitants of this
country. Joseph Smith was a man of humble birth, and in one sense
of the word he was poor and illiterate; and to look at things
naturally, it looked strange that the Lord should undertake to
build up his Church and kingdom with such a feeble instrument. To
some this may look a very small matter, but the work was great,
and here was an honest soul to give unto him the knowledge, the
blessings, and the glory associated with the coming forth of the
Book of Mormon, which should lay the foundation of the Church and
kingdom of God in these last days.
99
What did that angel tell Joseph Smith when he gave him the
plates? The vision of his mind was opened, and the angel showed
unto him the condition of the nations of the earth, and said,
"This record which I now commit unto your hand contains the words
of life--the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Lord is now about to
establish his kingdom upon the earth. The world are in darkness;
the Gentiles have departed from the gospel of Jesus Christ; they
have forsaken the light, the glory, and the power of the
Priesthood of the Son of God, which was given to and enjoyed by
the Gentile nations when Israel was cut off."
99
The Lord promised Joseph Smith, at this early age, that if he
would obey his commandments and hearken to the voice of the Holy
Spirit, he would make him an instrument of bringing about this
great work, that the Church may be brought out of the wilderness
of darkness and error, and my name glorified among men.
99
The words that this record contains shall be preached to every
kingdom, tongue, and people; and whenever this doctrine is
preached, your name shall be had in honourable remembrance among
the virtuous, the holy, the righteous, and those who desire to do
good: but the ungodly will vilify your character--hold up your
name to ridicule and scorn, wherever the sound of this Gospel
goes, even to all nations.
99
The Lord also told Joseph Smith, in the commencement of this
work, as you will see by the revelations contained in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, that he was laying the foundation of a
great and mighty work and kingdom, which should be the kingdom of
God, and it should not be thrown down, but stand for ever: but
you cannot now comprehend the extent of it. The mind of the
Prophet was opened by the spirit of revelation, so that he could
see and comprehend a great deal; but he required the Spirit of
the living God--the inspiration of the Almighty to rest upon him
continually, to qualify him for the great duties that were
constantly increasing upon him; and the same Spirit is required
by any man in this kingdom, whether he be old or young, rich or
poor, to enable him to bring about the work of God, or to do
anything that is of as much consequence as the upbuilding of this
kingdom.
100
The Prophet was repeatedly told of the importance of the work in
which he was engaged, and was commanded to obey the voice of god
in all things; and then he was told that all that had been
promised should be fulfilled. The Prophet saw the chains of
darkness that were binding the souls of men; and although at that
time he had not received the Priesthood, yet the Lord manifested
himself to him in various ways and at many times before he was
ordained, or before there were any baptized into the Church. In
process of time--namely, on the 15th day of May, 1829, he and
Oliver Cowdery received the Aaronic Priesthood, and according to
commandment they baptized each other. Then on the 6th day of
April following, the Church was organized, and the work of God
established on the earth, no more to be rooted out of it.
100
What must have been the feelings of the Prophet, when the moment
he began to unbosom his thoughts, and to tell what the Lord had
done for him, the Christian world began to mock and deride him!
The Devil opposed him, wicked men opposed him, and there was a
spirit among the people to kick against the work of God; and
there were whole communities that were opposed to the doctrine of
administration of angels; and, consequently, his path was rugged
and thorny. Sometimes he would come across individuals who would
listen to his message and would receive his testimony. This made
his soul rejoice, to see that there were some persons who would
receive the words of eternal life.
100
True, in the commencement, this Church was small; and I
frequently reflect upon what has come to pass in the world since
God spake to Joseph the Seer; I also look at what has taken place
with this people; and I can clearly see the fulfilment of the
world of God spoken by the angel to Joseph before the Church was
organized. The angel foretold the very scenery that I behold
to-day; and from that time to the present, this people have been
fulfilling what the angel told the Prophet would come to pass,
after he gave to him the plates containing the record of the Book
of Mormon. We are daily working for the fulfilment of those
things that were predicted from twenty-five to thirty years ago.
These very things that we are now witnessing, both in relation to
our friends and our enemies, are in fulfilment of those promises
made in the commencement of this work.
100
The Prophet's heart was made glad, while he lived among us, in
beholding the sings of the times; and there are many here to-day
who remember the early days of this Church and kingdom. Some of
the first Elders in this Church who went up to Kirtland to see
the Prophet were made to rejoice in his society. The Saints who
were gathered together were so few that they might all have been
put in a small schoolhouse; but wherever the Gospel had been
preached, some few had been brought to a knowledge of its truth,
and occasionally a few had been gathered up to Kirtland,--perhaps
one of a family, and two of a city.
100
When brother Brigham and brother Joseph Young went up to see the
Prophet, they found him chopping wood; for he was a labouring
man, and gained his bread by the sweat of his brow. They made
themselves acquainted with him. He received them gladly, invited
them to his house, and they rejoiced together in the gospel of
Christ, and their hearts were knitted together in the spirit and
bond of union.
101
Those of us who gathered to Kirtland, in the early days of the
Church, can remember the scenes which happened in those days. I
well remember the time when I first met with the Saints in
Kirtland: it was in the spring of 1834. I had never joined any
Church previous to hearing this Gospel, and the first sermon I
ever heard was preached by brother Zera Pulsipher, one of the
senior Presidents of the Seventies, and my heart was made glad. I
embraced the Gospel, for I knew it was the first Gospel sermon
that I had ever heard in my life. I was baptized by brother
Pulsipher; and shortly afterwards brother Parley P. Pratt came
along to gather up the warriors of the Lord to go up and redeem
Zion.
101
I was deeply engaged in business at the time, but I felt that it
was my duty to do all I could for the cause of truth; and when
brother Parley came up, I felt resolved to volunteer. We called a
meeting; and when brother Parley got up and said he was weary
with travelling, and did not want to say much, but he would talk
a few moments, (and when he got through it was about twelve
o'clock at night; in fact, he had preached about half the night;)
my feelings were such, when he got through, that if all the gold
in the world had been presented to me, I could not have been
hired to stay at home. I went with brother Parley through
Jefferson County to the North, and then immediately prepared to
go to Kirtland. I started to Kirtland on the 11th day of April,
1834, and arrived in Kirtland on the 25th day of the same month.
I then for the first time had an interview with the Prophet
Joseph. He invited me to his house. I rejoiced to behold his face
and to hear his voice. I was fully satisfied that Joseph was a
Prophet before I saw him. I had no prejudices on my mind against
him, but I expected to see a Prophet.
101
My first introduction to him was rather singular. I saw him out
in the field with his brother Hyrum: he had on a very old hat and
was engaged shooting at a mark. I was introduced to him, and he
invited me home with him.
101
I accepted the invitation, and I watched him pretty closely, to
see what I could learn. He remarked, while passing to his house,
that this was the first hour he had spent in recreation for a
long time.
101
Shortly after we arrived at his house, he went into an adjoining
room, and brought out a wolf-skin, and said, "Brother Woodruff, I
want you to help me to tan this;" so I pulled off my coat, went
to work and helped him, and felt honoured in so doing. He was
about going up with the brethren to redeem Zion, and he wanted
this wolf-skin to put upon his waggon seat, as he had no buffalo
robe.
101
This was my first introduction to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the
great Seer of this last dispensation.
101
I was not there long before I heard him talk about going to Zion,
and it did my soul good to hear him speak of many things
concerning Zion, the gathering of Israel, and the great
Latter-day Work; and I felt truly satisfied with what I saw and
heard.
101
I recollect that in the evening after I got there, several of the
brethren came in and talked with brother Joseph, and asked what
they should do, for they had not means to bear their expenses
from there to Missouri. Brother Joseph said, "I am going to have
some money soon;" and the next morning he received a letter
containing a hundred and fifty dollars, sent to him by sister
Voce, of Boston. I don't know but she is in the congregation
to-day.
101
I have felt to rejoice exceedingly in what I saw of brother
Joseph, for in his public and private career he carried with him
the Spirit of the Almighty, and he manifested a greatness of soul
which I had never seen in any other man.
101
The reason I speak of these things is because I want to refer to
this congregation and to this people generally as they have
passed along; for truly it has required a stretch of faith to be
enabled to comprehend the accomplishment of all that has been
done for the last twenty-five years. The Lord said by revelation
in an early day "The harvest is ripe, and any man that desires in
his heart to preach the Gospel and will thrust in his sickle, he
is called of God."
102
The Elders that are called in this Church, you can notice in
them the spirit and disposition to preach the Gospel and redeem
the people from sin, tradition, and error. At the commencement of
the Church, the Lord gave revelations to the Church and to
individuals, through the Prophet, to tell them what to do--be
baptized, ordained, go on missions, and anything that was
required at their hands; and hence you can see in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants revelations given to Martin Harris, Parley
P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, the Whitmers, and many others, calling
them to go forth and preach the Gospel to the world. In those
revelations are promised many great and glorious things, and the
pattern is given and the foundation laid for a great and mighty
work--a work not to be accomplished in ten, twenty, thirty,
forty, or fifty years, but a work that embraces the gathering
together of all things which are to be saved, both in heaven and
on earth, and the establishing of the kingdom of God, to remain
for ever; and the Lord said, You are laying the foundation for a
great and mighty work. But we did not understand or comprehend
its extent. He called upon us to go forth and warn the world of
the judgments to come, and to call upon them to learn the ways of
righteousness, and to walk therein; and what has been the result?
102
Every man that has embraced it, whose heart was honest before
God, has been inspired by the Spirit of God; he has been ready to
engage in the work, to shoulder the knapsack, and go forth and
preach this Gospel to all people whenever an opportunity
presented itself; and the first Elders of this Church did preach
diligently and faithfully, and many received the word with
gladness and rejoiced in the truth.
102
Finally, brother Heber C. Kimball was called to go to England, as
you learn by the Church history; and he laid the foundation of a
great work, as the angel declared to Joseph should be the case.
102
The words of life that were engraven upon those plates have been
preached to almost all nations; and have not the people had an
opportunity of hearing? They have, in a great degree; for the
servants of the Lord have been inspired to go forth and bear a
true and faithful testimony to the nations of the earth, and the
isles of the sea, and have preached unto them the Gospel of
Christ; and what has been the consequence? The words of the Lord
have been fulfilled to the very letter; for wherever this Gospel
has been preached there have been hypocrites, the wicked, and
ungodly, and there also have been the honest and the meek of the
earth; and whoever have received this testimony, been baptized
for the remission of sins, and received the laying on of hands
for the gift of the Holy Ghost, have had their minds enlightened,
and they have looked forward with an eye of faith to see the
fulfilment of what God has promised.
102
Have we, as a Church, been disappointed in anything? No, we have
not; but the Lord has fulfilled his promises in relation to the
things of his kingdom.
103
The Lord has chosen men like Joseph and Hyrum, the Smith family,
and the Twelve Apostles; and they have been humble men in this
Church and kingdom; and almost all the officers have been called
from the labouring class, from the plough, from the hammer and
the anvil, and from nearly every occupation; and their words have
pierced the honest in heart, for they have had all the power,
blessings, and knowledge which the Lord has given unto them and
they have given the honour and glory to God. I will venture to
say there is no people upon the earth who have been picked up as
we have been, for we have been gathered from all religions and
sects.
103
The Elders have gone forth teaching and baptizing the people;
they have laid their hands upon the sick and healed them, cast
out devils, and had power to do all those things which the Lord
has promised unto believers. Wherever the people have received
the truth, the signs have followed--the lame have been made to
walk, the deaf to hear, the blind to see; fevers have been
rebuked, and the elements have been subject to the Elders of
Israel. Where is there a man who has gone out to preach the
Gospel who has not been constrained by the Spirit to warn the
people, as messengers of salvation, of the judgments that are
coming upon the earth?
103
We have been called upon to warn all who came in our way,
including kings, rulers, the rich, and learned, as well as the
poor and humble. It is true that the Lord might have enlightened
the minds of the rulers, the rich, and learned, and chosen them
to have performed his work in the establishment of his Church
upon the earth. But he never has seen fit to work through that
channel; but he has ever chosen the poor and humble as his
messengers upon the earth.
103
There is another thing which I desire to allude to, and that is
the very excellent discourse we have heard to-day, and the
testimony of the servants of God in relation to our present
position. The opposition that we have had and the persecutions we
have passed through have been alluded to by brother Taylor, and
all those matters are in fulfilment of what the angel told
brother Joseph; and as long as Satan rules in the world, this
spirit of mobocracy will manifest itself, even until the scenery
shall be wound up, and until He who holds the keys of the
bottomless pit shall bind him with a chain, cast him into the
pit, and shut him up, and put a seal upon him.
103
We expect this. It is what we are looking for; and yet we, above
all people, have reason to rejoice. We have reason to rejoice in
Him who stands at the helm, and who has nourished and sustained
this kingdom from the beginning. The God of heaven has never
forsaken this work, but he has ever backed up his servants, and
opened their way before them.
103
How the soul of the Prophet rejoiced when he beheld the work of
God spreading abroad in the earth, the truth received by the
children of men, and the promises of God verified to the letter
in the gathering of the Saints, and a way prepared for the
establishment of Zion upon the earth.
103
We have had the holy Priesthood conferred upon us, and the power
of God has surrounded us, so that we have been preserved thus far
from the hands of our enemies in the midst of the many
circumstances in which we have been placed. Those things should
increase our faith before the Lord, and give us confidence in his
promises, and it should inspire our hearts to diligence in the
fulfilment of every duty required of us.
103
The Lord says, in the revelations contained in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, that this Gospel shall be preached in all
the world; and he commands his servants to call upon all nations
to repent and obey the voice of God--to receive the Gospel and
the words of eternal life. He says:--
104
"Lift up your voices and spare not. Call upon the nations to
repent, both old and young, both bond and free, saying, Prepare
yourselves for the great day of the Lord: for if I, who am a man,
do lift up my voice and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me,
what will ye say when the day cometh when the thunders shall
utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking to the
ears of all that live, saying, Repent and prepare for the great
day of the Lord! yea, and again, when the lightnings shall streak
forth from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their
voices unto all that live, and make the ears of all tingle that
hear, saying these words--Repent ye, for the great day of the
Lord is come!
104
"And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying,
Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that
God who made you. O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I
have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings; but ye would not! How oft have I called you by the
mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by
mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice
of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of
earthquakes and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and
pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and
by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day
long, and by the voice of glory and honour and the riches of
eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting
salvation; but ye would not! Behold the day has come, when the
cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full.
104
"Behold, verily I say unto you, that these are the words of the
Lord your God: wherefore labour ye, labour ye in my vineyard for
the last time: for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the
earth, for in my own due time will I come upon the earth in
judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me
on earth; for the great Millennial, of which I have spoken by the
mouth of my servants, shall come; for Satan shall be bound; and
when he is loosed again, he shall only reign for a little season,
and then cometh the end of the earth; and he that liveth in
righteousness shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye; and
the earth shall pass away so as by fire, and the wicked shall go
away into unquenchable fire, and their end no man knoweth on
earth, nor ever shall know, until they come before me in
judgment." (Doctrine and Covenants, sec. xiv., page 131.)
104
I look upon these things; I reflect upon our Government in the
manner which has been referred to to-day; I look at the liberal
laws and Constitution that exist in our land, upon which our
Government is founded; and yet, in the midst of all this, we have
not had the privilege of enjoying our rights, or worshipping God,
or enjoying our religion, without persecution and oppression. The
Lord has frequently given us revelations upon these things, and
he has spoken concerning our Government and Constitution and laws
of the land, for they make you free, and the Gospel maketh you
free; and you shall seek to sustain good and wise men for rulers,
and whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil." Do you
blame the Latter-day Saints? Can the Lord, can angels, or can
anybody blame the Latter-day Saints for rejecting such cursed,
corrupt scoundrels as we have had here? The laws of Heaven
command us not to uphold and sustain men, except they are good
men, who will sustain the Constitution of our country; and we are
fulfilling the revelations in this respect as in many others, and
we are carrying out the requirements of the Constitution of the
United States.
105
We have fulfilled the law of God, and we have always been willing
to receive and respect all good and wise men in carrying out the
laws and Constitution of our country.
105
We have pleaded with the Government, we have pleaded with the
President, and we have pleaded with the Senate of the United
States to send us good men. Brother Taylor has told us they will
not do it; and why? Because they are not good themselves, they
are not virtuous, they are not holy, and they will not
acknowledge the hand of God at all, but seek to overthrow the
blessings and spirit of that rich legacy bequeathed to us through
the blood of our fathers--the Constitution. Here is where I
consider that our nation and the whole people of the United
States are under condemnation. It is because they have a
Constitution and laws of government which the people control, for
they elect their own officers; for all citizens have the right to
vote for their Governors, Presidents, and officers in general;
and hence they come under condemnation.
105
[Blessed the sacramental cup.]
105
The whole people have a vote in the selection of their officers;
and if they appoint wicked men for their Governors and for their
rulers, and then those rulers go to work and rule unrighteously,
tyrannize over the poor and humble, and sacrifice human life to
satisfy their wicked ambition, at whose hands will the Lord
require the blood of the innocent? He will require it of those
who elected the officers; for the responsibility does not rest
alone upon the Presidents, or Governors, or Judges, but it rests
in a great measure with the people who placed them in power, when
a nation becomes corrupt, and appoints corrupt and wicked rulers,
and sustains them in their wickedness.
105
When Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered, the greater part of
the people rejoiced in it, and would remark that it was a pity
the Smiths had died in the way they had; but it was a good thing
they were out of the way. Governor Ford said, when speaking to
the brethren in Nauvoo, that almost every man he talked with
would say it was a pity the Smiths should die under the pledged
protection of the Governor of the State; but yet they were glad
they were dead. Will not God require an atonement at the hands of
such men?
105
Inasmuch as we have trusted in the Lord, and have found him true
to his word, why should we not trust him now? If the harvest was
ripe twenty or thirty years ago, surely it is ripe now; for the
Elders of Israel have gone forth to the nations, and the people
have rejected their testimony.
105
The more I look at the words which the Lord has spoken concerning
our enemies, and especially those of this nation, the more I
become satisfied that they will not escape the judgments of the
Almighty, any more than the Nephites of old did, or any of the
other nations who have rejected the message sent unto them by the
God of heaven. This nation is ripe in iniquity, and the
destroying angels are at their doors; and I am as sure that the
scourges will follow as I am that the servants of god have borne
a true and faithful testimony unto them. I know what the
consequence will be of the world rejecting the truth, for I have
the testimony of Jesus and the Spirit of God within me; and
therefore I say, Let us look well to our ways, remember our
covenants, our duties, and our prayers; and I do hope and pray
that the Elders in Great Salt Lake City will not, in the midst of
their recreations, neglect their prayers or their duties before
the Lord, nor permit any thing to stand between them and the
building up the kingdom of God.
106
"Mormonism" is just as good as it was a year ago. The Gospel of
Jesus Christ is as good as it was a year ago, or as it was in
Kirtland or Nauvoo; and it is our privilege to continue to
increase in blessings, glory, power, and virtue from this time
henceforth and for ever; and therefore I say, Brethren and
sisters, let us lay these things to heart, and let us look at
them as they exist before us. Let us read the revelations of God,
and give heed to the teachings of the living oracles, and have
faith in their promises, that we may thereby have the Spirit of
God to enlighten us and to guide us through this probation.
106
The Presidency of this Church are good men; they are filled with
the Spirit of the Lord continually--with the spirit of
teaching--of counsel; which, if we follow, will lead us on to
eternal life: therefore we are blest and saved when we obey their
teaching.
106
We have our leading men and our Governor, all of whom have
proceeded out of the midst of us. Our judges, our wise men, and
our rulers are those that have come out of the house of Israel;
and this is a blessing and a privilege that Israel have not
enjoyed for many generations. We see that the Elders have gone
forth and laboured for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God, and
for carrying out the purposes of our heavenly Father, and for the
accomplishment of the great work of the latter days.
106
We have the greatest reason to be thankful of any people upon the
earth; and we should realize that as we have been preserved
heretofore, so we shall be hereafter; and though the United
States, and though all Europe and hell may make war upon us, yet,
if we listen to the counsel that has been given, the blow will be
warded off; and whatever we may be called to pass through will be
for our salvation, exaltation, and glory.
106
I pray the Lord, my heavenly Father, to grant us his Spirit, that
we may prize our blessings, keep our covenants, and continually
have his favour, and continue humble and faithful; and that he
will pour out those judgments upon the wicked, proud, and the
rebellious which they desire to inflict upon the people of God;
which may the Lord grant, for Christ's sake! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Hyde, July 4, 1853
CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.
A Speech by Elder Orson Hyde, delivered in Great Salt Lake City,
July 4, 1853.
107
Friends and Brethren,--I arise before you this morning to
reiterate in your hearing an interesting and an important truth,
with which, however, you are well acquainted. We are a branch of
the tree of liberty planted on the 4th of July, 1776; and as the
first display of oratory and burst of eloquence from this stand,
on this interesting occasion, was a flower that bloomed on our
boughs, and was immediately succeeded by the precious fruit,
there remains but little for me to do but to feast myself and you
on the theme which has been so ably and beautifully presented,
illustrated, and enforced upon your hearts, under the banner of
our common country, on whose folds is inscribed "The downfall of
tyranny, and the rising star of Israel's hope."
107
The great family of nations on this globe, among which ours
occupies the most enviable position, stands in the same relation
to the Supreme Ruler of all that servants do to their earthly
master. There are some designed to perform an honourable part,
and shine with more brilliance and splendour, and exert a
controlling influence; while many others, like "the vessels of
dishonour," are equally necessary to cause action and re-action,
until the elements of nature in all their various ramifications,
shall retire to their common level, "and the knowledge and glory
of God fill the whole earth as the waters cover the great deep."
Not every member of this great family does the will of God by
choice; but the wisdom, providence, and power of Zion's king will
over-rule the acts of every nation to the furtherance and
execution of His designs; and therefore the nations will be
constrained to say--"Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name
belongs the glory." While, therefore, we acknowledge the hand of
Providence in all things, we acknowledge not the designs, plans,
and schemes of all nations, any more than we acknowledge the
correctness of the plans and designs of Joseph's brethren in
selling him into Egypt.
107
Considering the earth a stage, and the nations and powers thereof
so many actors, what part has our nation chosen to act in the
grand scenes of the last days? The days of farces are gone by;
realities now claim our attention, and we should discipline our
minds and accustom them to sober thought, and prepare our hearts
and nerves for the substances that have so long cast only their
shadows before them to awaken our fancy and speculations, and
pleasingly or painfully excite our unstable souls.
108
Observe Christopher Columbus in his silent meditations; mark his
untiring and faithful observations! Behold him watching the
western breeze, and marking, with zealous eye and anxious heart,
every substance that floated on the ocean's eastward-bound
current as, probably, from the New World he sought. Listen to the
philosophy of his reasoning, that a Western Continent was
necessary to preserve the equilibrium of the earth, and to
balance it correctly on its own axis. Inspired of the Almighty
God of heaven, he encountered the ridicule and jeer of a
faithless and unbelieving world. Bound and hampered by the chains
of poverty, he possessed not the ability to prosecute the voyage
of discovery so dear to his heart, and so intimately connected
with his hopes of future greatness and renown. Brooking every
difficulty--combating opposition, calumny, and reproach from
almost every quarter, he surmounted every obstacle, obtained an
outfit that was as little fitting and proper for the great
enterprise as was the manger for the birthplace of the Virgin's
Son. The time had arrived for the discovery to be made. Millions
of spirits in the spirit world, who had not yet taken bodies, nor
passed the ordeal, in earthly tenements, of a residence on this
benighted globe, were waiting with anxious eye for the area of
heaven-born intelligences to be extended or opened to the gaze of
mortal eye, that there might be room for them to come down and
play their part, in their time and in their season, on the stage
of human life. The three old crazy vessels were enough! The
Spirit Angel was their guardian and their guide, and was with
them on the stormy deep. Another important reason why the
discovery should be made: The history and record of a fallen
people, containing light from the spirit land, and truth from
heaven, were buried in the soil of the Western Continent; and
although engraven on golden leaves in a strange and unknown
tongue still they must come forth, being among the secret things
that should be revealed.
108
With the view of raising up a Church pursuant to the doctrine
contained in these records of a fallen people, a government has
to be established on this chosen and promised land, whose
provisions should be liberal enough to allow and tolerate every
principle, precept, and doctrine of the new Church which then
existed only in prophetic vision. The Constitution of the United
States forms the basis of that government, extending protection
to all, and showing especial favour to none.
108
After this government became fully established, and had time to
command the respect of all nations, lo! the angel of God from the
courts on high descended to earth, and "Cumorah's lonely hill,"
in the State of New York, was made to yield up the golden records
to the stripling ordained and chosen of God as the agent to
enlighten the world with the words of nations long since extinct,
whose ruined cities, towns, forts, and various other works of
improvement are left as a striking memento of fallen greatness.
109
Let it never be forgotten, but let the mind's eye always be
directed to it as the eye of the storm-beaten mariner is ever
directed towards the polar star or the beacon lights, that, while
they ward off danger, they inspire with joy. It is a prophetic
saying, relating to the destiny of this country, contained in the
records found in Cumorah, and translated by the stripling youth,
whose blood has sealed the truth of his translation;--hear it,
all ye ends of the earth! "THERE SHALL NO KING BE RAISED UP ON
THIS LAND; AND WHOSOEVER SEEKETH TO RAISE UP A KING ON THIS LAND
SHALL PERISH." "This land," means both North and South America,
and also the families of islands that geographically and
naturally belong and adhere to the same. There are promises and
decrees of God in relation to "this land" of an extraordinary
character. No other land can boast of the same. How beautifully
does the spirit of the above prophetic sentiment chime in with
the great American principle, "that no foreign prince, potentate,
or sovereign will be allowed to interfere in the affairs of this
Continent!" Spain must give up Cuba; England, Canada; and the
United States of America must hold, as her dependencies, every
country on the Western Continent, with the islands along its
borders. Mexico would not allow our agents to preach the Gospel
within her borders. The Catholic faith, sustained by political
power, to the exclusion of all others, is a cause sufficient for
revolutions at home, and for a conquest by a power whose policy
it is to let religion stand upon its own merits.
109
The great design of Providence in raising up our nation, and
freeing it from the yoke of a foreign power, and in arming it
with energy strength, and skill, was to make it the honoured
agent to suppress religious intolerance and usurpation, and to
open effectual doors for the free investigation of every subject
that can enlist the interests and attention of men, that every
principle that will stand the test of a close and scrupulous
examination, whether moral, political, or religious, may be drawn
out and applied to practical use in that department to which it
belongs.
109
The United States should therefore be regarded by the Latter-day
Church as the men that fell the timber and clear the land,
removing every obstacle in the way of ploughing and the sowing of
seed. Remember, that whatever land or country falls under the
Government of the United States, there you may go and preach the
Gospel, and not be thrust into prison for it as you now are in
many countries. The press also--that mighty engine of power, is
free and untrammelled wherever the American eagle builds her
nest. I think I hear a voice in low tone from yonder corner
reproaching thus:--But, in the United States, your Prophets have
been killed, your houses burned, your fields laid waste, your
grain consumed by fire, your people driven and scattered before
the bitter blasts of persecution, like clouds before the wind!
109
Ah, too true! But the Constitution and laws of the country were
not guilty of these cruel and bloody deeds. It was a lawless mob
that did the mischief--an outbreak to which every country is
subject. But you may ask, Why were the offenders not punished for
their cruelty? Because human legislation had failed to affix a
penalty proportionate to the offence: hence the Almighty has
taken that matter into his own hands, and will award to them a
punishment that will be fully adequate, by making them the
eternal servants of the persecuted and martyred ones. If the
nation had done all she could to wipe out the stain of these
cruel and bloody deeds, herself would have been spotless.
110
In the spring of 1834, a move was made from Kirtland, Ohio, to
the State of Missouri, by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and many of
his friends. During the journey from time to time, some murmuring
and insubordination were manifest in the camp. This called out
many reproofs and admonitions from the Prophet, until at length,
on one beautiful day when the sun shone in all its beauty and
splendour, (having failed to silence the murmurings in the camp,)
he uttered in substance the following language:--Brethren, by
your murmurings and complainings you have grieved the Holy
Spirit. I have reproved you often--reasoned and remonstrated with
you from time to time, and you have not heeded the admonition;
and now, therefore, so sure and certain as you behold yonder sun
shining in the heavens, without a cloud to obstruct its rays,
just so sure and certain will the destroyer lay you waste, and
your carcasses shall fall and perish like rotten sheep. Only
about two weeks after, the cholera broke out in camp, and the
awful prediction was fully verified, to the consternation of the
stoutest heart. Some eight or ten died and were buried in a
night! But did the Prophet cease his anxiety for the welfare of
the camp? Did he become alienated in his feelings from his
friends in their hour of chastisement and tribulation? Did he
turn to be their enemy because he had spoken hard things against
them? No! His heart was melted with sympathy--his bosom glowed
with love, compassion, and kindness; and with a zeal and fidelity
that became a devoted friend in the hour of peril, he personally
ministered to the sick and dying, and aided in burying the dead.
Every act of his, during that severe trial, gave additional
assurances to the camp that, with all their faults, he loved them
still.
110
If the United States have been guilty of a great dereliction of
duty in not making an effort to redress the sufferings and wrongs
of the "Mormons," and the "Mormons" have said that this inaction
and indifference on the part of the Government in relation to
their grievances will draw upon the nation a scourge and
chastisement from God, we have no more idea that the great
purposes and designs of the Creator will be changed in relation
to this nation, in consequence of this merited chastisement, than
the purposes and designs of a father to rear up his son in
honour, integrity, and truth will become changed by the
infliction of chastisement for some transgression or
misdemeanour.
110
The "Mormons" feel their wrongs: they know them; and while they
live they will not forget them: they cannot, if they would. They
will remember them also in the spirit world and in the exalted
courts of the celestial kingdom. When they enter, it will be
asked "Who are these? and from whence come they?" The answer will
be--"These are they who have come up through great tribulation,"
&c. They will not forget! Still, like the Prophet, who stood by
his brethren until death, so will the "Mormons" stand by their
country while any foe dares to set his unhallowed foot upon our
shores, or upon our borders.
110
Under the guardianship of high Heaven, all things are moving
gloriously onward. We have recently had a liberal slice off from
Mexico, but the whole loaf must come. The north must give up, and
the south keep not back, while the islands are waiting for thy
law. The voice of God, through American policy, with loud and
thrilling notes, cries, Come unto me, all ye ends of the earth
and be ye saved from the yokes of tyrants--from the chains and
fetters of bigotry, superstition, and priestcraft, and regale
yourselves under the tree of liberty, whose branches are rapidly
extending, and whose fruit is rich and desirable, and whose
leaves are for the healing of the nations.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / George
Albert Smith, January 10, 1858
George Albert Smith, January 10, 1858
DIVINE ORIGIN OF "MORMONISM"--DOINGS AND SAYINGS OF EARLY
OPPOSERS AND APOSTATES.
Remarks by Elder George A. Smith, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 10, 1858.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
111
The Lord says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are my ways higher than your ways."
111
The address we have listened to this afternoon is directly
calculated to inspire our minds with a full fruition of the truth
of these sentiments. If the religious nations of the world had
been consulted in establishing a new religion with the intention
of superseding all other sects and denominations, they would have
selected a grave council of the wisest, most learned, and pious
men they could find,--learned in theology, in philosophy, in law,
and in every department of science. Yet we are told that the
Saviour, when he visited the earth, selected as his ministers and
messengers fishermen and other individuals from the lower orders
of the people--men with but little learning, and less reputation,
to proclaim the Gospel, testify of the truth, and be witnesses of
his advent into the world--of his miracles and resurrection from
the dead. So it was in the present generation.
111
When the Lord commenced his work, he neglected to call upon
Campbell, Scott, Clarke, Doddridge, or any other celebrated
divine. He passed over his Holiness the Pope, and the Bishops
that were presiding with so much dignity, splendour, and
authority over the different portions of the Christian Church. He
passed over the learned institutions of the day, and went into a
field and laid his hand on the head of Joseph Smith, a
ploughboy,--upon one who cultivated the earth, and had scarcely
education enough to read his Bible,--whom he inspired, appointing
him to translate the Book of Mormon, and authorizing him to
proclaim the Gospel and administer the plan of salvation.
111
Ere long, this young man became the scoff, the by-word, and hiss
of all the learned Christians on the earth. But the Lord said,
"My ways are not as your ways nor my thoughts as your thoughts."
111
When the early Elders of this Church began to preach the first
principles of the Gospel, how oft have we heard the question
asked--Why did not the Lord call upon some learned man--upon the
presidents of theological seminaries, or upon some of our learned
missionaries? Why, if this work be true, did he call upon a
person so low--so uneducated--so foolish? This inquiry was made
in every direction by hundreds and by thousands, and was laid
down by them as a sufficient reason for rejecting the Book of
Mormon and the testimony of the servants of God.
112
In a very short time a literary war commenced. The newspapers
announced to the world that an impostor had arisen, that an
impostor had been palmed upon them, a false religion had been
proclaimed, and that an ignorant, stupid, lazy, good-for-nothing
set of fellows were pretending to preach a new religion. Thurlow
Weed was the first to commence the literary war through the
press, under the head of "Blasphemy."
112
This proclamation has been often reiterated up to the present
time. Pulpit orators announced to their congregations that three
weeks would be sufficient to dispel the whole delusion. Three
weeks passed away, and the word of God was still preached. Then
pulpit proclaimers announced that a year would terminate the
delusion.
112
Editors published their false statements, one of which, no doubt,
will be remembered--a pretended miracle of walking on the water.
It was said that the Prophet placed planks two or three inches
under the surface of the water, and walked on them, to convince
the multitude of the truth of his doctrine: but just as all were
convinced, and the Prophet was about to step on shore, some
rogues pulled out the plank, and he fell into the water, and was
drowned.
112
What next? "This printing lies about Mormonism--this
blackguarding, and preaching falsehoods about it, don't stop it:
we must apply something that will." They applied a suit of tar
and feathers to the Prophet, and other abuses, but with no better
success than attended their former efforts to stop the progress
of "Mormonism." In fact, the Prophet had not more than got the
tar fairly washed off him, before he had to go into the water to
baptize.
112
There is a class of personages who have acted a conspicuous part
in opposition to the progress of the work of the Lord in the last
days, who are never to be forgotten. The first members of the
Church, it will be recollected, came from almost every religious
denomination; and if they had never belonged to any religious
sect, they had more or less of their prejudices.
112
I recollect when I first began to discern the operation of the
spirit of apostacy. A small company of us started for Zion. One
of the company (Norman A. Brown) lost a horse. This man had been
baptized for the remission of sins, rejoiced in the light of
truth, and started to gather with the Saints; but his horse died.
"Now," said he, "is it possible that this is the work of God? If
this had been the work of God, my horse would not have died when
I was going to Zion." He apostatized, fought against the work of
God, and died a miserable, lingering, and unhappy death; and all
because of so great a trial as the loss of a horse.
112
Joseph H. Wakefield, who baptized me, after having apostatized
from the Church, announced to the astonished world the fact that,
while he was a guest in the house of Joseph Smith, he had
absolutely seen the Prophet come down from the room where he was
engaged in translating the word of God, and actually go to
playing with the children! This convinced him that the Prophet
was not a man of God, and that the work was false, which, to me
and hundreds of others, he had testified that he knew came from
God. He afterwards headed a mob meeting, and took the lead in
bringing about a persecution against the Saints in Kirtland and
the regions around about.
113
One of the first apostates that published against this work was
Ezra Booth. He published nine letters in the Ohio Star, published
at Ravenna, Portage country, in which he used all the arguments
and made all the false statements he could; and it was generally
believed by our enemies, at the time, that the apostacy and
revelations of Ezra Booth would put an utter end to "Mormonism."
But the wheel rolled along unabated in its progress.
113
Ezra Booth had been a Methodist preacher; but on a visit to
Joseph Smith, he had become convinced of the truth of the work of
the Lord by witnessing a miracle. Mrs. Johnson, an aged lady had
for several years been afflicted with rheumatism, and for more
than a year had not been able to raise her arm at all. She was
healed by the administration of the laying on of hands by the
Prophet, and was enabled immediately to raise her hand to her
head, comb her hair, or do anything she wished. This convinced
him it was the power of God. He went to preaching the truth, but
found, instead of living on the fat of the land, as he did among
his Methodist brethren that he had to labour and toil for the
good of Zion, trusting in God, and in the great day of accounts
receive his reward; so he apostatized.
113
The next publication which made a prominent show in the world was
a book entitled "Mormonism Unveiled," written by Doctor P.
Hurlburt. In consequence of improper conduct among females, he
was expelled from the Church. He confessed his wickedness to the
Council. I was present, and heard him. He promised before God,
angels, and men that he would from that time forth live his
religion and preserve his integrity, if they would only forgive
him. He wept like a child, and prayed and begged to be forgiven.
The Council forgave him; but Joseph told him, "You are not honest
in this confession."
113
A few days afterwards he published his renunciation of the work,
assigning as a reason, that he deceived that Council, and made
them believe his was an honest confession, when he only confessed
to see whether the Council had power to discern his spirit.
Joseph, however, told him at the time that he was not honest in
his confession.
113
He went to work and got up the "Spaulding story"--that famous
yarn about the "Manuscript Found." When about to publish this
lying fabrication, in several of his exciting speeches having
threatened the life of Joseph Smith, he was required to give
bonds, by the authorities of Ohio, to keep the peace. In
consequence of this, the name of E. D. Howe was substituted as
the author, who published it.
113
Hurlburt was cracked up in the world as a scientific man--as an
M. D.; but he happened to be the seventh son, and was called
Doctor by his parents. It was his given name--not the title of
his profession.
113
The public press heralded forth many encomiums on the book. Mr.
Howe agreed to give Hurlburt four hundred copies for the
manuscript.
113
Hurlburt took his subscription list and went from house to house
for names, until he had got subscribers for the four hundred
copies, which were to be delivered as soon as they were printed
and bound, at one dollar per copy.
113
Howe refused to deliver Hurlburt the four hundred copies until he
managed to get his eye on Hurlburt's subscription list, which he
copied, delivered the books, took the money, and then gave
Hurlburt his four hundred copies. He thereby swindled Hurlburt
out of his manuscript, and he had to sell his books at from ten
to twenty cents each, or anything he could get; and great numbers
were never sold.
114
There is one thing in relation to publications against
"Mormonism:" No apostate has ever made his fortune by them; for,
if he would tell the truth, that would be no mystery; and when
they tell falsehoods, the spirit of lying makes them tell such
big lies, and so many of them, that their work goes into
discredit.
114
I think the first church attempted to be established in
opposition to "Mormonism" was that established by Wycam Clark, in
Kirtland. He was baptized about the same time as Sidney Rigdon,
and, in company with Northrop Sweet and four others, seceded from
this Church, and said they could carry the whole world with them
by preaching "Mormon" principles. They had two or three meetings;
but the society would never have been known in the world, had not
a few of us remembered the circumstance and told of it.
114
Another species of apostacy took place in the neighbourhood of
the forge in Kirtland. A man named Hoten seceded from the Church,
renounced the Book of Mormon and the Prophet, and established
himself under the name of the Independent Church. A man named
Montague was appointed bishop. This church got to number about
ten members. They pretended, under the order of the New
Testament, to have all things common. In a few weeks the bishop,
who had charge of the temporal things, made a charge on the
president for visiting his pork barrel, and the president charged
the bishop with visiting his wife, and that broke up the society.
114
I shall not undertake to detail all of this species of character
that have arisen; but there was another by the name of Hawley. He
was attacked by a spirit of revelation, somewhere in the State of
New York, while he was ploughing; and it took him in such a hurry
that he had not time to put on his boots, but travelled barefoot
to Kirtland, some six hundred miles distant, to warn Joseph that
he was a fallen Prophet; that God had cut Joseph off, and placed
in his stead a man by the name of Noah; and the reason Joseph was
cut off was, he had suffered the men to wear cushions on their
coat sleeves, and the women to wear caps. He went through the
streets of Kirtland with a dismal howl, crying, "Woe, woe to the
people." On one occasion, about midnight, Brigham Young went out,
and took with him a cowhide, and said to Hawley, "If you don't
quit annoying the people with your noise, I will cowhide you;"
upon which he concluded he had suffered persecution enough for
his master's sake, and shut up his noise.
114
I believe, if you will take the whole circle of the history of
apostates from this church, that in ninety-nine cases out of
every hundred you will find that the spirit of adultery or
covetousness was the original cause.
114
There was a man named John Smith came into the Church, and was
somewhat prominent in the State of Indiana. He preached some
little, and was considered quite zealous; but he said he had
proved that the Book of Doctrine and Covenants was not true; "For
it says," said he, "that if a man shall commit adultery, and not
repent of it, he shall lose the Spirit of God, and shall deny the
faith. Now, I have done it, and have not denied the faith; and so
I have proved that the revelation in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants is not from God." The spirit of blindness had so taken
possession of him that he could not see that when he was
proclaiming that the revelations were not true, he was denying
the faith. That spirit has such an effect over the human mind as
totally to blind them in relation to their own acts and the
spirit that governs them.
115
After the organization of the Twelve Apostles, and the so far
finishing of the Kirtland Temple as to hold a solemn assembly and
confer the Kirtland endowment therein, the spirit of apostacy
became more general, and the shock that was given to the Church
became more severe than on any previous occasion.
115
The Church had increased in numbers, and the Elders had extended
their labours accordingly; but the apostacy commenced in high
places. One of the First Presidency, several of the Twelve
Apostles, High Council, Presidents of Seventies, the witnesses of
the Book of Mormon, Presidents of Far West, and a number of
others standing high in the Church were all carried away in this
apostacy; and they thought there was enough of them to establish
a pure religion that would become universal.
115
This attempted organization was under the direction of Warren
Parrish, who had been a Travelling Elder in the Church, and who
sustained a high reputation in the Southern States as an eloquent
preacher, and had for a short time been employed by Joseph as a
clerk. He undertook to organize those elements into a church, and
I was told by them that all the talented men among the Elders
were ready to join them.
115
They named, for instance Lyman Johnson, John F. Boyington,
William E. McLellan, Hazen Aldrich, Sylvester Smith, Joseph Coe,
Orson Johnson, W. A. Cowdery, M. F. Cowdery, and others,
amounting to something like thirty, who had been prominent Elders
in the Church.
115
They were going to renounce the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith,
and take the "Mormon" doctrines to overthrow all the religions in
the world, and unite all the Christian churches in one general
band, and they to be its great leaders.
115
What success did this great apostacy meet with? Brother Kimball,
when on a mission in 1844, (this apostacy took place in 1837-8,)
while crossing Fox River on the ferry, encountered Warren
Parrish. He was a grave-looking man--a straight-jacketed fellow,
dressed in black, with a white handkerchief around his neck. Says
he, "Elder Kimball, will you have the goodness not to say to the
people here that I ever was a Mormon. I am a Baptist Minister. I
am preaching at that meetinghouse for a salary of $500 a year. If
they find out I have been a Mormon, it would hurt my influence
very much indeed."
115
Where was the big church he had tried to build up? He had tried
pleading law; that failed: peddling bogus money, and that failed,
like his big church speculation. And where was the origin of
this?
115
I recollect waking up late one evening when I was quite a young
man, and hearing my father and one of the brethren talk. Being a
little disposed to listen, I learned that there had been
considerable of a difficulty between Parrish and one of the
brethren. This was when he was in good standing in the Church. He
had been too kind with the brother's wife. Then I learned the
commencement of his apostacy.
115
You may go to every one of these men--I care not which one; you
cannot put your finger on any one of these thirty men but what
you will find that the spirit of adultery or covetousness had got
possession of their hearts; and when it did, the Spirit of the
Lord left them. They had not sense enough to repent and put away
their iniquity, but suffered themselves to be overthrown with the
spirit of darkness; and they have gone to hell, and there they
may lift up their eyes, asking for some relief or benefit from
those they once tried to destroy; but if they get the privilege
of waiting on a servant to those who have kept the laws of
heaven, they will be exceedingly thankful and fortunate.
116
At the breaking up of Far West there was another Prophet
appeared. Isaac Russell undertook to lead the Saints into the
wilderness. He gathered some twenty followers.
116
The reason why he apostatized was, the commandment required the
Twelve Apostles to take their leave of the Saints on the
foundation of the Temple on the twenty-sixth day of April, and it
could not be fulfilled because those men were all driven away;
but it happened that the Twelve went to that spot, and twenty or
thirty Saints recommenced the foundation on the day appointed,
held a Conference, and cut off Russell and his followers. He used
his influence over a few individuals until they scattered and
wasted away.
116
In Nauvoo we had another shower of dust around the Prophet. There
was a man by the name of William Law, who was a Counsellor to
Joseph Smith, and a man of great gravity. He preached a great
deal on the stand in Nauvoo, and told the people they must be
punctual and pay their debts; and he repeated it over and over
again. Sunday after Sunday he preached punctuality, PUNCTUALITY,
PUNCTUALITY.
116
I was then on a mission in England; but when I got home, I would
hear, Sunday after Sunday, these addresses. Thinks I, this is a
very righteous fellow; it will be perfectly safe to deal with
him; and everybody thought so.
116
The first time I suspected but what he was as straight as a
loon's leg--at least in relation to his trading, was one day in
his mill. Brother Willard Richards and myself met Bishop Smoot,
and he offered to bet a barrel of salt that the Doctor was
heavier than I was. We went into Law's mill to be weighed. I was
weighed on the scales where he weighed wheat into the mill.
116
To my surprise, I did not weigh as much by twelve pounds as
usual. I thought this was a curiosity. I saw there was another
pair of scales on the other side of the mill where they weighed
out flour. I weighed the Doctor twice, and he weighed me twice on
both scales; and I found that if I had been a bag of flour, I
should have weighed twelve pounds too much; and, if I had been a
bag of wheat, I should not have weighed enough by twelve pounds.
116
The Doctor and myself soon discovered that the gain by this
villainous fraud would supply the mill with wood and hands to
tend it.
116
Brother Joseph and I saw brother Law come out of his house one
day, and brother Joseph said to me, referring to Law, "George, do
you know that there is the meanest man in this town?"
116
"Yes," I said, "I know he is, but did not know you thought so."
116
"How did you find it out?"
116
He has two sets of weights in his mill. He also told me something
about Law's visit to certain disreputable houses in St. Louis,
and gave me to understand that he knew something about Law's
hypocrisy and dishonesty in dealing, as well as myself.
116
I only tell this circumstance because he pulled the leading
string in putting Joseph Smith to death. When he comes forth, he
may expect to find his white robe dyed in the blood of innocence,
and he may expect in all time to come to have that stigma upon
him.
116
The spirit of hypocrisy, covetousness adultery, and corruption
also laid the foundation for Law's destruction.
116
When a man professes a great deal of sanctity--a great deal of
holiness and piety,--when he can scarcely speak without a pious
groan, he is to be suspected; for such hypocrisy is in itself the
most cursed corruption that can exist.
117
Law gathered around him a few followers, organized a church, and
set himself up for a prophet, went out from Nauvoo, joined the
mob, and led the van.
117
In 1843, when Joseph was taken prisoner in the county of Lee, on
a demand from the Governor of Missouri, William Law turned out
and attempted to release him. While near Oquaka, and supposing
that Joseph had been smuggled to the river side, and that he was
about to be carried to the Mississippi, and put on board the
steamer, and hurried away to Missouri, says, he, "They will carry
him on board of a boat and get him over the river; and if the
Prophet is carried to Missouri and killed, property in Nauvoo
will fall to one-half its present value." His anxiety was about
the price of property going down. A few minutes after, when he
met Joseph, he went up, threw his arms around him, and kissed
him. He loved him tenderly as long as he kept the price of
property up.
117
After the death of Joseph, a number of men appeared, professing
to be revelators. The most noted of them, I believe, was James J.
Strang. He gathered a few followers around him, and established
himself first at Voree, Wisconsin; then he removed to Beaver
Island, Lake Michigan. He remained there some length of time; and
finally, in some disturbance got up there, he was murdered. His
followers clung together longer than any of the other apostates.
They were able to publish a monthly paper, about half the size of
the Deseret News, printed in large type and coarsely leaded, in
which they advocated James J. Strang as a prophet.
117
Charles Thompson, Francis Gladden Bishop, G. J. Adams, and others
arose, until prophets for awhile were at a discount. But all
these vanished into thin air; their names were forgotten, and
their pretensions are unknown, unless some of us happen to think
and tell of them.
117
Oliver Cowdery said to the people, when he came to Pottawotamie
and requested to be restored to the Church, "Follow the Twelve:
they are the men with whom the Priesthood rests. If you follow
the main channel of the stream, you will go right; but if you run
into bayou, you will find yourselves among snags."
117
You may trace the course of all those characters, and you will
find that hypocrisy and adultery have been the leading-strings to
lead them astray. It is of the utmost importance that every
Latter-day Saint thoroughly and carefully tread his own path,
correct his own conduct, regulate his own life, banish from his
heart the spirit of wickedness and corruption, and see to it that
his intentions, desires, and actions are pure in the sight of
God,--that he covets not that which belongs to his neighbour; for
our actions are between us and our God: with him we have to
account, and his Spirit will not dwell in unholy temples.
117
Then let us keep ourselves pure before Him, live the principles
that we have espoused, and be prepared for the great day when we
shall stand upon Mount Zion, where none will stand only those who
have clean hands and pure hearts.
117
May God bless us. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / John
Taylor, January 10, 1858
John Taylor, January 10, 1858
THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN ALL AGES LED BY ONE SPIRIT, AND SUBJECT
TO PERSECUTION--CONDITION OF THE WORLD.
A Sermon by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 10, 1858.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
118
It is always pleasing and interesting to listen to the statements
of any of the servants of God who may be in possession of his
Spirit, and to watch the motion and direction of that Spirit as
it operates upon the human mind.
118
There are many things associated with the Church and kingdom of
God that are very peculiar: it differs from all other churches,
and is dissimilar to all other kingdoms. There is a spirit and
wisdom associated with it that the world knows nothing of, and
there is a power accompanying it to which mankind are entire
strangers without that spirit. There is generally a great amount
of obloquy and reproach associated with it; people are apt to
treat the servants of God with contempt; yet there is a spirit,
and power, and intelligence imparted by the gift of the Holy
Ghost, that sustains his people under all circumstances, in all
places, and among all nations; and hence Paul in his day said, "I
am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth; for therein is
the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith."
118
Ordinarily speaking, Paul would have been considered a mean,
contemptible fool by the world. He was whipped, persecuted,
imprisoned, stoned, and had to escape from mobs, being let down
in a basket over a wall, like some mean, crawling scamp that had
to get out of the way of civilized society: he was despised and
hated among men, together with his associates. Yet says he, "I am
not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." Why was he not? Because
there was a spirit and power in it that was in nothing else.
Wherever he preached that Gospel--wherever it was believed in and
obeyed, there was a power and spirit accompanied it that no
earthly power could impart; and those persons who received it
received the gift of the Holy Ghost; and that Holy Ghost took of
the things of God and showed them unto them: they partook of the
same spirit that he did, were enlightened by the same
intelligence, and blessed in the same manner, and, consequently,
were united together in the bonds of the everlasting Gospel, and
associated by the gift of the Holy Ghost, having a hope that
bloomed with immortality and eternal life.
119
I have seen, in my wanderings over the earth, hundreds of such
cases as the one we have listened to this morning. I have heard
men speak in different nations--in Germany, France, England,
Scotland, Wales, the United States, in the Canadas;--no matter
where, go where you will, and let a man receive the truth, and
his heart is filled with joy and rejoicing. I see people around
me here from all these parts that I have heard testify the same
things as our brother this morning.
119
It is this spirit, intelligence, and the gift of the Holy Ghost
and its operations on our minds, that has made us one. It is on
that account that we speak alike, think alike, write alike,
testify alike, because we are baptized into one baptism, and have
all partaken of the same Spirit, and we all feel the same thing
and rejoice in the same hope. Wherever the Spirit of God operates
upon the human mind in any part of the earth, it is productive of
the same results; and hence you see people coming in from the
east, the west, the north, and the south to this place, led and
impelled by the same Spirit.
119
Why did you leave your homes, break up your establishments, bid
adieu to your friends and associates, and traverse oceans, seas,
deserts, and plains, in order to come here? Because you were
inspired by that same Spirit. And why were you inspired by it?
how did it originate? and where did it come from? Why, the Lord
has set his hand to accomplish his designs in these last days; he
has opened the heavens and revealed his purposes to his servants
the Prophets, and has called his people from the ends of the
earth to gather together, that he might establish his Zion upon
the earth, and bring to pass those things which have been spoken
of by all the holy Prophets since the world was.
119
We have listened to the voice of the charmer--participated in all
the blessings of the Gospel; and this has been the means of our
gathering together in this place. Why did we come here? For the
same reason this brother said he came--to serve God and work
righteousness, gain intelligence, and bring salvation to
ourselves, to our wives and our children, and obtain it for our
progenitors. We came here to learn the principles of eternal
life, and be enabled to fulfil our destiny upon the earth, and
prepare ourselves and our posterity for a celestial inheritance
in the eternal worlds.
119
It seems strange to many, perhaps, that a people like us--a
people as innocent as this people are--a people who have desired
to serve God as sincerely as this people have--a people who are
living up to the principles of truth as near as we do,--I say, it
seems strange to them that we should have to meet with any
difficulty, be persecuted, that our names should be cast out as
evil, and we be treated with contumely and bitter reproach, as
the offscouring of all things; and that even a nation like that
of the United States should array itself against us. Men, you
know, all profess to be honest, more or less; and if they are,
this certainly has a very strange appearance.
120
Yet, when we come to reflect, and look back upon men who lived in
other ages, whom we have been taught to believe were honest and
good, as we profess to be, and see their names cast out as evil
too, and that some of the best of men had to wander in
sheep-skins and goat-skins, and dwell in deserts, and dens, and
caves of the earth,--that they were destitute, afflicted,
tormented, whipped, stoned, imprisoned, and put to death,--we see
that it is only now as it has been heretofore. This has been the
state of things generally in the world, so far as the servants of
god are concerned in this world. With all its boasted
magnanimity, with all its intelligence, with all its erudition,
with all its talent, with all its pomp and glory, and professed
intelligence and philosophy, there has never been a time, since
the world began, but men of the most elevated character, of the
most exalted natures, of the best and most moral
habits,--virtuous men that feared God and worked righteousness,
have been persecuted, cast out, and trodden under foot.
120
And there has never been a time, with but few exceptions, in some
isolated cases, that they had even equal rights among men, either
civil, religious, or political;--I say, with very few exceptions,
there has never been a time that the representatives of God on
the earth, his servants, his Priesthood, his people,--those that
carried out the principles of righteousness, and were obedient to
his law, observed his statutes, and kept his commandments,--that
such a people possessed either their civil, religious, or
political rights among men.
120
It is true that, on the continent of Asia, the Jews might be
considered an exception in this respect. They had a government
which lasted for a certain period of time; they made their own
laws, and governed themselves; and yet even among this people,
who professed to be God's people, those men who really did fear
God, tell the truth, and dared work righteousness, were generally
trodden under foot. So far even were they fallen, that when Jesus
came among them he said, "Which of the prophets have not your
fathers slain,"--even you who profess to observe his laws--you
who boast of having Abraham for your father, and have more
knowledge of God than any other people?" He could ask that with
impunity to a whole nation, and they could not answer him. If
that was the case among them, what is the position of others?
120
There was a certain time on this continent, from the accounts
given in the Book of Mormon, that a few people observed the laws
of Jesus and his Gospel, and kept his commandments without
persecution; but it only lasted for a short time: they soon
departed from every principle of righteousness, and were cut off
in consequence.
120
What has been the position of others, if this has been the case
among good men? They began to persecute the Prophets and reject
the word of the Lord on this continent as on the other. You read
of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the antediluvians, that every
imagination of their hearts was only evil, and that continually.
You read again of the abominations of Nineveh, of Babylon, of
ancient Rome, and of the bestiality that was practised among
them: they were sunk in an awful state of degradation and
corruption. They still are under the influence of the god of this
world, who rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience,
and leads them captive at his will.
120
Look at the world, and what does it present? Any one familiar
with the history of the nations must know that it has been nation
against nation, kingdom against kingdom, power against power,
dominion against dominion. The history of the world from the time
of its commencement to the present is a scene of war, carnage,
and desolation; and if you travel on the continent of Asia, where
their history is more familiarly known than that of the
inhabitants of this country, their monuments, their
picture-galleries, and everything represent the very thing of
which I have been speaking.
121
You may go, for instance, into some of the galleries in France,
and you may read on the canvas the history of that nation from
the third century to this time, and it is a history of battles
and combats, blood and destruction, wherein the fiercest passions
of the human mind are developed. Here is portrayed massacres that
took place at a certain time, and there the desolation and
overthrow of a city at another period; the fierce struggle, the
falling heroes, and the lifeless corpses are all portrayed on the
canvas on the walls, showing that the shedding of human
blood--that carnage and desolation have prevailed everywhere
since that nation commenced; and this is called their glory,
their pride, their boast: they will point it out as the glory of
their nation; and this thing has existed everywhere else, among
all nations.
121
Go into Asia, and you will find the same thing. Histories of the
Crusades furnish another example, together with the power,
prowess, and bloodshed introduced by Mahomet in his day. The
history of the whole world from that time to this presents a
scene of war, tyranny, cruelty, and oppression,--man struggling
with his fellow-man, trying to raise himself upon the ruin of
others. The thrones of many kings have been supported by a
pyramid of human carcasses slain to gratify their thirst for
power and influence. There are heroes and great men--statesmen,
to whom we are to look upon as examples of power, of dignity and
glory on the earth. Has right had anything to do with it? No.
Talk about God and his Prophets!--they never thought about any
such thing; but, as the Scripture says, "God was not in all their
thoughts:" that was out of the question entirely.
121
Now, what has to be done in such a state of things? Will they for
ever continue? Must the wicked always triumph? If a man dare to
rise as a man of God, cut off his head and trample him under
foot! What chance has the principle of truth to obtain a hearing
on the earth under such circumstances? There is none. So far as
national power has existed to protect right on the earth, we
cannot find it anywhere. I presume the nearest approach to it was
on this land a few years ago, because a number of oppressed men
that struck out against oppression fled to this country to find
an asylum. They maintained the principles of liberty and freedom,
which they started with for some time: they had suffered the
evils of religious oppression, and appreciated freedom therefrom,
and were enabled to make laws to protect themselves and their
principles for some time.
121
By-and-by the same evil began to predominate here: religious
intolerance was practised, professed witches and wizards killed,
Quakers were outraged and abused, law and order began to be
trampled under foot, and evil principles prevailed and began to
be tolerated, instead of righteous ones.
121
People affect to be astonished at the present time that we should
feel reluctance at having the appointees of so great and august a
personage as the President of the United States to rule over us;
and they have made this a cause for the cry of "Treason,
rebellion," &c. We are American citizens, and have at least some
rights. Our fathers professed to have, a few years ago, when they
said that all mankind had a right to "life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness."
122
How was it that ten thousand armed men could come against us in
the State of Missouri? And what for? Because we dared worship God
according to the dictates of our conscience. Did the State know
anything about it? yes. A memorial was presented to them, and
afterwards another to the President of the United States; and
Martin Van Buren, the then President, acknowledged to the
justness of our cause in the following words:--"Your cause is
just, but we can do nothing for you." And so fifteen or twenty
thousand American citizens were disfranchised, robbed of their
inheritances, and many of them murdered in prison, many put to
death, and hundreds perished in consequence of privations they
had to endure; and the chief magistrate of the U. S. Government
and people could do nothing for them. There is no justice for the
servants of God: you must not ask for it or look for it. If it
had been anybody else, they could have had it.
122
With these facts before us, how can any people think it odd that
we should mistrust their proceedings, and not have implicit
confidence in everything they do. How was it in Illinois? Under
the pledge of the Governor of that State, when he pledged himself
most solemnly to myself and Dr. Bernhisel, he gave us his most
sacred word, if we would go there unarmed, we should be
protected. He pledged his honour and the honour of the State. How
was it done? Joseph and Hyrum, with myself and Dr. Richards, were
cooped up in Carthage jail by mere mob violence under the
immediate eye of the Governor. We made a strong protest against
the proceedings at that time. Yet he left the prisoners there to
be butchered by a mob, and he knew they were coming upon them to
kill them. Yet we must believe every word they say, and must rely
implicitly upon their word as if it was the oracles of God. They
are surprised we cannot do this and feel as they do.
123
Those holy men were put to death and butchered in a manner that
would have disgraced the Algerian pirates. What are you doing
here, gentlemen? Why did you come here? Because they would not
let you stop in Illinois. Who was the foremost in these
things--in counselling your departure? Two United States
Senators. Stephen A. Douglas was one; the name of the other I
forget. And it was also recommended by Henry Clay. They
recommended us to leave our homes, our possessions, and to let a
beautiful city then inhabited become desolate, our gardens and
fields laid waste, and 30,000 American citizens to be
disfranchised. What for? Because they could not find protection
in the United States; and I told them of it at that time to their
face. There is no law for "Mormonism;" but yet we must have
implicit confidence in them. Then, after negotiations had been
made and we came away, they were so damnable, mean, and cowardly
as to make war on the sick and infirm that could not leave. The
poor, miserable, cursed, damned scoundrels, I pray that they may
go to hell. [The whole congregation shouted "Amen."] They now put
on a smooth face: they have, perhaps, been at a class-meeting,
some of them, and wonder why we won't let those officers come in
here--why we won't let the judges come here, such as they shall
appoint,--why we won't let kind, gentlemanly men come here and
rule over us? You know such as we have had before in our midst.
Suppose we should ask a question or two about this, and reflect a
little about some of the proceedings that have taken place here.
Here was your Judge Drummond you had here. I was not here at the
time, but I heard all about it. He was one of the appointees of
the Pierce administration, that preceded this one. He came here
and seemed determined to get up a fuss, if he could: that seemed
to be his sole object from the time he came until he went away.
He called upon a corps of men here to go out and act as a posse
comitatus to take up Indians which he wanted to destroy. He was
determined to hang somebody. And if he could not get hold of the
guilty, he wanted the innocent: he had a thirst for blood in his
bosom. He called upon the Marshal of the Territory to summons
heaps of men and capture those Indians; and he sent them out in a
season of the year that men would rather give anything than go.
But he called upon his official powers as U.S. Judge, and
threatened them with the pains and penalties of the law. They go;
and after wandering the deserts, kanyons, and plains, exposing
their lives in the frost and snows, wearing themselves and
animals, after enduring every kind of privation, and
inconvenience,--what next? This judge, after he had been so
anxious they should go, when their bills were presented at
Washington, repudiated all he had done, and says the people ought
not to have a penny for what they have done, after forcing them
into it by the power which he held in his hands. Thousands and
thousands of dollars in labour had been expended by this people
at the instance of that Judge, which remains unpaid. Such men are
infernal scoundrels, and ought to be damned; and they will be.
Yet they are the representatives here of Uncle Sam, and everybody
must take off their hats and bow to such mean reptiles. He is
Judge so-and-so; he is such a humble gentleman! And we must be
subject to such a state of things as this again! I will say, "We
will be damned if we will." That is about my feelings, gentlemen.
Besides that he was such an honourable representative of the U.
S., and wanted to introduce such beautiful principles among us,
this very same individual was so pure, so religious and holy, so
virtuous and righteous, his soul was pained in consequence of the
doctrine of polygamy: at the same time, he must bring an eastern
whore to sit on the bench with him, and thus insult the people of
this Territory, and left this poor wife desolate and forsaken in
Oquaka, Illinois. This is one of those immaculate characters they
sent out here to ameliorate your condition.
123
We need not say anything of their squaw operations. With that
matter you are familiar.
123
On the back of these things, the Legislature last year petitioned
Congress that they would not send such men here, but send men
that had some claim to decency and propriety. But this is one of
the greatest insults considered to be, to petition Congress. What
right have American citizens to petition? If this is a crime, you
will have to blame your Legislature for it. Because they do not
want such wicked scoundrels as these to govern them, they have
actually sent out an armed force here, with another posse of the
same kind of characters to cram them down our throats, and are
determined you shall swallow them; and if you are not willing to
take them, they are determined you shall have them forced upon
you by the point of the bayonet.
123
These are some of the reasons why we act as we do. Would you like
the prospect of having such a set of scamps as those to rule over
you--to have them crammed down your throat, whether or not, and
be obliged to swallow them and everything associated with them,
and allow them to carry on their abominations here, to corrupt
your wives and daughters, and spread desolation around? Do you
like the picture? The great difficulty in the matter is that we
are the people of God, and they are not.
123
God has set his hand to accomplish his purposes, and they see
more intelligence, wisdom, union, righteousness, and correct
principles manifested by this people than by any other; and they
are afraid it will grow into a great kingdom, and they will not
be able to put it down; and they want to nip it in the bud, and
pull down righteousness on the earth, that the Devil may triumph.
Will they accomplish it? In the name of the Lord God of hosts,
they will not. The hand of God is over them, and it will continue
to be until they shall be wasted away and destroyed, and every
power that is raised against Zion shall perish and be brought to
naught.
124
Now the kingdom of God is assuming another phase to what it has
done. The Lord has set his hand to work to accomplish his
purposes, and establish his kingdom, and the reign of right on
the earth. Is any man that fears God and works righteousness in
torment, trouble, and anxiety here? No. But if a man works
iniquity, he is afraid all the time that his head is going to be
taken off; and many of those mean scamps that fled from your
midst went there with their eyes staring wide open: they had just
escaped with their lives. It was very remarkable, but they did
escape.
124
The sinners in Zion are afraid, and fearfulness shall surprise
the hypocrite. And I will tell you upon what principle you can
see it developed and made manifest, in a portion of the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants. It says, "When you shall go forth and
deliver your testimony, men shall rage against you and tremble
because of you. How many of you Elders, when you have borne your
testimony, have seen priests tremble like an aspen leaf! What
makes men tremble here? Because there is a concentration of the
same power, which is the power of God in opposition to the power
of darkness. One thing I feel--I feel like singing Hosanna--Glory
to God for ever, that we have found a place where a righteous man
can live and be protected in his rights. You cannot find it
anywhere else.
124
Is there a Methodist here, a Baptist, a Presbyterian, a Jumper, a
Shaker, a Spiritualist, or any other kind of religious person?
They can be protected here. Who injures them? They profess in the
States to protect everybody in their religious rights; but they
are infernal hypocrites: they do not do it.
124
There is not a country in the world where there is more religious
intolerance than in this boasted republic. Where is there a
people that have suffered as we have, in any country, for a
number of centuries back? And yet we have lived in this model
republic, where they proclaim liberty to every man--where they
have declared that all men shall worship God according to the
dictates of their conscience.
124
The Lord has introduced a people, at last, among the human family
that will protect the people in their rights; that is, they can
have a right to do good, but not evil; and if they do evil, they
will tremble. Where you see a man shaking--his nerves unstrung,
if you could open his heart, you will see something black,
unholy, and contrary to the principles of righteousness. But
there is nothing here that will make men fear that work
righteousness. But woe to the rebellious, to the adulterer, the
fornicator, the thief, and the ungodly man; for the hand of God
will be over such for evil, if they do not repent. They will be
rooted out of Zion.
124
God has set his hand to work to accomplish his purposes, to
gather together his people, to establish the principles of
righteousness among men, and overthrow the kingdom of darkness,
and establish his kingdom, and afford protection to the honest in
heart among all nations, to introduce a reign of righteousness
that shall ultimately prevail over the world. The Devil has had
rule and dominion, and brought men into bondage, and subjected
the righteous to be overthrown and trampled under foot by evil
men in every age; and they want to do it now. But Brigham Young
has said, Stop, and they have stopped. Why? Because Brigham said
so. When they go back, it will be said, "Well gentlemen, why did
you not go into Utah?" "Because Brigham Young pointed his finger
and said, Stop, and we stopped." "Were any of you fired on?"
"No." "Their men were told not to fire on us, and they did not;
but Brigham only said, Stop, and we stopped."
125
It is the first time for a long while that the principles of
righteousness and truth have withstood the powers of darkness,
yet it has here so far. Upon what principle? Upon the principle
of union, faith, purity,--upon the principles of obedience to the
laws of the Priesthood, which are the laws of God; and because we
have honoured God thus far, he has honoured us. And what shall we
do, to continue his protection with us? Continue to improve,
progress in doing right, obey counsel, live our religion, and
seek to carry out the designs of the Almighty and his
representatives upon the earth. And if we do these things, in the
name of Israel's God we shall arise and flourish, and Zion will
become a terror to all nations.
125
Do you not feel a little of it in your bones--of that spirit
growing and increasing? and you feel as easy as can be. I was
thinking the other night, there are those poor devils out yonder
shivering and shaking in the cold, and we are acting as though
there were no armies, and as though there were no United States;
and we, but a little handful of people, are dancing, and
rejoicing, and praising God, in security. There is a spirit of
peace here, and all is right and well. How will that be
maintained? By virtue, righteousness, purity, and obedience to
the laws of God, and carrying out his designs.
125
I pray that God may bless you, and guide you on in peace, that we
may be saved in his kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Erastus
Snow, September 18, 1859
Erastus Snow, September 18, 1859
THE WORK OF GOD AMONG THE NATIONS EFFECTED BY THE POWER
AND TESTIMONY OF HIS SPIRIT, AND NOT BY THE TALENTS OF MEN, ETC.
Remarks by Elder Erastus Snow, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, September 18, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
125
While brother Liljinquist has been addressing the congregation, I
thought of the saying in the Scriptures--"With men of other
tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for
all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord." This was spoken
in reference to ancient Israel. It would seem that anciently as
well as in modern times, the word of the Lord that went out from
israel to the surrounding nations came back to them. And even
Israel themselves refused to hear the testimony of men of other
tongues and other lips the Lord sent to them in the days of Jesus
Christ and his Apostles.
126
I remember having read in the Book of Mormon instances of a
similar kind among the ancient Nephites, when the spirit of
apostacy was creeping over them. The Lord raised up Prophets and
righteous men from among the Lamanites, and sent them to reprove
the Nephites, to prophesy unto them, and to warn them of
impending destruction, if they did not repent. Alma says, "For I
am persuaded that the Lord deals out his word unto all the
nations of the earth according as he will, and raises up men to
bear witness of him, and to carry his word unto all people as
they are capable of receiving."
126
The way and manner the Lord has sent forth labourers with his
Gospel among the nations in the latter days has made me often
think of these words of Alma. Even among the remnants of Israel
who are roaming through the continent of America--the Indians,
the Lord manifests himself in various ways as they are capable of
receiving those impressions he wishes to impart to them. It has
pleased our heavenly Father that the great work of the latter day
which has been spoken of by all the holy Prophets, the
establishing of his kingdom upon the earth, setting to his hand
the second time to restore the house of Israel, should commence
on the land of America, and under the auspices of the Government
of the United States. This work he has commenced by the hand of
his servant Joseph Smith, and those whom he called to be his
associates and fellow-labourers.
126
The land of America was a promised land to the pilgrim fathers,
and an asylum for the oppressed of all nations. To this land
people from all nations flocked, and the Lord inspired them to
establish a free government preparatory to the establishment of
his kingdom in the latter days. It was in this land he sought out
and raised up his servants in their weakness to be the messengers
of eternal life to the children of men, that it might go from
this land to other nations.
126
I believe it fell to my lot to be among the first who went to
nations of other tongues. Elder Heber C. Kimball, Orson hyde, and
others who accompanied them, opened the door of the Gospel of
salvation first to the nation of Great Britain. But, if my memory
serves me, at the time Elder Taylor went to France, Elder L. Snow
to Italy, myself and Elder Hanson to Denmark, and divers Elders
to different nations, it was the first mission of Elders to
people of other tongues. This is about ten years ago.
126
It was after we located in the valleys of these mountains, and
this city had become a resting place for the Saints who had been
scattered from Nauvoo. On our journey from this place, in the
fall of 1839, to visit the nations of Europe, we met large
emigrating companies of our brethren and sisters who had been
scattered and driven from their possessions in the East. It is
marvellous to see the working of our God among the nations of the
earth in gathering out his elect from time to time from those
nations. It is marvellous in the eyes of those who understand not
the Gospel. They have striven all the day long in their blind
zeal to hedge up the way of the servants of God and hinder the
spread of his Gospel. Still they perceive it steadily
progressing, and the Saints gathering home like doves to their
windows. Every effort they make to destroy the people of God, to
scatter, divide, and weaken them, seems only to advance their
progress and consolidate them in one. We have explained to them
why it is they cannot hinder it; but they cannot comprehend. They
think it is all accomplished by the talent, ability, ingenuity,
and wisdom alone of those who direct the affairs of this Church.
They speak of Brigham Young and his Counsellors, and other
leading Elders of "Mormonism," as being smart, cunning, shrewd
men, who deceive, cajole, blind, and lead the people astray. So
far from this being the truth, it is in reality the reverse, to
all intents and purposes.
127
Let any man undertake to dictate, govern, control, lead, and
gather together this people by his own wisdom alone, and the
result will be like what we have seen within the last two years
in this Territory in regard to the endeavours of our enemies to
break us up and scatter us to the four winds. Their union is like
a rope of sand, and every plan they devise comes to naught, until
they are discouraged and say, "Damn it, let us quit and go home."
127
Judge Black says, in his explanation in reference to the
officials sent to this Territory, that the Government sought the
whole country over and sent the best men they could find to
administer the principles of equity, justice, and truth to this
people. But, in addition to these, let them send special
missionaries, the most gifted and talented there are on the
earth, to draw off and lead this people by their own cunning,
shrewdness, and wisdom, and would they produce the results we now
see every day? Would they see a people that move and act in
almost perfect harmony and oneness? Let them try it. Let the
smartest Elder that can be found in this Church try it.
127
In bygone days Elders have imagined in their hearts that their
wisdom, talent, and ability had something to do with it,--that
the kingdom of God could not move unless their shoulder was at
the wheel,--that if they held back in the breaching, they would
stop the onward motion of the car. But the Lord left them covered
with their own shame and folly, after he had suffered them to try
the experiment; and the great car of truth still rolled steadily
forward.
127
Some are inclined to find fault with the Latter-day Saints
because of the murder, rapine, theft, adultery, and abominations
that are practised in Salt Lake City and in Utah Territory. Are
the Latter-day Saints to blame for this? No. The Latter-day
Saints have better business to engage themselves in, which is
serving the Lord, working righteousness, doing good to themselves
and to all people who will receive good at their hands. Nobody
has anything to do with this shooting and killing one another,
stealing, breaking into houses, whoredom, running off horses and
mules and cattle, and all such sort of abominations--getting
drunk and screaming in the streets, but just such as love it.
They are not Latter-day Saints who do such things; but, on the
contrary, they are those who are striving to destroy "Mormonism,"
and they are destroying themselves of answer to the prayers of
all the faithful Latter-day Saints.
127
The Latter-day Saints pray, if the wicked must kill somebody,
they may kill those that ought to be killed. You may perhaps
think it is wrong to pray that they may kill anybody. We would
rather pray that they may be saved. There are various ways of
saving men, simply because they will not all be saved in the same
way, as there are various ways of making men happy.
127
There is a class of men who are always miserable only when they
are making everybody else so, and their happiness consists in
doing all the mischief they can, and injuring everybody around
them.
128
We teach them the principles of the Gospel. Can they hear it?
They hear with the ear, but they hear not; they have eyes, but
they see not; hearts have they, but they understand not; and they
go backward, and fall and perish. When the truth is told to them,
they will not believe it; but hand them out a pack of infernal
lies, and they will gulp them down as a thirsty ox drinks water.
How can such persons learn and understand the truth? As Jesus
said to the Scribes and Pharisees anciently, "How can ye believe
which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that
cometh from God only."
128
How can your Judges judge in righteousness and shut their ears to
the voice of truth and to the testimony of innocence, and look
around in all directions to find some mean scoundrel to come up
and testify lies? How can any people be instructed in the things
of God and receive light, while they are labouring diligently to
shut out every particle of light from their tabernacles?
128
If you wish to know why the simple testimony of the humble
servants of God gathers together this people from the nations of
the earth, it is because there was place found in their hearts
for the word.
128
When I went to Denmark, I could not speak the first word of their
language, or know the first letter of their alphabet. I was to
all intents and purposes a barbarian to them, and they were
barbarians to me. I went there because I was sent, with an
intention to do the best I knew how, as the Spirit of the Lord
might direct me. You may ask if I received the gift of tongues,
that I could begin and speak to them in their own language by the
power of the Holy Ghost without studying. I answer, Yes, when it
pleased the Lord to give it to me; and when it did not, I
remained silent. I did not have any special anxiety to preach to
them in their own tongue any more than the Lord wanted to have me
do.
128
I did not do a great deal of preaching in that country, but I did
whatever the Lord put into my heart to do as near as I knew how;
and I learned the language as fast as the Spirit of the Lord
enabled me to do so, that I might bear my testimony to them in
their own tongue, and that I might understand what they said to
me when they asked me questions and required explanations; and
when they wished to correspond with me, that I might be able to
write an answer. I had to learn to read and write, and talk to
them in their own language. Did the Spirit of the Lord assist me?
Yes. I learned their language, and became so familiar with it as
to write and speak with them in six months' time.
128
The Holy Ghost was with me to assist me. In twenty-one months I
published the Book of Mormon, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
and the Hymn Book, and eight or ten pamphlets.
128
A gentleman upon the vessel, on my return home, having been
informed in how short a time I had learned the language, declared
it was impossible for any mortal man to become acquainted with
the Danish language and use it as I did in so short a time; and
pronounced me an impostor to some of the Saints on board who were
travelling in company with me to this place, for palming upon
them some miraculous thing; and expressed himself as having no
doubt that I familiarized myself with the language in college in
some other country by years of study.
129
I was there comparatively alone, and the harvest great and the
labourers few, and the Spirit bore testimony that the Lord had
much people there. I saw, if they were all to be sought out and
gathered home by the labours of men sent from America, and after
travelling so long a journey to learn their language, that it was
a great work; and the words of Alma came forcibly to my mind,
that the Lord raises up men among all the nations of the earth,
to give them that portion of his word which they are capable of
receiving. And I cried unto the Lord, saying, "O Lord, raise up
labourers and send them into this harvest--men of their own
tongue, who have been raised among them and are familiar with the
spirits of the people. He has done it. Before I left, there was
quite a little army of Elders and Priests, Teachers and Deacons,
labouring in the vineyard; and thousands have rejoiced in the
testimony of the Gospel borne to them by their fellow-countrymen.
129
Do any of you ask how this came to pass that so many thousands
have gathered from that land, and are now in these valleys of the
mountains; and why thousands more are longing to come here who
are rejoicing in the testimony of the Gospel in Denmark, Sweden,
Norway, Iceland, &c.? I answer--It was not done by the wisdom and
learning of man, or by any influence that man himself could exert
over that distant people. If any person thinks so far a moment,
he thinks so because he knows no better. It is a mystery to them;
and they would not believe, if it were unfolded to them.
129
We testify and bear witness that it is not of man, but of
God,--that it is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--that it
is the gift and influence of the Holy Ghost that bears witness to
the hearts of this people. When in the simplicity of my heart I
could speak but little unto them with stammering lips, I said
more with my eyes and fingers than with my tongue. The power of
the Holy Ghost rested upon the people; and when I asked them if
they understood me, "Yes," said they, "we understood it all." It
was not because I spoke it fully with my tongue, but God made
them understand me. If I asked them if they believed it, "Yes,"
would be the reply; "we have the testimony of the Holy Ghost
bearing witness within us that it is true."
129
I laid my hands upon the men that were raised up around about me,
and sent them to preach the Gospel; and they were just such men
as the Lord sent me; no matter if they were shoemakers,
carpenters, chimney-sweepers, or any other kind of trade. I told
them to go forth and bear witness of what they had heard, and of
what they knew; and every time they opened their mouth, a stream
of light would flow from them to the people, who were melted
before them. This is the experience of every man of God upon all
the earth.
129
You ask the people who are in these valleys who profess to be
Latter-day Saints why they are here, and they will tell you they
could not keep away; and many will say that if they could have
kept away they would. Say they, "Mormonism is true: We know it."
They feel like Almon Babbitt: he said he would give ten thousand
dollars if he could only know "Mormonism" to be untrue.
130
It troubles those who do not exactly love it, because it
interferes with some of their favourite desires: it will not
exactly allow them to gratify every wish and desire of their
hearts. It curtails them in some of their wickedness, pride,
selfishness, and idolatry; and because of this, they do not like
it, and they wish it were not true, that they might escape an
awful condemnation. Because they know it is true, they cannot get
off the hook, and must be drawn in. Ask them if they were so
influenced by the wisdom, learning, shrewdness, or cunning of
those who taught them the principles of life and salvation, and
they will answer you that they know better. There are but few
religions you can name, or preachers of any denomination, that
have not been heard by the chief bulk of the Latter-day Saints.
But did their eloquence, learning, cunning, intelligence, and
experience govern and control them, or influence them in any
uncommon way? No. But when the simple, naked truth was told to
them in child-like simplicity, if it came from a babe, they
understood it: it went to their hearts. This is the reason why
they are here, and why they stay here. And those who go away are
they who come flouncing all the way like a fish caught by the
gills, and they keep it up until the gill breaks, when they
return again to their native element. I have no objections to
this: it is all right.
130
If men want to fight, and drink whisky, and roll in the mud, and
spue in the gutter, I have no objections. The only objection I
have is, that it hurts my feelings to find one of the Seventies,
one of the Elders, or one of the High Priests lying on my side
walk or under my fence in a state of intoxication, and I am
obliged to pass by and call him brother. I am obliged to have it
thrown to me that I fellowship him. I wish every person to
understand that I do not fellowship any such conduct. Still they
will plead, and plead, and plead to be forgiven and tried again.
Yes, try him again until he reaches another whisky shop.
130
I think if those who keep the shop, who hang out the sign, who
gather the poison by the pailful, and keep it to retail out by
the dimes' worth, want that occupation in time, they ought also
to have it in eternity, and sell it to Pharaoh and his hosts in
hell. I am ashamed of all such Elders. They excuse themselves by
saying, "People will have the liquor; and if I don't sell it,
somebody else will; and I might as well have the money as anybody
else." They might as well say, There is a herd of cattle, horses,
or mules on the range that will be stolen, and I might as well
steal them as anybody else.
130
The principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
do not countenance such conduct. It is Gentilism--Devilism.
130
It may be asked, Why do not the "Mormons" put a stop to this
cheating of one another? I do all I can towards it. When they
wish to quit their wickedness, I will try to help them do it. I
would not care to see burned down that row of buildings where
whisky is kept and drunkenness encouraged. I do not wish the
buildings burned up, but I say I never would occupy one of them.
I would rather go and live on the top of one of those mountains
than have any of my family occupy one of those cursed houses
where all kinds of corruption is practiced.
130
In years gone by, it has been considered awful oppression here
because the Saints in the community did not feel to approve of
these things, and there were no army--no federal officers to hold
out protection to men when they violated every acknowledged rule
of a well-regulated society.
130
Now, let me say to all such characters--federal officers, the
army, Saint and sinner, Jew and Gentile,--that instead of being
protected in wickedness, they will find the sword of justice that
hangs over them will soon fall heavily upon them, and when they
least expect it. Do you ask who will wield it? I answer, the Lord
Almighty. He will not always look on and see this land polluted
by such curses. And those who have professed the name of Jesus
Christ, and have had the testimony of Jesus, and depart from the
way of the Lord, to pursue covetousness and idolatry, will be the
first to feel his wrath in the day of the Lord, when he has borne
with them sufficiently. Every man's works will speak for him, and
they will be weighed in the balance, whether he be Jew or
Gentile. Every man's works will make manifest whether he is for
law and order--for the principles of the Constitution of the
United States and the rights of man, or whether he is here to
ride over everybody that will not be influenced by him. The man
that does this will find himself in snag harbour, and he will run
against snags when and where he least expects it.
131
The Lord says the wicked shall slay the wicked, and he
orders it so. I pray God that he will preserve the righteous, and
endue his people who love the truth with grace, that they may let
their light shine, and be able to bear testimony of the Gospel to
all nations. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, December 18, 1859
Brigham Young, December 18, 1859
DILIGENCE IN PREACHING TO THE WORLD--PROVIDENCES OF GOD AROUND
THE
SAINTS--CHARITY--GOD'S SPIRIT DISTRIBUTED AMONG ALL
MANKIND--TRIALS, &c.
Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, December 18, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
131
My greatest desire to my Father and God is that I may so speak
that my remarks will be acceptable to him and beneficial to those
who hear me.
131
I do not know that I have the first desire to please myself or
any earthly being in the remarks I may make. I do not know that I
have any other purpose in view but the salvation of the people;
and I wish the people to have only one ruling desire--namely, to
do the will of their God.
131
If my mind is led this morning in a channel to instruct the
Saints--to encourage them--to give them new life and vigour--to
so strengthen them in their faith as to better prepare them to
pursue the journey of life, God be thanked.
132
I sometimes think that perhaps I have not that fervent desire to
preach to unbelievers that I ought to have. But one thing I can
say--My garments are clear and pure from the blood of all men. I
will briefly state why this is. For nearly thirty years I have
sought to know the truth, and to properly understand the
principles of the holy Priesthood revealed from heaven through
the Prophet Joseph; and I have ceased not, when I have had an
opportunity, at the proper time and in the proper place, to
present those principles to my fellow-men. And if those who have
heard me had been as faithful and diligent as I have been since I
embraced the truth, in distributing the truth to their
neighbours, long before this time every family upon the face of
the earth would have heard the Gospel of the Son of God and the
warning voice of his servants, and have had the opportunity of
believing or rejecting it, solely through my preaching and its
results. This frees me from all blame on the score of preaching
to the world. Blame upon that point cannot be attached to me by
any man upon the face of the earth. If people of other nations
rise up in the judgment and say, "If you, Brigham, had been
faithful in preaching to us, we also could have been prepared for
the day we now see," my answer will be--"There is no such sin
resting upon me." That sin will fall, if anywhere, upon those who
have heard me and have witnessed that I have told them the truth,
but have not themselves been faithful in disseminating it to
their neighbours. You may call this an apology, if you please,
for not feeling that anxiety to preach to unbelievers that some
may suppose I ought to feel; but I trust this matter with my God.
I feel anxious for those who are disposed to believe the truth: I
feel after the Saints. The facts I have related touching myself
will also apply to hundreds of the Elders of Israel--to men who
are now sitting in this stand and in this congregation. My
desires daily and hourly are that those who profess to be Saints
actually be Saints in truth and verity; and my constant prayer is
for their welfare.
132
I remember the poor and the needy; though I can say (and the
remark may astonish many of my brethren,) I never pray for the
people to be rich. I do not pray for gold and silver. I have
never done so. I have never had so much as a desire for this
people to become wealthy in gold and silver, in houses and lands,
in goods and chattle's. I do not know that I ever offered a
petition to a being superior to myself to give me worldly riches
and worldly honour and fame; but I have prayed, O Lord, give me
the power, the knowledge, the wisdom and the understanding to
secure to myself eternal life.
132
We have the promise, if we seek first the kingdom of God and its
righteousness, that all necessary things will be added to us. We
should not be distrustful, but seek first to know how to please
our Father and God--seek to know how to save ourselves from the
errors that are in the world, from darkness and unbelief, from
the vain and delusive spirits that go abroad among the children
of men to deceive, and learn how to save and preserve ourselves
upon the earth to preach the Gospel, build up the kingdom, and
establish the Zion of our God. Then there is not the least
danger, and there should not be the least doubt but what
everything necessary for the comfort, convenience, happiness, and
salvation of the people will be added to them.
132
True, we see many of this people that are poor. We have seen them
in their persecutions and sore privations. We have seen them flee
from city to city, from county to county, and from state to
state. We have seen them naked and barefooted on the way to these
valleys. In the companies that came here in 1847-8 and 9,
probably not one in ten had good shoes or clothes to keep them
comfortable in moderate weather; and but few had breadstuff
sufficient to last them over four months. They came here, and
here they stayed and laboured; and what they brought with them
had to answer until they raised enough to supply their wants. We
can still see many who are not so comfortable as they desire to
be.
133
Who among this people can discern the hand of God in all these
circumstances, and that it is necessary that afflictions should
come upon them to prove whether they will be Saints or
not--whether they will be the friends of God, or turn away from
the holy commandments, forsake their God and their religion,
return to the beggarly elements of the world--to the vain
fashions and foolish spirits that are abroad deceiving the
children of men? My desire is that the Saints should
understand--that they should be wise, having eyes that see, ears
that hear, and hearts that understand as God understands us, that
they may not be ignorant of the providences that attend them. At
present my fervent desire is for the Saints. Doubtless, if, in
the providences of God, I am again called to preach the Gospel to
the world, I shall have as fervent a desire for them as I have
ever had for the Saints. But I now feel to strengthen and comfort
the Saints, inasmuch as I have the ability, and the Spirit
bearing witness with yours that we should live our religion and
be Saints indeed, and feel that affinity one to another that
becomes the Saints of the living God.
133
I have no desire, at this time, to address you upon any
particular point of doctrine, or to select a text upon which to
expound or explain. I merely wish to inquire whether the
Latter-day Saints understand the eventful day in which they
live--whether they appreciate and understand the peculiar
providences of God that are cast around them--whether they
partially comprehend the nature of their own being, and the great
object of their existence and place upon the earth. If they
understand and rightly practise upon all this, every soul of them
will keep the faith. After the existence of the Deity, his
supremacy, his right to rule, his knowledge, his power, and his
great plan of salvation for the children of men have been proved
beyond the power of truthful contradiction; and after tens of
thousands have bowed to the truths of the Gospel, been baptized
for the remission of sins, and received the ordinances of the
holy Priesthood, and run well for a season, it is lamentable to
see so many turn away, forsake their covenants, and lose sight of
all holiness and purity of life, becoming like a ship upon the
great waste of waters without a compass, sail, rudder, or any
means for guiding their course, and being wafted hither and
thither with every wind that blows, not seeming to have the least
idea of directing their own course. This is a matter of deep
regret.
133
I ask intelligent men--those in whose bosoms the spirit of
revelation continually abides, whether their souls do not mourn
to see the neglect, the weakness, the blindness, and stupidity of
those who have received the words of eternal life--who have
received the promises and covenants of God, and have had the
rights and privileges of receiving the revelations of Jesus
Christ to guide and direct them in the path of truth and
holiness, so that they could make sure to themselves salvation
and eternal lives in the celestial kingdom of our Father and God.
Is it not painful? Are you not astonished to see people who have
received the Holy Spirit of promise, the Holy Ghost,--who have
received visions--who have been endowed with faith and with the
knowledge of God--who have had power to lay hands upon the sick,
and diseases have departed at their command, and foul spirits at
their word, turn away and forsake their covenants and their God?
133
If there should not be another meeting of the Latter-day Saints
until the winding-up scene, it would be astonishing that any man
or woman of good sound sense and judgment should ever forsake
their faith. I do not know that a comparison strong enough can
possibly be framed to exhibit the folly of such a proceeding.
Were I to say to a son, The whole earth is in my hands to dispose
of as I will: I can make you the sovereign of the universe--the
possessor of the gold, the silver, the mountains, the valleys,
the rivers, the lakes, the seas, and all that float upon them and
that live upon the face of the whole earth; for it is mine to
give to you, my son, if you will serve me one month faithfully. I
require nothing of you that will give you the least pain: all I
require is strict obedience to my law. My son faithfully serves
me during twenty-nine days, and on the thirtieth day, for the
value of a straw, or for a mess of pottage, he sells his right
and title to all I had promised him. This comparison falls very
far short of showing the loss a Saint sustains when he turns away
from his god and his religion.
134
There is one virtue, attribute, or principle, which, if cherished
and practised by the Saints, would prove salvation to thousands
upon thousands. I allude to charity, or love, from which proceed
forgiveness, long-suffering, kindness, and patience. But the
short-sightedness and weakness in some are marvellous. To make
this a little plainer, I will ask, Do any of your neighbours do
anything wrong? They do. People come here from different parts of
the earth to make this their adopted country, and the old
residents expect them to at once conform to and adopt their
manners, customs, and traditions, or they think the new comers
are not worthy of their fellowship. In other words, "If every
man, woman, and child does not act, think, and see as I do, they
are sinners." It is very necessary that we have charity that will
cover a multitude of what we may suppose to be sins. It is
written in the Scriptures, "For charity shall cover the multitude
of sins." In its wording this is not literally correct, for
charity does not cover up, hide, or justify actual iniquity. It
covers up a multitude of improprieties and weaknesses that some
are inclined to suppose to be sins.
134
In a community, and even in a family of children that have sprung
from the same parents, you can find a great difference in the
dispositions and temperaments of individuals. You observe an
endless variety in the dispositions of mankind. I will give you
an example.
134
Some Christian nations lately went to war with each other. What
for? Pride--to please a selfish, worldly, carnal, wicked heart.
And the priests, the majority of them being of the same faith, on
both sides the line of battle prayed to the same God for success
in slaying the opposing army. If they can have the Spirit of the
Lord thus to pray, they can have it there and then as well as
anywhere else. They could have it as well as the English and
Americans in the revolutionary war. When they went to battle,
they prayed fervently, each side praying, "Lord, save my
country-men, preserve our armies, direct every ball that is
discharged from our guns directly to the hearts of our enemies,
until they are completely used up."
135
God distributes his Spirit to all, both Christian and Pagan. This
to some may appear very strange, but it is true; for there is not
a Christian or Pagan nation, family, or individual upon the whole
earth, to whom the Lord has not more or less at times dispensed
his Spirit. The Pagan is as fervent in his desires to his god for
a good and holy influence to attend him in the worship of his
idols, as we are to the God of heaven--the Father of us all--the
Being who has brought all mankind into existence and sustains
them by his providence and fatherly care. He bestows blessings
upon all his children, and enlightens them more or less by his
Spirit, and guides the affairs of all nations, states, countries,
and peoples. His kind benevolence and influence, by the power of
his Spirit, are over them all. In this Territory are people
gathered from almost all nations, where they have been
differently educated, differently traditioned, and differently
ruled. How, then, can we expect them to look, to act, and to have
sentiments, faith, and customs precisely alike? I do not expect
to see any such thing, but I endeavour to look upon them as an
angel would, having compassion, long-suffering, and forbearance
towards them. How many times can I forgive a brother? I do not
know, for I have never been particularly tried upon this point;
but I think I could forgive a brother seventy times seven in one
day, if I had not learned that he had a design to commit evil. He
might commit overt acts every half minute in the day; and if he
felt to sincerely repent, I could forgive him. Everybody should
do so, and especially the Saints.
135
How many of us charge evil upon our neighbours, or upon members
of our families, when they have desired, according to the best of
their ability, and striven, according to the best of their
knowledge, and as fervently as they could, to do right! Where,
then, is our charity, our benevolence, long-suffering, and
patience? We should overcome all unfriendly desires to overthrow
each other, and strive to inculcate those principles that pertain
to eternal life. Men are greedy for the vain things of this
world. In their hearts they are covetous. It is true that the
things of this world are designed to make us comfortable, and
they make some people as happy as they can be here; but riches
can never make the Latter-day Saints happy. Riches of themselves
cannot produce permanent happiness: only the Spirit that comes
from above can do that. If we are compelled to eat our morsel
under a rock in the wilderness, or in a log cabin, we are happy,
so that we possess that Spirit. If a man drinks at the fountain
of eternal life, he is as happy under the broad canopy of heaven,
without a home, as in a palace. This I know by experience. I know
that the things of this world, from beginning to end, from the
possession of mountains of gold down to a crust of johnnycake,
makes little or no difference in the happiness of an individual.
The things of this world add to our national comfort, and are
necessary to sustain mortal life. We need these comforts to
preserve our earthly existence; and many suppose, when they have
them in great abundance, that they have all that is needed to
make them happy. They are striving continually, and with all
their might, for that which does not add one particle to their
happiness, though it may add to their comfort, and perhaps to the
length of their lives, if they do not kill themselves in their
eagerness to grasp the gilded butterfly. But those things have
nothing to do with the spirit, feeling, consolation, light,
glory, peace, and joy that pertain to heaven and heavenly things,
which are the food of the ever-living spirit within us.
136
Hundreds and thousands of the Latter-day Saints, while passing
through persecutions, have gone to their graves for want of a
little medicine, or that kind of nourishment most proper in their
condition. They could not obtain such things, their strength
gradually gave way to the diseases that preyed upon them, and
they sunk into death for want of the comforts of life. But did
they go to their graves mourning, and bewailing their situation?
I will venture to state that they felt better than many who die
on downy beds with all things around them that earthly riches can
command, or heart desire. In those times of severe trial we laid
our hands upon the sick, and tried to encourage them all we
could; but we had no earthly comforts in the shape of food,
clothing, medicine, &c., to impart, nor any physical comfort
designed to sustain life. We laid our hands upon hundreds, and
saw fathers, mothers, and children sinking and dying. Was there
nothing that could help them? Yes; if we could have made them
some chicken broth, or given them a little wine, it probably
would have turned the disease, and they might have lived; but we
did not have such articles to give. How did they die? Rejoicing
that their pilgrimage was over, saying, "I am happy within." If
the question had been asked, "Do you not think that if you had
this or that, it would make you happy?" their answer would have
been, "No: I am happy without them. They might increase by bodily
health, but they have nothing to do with my happiness." Yet how
over-anxious the great majority of mankind are for the vain and
foolish things of this life!
136
Are the people mourning for anything now? and do they think this
to be a day of trial and darkness? In the spring of 1857 we moved
from our homes at a time when it was pleasant for living out of
doors and lying upon the ground; but hundreds now present have
had to leave their homes in the dead of winter, with no
habitation to shelter them. The revelations declare that this
people shall be tried in all things. If we were not tried in the
things that now try us, we should not be tried in all things. We
have had the trial of burying our friends: we have been driven
from our homes, leaving our possessions, our goods, our farms,
our houses, orchards, gardens, and furniture standing in our
houses. We gathered up teams, a little food and clothing, and
left. We have been tried in losing our fathers, our mothers, our
children our sisters, and brethren. We have been tried in having
a mob butcher our brethren before our eyes, shooting them down as
deliberately as a mountaineer would shoot a wolf.
136
It is necessary that we should be tried, in order to prove
whether we can be still in prayer time. You know that it is
sometimes necessary to correct our children for making a noise in
prayer time. It is now prayer time with us. Can we keep still, or
shall we be found making a disturbance in the family? Let us, as
children, keep still, or our Father may use the rod of
correction. What a trial, to keep still in prayer time! Oh, how
this people are tried!! Those who turn away from the holy
commandments will meet trials that are trials indeed. They will
feel the wrath of the Almighty upon them. Those who are still and
are good children will receive the rich blessing of their Father
and God. Be still, and let your faith rest on the Lord Almighty.
He is at the helm; he is in the midst of this people, and guides
the ship Zion. Be good children until our Father has taught us
our present lesson, and be ready to answer every call, to render
obedience to every requirement, and have compassion upon each
other. But if you should happen to see John or Lucy climb up into
a chair in prayer time, and yet have no evil design in so doing,
let charity cover that impropriety. Do not tell Father that John
was a naughty boy. Do not be so full of religion as to look upon
every little overt act that others may commit as being the
unpardonable sin that will place them beyond the reach of
redemption and the favours of our God.
137
Some come to me saying, "Oh, brother Brigham, it does seem that
all the people are going to the Devil!" I can foretell a few
things. Those who are good children, and behave themselves until
prayer time is over, will by-and-by sit down to supper and have a
joyful season. Some may say, "I fear there will be but few left
to eat supper, there are so many going astray." Be patient: there
are more than seven thousand in this city who have not bowed the
knee to Baal, without numbering those of other cities who are
ready and anxious to do right, and none of them will be lost.
"But some are stealing." Can you at present prevent it? "No. But
do you not think that it ought to be stopped?" Yes, if we had the
power; but we have not now the power. If I had the power, I would
send every thief to his long home. I will promise thieves,
drunkards, and other offenders against good order, morality, and
the wellbeing of society, that if I can learn of their committing
such sins, I will cut them off from the Church. I will not
knowingly fellowship thieves, liars, and drunkards, nor any
abominable character. But can I prevent men from committing those
crimes? No: neither can you. Could the Lord? Yes, if he wished
to. He could lead them to some of our large streams, cause them
to think that they could cross over dryshod, and them drown them
as he did the Egyptians; but he does not feel to do so.
137
I do know that some people are wanting in understanding when they
charge others with sin, which they do not suppose to be sin. They
have been differently educated, and consequently each party feels
justified in doing that which the other party would feel
condemned in; and hence they condemn each other. You may inquire
how far a person can go and be justified, and pray and receive a
portion of the Spirit of the Lord. Can he go so far as to steal?
Yes; because, through his traditions and customs, he would not
deem that he had stolen, though I might think he had. I presume
there are those who would take your axe or mine, if they found it
in a road or kanyon, even though the owner's name was upon it,
and take it home and keep it. Will they pray to God, while they
do such things? Yes, as fervently as those who do not. Will they
have the Spirit of the Lord? Yes, a portion of it. Could I do so?
No. But there are those who have been thus traditionated, and the
Spirit of the Lord will find its way to their hearts as it would
to the heart of an Indian.
137
The very Indians who massacre men, women, and children on the
plains, have their religious ceremonies and pray to their God for
success in killing men, women, and children. The French and
Austrians meet and slay one another by hundreds and thousands;
and thousands of women and children who were not engaged in
battle are also sacrificed by the folly of those Christian wars.
The instigators of those wars are just as guilty of murder,
before god, as the Indians are for killing the men, women, and
children who are passing through their country. What is the
difference in the eyes of our Father and God? It is just as much
murder to kill unjustly a million at a blow as it is to kill one,
though Dr. Young has stated that "One murder makes a villain;
millions makes a hero." Were I to make war upon an innocent
people, because I had the power, to possess myself of their
Territory, their silver, gold, and other property, and be the
cause of slaying, say fifty thousand strong, hale, hearty men,
and devolving consequent suffering upon one hundred thousand
women and children, who would suffer through privation and want,
I am very much more guilty of murder than is the man who kills
only one person to obtain his pocket-book.
137
Our traditions have been such that we are not apt to look upon
war between two nations as murder; but suppose that one family
should rise up against another and begin to slay them, would they
not be taken up and tried for murder? Then why not nations that
arise up and slay each other in a scientific way be equally
guilty of murder? "But observe the martial array, how splendid!
See the furious war horses, with their glittering trappings! Then
the honour and glory and pride of the reigning king must be
sustained, and the strength and power and wealth of the nation
must be displayed in some way; and what better way than to make
war upon neighbouring nations, under some slight pretext?" Does
it justify the slaying of men, women, and children that otherwise
would have remained at home in peace, because a great army is
doing the work? No: the guilty will be damned for it.
138
Let this people called Latter-day Saints examine themselves
and be sure that they are right before God, and do as they should
in all things, and hurt not the oil and the wine. Never pray for
riches; do not entertain such a foolish thought. In my deep
poverty, when I knew not where I could procure the next morsel of
food for myself and family, I have prayed God to open the way
that I might get something to keep myself and family from dying.
Those who do more than this are off more or less from the track
that leads to life eternal. When you obtain eternal riches, and
the true and living faith within you, and the visions of your
mind are opened to understand and see things as they are, you
will then be made aware that the riches of this world are
disposed of by a Supreme Power, and that all that is necessary
will be added to you. If it is to die while you are hunting out
an asylum for the poor persecuted Saints, die. If, while a
missionary to the nations of the earth, you should be shipwrecked
on a desolate island and starve to death, die like a man.
138
Let the providence of God take its course. Ask for that which
will make you happy and prepare you for life or death. What is
that? Food for the mind, to feed the intelligent part of the
creature. The Lord has planted within us a divinity; and that
divine, immortal spirit requires to be fed. Will earthly food
answer for that purpose? No; it will only keep this body alive as
long as the spirit stays with it, which gives us an opportunity
of doing good. That divinity within us needs food from the
Fountain from which it emanated. It is not of the earth, earthy,
but is from heaven. Principles of eternal life, of God and
godliness, will alone feed the immortal capacity of man and give
true satisfaction. But it is very lamentable to observe how so
many grovel in darkness, seeming not to understand anything
beyond what they can feel with their hands, see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears. They seem to feel, "Let me eat and
drink today, for to-morrow I am not." Where are you to-morrow?
"Gone into nonentity--passed away like a vapour, for aught I
know. My life, existence, intelligence, my organism, the whole
man has passed into the great chaos of nature, never to be again
reorganized to reflect, see, think, understand, enjoy, or endure:
it is all gone for ever." Like brutes they live, and like brutes
they die. Like the unconscious bullock that is led to the
slaughter-house, they know nothing until the knife drinks the
life-blood and they sink into death.
138
My feelings are--O that men would understand the purpose of their
existence! Our organism makes us capable of exquisite enjoyment.
Do I not love my wife, my son, my daughter, my brother, my
sister, my father, and my mother? and do I not love to associate
with my friends? I do, and love to reflect and talk on eternal
principles. Our salvation consists in knowing them, and they are
designed in their nature to cheer and comfort us. Is that eternal
existence in me that feeds upon eternal truth organized to be
destroyed? Is that organism ever to come to an end, so long as it
lives upon eternal truth? No. Let me eternally enjoy the society
of those I love. Let our associations in time and in eternity
never be destroyed.
139
In this life we are full of pain, disappointment, and worldly
trouble. This gives us a chance to prove to God that we are his
friends. Seek unto the Lord for his Spirit, without any cessation
in your efforts, until his Spirit dwells within you like eternal
burnings. Let the candle of the Lord be lighted up within you,
and all is right. Until prayer time is over, be still, keep
quiet, and all is right. For the present, let the world go, for
they have been repeatedly preached to. It is necessary that all
have the privilege of receiving or rejecting eternal truth, that
they may be prepared to be saved, or be prepared to be damned.
139
I pray that what I have said this morning may do you good, and do
no person any harm, and that your hearts may be comforted and
made steadfast in the truth. If you wish to know what you shall
do, to do right, I answer--Do all that you know to be good. Pray
to the Father to guide you in righteousness, and never permit
yourselves to do that which you know is evil. And if you do evil
ignorantly and in good faith, I promise you it shall result in
good.
139
By-and-by, when prayer time is over, many of those whom you think
are nearly gone to the Devil will feel and express their sorrow
for their foolishness, and promise henceforth to be good
children. But you may as well try to stop with sand the gushing
streams that flow down our kanyon gorges as to stop a man from
committing sin who is determined to sin. We can cut such persons
off from our fellowship, which I am determined to do. We will not
fellowship the old, dead, dry limbs.
139
May the Lord bless you, brethren! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, May 22, 1859
Brigham Young, May 22, 1859
NECESSITY OF TRIALS--GLORY OF THE SAINTS'
RELIGION--GOVERNMENT OF GOD, ETC.
A Sermon by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, May 22, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
139
I wish to inform you that I am here and doing what many years ago
I resolved to do--the best I can. Watch for the signs of the
times. All is right, and the Devil is not dead; for which we have
great reason to be thankful. If you do not know whether
"Mormonism" is true or untrue, I am perfectly willing that the
Devil should assail you until you learn for yourselves.
139
As brother Orson Pratt has just observed, the Elders of Israel
have laboured long and arduously to preserve this people in the
faith and in purity. Notwithstanding all this, some men and
women, when they have an opportunity to join heart and hand with
the thoroughly corrupt, make it their meat and their drink to
turn their backs upon every upright principle and practice. We
wish that such persons would leave our society, for we do not
feel willing to fellowship them.
140
I will say, for your consolation, that as soon as the time
arrives when this people have been proven sufficiently to satisfy
justice, mercy will interpose, peace be fully restored, and the
valleys of the mountains resound with the joyful voices of the
Saints. Until then I am perfectly willing that the people do
without preaching. I will pray with them and for them: what for?
To keep the devils, the corrupt, the hypocritical, the ungodly,
and those that love and work iniquity in the kingdom of God? I
say, God forbid.
140
I am accused by our enemies and by the enemies of the Lord Jesus
Christ of possessing great influence over the people of this
Territory; and I would to God that I had sufficient influence to
make every man and woman work righteousness and cease iniquity,
and so live that angels and the Spirit of the God of peace would
dwell with them day by day. But that influence I have not. I have
an influence; but I have only what the Lord has given me. No man
will gain influence in this kingdom, save what he gains by the
influence and power of the Holy One that has called him to truth,
holiness, and virtue. That is all the influence I have, and I
pray God that I may never have any different influence.
140
If I should lose my faith, forsake my God and my religion, I
hope, and it has always been my prayer, that I may never have
influence over a wife, child, friend, or neighbour to drag them
down to hell. If I go there, let me go alone. It has ever been my
prayer that if I have influence over the people, it shall be
exercised to induce them to forsake their sins and cleave to
righteousness. I seek for an increase of that influence, and seek
to the proper source. It is my constant prayer that I may have
influence over the spirits of the children of men to lead them
from the power of Satan to the living God. But we must be tried
in our faith and in our patience. The whole man must be tried to
know whether he is for God or for the powers of darkness--whether
he will cling to that which is a hater of righteousness, or to
his Father and Saviour.
141
There are thousands in this kingdom who are willing to die for
their religion, but are not willing to live it. This is a great
difficulty. The most ignorant, blind, and superstitious pagan
upon the earth will die for what we call their nonsense, though
to them it is as true and sacred as our religion and God are to
us. What a man will suffer for his religion is no proof whether
it is true or false. Brother Pratt, in his remarks, said that we
should not be governed by tradition. Yet we are, and so are the
whole world, more or less; and those who are traditioned in a
false religion are as willing to die for it as men and women are
for a true religion and Priesthood. That a man is willing to die
for his religion is no proof of its being true; neither is it
proof that a religion is false when one of its votaries
apostatizes from it. Our religion teaches us truth, virtue,
holiness, faith in God and in his Son Jesus Christ. It reveals
mysteries, it brings to mind things past and present--unfolding
clearly things to come. It is the foundation of mechanism; it is
the Spirit that gives intelligence to every living being upon the
earth. All true philosophy originates from that Fountain from
which we draw wisdom, knowledge, truth, and power. What does it
teach us? To love God and our fellow creatures--to be
compassionate, full of mercy, long-suffering, and patient to the
froward and to those who are ignorant. There is a glory in our
religion that no other religion that has ever been established
upon the earth, in the absence of the true Priesthood, ever
possessed. It is the fountain of all intelligence; it is to bring
heaven to earth and exalt earth to heaven, to prepare all
intelligence that God has placed in the hearts of the children of
men--to mingle with that intelligence which dwells in eternity,
and to elevate the mind above the trifling and frivolous objects
of time, which tend downward to destruction. It frees the mind of
man from darkness and ignorance, given him that intelligence that
flows from heaven, and qualifies him to comprehend all things.
This is the character of the religion we believe in.
141
Our ecclesiastical government is the government of heaven, and
incorporates all governments in earth and hell. It is the
fountain, the mainspring, the source of all light, power, and
government that ever did or ever will exist. It circumscribes the
governments of this world; and when men and women are filled with
the power of god, they can comprehend what the Prophet means when
he speaks of the Lord's weighing the earth as in a balance, and
measuring the waters of the great deep as in the hollow of his
hand: that is, He comprehends all things; and so can men who are
filled with the Holy Ghost comprehend all things needful for
their salvation and exaltation. All human governments and
policies are weighed by them as gold is weighed in the balance:
they are comprehended by them with the same facility and
clearness that a farmer or mechanic comprehends his particular
pursuit. And no being possesses intelligence, in any degree, that
he has not received from the God of heaven, or, in other words,
from the Fountain of all intelligence, whether he acknowledges
his God in it or not. No man, independent of the Great Ruler of
the universe, is capable of devising that which we see and are
well acquainted with. All mechanism, good government, wholesome
principle, and true philosophy, of whatever name or nature, flows
from God to finite man. What for? To determine what he will do
with it. It is for his improvement and advancement in the arts of
civilized life, morality, and true religion. This has been taught
you from the beginning as the unmistakable features of our holy
religion.
141
"Mormonism" is said to be different in Utah from what it is in
other countries. It should be very different. Let me explain.
When the Elders go forth to teach the people that Jesus is the
Christ, and to bear testimony to the truth of the Bible, though
precious portions have been taken from it, that the Book of
Mormon is true, and that the revelations given through Joseph
Smith, the servant of God, are true, and to call upon the
inhabitants of the earth everywhere to repent of their sins and
be baptized for the remission thereof, and receive the imposition
of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and to confer the
holy Priesthood, that believers may magnify their calling until
they are gathered, what then? They should find "Mormonism" more
than it was taught them in foreign lands. How should they gather?
With the same spirit they received when they received the Gospel.
Then, when they are gathered to the fountain head, they are
prepared to receive the further things of the kingdom. Is this
the true spirit of gathering? It is, and is preserved by those
who come prepared to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the
truth. But the long journeys, the perplexities, perils, and
temptations darken the understanding and becloud the minds of
many, insomuch that when they are gathered they are not so well
prepared to receive the further things of the kingdom as they
were before they started. This is a pity: it is very lamentable.
But such is the fact.
142
To some "Mormonism" appears very different here to what it did in
the countries of their nativity. Why? Because their eyes have
become dim and their hearts cold, so that they do not behold
things by the Spirit of God as they did when they first embraced
the Gospel. In comparison, they become as other Christians. The
Christians of the 19th century tell you how much light they
received--how they were exalted on high: "Glory! hallelujah!--how
happy I felt when I first got religion!" How do you feel now?
"Not so well." That is the experience of the Christian world;
and, unfortunately, it is the experience of many who are called
Latter-day Saints. Some exclaim, "O that we could feel as we did
when we first received the Gospel!" If you have not known and
understood more than you did when you first embraced the
Gospel--if you have not grown in grace and in the knowledge of
the truth it proves that you are not yet worthy to receive
further blessings. How can you expect to receive blessings that
you will not improve upon? Let every man and woman that believes
in the redemption of Zion, the gathering of Israel, the calling
of Prophets and Apostles in the last days and the building up of
the kingdom of God, no more to be thrown down, come here prepared
to receive the mysteries of the kingdom and to learn the further
things of eternity to bring heaven to earth, and in their
understandings be exalted to heaven; and would you see men and
women going back to the States and to California and joining
hands with the most corrupt spirits that hell can spue out?
142
I am still here, and intend to remain; but whether I shall
continue to have faith enough to carry out my desires is not for
me to say though I am one of the best hands in the world to fight
dogs in flocks of sheep; and I desire to stay until the last one
is kicked from off the earth, and a place prepared for the
habitation of Saints, and they prepared to receive the Saviour
when he comes.
142
Jesus has been upon the earth a great many more times than you
are aware of. When Jesus makes his next appearance upon the
earth, but few of this Church and kingdom will be prepared to
receive him and see him face to face and converse with him; but
he will come to his temple. Will he remain and dwell upon the
earth a thousand years, without returning? He will come here, and
return to his mansion where he dwells with his Father, and come
again to the earth, and again return to his Father, according to
my understanding. Then angels will come and begin to resurrect
the dead, and the Saviour will also raise the dead, and they will
receive the keys of the resurrection, and will begin to assist in
that work. Will the wicked know of it? They will know just as
much about that as they now know about "Mormonism," and no more.
142
When all nations are so subdued to Jesus that every knee shall
bow and every tongue shall confess, there will still be millions
on the earth who will not believe in him; but they will be
obliged to acknowledge his kingly government. You may call that
government ecclesiastical, or by whatever term you please; yet
there is no true government on earth but the government of God,
or the holy Priesthood. Shall I tell you what that is? In short,
it is a perfect system of government--a kingdom of Gods and
angels and all beings who will submit themselves to that
government. There is no other true government in heaven or upon
the earth. Do not blame me for believing in a pure and holy
government.
142
Is man prepared to receive that government? He is not. I can say
to these Latter-day Saints, You are not prepared to receive that
government. You hear men and women talk about living and abiding
a celestial law, when they do not so much as know what it is, and
are not prepared to receive it. We have a little here and a
little there given to us, to prove whether we will abide that
portion of law that will enable us to enjoy a resurrection with
the just.
143
While I was in England I heard much said about the revelation
touching the privilege of the living being baptized for the dead.
A High Priest, who had just come from America, thinking that he
could enlighten the Twelve upon the subject, said, "Brother
Brigham, I heard Joseph say that baptism for the dead was one of
the first principles of the Gospel, and that even the Twelve did
not understand it." His feeling was, "I am a High Priest, and the
Twelve do not understand the matter." I said to him, "My dear
sir, do you understand all of the first principles of the
Gospel?" When I hear such expressions from men, I know that they
are very limited in their understandings about the Priesthood.
143
A man who has had his mind opened to the operation of the
Priesthood of the Son of God--who understands anything of the
government of heaven, must understand that finite beings are not
capable of receiving and abiding the celestial law in its
fulness. When can you abide a celestial law? When you become a
celestial being, and never until then. When you hear men and
women talk about living a celestial law, you may know that they
are ignorant of the fact that no finite being is living in its
fulness, or can. As it is written, we have line upon line,
precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, and it is
something that accords with the capacity of finite beings, and
you improve upon this, and the Lord will open your minds to
receive more, and let you see the order of the eternal
Priesthood; but if you do not live your religion, you cannot
receive more.
143
Are the Latter-day Saints ready to receive Zion from above? Have
they wisdom and knowledge to receive and conduct themselves
properly in the society of angels? I think not. While I was in
Far West, and the mob began to gather there, determined to kill
Joseph, he preached to the people and said, "If you had faith and
would live your religion, you would prove the revelation to be
true where the Lord says, 'I will fight your battles, and, if
necessary, send down angels to save you from the wicked grasp of
your enemies.'" There was an armed mob of some 3,500 arrayed
against some 300 of us. They sent in a deputation, saying they
wanted about three persons out of the town, for they were
calculating to destroy the people and the place. Some of those
self-glorious stars of "Mormonism"--stars that fell in that
crisis, looked round for the angels. They did not see them, and
straightway turned their backs upon their God and their religion,
and joined the enemy.
143
I was glad that they went. I felt then as I feel now. I felt and
still feel that I would rather have ten righteous men with whom
to contend with the wicked of the whole earth, than to have at my
command the corrupt of all creation. When I am brought to the
test to fight for my religion, which I trust I never will be, I
will call men who are full of the power of God for such an
emergency.
144
Brother Pratt wishes that the miserable, dissatisfied spirits
would leave; but they will not all go. The question might be
asked, "Why do you wish them to go from this Territory?" We do
not particularly care whether they go or stay: they are at
perfect liberty to please themselves in that matter, because it
is their constitutional right to stay here, if they do not
infringe upon the rights of others, and observe the laws of the
land as strictly as we do. The principal reason why I do not wish
them to go is because they will be constantly troubling me to
assist them back again. I had rather help somebody else, for we
have not means to spare for bringing those who will apostatize to
this country a second and third time. After they have came back
once and twice, they stay awhile and want to go away again; and
after they have been away awhile, they begin to learn that this
is the kingdom of God, and some of them want help to come back.
144
My faith reaches far beyond the faith of many touching the final
destiny of such persons, understanding that the Lord is more
merciful than human beings; and the faith of this kingdom goes
far beyond the faith of the Christian world upon this matter.
There will not so many people go into that awful place that burns
with fire and brimstone, where they sink down, down, down to the
bottom of the bottomless pit, as the Christians say,--not near so
many as the Christian world would have go there. That gives me
great joy, notwithstanding all the perils and persecution we have
suffered through the wickedness of the wicked. Liars, sorcerers,
whoremongers, adulterers, and those that love and make a lie will
be found on the outside of the walls of the city; but they will
never get into the bottom of the bottomless pit. Who will go
there and become angels of perdition and suffer the wrath of an
offended God? Those who sin against the Holy Ghost.
144
This kingdom progresses. Who has eyes to behold the handiwork of
the Lord? The trials we have been passing through in this
Territory, from our enemies, we think are terrible; but these
trials are only like a drop to a bucketful, compared with what
many of this people have heretofore passed through. Contrasted
with Missouri, our present and late trials are very trifling,
very light, and very easy upon us. You may let your hearts be
comforted, those of you who can see the hand of the Lord in
leading this people and restraining the wrath of our enemies. Can
any of you see? Yes, a great many. If your eyes were opened, you
would see his hand in the midst of the nations of the earth in
the setting up of governments and in the downfall of kingdoms--in
the revolutions, wars, famine, distress, and wretchedness among
the inhabitants of the earth. In these manifestations you would
discern the footsteps of the Almighty just as plainly as you may
see the footsteps of your children upon the soft earth.
145
The wonderful developments of his providence are oft-times
mysterious to us, and we exclaim, "Really, I did not expect to
hear such news, nor to see such astonishing and unexpected
results in the actions of the righteous and the wicked." The Lord
takes care of the whole of that, and dictates their conduct for
his own purpose and glory. He makes the wrath of man to praise
him, and that which he cannot bring about to promote his kingdom
and his purposes he restrains. The wicked he permits to go far
enough to produce a result that will serve his purpose. "For my
kingdom must be established upon the earth in the latter days,"
saith the Father, "and I have given it to my Son Jesus Christ. He
has died to redeem it, and he is the lawful heir pertaining to
this earth." Jesus will continue to reign with his Father, and is
dictated by his Father in all his acts and ruling and governing
in the building up and overthrow of nations, to make the wrath of
man praise him, until he brings all into subjection to his will
and government. And when he has subdued all his enemies,
destroyed death and him that hath the power of death, and
perfected his work, he will deliver up the kingdom spotless to
his Father. You may preach upon that text. It is a source of
great consolation to me, for it will be fully accomplished, and
all that transpires will be overruled to redound to the glory of
God.
145
A gentleman said to me, not long ago, "You 'Mormons' scare us.
You are here in the mountains, and this expedition would not have
been sent against you, but you frighten us by taking such big
strides. 'Mormonism' is but a few years old, and it has
circumscribed the globe; it has penetrated into almost every
nation under heaven, and bears down, in a remarkable manner, all
opposition wherever your people go. It seems to swallow up our
religion, political policies, and philosophy; and, if we do not
stop you, it would appear that you will finally swallow up the
world." I replied, "If the people will let us alone, we will
preach the Gospel in peace, civilly, kindly, mildly; and we will
teach the people how to obtain that eternal life that is
proffered to all. But will they let us alone? No. And you think
we take large strides." He rose from his chair, saying, "You take
ten or twelve strides at once. While we go creeping along, you
are away yonder." "Well, you kicked us there, and we cannot help
going. Every time you kick 'Mormonism,' you kick it up stairs:
you never kick it down stairs. The Lord Almighty so orders it.
And let me tell you that what our Christian friends are now doing
for us makes more for the kingdom of heaven than the Elders could
in many years preaching."
145
The Lord Almighty will exalt "Mormonism" and sustain his
Priesthood. Will he sustain wickedness? No. If we are wicked, we
are wrong. We should abstain from everything that is unholy--that
is unrighteous; that is the character of a true Latter-day Saint.
Have we persons among us who are degraded? Yes. As I have before
told you, "Mormonism" can beat the world as to the knowledge of
God. The Saints know more of God and godliness than all the
world: they also know more of earth and earthly things. Many are
living so as to be saved in the celestial kingdom, while all who
do not embrace the doctrine of full redemption will come short of
attaining that glory. On the contrary, if you want to see the
principle of devilism to perfection, hunt among those who have
once enjoyed the faith of the holy Gospel and then forsaken their
religion. We have the best and the worst. Why the worst? Because
the Devil prompts men and women of the meanest and lowest grade
to embrace the Gospel and get a foothold in the kingdom of God to
destroy it.
145
Will he destroy it? He will not: that is beyond his power. Can
you destroy a true religion by persecuting it? No. What destroyed
the Priesthood of the Son of God from the earth in ancient days?
Was it persecution? No. The Emperor Constantine embraced it and
sent out a decree for all his people to embrace it. Let this
people be prospered and all persecutions cease, and then every
description of characters would hasten to join this Church. The
Lord so orders and overrules as to cop out a share of them,
though he suffers some to enter the temporal fold. We understand
the root and trunk of the tree of wickedness and we have many of
its branches--more than we want. The Lord desires a pure
people--a people that he can own and exalt--that he can bring
into his presence; and that is what the Priesthood of God is
designed to accomplish. I would to God that the people would live
so as to receive the blessings of the Priesthood, increase in all
godliness, have their eyes open to see, their ears to hear, and
their hearts to understand, instead of falling away.
146
At times, seemingly good men falter in their feelings, and turn
away from their God and their religion to take the road that
leads to destruction. This makes my heart mourn. But those who
are faithful will come out triumphantly, for God has established
his kingdom on the earth, no more to be thrown down. It was
thought by our enemies, in the days of Joseph Smith, that if they
could kill him, that would be the end of this fanaticism, as they
called it, and of this fanatical race. But did that murder in the
least shake this great Latter-day Work? No, brethren and
sisters,--no. What did it effect? The Church and kingdom of our
God has risen from an individual family to a great people, and we
have been looked upon as a nation by our neighbours, independent
of all other people on the face of this earth; and in their
dealings they have dealt with us as such. Not that we desire it,
but it is so in the providence of our God. They are determined,
though they know it not, that they will make the kingdom of God
triumphant on the earth; and all the powers of earth and hell
cannot prevent it.
146
If we wish to be blessed, let us live our religion. If we promote
the kingdom of God, it will bear us off triumphantly. If we
falter in our feelings, and say that we cannot abide this tirade
of persecution, but must leave this place and people, we shall be
left in darkness and sink in iniquity, and shall be left by the
kingdom far behind in our sins. The person that forsakes the
faith of our Lord Jesus Christ will find himself ruined for time
and eternity. How are they looked upon who have received the
spirit of the Gospel and forsaken it? Heaven, with all its
shining hosts, despises and pities them: they will not have them,
and hell is ready to spew them out. With a few exceptions, they
are despised by the good and wise among men, by the noble and
ignoble: all despise them, and they are in a most miserable
condition.
146
I wish to have the blessed principles of civilization--of this
Christian nineteenth century--spread over Utah. I desire to see
the effect they will have on this ignorant people in the
Territory of Utah. The world say, "Poor people, how sorry we are
for you! It is a pity to have such intelligent men and women go
to Utah to join those fanatics. Let us send our Christian
brethren there to civilize them." And here, sure enough, they
have their gambling-tables of civilization, and grog-shops of
civilization, and various other helps and aids pertaining
thereto; and they are working hard to spread the principles of
modern civilization. What would they do with their civilization?
"Oh this polygamy!--it is a dreadful evil," when, at the same
time, they would say to me, if they dare, "Look here, brother
Brigham, can I have the use of one of your wives to-night? It is
not so much polygamy that they are opposed to, but they hate this
people because they strive to be pure, and will not believe in
whoredom and adultery, but declare death to the man who is found
guilty of those crimes. This is the awful, unchristianlike
conduct of brother Brigham! It appears, by our late news, that
among our Christian brethren it is death to adulterers; and so
say I, and I ask no odds of such characters. I am able to take
care of myself, with the help of God and my good brethren.
147
Our faith and patience must be tried in everything, and it is not
for us to take judgment into our own hands. We must be tried, to
prove whether we can endure to be imposed upon and have our
religion derided, and not feel as some do when their names are
called in question. To illustrate, I Will tell an anecdote
concerning Captain James Brown. When the emigrants were passing
through here and were asked by Captain Brown as to whither they
were going, the answer would be--"To the gold mines, G--d d--n
you;" and with them it was "G--d d--n Joe Smith," and "G--d d--n
Brigham Young." But when it came to "G--d d--n you, James Brown,"
the captain was then ready to fight. I wish to know how much you
can bear. You can hear the name of Deity, of the Saviour, and the
names of all holy things abused; but when it is "d--n you, Joe,
Tom, or Dick," there is a fight on hand. You have to learn to
suffer abuse, and to be patient under it as the Saviour was, if
they spit in your face or abuse you in any way. You have to learn
to hear your own names abused as you can bear to hear the name of
the deity abused. A few years ago a person in our streets was
abusing the name of Deity, and another stepped up and boxed his
ears, saying to him that he should not use that name in such a
disrespectful manner. But some of these good Elders can hear the
name of their Saviour abused with seeming satisfaction.
147
We are here, and we shall live and grow, and no power can hinder
it. I shall stick to the kingdom, God being my helper, and shall
not let go until this earth is revolutionized and all nations bow
to the Saviour, and I be his priest and servant.
147
Cease bringing the names of God the Father and his Son Jesus
Christ into disrespect, and learn to reverence those names.
147
I have detained you long enough. May God bless you, brethren and
sisters, that you may have power to guide yourselves, by the aid
of the Spirit, into all righteousness, independent of any power
of man on earth. I do not want any power over my brethren, only
to lead them in the way of truth, and to run parallel with them
in the ways of truth and righteousness.
147
God bless you! Amen.
147
GOVERNMENT OF GOD.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday afternoon, May 22, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
147
I am very happy for the privilege of bearing my testimony to the
principles of the Gospel of salvation. It is the only doctrine by
which people can be saved in the celestial kingdom of our God,
and should concern all people, as it is the government of God on
earth. People have reason to fear a bogus or spurious theocracy.
There are but few upon the earth who do not in their hearts
acknowledge a Supreme Being, and also believe that Being to be
holy; and if they could be dictated by that Being, and be sure
that they were directed by the influence from him there are but
few who would object to that influence and that government.
148
The wickedness of the children of men is what influences
them to fear. They are not afraid of their own laws, because they
originated from themselves: they can manage them and blot them
out of existence whenever they wish. But when that which is said
to be the kingdom of God, or the theocracy of heaven, is upon the
earth, many of the inhabitants thereof tremble, and fear that it
is not correct.
148
What is the proof of the existence of the Priesthood of God upon
the earth? How would you find the positive proof that the Lord
Jesus has his Church upon the earth? As I observed to you in the
forenoon, it is not exhibited by the learning or the implicit
faith of its followers. I have never believed for a moment that
the proof of the Christian religion was established by a close
adherence to it by any sect or any person. We, as Christians, are
divided and subdivided into many systems varying in doctrinal
points. This one says, "I am right;" and that one says, "I am
right;" another rises up and varies, more or less, from the
doctrines of the Church he has left, and says he is right.
148
What proof have you, and what proof is there now upon the earth
that this is the kingdom of God? If we had miracles to establish
it, would they be positive proof? No, they would not. They will
not satisfy me, nor have I ever seen the day when they would.
Were I to see the sick healed, the eyes of the blind opened, and
the ears of the deaf unstopped, that would not satisfy me. For
me, the plan of salvation must be a system that is pure and holy
in all its points; it must reveal things that no other Church or
kingdom can reveal; it must circumscribe the knowledge that is
upon the face of the earth, or it is not from God. Such a plan
incorporates every system of true doctrine on the earth, whether
it be ecclesiastical, moral, philosophical, or civil: it
incorporates all good laws that have been made from the days of
Adam until now; it swallows up the laws of nations, for it
exceeds them all in knowledge and purity; it circumscribes the
doctrines of the day, and takes from the right and the left, and
brings all truth together in one system, and leaves the chaff to
be scattered hither and thither. That is the proof to me, and has
been from the beginning, and that the principles are pure and
holy; and every person living to them will attain through them
sanctification.
148
Truth will endure for ever and for ever, and every man that
preaches the Gospel of salvation may take the old text that some
of us took in the commencement of the building up of the kingdom
of God upon the earth in the last days. I took truth for my text,
salvation for my subject, and the whole world for my circuit, to
go as far as I could and talk all I could about it. It takes
every truth from every sect and party. What! in a civil capacity
also? Yes. All law, all powers, all kingdoms, and all
thrones,--in fine, all things are under the control of God.
149
There is no nation or kingdom that has not received its power
from him, whether it be much or little--whether for a day, and
age, or a century. Whether they make good or bad use of it, all
power is ordained of God and is in his hand. He sets up a kingdom
here, and pulls down another there at his pleasure. He brakes the
nations like a potter's vessel; he forms a nucleus, and around it
builds up a kingdom or nation, permitting the people to act upon
their own agency, that tahey may do right, or corrupt themselves,
as did the children of Israel; and after they have become ripe
for destruction, they will be scattered to the four winds. If the
people of God in ancient days had continued holy, they would have
continued in power and authority to this day.
149
There is not a despot upon the earth whose power has not
originally sprung from the Priesthood, and there is not a law in
the Priesthood but what is founded on the revelations of Jesus
Christ. These are the laws upon which all governments were
originally based. Truth will endure for ever, and every person
that cannot abide truth will fail in obtaining eternal life.
Truth is what we have. Let us live to it, and we shall abide for
ever, and no power can prevent it.
149
Be faithful, brethren and sisters. If you have a light,
acknowledge the hand of God in it, and improve upon it, and
acknowledge his hand in all things; for his providence overrules
al things, and he will triumphantly bring forth his kingdom,
organize his people, and prepare the earth for his angels to
dwell upon, and it will be given into the hands of his Saints
when they are made pure and holy.
149
I told you in the forenoon that it has ever been my prayer never
to have influence to lead men wrong, but that I would to God I
had power to make them refrain from evil and do that which is
right, that they may live for ever and ever. You are organized
independent beings, framed to become Gods, even the sons of God;
and yet it is astonishing to see the use many make of their
ability: they corrupt themselves and continue to do wickedly
until they are prepared to go down to perdition. Why not turn
away from their sins and love righteousness, that they may endure
for ever, and that all things may be given into their hands?
149
May the Lord help us to take that path that will lead us to
victory and glory. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Hyde, February 12, 1860
Orson Hyde, February 12, 1860
GOVERNMENT OF GOD--PROGRESSIVE CHARACTER OF
"MORMONISM"--CONCENTRATION OF THE MIND.
Remarks by Elder Orson Hyde, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, February 12, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
149
I did not anticipate speaking to you this morning, brethren and
sisters, but expected to be a hearer only. Since my return to the
city, I have been so busily engaged that I have not had time
[humorously] to prepare a sermon for this morning; and if I had
ever so much time for that purpose, I should, probably, be no
better prepared to address you than I am at this moment.
149
Jesus said to his disciples, "Take no thought beforehand what ye
shall say or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in
the same hour what ye ought to say." In this doctrine I repose
implicit confidence; and being requested to speak to you at this
time, I readily comply, and proceed at once to the work before
me.
150
The current of life is made up of small springs, streams, and
rivulets, or rather of little incidents which in the aggregate
constitute the character of man here on earth. So small a thing
as a kind word timely spoken to the sorrowful and afflicted often
results in great good, and secures the esteem and gratitude of
those to whom it may be addressed, while an ill word may do much
harm. My discourse this morning may be made up of small items or
incidents.
150
I want to say a little about the government of God--of the manner
and spirit of its administration when infinite wisdom guides its
policy. I know no better way to illustrate the administration of
this government than to refer you to the government of parents
over their children, and to the manner of their teaching and
character of their instruction to them. When your child first
begins to talk, do you attempt to teach it grammar, algebra,
astronomy, or anything else wholly beyond its comprehension or
understanding? No. But you adapt your teachings to the capacity
of the child, using words and phrases of the very simplest kind
to teach and amuse it. By-and-by, when he runs about pretty
dexterously and begins to handle things, he attempts, for
instance, to take up a bucket of water. You say to it, "Don't do
that; it is too heavy for you; but take the hammer, the doll, the
rattlebox, or the toy." Your words are thus adapted to the
ability of the child and to his appreciation of the things that
he handles. As his mental powers become developed, you combine a
little intelligence in your sayings to him; and then, when his
of water from the spring or brook. Thus you require him to do the
very thing which you once forbade him to attempt. Now, if any one
should charge you with falsehood, because your instructions to
your child were not uniform under all circumstances, you would
consider the charge very ill-founded. I speak thus to show you
that what is suitable to the child at one time may not at all
suit it at another.
150
Many persons who have joined the Latter-day Saints have run well
for a season; but, understanding not that the Gospel is a
progressive work with those who honour it, they have turned away
from the faith--charged the Saints with inconsistency, but yet
claim to believe in what they call "ancient Mormonism." The
garment that is made for a child just born must be worn by a man
when thirty years of age, is the doctrine of those stereotyped
"Mormons." The Church is now nearly thirty years old; yet this
kind of "Mormons" want us now to wear our bibs and diapers, and
to be fed on milk and pap as in the days of Joseph. Paul,
however, tells us that when he was a child, he spake as a child,
he understood as a child; but when he became a man, he put away
childish things.
151
Were I to invite you into my garden at a proper season and show a
plant just sprung up out of the ground, you might ask me its
name, if you were unacquainted with it. I tell you it is corn. In
the course of two months' time, you see it again when the silk
and tassel appear. You then ask me what it is. I tell you that it
is corn. You may say that I was mistaken in the first or last
instance, as the two are by no means alike. Some two months later
you come along and see a basket full of golden ears. You ask me
what it is. I tell you that it is corn. But say you, "I do not
believe it, for it is unlike either of the others that you told
me was corn. You have now contradicted yourself three times, and
I will not believe that any of them is corn; I will not believe
you at all." To such conclusions many persons arrive in relation
to "Mormonism," from very similar premises. How very necessary
that we increase in intelligence in a ratio equal to the growth
or increase of the kingdom of God! If we do not, we fall in the
rear, and our eyes become blinded by the god of this world. When
we become stereotyped in our feelings, there is an end to
corrections, enlargements, and improvements.
151
To what shall we look as our guide in this our earthly
pilgrimage? Shall we look to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or to
the Book of Covenants? Answer: To none of them. These sacred and
holy records contain the history, teachings, and results in part
of the travels of the ancient and modern people of God. They are
true, but are not designed to lead the people. Remember that the
"letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." We do not want to
be killed; but we want life. God has set in his Church, first,
Apostles; secondly, Prophets; thirdly, Teachers, &c., to guide
his people;--the oracles, (or in other words, the Holy Ghost,)
not on paper, bound in calf, sheep, or any other manufactured
article, but in the hearts of his chosen servants. Paul says--"We
have this treasure (not in a book, but) in earthen vessels, that
the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."
151
I will produce an example where the spirit gave life when the
letter would have killed. There was, in the days of Christ, a
woman taken in the very act of adultery. The self-righteous Jews,
by the letter of the law, arrested her and brought her before the
Saviour; and they said unto him, "Master, Moses in the law
commanded us that such should be stoned; but what sayest thou?"
Jesus said unto them, "He that is without sin among you, let him
first cast a stone at her." But they, being convicted in their
own conscience, went out, leaving the woman alone with Jesus. He
asked her if no man had condemned her. She said, "No man Lord."
Said he to her, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more."
The letter of the law would have killed that woman then and
there. But the Spirit of God, in the person of his Son, the
living oracle, opened her way unto life. It is the living oracles
that lead the people of God. In them there is life; but in the
letter of the law there is death.
151
The early commandments of God to his Church and the manner in
which we were led at that time will not fit our case in all
respects now. We must have teachings and revelations adapted to
our present circumstances and condition. Were we never to
advance, but remain stationary eternally, then the same code of
laws and commandments might with more propriety answer. But in
this world of change, where we are required to make advancement,
we must have an increase of intelligence to satisfy the craving
development of our own mental powers. There is no stopping place
for a man of God.
151
I do not know but that I will now take my text. My sermon,
however, will be short. Jesus says--"The light of the body is the
eye. If, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be
full of light."
151
You know that when we want to examine anything very
closely--particularly you marksmen and hunters, who are in the
habit of using arms, when you want to take deliberate aim and
make sure of the object you desire to hit, you close one eye, and
with the other look along the barrel of the gun until the lead
rests upon the object. Now, says the Saviour, "If thine eye be
single, thy whole body shall be full of light."
152
This had reference not only to the natural eye, but to the whole
moral powers of man as well. Set it down as granted that if thine
eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Now, let me
ask, do we not indulge the hope, if faithful in this life, of
being rulers over kingdoms and peoples, and nations, and tongues?
Jesus says--"he that is faithful over a few things shall be made
ruler over many things.
152
Let me ask you how it is with you when you go to prayer. Have you
that control and dominion over your own minds that they cannot be
caught away by anything that is foreign to the purpose or object
that engages your attention? For instance, while we call upon the
Lord for his blessings, is it not sometimes the case that we
think the old ox may be in the stackyard? Do we not sometimes
think we shall be cheated here, and lose that amount of money
there? If you have never been aware of this, when you go home and
pray again, see if you have power to control your mind and keep
it from wandering on something else. Until we discipline our
minds, and have the complete control of them, we cannot make that
advancement that we ought.
152
If we cannot discipline and control our own minds, how can we
discipline and control kingdoms, nations, tongues, and people?
152
Suppose any of you mechanics erect a mill, and the stream is a
small one,--though, if properly and economically applied, it
would be quite sufficient to drive the machinery you wish it to;
but instead of the water being properly confined to exert the
greatest amount of power, it is spread all over the face of the
land;--has it that amount of force to drive the machinery that it
otherwise would have? No. But conduct the water through a narrow
channel, and apply it properly on the wheel, then your machinery
rolls. It is just so with our minds: when they are scattered on
different objects, when we are calling upon the name of the Lord,
there is no power in that mind. Why? Because the eye is not
single. "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light." Again: The agent steam possesses great power when
confined and properly applied to shafts and wheels. But let the
boiler explode and the steam pass into the atmosphere, what power
is there then in that agent? None. Confine it, and it is as it
were an almighty power, or it is a portion of almighty power
drawn out of the elements that surround us. So it is with the
mind: let it be concentrated and applied to any subject, and it
has great power. "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be
full of light." I have wondered a great many times what our
Saviour could mean when he said, "If ye had faith as a grain of
mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamore tree, Be thou
plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea, and it
should obey you." Again, he says, "For verily I say unto you, if
ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove, and
nothing shall be impossible to you." What does this mean? I have
exercised all the faith, seemingly, that is in my power, and
could hardly heal the sick, let alone remove a mountain, or pluck
up a sycamore tree, or any other tree. What does it mean? I begin
to discover that the Devil comes along when I get my mind set,
and throws some object in view to divert it from the thing before
me.
152
"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."
I have an idea that the Devil comes and catches away the word
that is sown in our hearts, to defeat the designs the Lord has in
sowing it. Whereas, if we could control our minds, and not allow
them to be caught away, then our eye would be single, and the
whole body would be full of light.
153
Again: When Moses was leading the children of Israel out of
Egypt, they murmured because they had no water to drink. He was
grieved with them, but he had power to concentrate his mind. And
what power was there in that mind? He smote the rock, and out
gushed the water. Did his rod have power to split the rock? No;
but the concentration of his mind on that rock did. There was a
power in it to split the rock and bring out water to the thirsty
thousands. The mind is armed with almighty power; and if we could
concentrate its powers, and overcome the power of the Devil, we
could remove that mountain as easily as to heal a sick person. It
requires only faith as a grain of mustard-seed, or a concentrated
effort of mind. Solomon was once applied to by two women claiming
one child, for his decision in the case. Said Solomon, "Bring me
a sword; and they brought a sword before the king. And the king
said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one,
and half to the other. Then spake the woman, whose the living
child was, unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son,
and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in nowise
slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine,
but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the
living child, and in nowise slay it: she is the mother thereof."
To divide that child would have destroyed it, just like dividing
the mind: it destroys its power and efficacy. Let the mind be
concentrated, and it possesses almighty power. it is the agent of
the Almighty clothed with mortal tabernacles, and we must learn
to discipline it, and bring it to bear on one point, and not
allow the Devil to interfere and confuse it, nor divert it from
the great object we have in view.
153
It is a good deal of work to preside over our own families and
keep all things right side up there. But set a man alone, and it
is just as much as he can do to govern his own mind. He has great
need to watch and pray; and while he is watching, he must mind
and not see any other object but that he is praying for. What
could we not do, if our minds were properly disciplined? "For it
thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." If
thine eye were single, thou mightest sometimes see through the
vail. We read something about the vail of the covering that is
cast over all people being removed.
153
Sometimes you see the sun covered with a thin fleecy cloud; yet
you can see that luminary all the time through that vail. Then
again comes up a dark thunder-cloud, and overcasts the whole sky,
so that we cannot see where the sun is. So, if our eye be not
single, we do not see clearly; but the vail becomes thick, and we
are in darkness; we cannot see the sun of righteousness; we
cannot tell the place where he is. But if thine eye be single,
although there may be a thin fleecy vail over the sun, we can see
it. If we cannot see clearly, we may be able to "see men as trees
walking," at least. The fact is, if our eye be single, and we
train it to that, I do not know why mortal man here in earthly
tabernacles may not look through the vail, and see as he is seen,
and know as he is known.
153
We have got to learn to discipline our minds. Sometimes, because
our children do not do as we want them, when out of our sight, we
feel grieved at it; but here we have our own minds to ourselves.
Now, the question is, Are they not as bad to control and govern
as our children, who are running here and there? If we could
control our own minds, we could control our children and our
families and the kingdom of God, and see that everything went
right, and with much more ease than we can now.
154
Let it be, then, the labour of our minds to train them when at
home, and when we bow down in our families, or in private.
154
I recollect being once on shipboard; the wind was on her side,
and the ship was going very nicely. The captain looked at the
compass, and he ripped out something that is not uncommon with
seamen, saying to the man at the wheel, "Why do you let her round
off? Keep her up." Do not let the mind run off, but keep it up to
the point; then we shall make the port: but if you let it run off
the course, it will be found drifting on the lee shore somewhere.
We have got to keep it up, and not let it swing off. We must not
let the mind depart, but keep it on the true course. "If thine
eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."
154
May God grant it, for Christ's sake! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Pratt, February 12, 1860
Orson Pratt, February 12, 1860
CONCENTRATION OF THE MIND.
Remarks by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, February 12, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
154
I have listened with much pleasure to the remarks that have been
made by brother Hyde.
154
The subjects upon which he has dwelt this morning are of great
importance to the Saints of the living God. They are subjects
upon which I have often meditated, and it rejoices by heart to
hear them so nobly illustrated before this congregation.
154
The subject of the concentration of the mind is one that both old
and young are interested in, from the fact that it has not only a
bearing on this present life, but upon our future state of
existence.
154
If we should inquire how it is that mankind in this present life
are able to accomplish naturally many great and important things,
the answer would be--because they have the power of concentrating
their minds upon the subjects that are before them. It is,
therefore, not only a subject that interests the Saints, but it
is one which interests all intelligent people more or less.
Nothing very great can be accomplished without a concentration of
mind.
155
If we had time, we might illustrate this subject still farther.
We might refer you to some of the great and remarkable examples
on record, in relation to those men who are denominated by the
world "learned men." See what they have accomplished. For
instance, permit me to refer to Sir Isaac Newton. How was it that
he was able to make his important discoveries? Because he had
disciplined his mind to that extent that he could concentrate it
for a long period of time upon one object. What discoveries did
he make by this means? He discovered that peculiar kind of force
that holds together the celestial bodies of the universe. He
discovered not only the force, but its intensity. He not only
discovered the intensity of the force which holds together the
planetary bodies of our solar system, but he discovered its
variation, depending upon the distance of those bodies one from
another. But these were only the very elements of his
discoveries. Having, by the concentration of his mind upon these
subjects, learned some of the leading characteristics of this
force, he was enabled to trace out its results in many of its
intricate bearings upon the variety of motions which the
different bodies of our system have, explaining them as the
results of the force which he had discovered.
155
What a remarkable concentration of mind there must have been in
order to solve a problem of so intricate a nature!
155
It is true we find in some of our elementary treatises that
Newton discovered the law of gravitation by merely observing an
apple fall from an apple tree. But I would inquire, was it the
first apple that ever fell? No. Was he the first man that ever
observed a falling apple? No. Why, then, did not other people
discover this universal law, if barely seeing an apple fall was
sufficient to open the discovery? Such was not the fact: it was
not every man that had disciplined his mind to contemplate the
subject of the forces of the universe. It was not every man that
had made himself thoroughly acquainted with the dynamical action,
or the laws of motion and forces.
155
Newton had trained his mind upon this subject. He had, while in
college, concentrated the energies of his mind for many years
upon the subject of mathematical and mechanical problems,
inventing a new species of geometry. All these studies were
calculated to habituate him to a control of his mind. Naturally
speaking, there is no study which is so well calculated to give a
concentration of mind as that of geometry or mathematics.
155
If a person follows those studies, he becomes accustomed in time
to this habit, and obtains power to abstract his mind from
surrounding objects, and to make it bear with all its force on
the problem he is trying to solve. In geometry, for instance, he
learns to distinguish the relations one part of his diagram has
to another. He reasons from known relations to those which are
unknown, and thus discovers many new truths.
155
By this means he not only discovers important geometrical truths,
but also at the same time disciplines his mind. The habitual
concentration thus acquired enables him to bring all the energies
of his intellect to bear upon any other branch of science, or to
reason closely upon all subjects which he may have occasion to
investigate.
155
For instance, when he rises before a congregation, if he is
accustomed to public speaking, he can bring all his mind to bear
on the subject before him, and concentrate his arguments to prove
the point he wishes. His mind is more powerful by this discipline
and habit than if he had suffered his thoughts to ramble all his
previous life.
156
I make these observations to show what great things have been
accomplished by concentration. Therefore, if a man can accomplish
so much without the particular aid of the Holy Spirit--that is,
in a natural point of view, how much more can he grasp within his
comprehension, and how much greater will be the work that he can
accomplish in a spiritual point of view? That is, when the Spirit
of the living God rests upon him. If a person trains his mind to
walk in the spirit, and brings his whole mind to bear upon its
operations, and upon the principles of faith which are calculated
to put him in possession of the power of God, how much greater
will be his facilities for obtaining knowledge than those which
any natural man possesses.
156
All those various problems solved by Newton and the great and
magnificent discoveries made by him could be learned by a
spiritually-minded man in one hundredth part of the time. In what
manner? In the manner which has already been pointed out to you
by Elder Hyde--namely, by the concentration of mind. By this, we
can penetrate, as it were, through the veil, and receive
revelations from the heavens--from those superior beings who
comprehend not only the discoveries that are made by man upon the
earth, but ten thousand times ten thousand more than have ever
entered into the heart of man to conceive of. Those beings to a
properly concentrated mind can reveal more knowledge in one day
than what can be obtained by the learned in a score of years.
156
Here, then, the Latter-day Saints have the advantage of the
present generation. In the first place, we have the same natural
facilities that the learned of the world have; we have the same
books they have, and the same privilege of searching out
knowledge; and, in addition to all those facilities, if we are
walking up to our privileges before God, we are entitled to the
gift of the Holy Ghost, which is the Spirit of revelation, which,
when we properly train our minds according to the law of God, can
open to us the hidden mysteries of the works of God--the
mysteries of astronomy, chemistry, geology, and ten thousand
mysteries which never could be unfolded by the natural reasoning
of man.
156
Let us combine these two together; let us learn to train our
minds religiously and scientifically, and in the proper channel.
"But," inquires one, "ought we not sometimes to let our minds
rest?" Yes. God has ordained day and night. The night he intended
for a season of rest. If we observe the rest God has granted to
us, and cast from our minds everything which would trouble them,
and sleep sweetly during the shades of night, our minds will be
abundantly refreshed, and we shall be enabled in the morning to
begin and discipline them anew with fresh vigour.
156
We can train the mind for several hours during the day, bringing
it to bear upon whatever subject is necessary. The Lord had in
view, in introducing day and night, not only the rest of our
bodies, but also that of our minds.
156
But many suppose that we have so many temporalities to influence
us, and so many causes, perplexities, and anxieties of this world
to contend against, that we do not have power to concentrate our
minds as we could wish. I am aware of this. But different men
have different callings. Some are called to one purpose, and some
to another. It is not to be expected that the man who is called
to labour at his farming occupation, his mechanical business, or
his manufacturing establishment, can discipline his mind in
relation to some scientific pursuits to the same degree as
another who has more leisure, or whose calling differs. But there
is in this thing, generally speaking, too great a neglect, not
only in scientific men, but in those who are pursuing other
callings.
157
There are many hours that run to waste which might be profitably
employed in training the mind, when the body is not fatigued,
which are spent in idleness or foolishness, and which do not tend
to benefit you or your generations after you. There are hours and
hours which might be profitably spent in disciplining the mind
and treasuring up both spiritual and natural knowledge, that
often run to waste without benefiting any one.
157
The study of science is the study of something eternal. If we
study astronomy, we study the works of God. If we study
chemistry, geology, optics, or any other branch of science, every
new truth we come to the understanding of is eternal; it is a
part of the great system of universal truth. It is truth that
exists throughout universal nature; and God is the dispenser of
all truth--scientific, religious, and political. Therefore let
all classes of citizens and people endeavour to improve their
time more than heretofore--to train their minds to that which is
best calculated for their good and the good of the society which
surrounds them.
157
I do not know when I have been so much interested as I have been
in hearing the remarks from Elder Hyde this morning on this
subject. It is a subject that has impressed itself on my mind.
Last Sunday, in Tooele city, I delivered a discourse, showing the
necessity of the concentration of mind in family prayer and in
our secret prayers. But these points have been ably handled by
Elder Hyde.
157
In conclusion, I wish to say that it is not only necessary to
have a single eye to the glory of God in searching for religious
truths, but also in acquiring scientific truths; and in all our
researches for truth we should seek the aid of the Spirit of God.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, May 29, 1859
Brigham Young, May 29, 1859
DEPENDENCE ON GOD AS THE FOUNTAIN OF ALL WISDOM, ETC.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, May 29, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
157
I have been very much interested in the remarks by brother Z.
Snow, and wish to impress upon the minds of all that in our
capacity and organization, without the aid of a superior
influence upon the mind, and that directly from the Fountain of
wisdom, mankind are very liable to what the Apostle calls "vain
philosophy." Depending solely upon human reasoning leads many
into vain and serious errors; and self-imbibed and self-argued
notions are often so tenaciously riveted upon the mind that it is
almost impossible for another to convince his fellow-man of their
erroneousness. To be correct in our reasonings, in our doctrines,
in faith towards God, and clear in our understandings of his plan
of salvation, nothing short of Divine revelation can convince of
and fasten upon the understanding the truth that God has revealed
from heaven for the salvation of his children.
158
I repeat that I have been highly interested with the remarks by
Judge Snow. We have formerly heard him speak many times in this
building, and those of you who have been acquainted with him can
judge of the effect of his late mission to Australia, to which he
referred. I will judge, for one, that it has been worth worlds to
him; and all present who enjoy the spirit of revelation can
readily discern that the philosophy and doctrine just advanced by
him are excellent.
158
When men are in the habit of philosophising upon every point,
only relying upon what we call human reason, they are constantly
liable to error. But place a man in a situation where he is
obliged or compelled, in order to sustain himself, to have faith
in the name of Jesus Christ, and it brings him to a point where
he will know for himself; and happy are those who pass through
trials, if they maintain their integrity and their faith to their
calling.
158
As was observed here last Sabbath, all intelligence is the gift
of God, whatever use is made of it. All valuable inventions and
works of mechanism are produced by a Spirit that flows from the
Fountain of intelligence, and no excellent and magnanimous work
can be produced without that Spirit.
158
Men are apt to stray from truth--are apt to imbibe false notions,
principles, and ideas, if they do not cling closely to that
Fountain of intelligence and acknowledge the hand of God in all
things. This principle every person should watch closely, and be
very careful that they never imbibe any notion, doctrine, or idea
that causes selfishness in their hearts; but let their hearts be
open to conviction, to receive light and intelligence through
every manifestation from above, that they may rightly discern
between things that are of God and those that are not of him.
158
Many, in their acts, seem closely to agree with the expression in
holy writ, that "God is not in all their thoughts." We might
readily conclude that many, though they use the name of the
Supreme Being more frequently than any other name on earth or in
heaven, never carefully reflect upon the character of that Being.
He is the fountain of all intelligence; and without the power of
the Holy Ghost shed forth in the hearts of the people, they are
liable to be led astray.
158
As has been told you frequently with regard to the proof of the
truth of a man's religion, it is not his faithfulness to it--it
is not his close observance of it, nor the sacrifices he makes
for it, but it is that intelligence which leads men from earth to
heaven, which opens the gates of heaven and reveals to the
children of men heavenly things, to lift their minds and
affections above the things of this earth, and cause them to view
it and its inhabitants in their proper light.
158
The children of men are in ignorance and darkness, with their
superstitions, prepossessed notions, feelings, education, and
traditions. Look at them as they are--placed here for the express
purpose of proving themselves before their God. Darkness and sin
were permitted to come on this earth. Man partook of the
forbidden fruit in accordance with a plan devised from eternity,
that mankind might be brought in contact with the principles and
powers of darkness, that they might know the bitter and the
sweet, the good and the evil, and be able to discern between
light and darkness, to enable them to receive light continually.
Christ is the light of the world, and lighteth every man that
cometh into it. No son or daughter of Adam ever lived on the
earth, or ever will, but has had or will have the light of Christ
within them.
159
What do many parents virtually say to their children? That to
believe in revealed religion is nonsense. How frequently we have
heard prayers offered in public that God would make one in their
midst--that the Holy Ghost would rest upon them while they
endeavoured to worship the Lord Almighty; and, as soon as the
prayers were over, endeavour to prove that the Holy Ghost is not
given in our days as anciently--that the Spirit of revelation is
not on the earth--is not among the children men! What
inconsistency! God is here; his influence fills immensity. He has
his messengers throughout all the works of his hands. He watches
every one of his creatures: their acts, their affections, and
thoughts are all known to him; for his intelligence and power
fill immensity. Not that his person does, but his Spirit does;
and he is here teaching, guiding, and directing the nations of
the earth, notwithstanding their darkness, ignorance, and
weakness; and he will make the wrath of man praise him. Why,
then, should we not acknowledge his hand in all things? Why not
believe in revelation? Why not acknowledge that God whom we
profess to serve? Why not seek unto him for counsel? It should be
in the hearts of all to seek unto the Lord with all their might
and affections, and so live as to have him guide them, that they
may never fall--that they may attain the goal they are
anticipating.
159
All people desire to be happy. You cannot find an individual that
does not wish comfort and ease. You can obtain happiness in no
other way than by unreservedly submitting yourselves to your God.
Let him lead us through paths of affliction and cause suffering
and trouble to come upon us, still there is that consolation and
comfort within that the world cannot give nor take away. That is
the only solid comfort there is in this life. Men cannot enjoy
comfort and satisfaction in the accumulation of wealth. Wealth
never was the source of happiness to any person. It cannot be: it
is not in the nature of things; for contentment exists only in
the mind. In the mind there is happiness--in the mind there is
glory. Place a man in extreme poverty, and let him possess the
sweet, benign influences of the Spirit of the Lord, and you will
find a happy man and a cheerful countenance; while the man who
does not possess the Spirit of heaven, though he may possess all
this world can afford beside, is almost constantly in sorrow and
trouble.
159
Brethren and sisters, it is your privilege to enjoy the spirit of
revelation as much as any person or people that ever lived on the
face of this earth. As it was observed here last Sabbath, you see
men and women falter and depart from their God and religion: but
does God first forsake them? No; they forsake their God: they
take such a course that the spirit of the Lord cannot dwell with
them; consequently they are left in darkness and uncertainty, and
do not know what truth is. How can you know what truth is? You
can only know by the spirit of revelation. This knowledge is not
obtained in any other way.
160
How can you know the Latter-day Work to be true? You can know it
only by the spirit of revelation direct from heaven. How can
people prove that it is not true in any other way than by the
revelations of Jesus? Can you hear of any person's railing about
its being untrue, and convincing a congregation that it is untrue
by the spirit of revelation? No. All arguments, conversations,
sermons, discourses, and lectures delivered against it are
delivered in darkness--are not delivered in the Spirit of the
great God who organized the Latter-day Work. What proved this
work true to you in England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, France,
the United States, &c.? Was it not the spirit of revelation that
rested upon you? Then why should you lose the spirit? You should
add to it day by day; you should add as the Lord gives--a little
here and a little there, and treasure up truth in your faith and
understanding, until you become perfect before the Lord and are
prepared to receive the further things of the kingdom of God.
160
You must have the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to
the knowledge of the truth and teach you things as they are. Let
every man and woman, without exception, obtain that Spirit
through an exemplary life; and if they do not adhere to the
spirit of revelation that is felt by all who are partakers of
this work, they will fear and fall; for the Prophet has said that
the Lord would work a great work and a wonder in the last
days,--that the report thereof would make all nations tremble and
fill them with fear.
160
Is it darkness? No. Is it ignorance? No. Is it weakness? No. What
is it? It is light, intelligence, the power of God that makes the
wicked tremble and wish "Mormonism" out of the way. If it were a
false doctrine or a false theory, the Devil would not endeavour
to disturb it, wicked men would not fear it, Heaven would not
smile upon it, nor give a revelation to any man or woman to
believe it, and we should have poor success; and Heaven forbid
that we should have success or gain influence upon any other
principle than the revelations of Jesus Christ.
160
May God open your eyes and the eyes of every honest person, that
we may see things as they are and secure for ourselves that
eternal rest we are looking for. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, June 5, 1859
Brigham Young, June 5, 1859
WANT OF GOVERNING CAPACITIES AMONG MEN--ELEMENTS OF THE
SACRAMENT--APOSTACY, ETC.
A Sermon by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, June 5, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
161
Some of the questions propounded by brother Clements, in his
remarks, produced in me rather a humoursome feeling,--especially
the inquiry of the lady as to why she was not a man; and I
perceive that it had the same effect upon the congregation. In
the first place, permit me to answer that inquiry according to
the spirit that passed over the congregation. It brought to my
mind a conversation concerning a certain gentleman who has been
in high office in the United States. The person I was conversing
with placed much stress upon the circumstance that both those
gentlemen and myself were Yankees. I thought that I was tolerably
well acquainted with his character. I deemed him to be a good,
kind, affable, and honourable man. After much conversation, I
told the person that I had but one fault to find with that
gentleman, and that was not really a fault--only a slight
mistake. He ought to have come into the world a woman. And,
perhaps, the lady brother Clements has referred to should have
been the officer, and the officer should have been that lady.
161
Pardon my humoursome remarks, for I feel a little, perhaps, as I
should not, after hearing so serious and good a discourse as we
have this morning. At times there is a spirit in me to treat
things according to their nature, and then my style must of
necessity be somewhat in accordance with the subject. I will
treat the question in a more serious manner.
161
Who the lady is I know not, and I have seen a great many like
her, and I think there would be much more sound judgment and
true, sound philosophy exhibited, if persons would inquire why
about three-fourths or seven-eights of the men are not women. Why
so? Because of the imbecility in the brains of men. Look through
Utah and over the world, and how many who have beards are men in
their capacities in the common avocations of life, to say nothing
about kings, rulers, statesmen, presidents, and governors? How
many men are there capable of sustaining themselves, a wife, and
two or three children? Men who from their youth have been taught
the strictest economy are incapable of sustaining themselves and
a small family, aside from ability to govern and control a
people, a nation, or a kingdom. Hundreds of thousands--yes,
millions of men, do not exhibit the mental ability that one might
suppose women should possess and exhibit. In our own community
there are plenty of ladies who, give them the entire control of
their own domestic affairs, will make a better living, live in
better style, and rear their families better than at present.
161
Search among the various nations, and you can find men of very
respectable talent--men learned upon various subjects, skilled in
mechanism, philosophers of various grades, and historians; but
can you find a man that is capable of rightly dictating a nation?
You may ask the wisest men in a nation if there are great
statesmen now living among them, and they will tell you that
their real statesmen have all gone to the silent tomb. Have we
any? Where can you now find statesmen in the United States
possessing the ability that Daniel Webster and many others
had--men who can foresee the results of the acts of individuals,
of legislators, and of Congress fifty years hence? Where is there
a nation that has been able to preserve its organization from the
early ages of the world until now? As you have been often told,
the providences of God are with them, though they know it not. He
sets up a kingdom here, and casts down another there, and
overrules the acts of the people to produce the results he
desires. In regard to ourselves, there is not a man or woman in
this kingdom, if they possessed the true principle of knowledge
and wisdom, but what would know at once that they are not yet
capable of magnifying any higher station than they now occupy.
There is not a man or woman here but occupies a position in which
they have full liberty, freedom, and opportunity to dispense
their skill and knowledge to benefit themselves and the
community: they are not coerced to lose one particle of time and
ability.
162
If I find a man, as I do once in a while, who thinks that he
ought to be sustained in a higher position than he occupies, that
proves to me that he does not understand his true position, and
is not capable of magnifying it. Has he not already the privilege
of exhibiting all the talents he has--of doing all the good he is
capable of in this kingdom? Is he curtailed in the least, in
anywise or place, in bringing forth his wisdom and powers, and
exhibiting them before the community, and leading out? No, not in
the least. Are any of you infringed upon or abridged in the
least? Is there a sister who has not the privilege of exhibiting
all the talent and power she will, or is capable of, for the
benefit of her sisters and her children? Are the sisters deprived
of any liberty in displaying their taste and talent to improve
the community?
162
When I hear persons say that they ought to occupy a station more
exalted than they do, and hide the talents they are in possession
of, they have not the true wisdom they ought to have. There is a
lack in them, or they would improve upon the talents given.
162
I can say to the sisters, if you have superior talents, arise and
let your light shine. Prove to your neighbours and the community
that you are capable of teaching those sisters whom you deem to
be ignorant or neglectful. I have placed a low estimate upon the
standing and capacity of men; and now let me take the privilege
to say a few words to you--to the ladies who have reached the age
of thirty years. According to my view of the subject, there is
not one in a hundred that knows how to keep a house as it should
be kept. I should judge, from what I have seen, that there are
many who do not know the swill-pail from the milk-pail. Others do
not know how to make butter and cheese, nor how to keep their
children clean. Others, again, do not know how to teach their
children as they should be taught.
162
I will not say, as do many, that the more I learn the more I am
satisfied that I know nothing; for the more I learn the more I
discern and eternity of knowledge to improve upon. There is an
eternity of knowledge; and the little I have gained, through the
blessings of the Lord, I wish to improve upon. I can teach you
how to become wealthy in gold and silver, in silks and satins,
and in all worldly possessions,--also in the riches of eternal
life. All I ask of you is to believe that I tell you the truth,
and then carry it out.
162
Let me throw the lash at the "Mormon" Elders a little. Many of
you will exchange your last bushel of wheat with the stores for
ribbons and gewgaws when you really need it for bread. And, with
shamefacedness I say it, some will take the last peck of their
grain to the distillery to buy whisky, and then beg their bread.
162
I will now answer another question propounded by brother
Clements, when he said he could not answer all questions, stating
that baptism was instituted, but he could not tell why. You
remember reading, in the last book of the New Testament, that in
the beginning God cursed the earth; but did he curse all things
pertaining to it? No, he did not curse the water, but he blessed
it. Pure water is cleansing--it serves to purify; and you are
aware that the ancient Saints were very tenacious with regard to
their purification by water. From the beginning the Lord
instituted water for that purpose among others. I do not mean
from the beginning of this earth alone; and although we have no
immediate concern in inquiring into the organization of other
earths that do not come within reach of our investigation, yet I
will say that water has been the means of purification in every
world that has been organized out of the immensity of matter.
163
The Lord has instituted laws and ordinances, and all have their
peculiar design and meaning. And though we may not know the
origin of the necessity of being baptized for the remission of
sins, it answers that portion of the law we are now under to
teach the people in their ignorance that water is designed for
purification, and to instruct them to be baptized therein for the
remission of their sins. If the people could fully understand
this matter, they would perceive that it is perfectly reasonable
and has been the law to all worlds. And this world so benighted
at present, and so lightly esteemed by infidels, as observed by
brother Clements when it becomes celestialized, it will be like
the sun, and be prepared for the habitation of the Saints, and be
brought back into the presence of the Father and the Son. It will
not then be an opaque body as it now is, but it will be like the
stars of the firmament, full of light and glory: it will be a
body of light. John compared it, in its celestialized state, to a
sea of glass.
163
Brother Clements inquired why we used bread and wine in the
ordinance of the Lord's supper. I will not teach a doctrine not
found in the Old and New Testaments. Bread is the staff of life:
it answers to the nourishment necessary to sustain the body of
man and preserve its organization. When Jesus took the bread and
blessed it, he gave it to his disciples and said, "This is my
body." You eat the sacramental bread--what for? What good does it
do? What is it? Nothing but bread. You bless it and partake of it
as the staff of life that Jesus Christ has given you, and
emblematical of his broken body. He is the organizer of your
bodies; he is the author of this earth--the heir of it from his
Father, and has purchased it with his blood, which the juice of
the grape was instituted by him to represent. He poured out his
blood freely to redeem a fallen world--the wine answering to the
blood which Jesus spilled, if you partake of it in faith; for it
is the faith that brings the blessing of life to you. It is
through obedience to the ordinance that God bestows renewed life
upon you. By this means the children of God have life within them
to live and not die.
163
The wine answers to the blood of Christ, and the bread to his
body. His blood was poured out as we pour out wine, and his body
was broken as we break bread, to redeem a fallen world and all
things pertaining to it, so far as the curse had fallen.
163
The blood he spilled upon mount Calvary he did not receive again
into his veins. That was poured out, and when he was resurrected,
another element took the place of the blood. It will be so with
every person who receives a resurrection: the blood will not be
resurrected with the body, being designed only to sustain the
life of the present organization. When this is dissolved, and we
again obtain our bodies by the power of the resurrection, that
which we now call the life of the body, and which is formed from
the food we eat and the water we drink, will be supplanted by
another element; for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom
of God.
164
In his remarks, brother Clements reasoned, touching persons
forsaking the faith, and urged the necessity of man studying
himself. If we could comprehend ourselves--could fully comprehend
what our organization is, and understand the power, wisdom, and
magnitude of intelligence it is capable of attaining, we should
entertain many ideas very different from what we now do. To make
a nice distinction, there is but a hair's breadth between the
vulgar and sublime. There is but a hair's breadth between the
depths of infidelity and the heights of the faith of the Gods.
Man is here like a feather trembling between the two, liable
continually to be operated upon by the power of the enemy; and it
is through that power that the children of men are made to doubt
the evidences of their own senses, when, at the same time, if
they would reflect for a moment and listen to the intelligence
which God has placed within them, they would know, when they saw
what is termed a miracle, the power by which it is wrought: they
would know when they have seen with their eyes and felt with
their hands, or when they have had a heavenly vision.
164
Some of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the
plates and conversed with the angels of God, were afterwards left
to doubt and to disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel. One
of the Quorum of twelve--a young man full of faith and good
works, prayed, and the vision of his mind was opened, and the
angel of God came and laid the plates before him, and he saw and
handled them, and saw the angel, and conversed with him as he
would with one of his friends; but after all this, he was left to
doubt, and plunged into apostacy, and has continue to contend
against this work. There are hundreds in a similar condition.
164
In comparison, there is but a hair's breadth between the depths
of infidelity and the heights of the faith of the Saints; and the
organization of man is perfectly independent in its sphere. Life
and death, truth and falsehood, light and darkness, good and
evil, the power of the Devil and the influence of God, the things
of God and the things of the devil, all these inducements and
powers are interspersed among the children of men; and they of
necessity must undergo this ordeal to prove themselves; and in
the absence of the Spirit of revelation, let their sound
judgments arise and declare, "Though he slay me, I will not
forsake him."
164
Some of the brethren come to me and say, "Brother Brigham, is it
my duty to pray when I have not one particle of the spirit of
prayer in me?" True, at times men are perplexed and full of care
and trouble, their ploughs and other implements are out of order,
their animals have strayed, and a thousand things perplex them;
yet our judgment teaches us that it is our duty to pray, whether
we are particularly in the spirit of praying or not. My doctrine
is, it is duty to pray; and when the time for prayer comes, John
should say, "This is the place and this is the time to pray:
knees bend down upon that floor, and do so at once." But John
says, "I do not want to pray; I do not feel like it." Knees, get
down, I say; and down bend the knees, and he begins to think and
reflect. Can you say anything? Can you not say, God have mercy on
me a sinner? Yes he can do this, if he can rise up and curse his
neighbour for some ill deeds. Now, John, open your mouth and say,
Lord, have mercy upon me. "But I do not feel the spirit of
prayer." That does not excuse you, for you know what your duty
is. You have a passion, a will, a temper to overcome. You are
subject to temptation as other men; and when you are tempted, let
the judgment which God has placed within you and the intelligence
he has given you by the light of the Spirit be the master in this
case.
165
If I could not master my mouth, I would my knees, and make them
bend until my mouth would speak. "But the cattle are in the
corn." Let them eat; you can attend to them when you have
finished praying. Let the will of the man be brought into
subjection to the law of Christ--to all the ordinances of the
house of God. What, in his darkness and depression? Yes; for that
is the time to prove whether one is a friend of God, that the
confidence of the Almighty may increase in his son. We should so
live that our confidence and faith may increase in Him. We must
even go further than that. Let us so live that the faith and
confidence of our heavenly Father may increase towards us, until
he shall know that we will be true to him under any and all
circumstances and at all times. When in our darkness and
temptation we are found faithful to our duty, that increases the
confidence of our God in us. He sees that we will be his
servants. To use a comparison, the sandbars are numerous over
which the people of God have to pass, and I have not time now to
notice them. You have heard an excellent, heavenly discourse:
remember it, brethren and sisters; treasure it up in your hearts:
treasure up every good and forsake every evil, and learn to work
the works of righteousness continually, regardless of what wicked
men and devils may say.
165
But many think and others say that it is very hard to submit to
everything, and retaliation is begotten in every bosom. I often
find it so in my own. When we are lied about--when every kind of
falsehood is uttered and printed against us that can be invented
by the millions of devils that prompt the children of men to lie,
it is sometimes difficult for me to repress the spirit of
retaliation. But I have experienced that retaliation is seldom of
any benefit. Then let them lie: they cannot escape suffering the
consequences. If they tell nothing but the truth, all is right,
and they will discover the kingdom of God still to prosper--still
to increase and grow, until Jesus, whose right it is to reign,
will rule King of nations, as he now reigns King of Saints.
165
How does he rule? If we believe in the providences of our God--in
the supremacy of his dealings, is he not merciful? Yes. Does he
cut down the children of men because they do not look at things
and believe as I do? No. Will the Priesthood, when it bears rule
upon the earth, ever interrupt an individual or community for not
embracing the religion of that Priesthood? Never--no, never. What
is the difficulty at present? It is as much as we can do to keep
the Christians of the nineteenth century from cutting our throats
because we differ from them in our religious belief. That is, in
fact, all the difficulty. Not that the Latter-day Saints ever
endeavoured to interrupt any person in their faith and worship;
and on this point I will call to witness all men who have been
acquainted with us. True some Elders in this Church have been
foolish; but brother Clements has just told you that he never
crammed "Mormonism" down any man's throat, nor strove to do so,
neither has any Elder while faithful to his calling. Has your
humble servant ever attempted such a thing?
165
Here is truth--here are life and salvation. Will you have them?
If you say, "Nay," all right; for you have the privilege of
making your own choice. It has never altered my feelings towards
individuals, as men or as women, whether they believe as I do or
not. Can you live as neighbours with me? I can with you; and it
is no particular concern of mine whether you believe with me or
not. But my Christian brother says, "You must lay down your
religion and embrace mine? or I will persecute you." Have I ever
offered to persecute a person, or have this people? No. But
others say, "You 'Mormons' must forsake your religion."
166
All I ask is for the grace of god to enable us to endure to the
end and be saved, and others are at liberty to make their choice.
No matter whether a person is killed or not, be faithful to your
lives' end, and obtain a glorious resurrection. But a few days
only will pass before our mortal career will be ended, whether we
are "Mormons" or not. Those only have the promise of salvation
who endure to the end; and all I ask is that we may have faith to
endure. Many have lifted the sword to cut down "Mormonism" in the
bud, and for more than thirty years past they have striven to
overthrow it, and have not accomplished their purpose; but it has
grown and increased, and will continue to grow and increase until
it reigns triumphantly on the earth, and it will deal justice to
all. Even the rights of devils will be respected,--also the
rights of all men occupying every grade and of every capacity.
And those who have striven during so many years, and so
faithfully, to kill this people, they will be judged according to
the deeds done in their bodies. If they never had the Holy Ghost,
they can never be angels to the devil to suffer the wrath of God
to all eternity. And those of them who have lived according to
the best light they had, (and this will apply to all sects and
parties of professing Christians and to pagans and barbarians in
all kingdoms, nations, and countries,) will enjoy a glory
hereafter that will be commensurate to their lives and the way in
which they have improved upon their advantages; and by-and-by
they will be freed entirely from the power of the Devil. They
will be shut out from the presence of the Lord, which the
ancients compared to hell; but no person can enter into the
presence of the Father and of the Son to dwell, unless he be
sanctified.
166
To enter into the presence of God, we must be qualified. What
confidence could we have that he is the Father, only through our
qualifications? As brother Clements has said, were he to appear
to an unqualified person, he would have to appear as a man, and
that person would want the evidence and testimony of a third
person to convince him that he was not labouring under a grand
deception; and then he might, with the same propriety, call for
the evidence of a fourth, a fifth, etc., and never be satisfied.
God is a spiritual being, and no mortal being can behold him in
his glory and live, though his mind may be caught away in vision,
as was Paul's. But man has a capacity given him to have the
vision of his mind open to discern heavenly things, and to
treasure up wisdom and knowledge by that means, until he is
prepared to receive the kingdom of heaven. May God bless you!
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Heber
C. Kimball, September 11, 1859
Heber C. Kimball, September 11, 1859
INSPIRATION--IMPORTANCE OF HEEDING THE REVELATIONS OF GOD, ETC.
A Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, Sunday, September 11, 1859.
Reported by J. V. Long.
167
Brethren and Sisters,--I want to talk a little to you from actual
duty. There are things upon my mind, not only now, but at many
times, that trouble me. I am satisfied that I am pretty faithful
in regard to warning this people to keep the commandments of God.
All things that are good are for us to do according to the
dictations of the Holy Ghost.
167
Brother Pratt was telling about the ten commandments, which are
all very good. But I believe that there are at least as many
commandments as there are words in the English language. Jesus
and his disciples both said--"Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
167
You believe in the living oracles of God that are appointed to
communicate to us daily and hourly. These oracles are clothed
upon with the holy Priesthood, which is given to enable us to
receive revelations to guide and lead us aright every day.
167
We are instructed in the scriptures to contend for that faith
which was once delivered to the Saints, and which inspired them
with dreams and visions, tongues and the interpretation thereof.
Pray, tell me who is capable of interpreting an unknown tongue
without inspiration? It cannot be done, except the person be
dictated by the Holy Ghost. How can I discern that a man is
wrong, or that he is corrupt, except I have the Spirit of
revelation? I cannot do it. How can President Young discern that
there is an evil designed against him, unless he has the Spirit
of revelation? He cannot know it beforehand, except it is
revealed to him.
167
Now, I assuredly know it to be true that angels are ministering
spirits to minister to men who are heirs of salvation.
167
Now, God says, in another part of his word, that he will reason
with us. But how will he do this, unless we are submissive like
clay in the hands of the potter? He says he will do it before the
world, the philosophers, the kings, and the nobles. He says he
will do it before all these, if we will be subject to him. We
have all been to see a theatrical performance; but you don't see
it, except you look. Well, a prompter is there; for sometimes the
performers forget their pieces: then the prompter is ready to
help them out, as he stands behinds the vail. Just so it is with
angels. They are not in sight; we do not see them; but in the
very hour that we need them they are here as the ministers of the
covenant to inspire and guide us aright. I know this, gentlemen,
just as well as I know that I am here to-day: I know it by the
senses that God has given me.
168
I have been led to touch upon this thing by the dictation of
the Holy Spirit; but there are other things essential to our
salvation.
168
Yes, I feel many times to weep and am sorrowful, and I can hardly
sleep at night; and if I had Gabriel's trump, I would speak to
the Saints of all nations, and I would say, Gather! gather! and
do not wait even for a handcart to be made. I feel this in my
soul. Do the world believe it? Do the Latter-day Saints believe
it? No. Many of them are lifeless, and have no energy at all.
168
Here is brother N. V. Jones: he expects to start on a foreign
mission in a few days, and I believe he never felt so well in his
life. He is going to wake up the people in Europe.
168
There are a great many of the Saints coming here this year--many
of those men that have never gathered with us--men that have been
wandering about in the States, and that have almost entirely lost
the Spirit of the Lord; and there are some that have previously
turned away--apostatized. They are coming back, and that one
circumstance makes me think there is trouble near at hand. I
never knew it to fail yet.
168
When I get up to speak here, I do not do it for the sake of
hearing myself talk or to please myself, but to do my duty and
please God, for I am his servant. I wish to exhort you to be
faithful--to be dilligent and watchful. There is nothing to
prevent your living near to God and having the light of
revelation constantly within you. If your eyes were single to the
glory of God, you would see things as they are--you would know
and understand your duty.
168
When I look through this Territory and see what there is in
existence, and when I consider that it was given through Joseph
Smith, by revelation, that we should let our garments be the
workmanship of our own hands, and that we should take care of our
grain, I feel sorrowful. You may take the people north of this
city, in Davis county, in Ogden and Box Elder, and they have not
got wheat enough to last them till next harvest, if they do not
sell another bushel. If you were keeping the commandments, you
would not sell a particle.
168
When the pioneers came here, President Young counselled the
brethren respecting laying up their grain against a time of
famine and sorrow. They were very short of provisions in Ogden
last season: some of them had not a particle of breadstuff, and I
had to lend the people flour. Bishop West told me that if I did
not, the people would suffer much; and it is just so in Box Elder
and Davis counties; and that is what is bearing so heavily upon
my mind; and you will see sorrow yet, if you neglect the counsel
of God through his servants. I fear you will.
168
Here is an army--probably 6,000 or 7,000, with the employees and
attachers; and they have got to be fed. I have no objection to
their having wheat and flour; but they cannot have mine, while my
brethren may be without bread. Do you hear it? Listen, all ye
ends of the earth! I will give you enough to keep you alive,
gentlemen, just as you do when men start on the Plains. The
Scriptures say--"He that does not provide for his own household
has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
169
Who are my brethren and sisters? You that have obeyed the same
Gospel, received the same Holy Spirit and the same Priesthood
that I have. You are connected with me by that Priesthood; you
are connected with God; I am connected with you; I am also
connected with President Young, in holding the keys and the
Priesthood of the Almighty. And, O ye Elders of Israel and Saints
of latter days, why do you not wake to these things? What do you
suppose you will do when you have sold all your bread? Will gold
or silver keep you alive? Will whisky keep you alive? or will any
other liquor? Bread is the staff of life which God has spoken of
in his word. Then why do you expend it for those things that you
can do without, or that your wives and daughters can make? Will
you still do it? I know we do do it, and I cannot help or avoid
it in my family. I presume it costs me about as much to supply my
family and those that labour for me with coffee, tea, and sugar
as most men in this community.
169
I have got considerable stock also; and all you that want my
stock, make it known. I have many mules, horses, and cattle; and
you can have them all, if you will furnish me the wheat. But if
you do this, you will see the day when you will be sorry. I say
to the President of this Stake of Zion, brother Daniel Spencer,
and also to the Apostles, and to all Saints, Wake up, and lay up
your grain, and let your finery go where it belongs; for that is
where it will go, and you cannot avoid it.
169
How many friends am I going to get for telling these things? The
friendship of every good Saint, and of God the Father and his Son
Jesus Christ; and the angels will sustain me when I speak in the
name of the Father and the Son, and by their authority. There are
more in heaven for us than there are anywhere else against us;
and there are millions more of men and women in heaven saved than
there are people on the earth.
169
I have now done my duty. I have told of these things for years.
Some inquire, "Why don't President Young say more about them?"
Simply because he has spoken and reiterated these things in your
ears till he is ashamed. Do you think our enemies will get his
wheat? No, they will not. If they were to go to him tomorrow, and
offer him ten dollars per bushel, they would not get it. Neither
will they get mine. But I will tell you what I have done: I have
stepped forward and handed men bread when they wanted to leave
the Church. But I would not do that now.
169
This is an important day in which we are living.
169
You may make what you please of this kind of preaching: it is the
Gospel of salvation, and it has brought us into the fold of
Christ; and let us take care of the sheep that are in the fold.
We are here in the tops of the mountains, and here is where we
shall stay, and all hell cannot get us out until the Lord God
says, "Come out!" Now you may set your hearts at rest.
170
I am astonished, when I look upon the people of the United
States, that they are not more friendly to us. They stand ready
to debauch an destroy this people. They want the money--the gold
and the silver, that the people have, and which you know is the
god of this world: but I am not going to employ them. If I cannot
raise more than five hundred dollars, I will send one of my boys;
and if he has not money enough to purchase a load of goods, my
team can live upon the Plains and haul part of a load for
somebody else; for I am determined to transport my own goods,
unless I can buy them as cheap here. Uncle Sam's troops drove our
men off the road from the stations they had located, when we
calculated on running a daily express from here to the States and
importing our own goods. Do you think I fear the world? Why
should I? I have done nothing to be afraid of; and all the
feelings that the wicked can have arise on account of our keeping
their troops back at Bridger till they got cooled off; and we did
that handsomely. And then, when they came in, they were very
tame; and they would not have been otherwise, if it had not been
for some of our federal officials. The army has been so much more
gentlemanly than some of those officials that have come to
execute the law, that I am ashamed; and I give the army the
credit for that much.
170
"Well, now," says one, "you had better hold your tongue, Mr.
Kimball." I shall when I get ready. I have no feelings of
hardness nor disposition to hurt any one. Some seem to have a
spite against the gamblers; but, bless you, they are some of the
best of the camp followers. I am ashamed of the acts of some of
you Elders of the Church. You ought to be had in remembrance in
the courts of heaven. Were they sent here to lead you into such
practices? What were those judges sent here for? Not to teach
this people, but to bring up those murderers and handle them, and
to send all the thieves to prison, and punish them for their
crimes. This is what you are sent for, you judges, and you
marshals, and all the rest of you officials; and why don't you do
your duty? Now I wish there was a lawyer here to tell me whether
I have committed treason or not!
170
For instance, here is Dr. Bernhisel--just as good a man as ever
lived upon the earth. We have sent him four times to Washington.
Did he go as our master? No; but he went as our servant to
importune the Government of the United States for our rights.
Bless you, the rights we ask are ours: they are mine: our fathers
fought for them! Well, he went as our servant, and not as our
master; and these judges are sent here by James Buchanan; and if
they had done their duty, they would have had scores of you
transgressors of the law in prison, and some on the scaffold.
They should make you amenable to the laws of this Territory as
well as those of the United States.
170
Gentlemen officials, you came to execute our laws. This is the
way, as Mr. Hord said to me yesterday--"I am of your opinion, Mr.
Kimball, when a man is among the Romans he should do as the
Romans do. When we go to the polls, go with the voice of the
people." "Yes," said I; "and when we go to your states and
Territories, we should do the same, and be subject to your laws,
just as you should be subject to our laws; and so should all
ministers that are sent to preach and administer justice and
righteousness."
170
Now, have I committed treason this afternoon? No, gentlemen, I
have not. What do they want to kill us for? They are from the
same father. Now, we want to obey the laws of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and get the Spirit of God; and because of this they are
our enemies. It is the same as it was with the family of Jacob,
and he was the friend of God; and because Joseph was in favour
with God and with his father, his brethren hated him. It was
particularly so with Joseph. His own brothers hated him; but the
Lord honoured him, and he lived to see his father and brethren
bow down to him; and the king of Egypt honoured him, and bowed to
his wisdom. And so the nations will bow to this kingdom, sooner
or later, and all hell cannot help it. Then, gentlemen, why don't
you make peace? You will be glad to make peace, for the wicked
will see earthquakes, pestilence, and famine; for they have
caused thousands of men, women, and children to go to premature
graves. And Thomas H. Benton said, "Give them hell, and sweep
them off the earth." When we were in our waggons, Senator Benton
advocated this.
171
I say to the Saints, Live your religion, stop your murmuring,
take care of your crops, lay up your grain. I shall do it.
171
Now, you women, go to work, as far as it is in your power to do
it, and do not be constantly teasing your husbands to dispose of
their grain. What better are you than I? I came here with good
home-made calf-skin boots on, and why can't you be contented with
home-made clothes as well as I? You are no better than I am, and
I know you can do these things.
171
I try to carry out this counsel that I am giving to you; and not
many years will pass away before you will see the result of these
things, and you that are wise will go to work and act as though
you believed what I say. My sorrow is that trouble will come upon
you unawares, in consequence of your neglect of these counsels. I
have no objections to your selling your grain, but I want you to
sell it to your brethren, and not to those that will cut your
throats. If you do not want to sustain me, sustain one another.
171
How do you look, you who hold the Priesthood, going through the
streets drunk, and in company with those who are constantly
planning for the destruction of this people? I mean you that are
guilty of these offences. Those that are not guilty know that my
remarks are not for them.
171
God bless the righteous--the peacemaker! and God bless the
honourable man that comes here and does unto us as he wishes us
to do unto him. Come to me, ye men that do not profess to believe
"Mormonism:" I am the lad to make you comfortable and happy. But
let me live, do good, and work righteousness. I will do this,
whether you are willing or not, God helping me.
171
I say, Peace be upon the righteous, and upon every man that is
willing to do as he would like to be done by! But if you desire
this blessing, don't come here and interfere with our rights,
when you are sent by the Government to see that murderers and
robbers are brought to justice, and dealt with according to the
laws. I want you to understand this now, for I am a lawyer, and I
understand as much about it as any of you.
171
God bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen.
171
[After resuming his seat, President Kimball again arose and
said]--I just want to say a few words to the Elders of Israel,
and to the daughters of Zion. If you wish to manifest your faith,
go and prove that you have faith by your works; for I would not
give a dime for all the faith there is without works. Let each
man go to with his might, and lay up his grain, and not preach
about that which he is not doing himself. This is my religion. If
you follow my counsel, God will bless you and increase you in the
comforts of life; and let the world know it. This is all I have
to say at present.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, June 12, 1859
Brigham Young, June 12, 1859
RESURRECTION OF THE BODY--THE SPIRIT WORLD, ETC.
An Address by President Brigham Young, delivered at the Funeral
of his Sister, Fanny Young, June 12, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
172
Were we to conform to the traditions of our fathers, the brothers
of sister Fanny would not be permitted to speak on this occasion.
But is it wrong for a father to preach the funeral sermon of his
child? or for a husband to preach the funeral sermon of his wife?
or for a brother to officiate in like manner for a sister? If so,
wherein is it wrong or sinful? Four of sister Fanny's five
brothers are here to-day, and I wish them to do all the preaching
to be done on this occasion.
172
Our father long since departed to the spirit world: he is not
here to give counsel to his children. Brother Phineas resides in
this city, but he is not here; and we, the four brothers who are
present, have designed to say what is to be said, and to perform
the funeral ceremonies of our sister, in this respect.
172
It would gratify me to spend an hour or two to express in part
the numerous principles, ideas, inductions, and connections
between the spirit world and our present condition, that
frequently fill my mind on such occasions as this. Many of you
know that I especially delight to dwell upon such subjects; but I
do not wish to occupy so much time now. We will make our
exercises short and to the point, while we perform the last act
of kindness that can be bestowed upon mortals.
172
It is customary to pay great respect to the dead. This I do; but
how do I pay it? It is very fashionable and customary to mourn
deeply for the dead; and it is customary in some countries to
hire mourners, and observe much ceremony upon the death and
interment of relatives and friends. I wish to pay, in a strictly
fitting and decent manner, the respect due to the remains of my
sister Fanny--due in reference to the resurrection of the very
dust that will moulder in the coffin before us.
172
If I am faithful to my religion, I shall see the component parts
that organized the body together. When those parts are gathered
together from the elements, they will appear as sister Fanny, not
in mortal flesh, but in an immortal state. When I meet her in the
morning of the resurrection, she will hail me as one who has
acted the part of a brother, son, and protector; she will hail me
as her benefactor; and I now wish to pay respect to her departure
from this sphere of action. We have made her as comfortable as we
could through life; we will honour her in death, and hope to be
present when she is resurrected. Now her body is subject to
decomposition, and will return to its mother earth, to remain
until it shall be called forth again.
173
The organization of the human tabernacle is a great mystery; but
it would not be, if we could see and understand. Could the vail
between us and the spiritual existence be rent, we should behold
a greater mystery in the organization of the spirit.
173
As has been observed here touching the ideas that men have of the
principles of eternal life, mankind have been veiled in utter
darkness, in which the great majority remain at this day. The
wicked world inquire for the man who can inform them how and by
what means the mortal body and the immortal spirit are so
intimately united. To say nothing of their organization, the
wisest and greatest physiologists have failed to supply the
information so earnestly sought upon this subject. We see life
spring into existence all around us. Where is its fountain? and
how is it originated? it exists for a day, a night, a year, or an
age, and it is gone; and who can say where? Who can tell what has
become of the life that dwelt in that tabernacle, causing it to
think,--that lit up the eye with living fire, and caused the
mouth to utter forth wisdom? Can mortal man tell? Not unless he
is inspired by the Almighty, and understands eternal things. The
origin of all things is in eternity. Like a cloud passing across
a clear sky--like a bird that suddenly flits across our
path--like a pure gushing stream from a hidden fountain, that
soon sinks in some mountain chasm,--so, apparently, life flashes
into this mortal existence, and passes away.
173
I do not mourn for sister Fanny: I rejoice. She has lived upwards
of threescore years and ten, and exhibited the retention of sound
sense to her last days with us here. She said to her sister
Nancy, a short time ago, "If you hear of my being dead before you
come to see me again, let the first thing you say be
'Hallelujah!'" that remark, to me, evidences the retention of
sound judgment. I also appears to me that very many of the
Latter-day Saints are as far from good wholesome ideas and
principles, touching their heavenly privileges, as the east is
from the west. They covet the riches of this world, craving to
serve themselves--to satisfy the sordid disposition within them.
Had they the sense of an angel, and were they in possession of
mountains of gold, heaped up higher and deeper, broader and
longer, than these mountains on the east and west of us, they
would say, "That vast amount of gold is as nothing when compared
with the privilege of even living in this day and age of the
world, when the Gospel is preached."
173
And when the Lord has committed his holy Priesthood to men on
earth, without which no mortal being can be prepared to enter
into the celestial kingdom of God, how do many of the Elders
treat it? That question I do not wish to answer; but I really
wish that such persons would learn a little good sense.
Generations have come and gone without the privilege of hearing
the sound of the Gospel, which has come to you through Joseph
Smith--that was revealed to him from heaven by angels and
visions. We have the Gospel and the keys of the holy Priesthood.
173
Sister Fanny has been faithful: her spirit is now in the spirit
world. Where do you suppose that world is? We used to think and
talk a great deal about this subject, inquiring where heaven is,
and where is the heaven of heavens. Let me tell you that sister
Fanny cannot dwell there until she obtains her resurrection;
neither can any other being. The spirit world I now refer to
pertains to this earth, so far as spirits who have tabernacled or
may hereafter tabernacle here are concerned.
174
Sister Fanny was baptized for the remission of sins, and received
the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost. She
lived according to the precepts and ordinances that God has
revealed through his servant the Prophet, by which men can be
saved and brought back into his presence. But is her spirit in
the third heavens? No. Will it go there? Not until she again
possesses her body. Can she see the Lord? Yes, if he unveils
himself. Can she converse with angels? Yes if they are sent to
converse with her. Is she in paradise? Yes. Where do the spirits
of the wicked go? To the same place or kingdom pertaining to this
earth. They do not go to the depths of hell, neither can they
until they become angels of devils.
174
Is a Saint subject to the power of the Devil in the spirit world?
No, because he has gained the victory through faith, and can
command Satan, and he must obey. How is it with the wicked? The
Devil has power over them to distress and afflict them: they are
in hell. Can the angels of heaven administer to them? Yes, if
they are sent to do so. What can be done for them? The spirit of
sister Fanny and the spirit of every man and woman who has died
in the faith of the Gospel, since it has been restored, will have
the power to teach those wicked spirits and all who have gone to
the spirit world without having heard the Gospel in the flesh,
and say to them, If you will now repent and believe, the Lord
will even now provide the means that you may be officiated for on
the earth in those ordinances that must be attended to here.
Sister Fanny can do good in her capacity and calling as well as
Joseph the Prophet can in his. He will hold the keys: he will
rule, govern, and control all things in the spiritual world
pertaining to this dispensation, until he has finished his work.
174
I do not wish to occupy much of the time; but when I am led to
speak on these points I am much interested. How few there are who
understand how hard it is for a man's eyes to be opened! How few
of the Elders of this church prefer the interests of the kingdom
of God to their worldly interests! With far too many it is, "My
family!--my farm is going to wreck!--my store is neglected!--my
business must be attended to!" and let the kingdom of God take
care of itself. Such men will remain in darkness.
174
To possess and retain the spirit of the Gospel, gather Israel,
redeem Zion, and save the world must be attended to first and
foremost, and should be the prevailing desire in the hearts of
the First Presidency of the Elders of Israel, and of every
officer in the Church and kingdom of God.
174
The Lord commands, controls, and governs. A little more faith in
the name of Jesus Christ, and I can say to my enemies, Be thou
rebuked and stay thou there. I then can say to the power of the
Devil, Be thou rebuked; and to evil spirits, Come not within
these walls, and they could not enter. A little more faith, and,
by way of comparison, I can say to my wheat and corn, Grow, and
command the heavens to shed forth rain.
174
Suppose that the whole people could see things as they are, they
would soon be able to control the elements by the power of their
faith. This people, since we believe that they are in the kingdom
of God, must so live as to gain power and faith to control all
things of a perishable nature, and thus prepare themselves to
endure for ever and ever; while every other creature will, ere
long, return to its native element.
175
I am very much obliged to my friends for calling to pay their
respects to the living and the dead. We did not expect many here,
for I have not a house large enough to hold all the relations of
our sister Fanny. To convene them in a building, we should have
to go to the Tabernacle. She has many relatives, and I am
increasing the number of mine every day, through inducing people
to increase in faith. The spirit of the holy Gospel is going to
the east, the west, the north, and the south, and no power can
hinder it; and the feelings of many are taking hold of the
principles of eternal life, and there is no power that can hinder
it. And all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with all
their hearts, and believe that Joseph Smith was sent of God,
repent of their sins, are baptized for the remission of sins, and
then live their religion, the same are "my father, my mother, my
sister, my brother." In reality I have no other connections on
the face of this earth. If my blood kin would not believe the
Gospel, I should be as much alienated from them in my feelings as
I am from the people of the Chinese nation. There are thousands
in the Church now, and we are brethren and sisters.
175
I say, Bless the people! God bless my brethren and sisters! I ask
my Father, in the name of Jesus christ, to bless you every day. I
am looking for the time when I shall say, Be thou blessed, and we
shall be blessed, and the powers of earth and hell will stand
afar off and be rebuked at the command of the Priesthood.
175
How far we are beneath our privileges! What! rejoice when a Saint
dies? Yes. Mourn when a saint dies? No. There is no feeling of
mourning within me, though every living friend, wife, child,
brother, sister, cousin, aunt, and uncle of mine were lying
before us, as sister Fanny does now. I would shout, Hallelujah!
"Would you not mourn?" No. The world is before me, and I can
gather all the fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, wives,
children, and friends that I wish around me. That is the way I
feel. Glory! Hallelujah!
175
Sister Vilate Kimball knows that I felt so when I buried Miriam,
my first wife. Heber C. and Vilate Kimball were as kind to me at
that time, when I was a stranger and penniless, as I have been to
sister Fanny. My heart said, "Hallelujah!" because the Priesthood
is here, and the way opened up from earth to heaven; and my wife
was going there.
175
God bless you! When I have the power, I will bless you so
effectually that you will not be afflicted by the Devil as you
now are. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Pratt, July 10, 1859
Orson Pratt, July 10, 1859
PERSONAL REMINISCENCES AND TESTIMONY CONCERNING THE
PROPHET JOSEPH AND THE CHURCH, ETC.
A Sermon by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, July 10, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
176
It is truly joyful to my feelings to assemble, Sabbath after
Sabbath, with the Latter-day Saints, to hear the testimonies of
the servants of the living God, and to hear the words of eternal
life preached by the power of the Holy Ghost.
176
It is now nearly twenty-nine years that I have enjoyed this
privilege in this Church; and I esteem it as one of the greatest
privileges to be still alive and in your midst, and I acknowledge
the hand of God in preserving me for so many years in this
kingdom. I believe most firmly that if it had not been for the
mercy, power, and goodness of God, I should not be numbered among
the living at the present time. When I cast my reflections back
upon the past history of my life, and contemplate the numerous
scenes through which I have passed, in connection with hundreds
of others that have travelled to and fro among the nations, I
feel that it has been the hand of the Lord that has delivered me
from the hands of enemies and lawless mobs which have often beset
my path.
176
It has been the hand of the Lord that has delivered this people
through all the dreadful persecutions that we have endured, and
it will be the hand of the Lord that will deliver us in all
future time. I oftentimes reflect back upon the early period of
my experience in this Church, having been baptized into the same
only about five months after its first organization, when there
were but a very few individuals numbered with the Saints. I
presume that all who belonged to the Church at that time might
occupy a small room about the size of fifteen feet by twenty. I
then became intimately acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith,
and continued intimately acquainted with him until the day of his
death. I had the great privilege, when I was in from my missions,
of boarding the most of the time at his house, so that I not only
knew him as a public teacher, but as a private citizen, as a
husband and father. I witnessed his earnest and humble devotions
both morning and evening in his family. I heard the words of
eternal life flowing from his mouth, nourishing, soothing, and
comforting his family, neighbours, and friends. I saw his
countenance lighted up as the inspiration of the Holy Ghost
rested upon him, dictating the great and most precious
revelations now printed for our guide. I saw him translating, by
inspiration, the Old and New Testaments, and the inspired book of
Abraham from Egyptian papyrus.
177
And what now is my testimony concerning that man, founded upon my
own personal observations? It is the same to-day as it was when I
first received the testimony that he was a Prophet. I knew that
he was a man of God. It was not a matter of opinion with me, for
I received a testimony from the heavens concerning that matter;
and without such a testimony it is difficult for us always to
judge; for no man can know the things of God but by the Spirit of
God. I do not care how much education a man may have--how learned
he may be--how much he has studied theology under the eyes of
teachers that are uninspired; I do know there is no man living
that can know the things of God for himself only by revelation. I
could form some kind of an opinion about Joseph Smith as a
natural man, without receiving any communication or revelation
for myself. I could believe him to be a man of God from his
conversation, from his acts, from his dealings; I could believe
him to be a Prophet by seeing many things take place that he
prophesied of: but all this would not give me that certain
knowledge which is necessary for an individual to have, in order
to bear testimony to the nations.
177
If I bear testimony to others that I know this Church and this
kingdom to be the Church and kingdom of God, and that Joseph
Smith was really raised up as a Prophet, and as a Seer, and as a
Revelator, I must bear that testimony from some certain
information and knowledge I have derived independent of what can
be learned naturally by the natural man. The testimony I have
borne for twenty-nine years past upon this point is that the Lord
revealed to me the truth of this work; and because the Lord
revealed this fact to me, I have the utmost confidence in bearing
testimony to it in all the world. It is true I was then but a
youth; I was ignorant and am still ignorant in many points and in
many respects: but I was then very ignorant so far as the
religion of heaven is concerned, until the Lord made manifest his
truth, and taught, informed, and instructed my mind.
177
For about one year before I heard of this Church, I had begun
seriously in my own mind to inquire after the Lord. I had sought
him diligently--perhaps more so than many others that professed
to seek him. I was so earnest and intent upon the subject of
seeking the Lord, when I was about eighteen years of age, and
from that until I was nineteen, when I heard this Gospel and
received it, that I did not give myself the necessary time to
rest. Engaged in farming and labouring too by the month, I took
the privilege, while others had retired to rest, to go out into
the fields and wilderness, and there plead with the Lord, hour
after hour, that he would show me what to do--that he would teach
me the way of life, and inform and instruct my understanding. It
is true I had attended, as many others have done, various
meetings of religious societies. I had attended the Methodists, I
had been to the Baptists, and had visited the Presbyterian
meetings. I had heard their doctrines and had been earnestly
urged by many to unite myself with them as a member of their
churches; but something whispered to not do so. I remained,
therefore, apart from all of them, praying continually in my
heart that the Lord would show me the right way.
178
I continued this for about one year; after which, two Elders of
this Church came into the neighbourhood. I heard their doctrine,
and believed it to be the ancient Gospel; and as soon as the
sound penetrated my ears, I knew that if the Bible was true,
their doctrine was true. They taught not only the ordinances, but
the gifts and blessings promised the believers, and the authority
necessary in the church in order to administer the ordinances.
All these things I received with gladness. Instead of feeling, as
many do, a hatred against the principles, hoping they were not
true, fearing and trembling lest they were, I rejoiced with great
joy, believing that the ancient principles of the Gospel were
restored to the earth--that the authority to preach it was also
restored. I rejoiced that my ears were saluted with these good
tidings while I was yet a youth, and in the day, too, of the
early rising of the kingdom of God. I went forward and was
baptized. I was the only individual baptized in that country for
many years afterward. I immediately arranged my business and
started off on a journey of two hundred and thirty miles to see
the Prophet. I found him in the house of old father Whitmer, in
Fayette, Seneca County, State of New York,--the house where this
Church was first organized, consisting of only six members. I
also found David Whitmer, then one of the three witnesses who saw
the angel and the plates.
178
I soon became acquainted with all the witnesses of the Book of
Mormon, with the exception of Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer,
who had started westward, and whose acquaintance I formed a few
months afterward. I heard their teachings, saw their course of
conduct, saw their earnestness, their humility, and diligence in
prayer, and their faithfulness in warning one another and in
warning their neighbours.
179
I called upon the Lord with more faith than before, for I had
then received the first principles of the Gospel. The gift of the
Holy Ghost was given to me; and when it was shed forth upon me,
it gave me a testimony concerning the truth of this work that no
man can ever take from me. It is impossible for me, so long as I
have my reasoning faculties and powers of mind, to doubt the
testimony I then received as among the first evidences that were
given, and that, too, by the gift and power of the Holy ghost.
And while I am speaking upon the subject, let me say that the
gift and power of the Holy Ghost given to an individual is the
greatest evidence that he can receive concerning God, godliness,
and the kingdom of heaven set up upon the earth. There is no
evidence equal to it. A natural man may see all the signs that
Jesus has promised should follow the believer; he may see them in
exercise by the faithful Saints of God. He may see them speak in
different tongues and languages, and then he may have his doubts
in regard to it, if he has not received the testimony of the Holy
Ghost himself. He may hear the sounds of these tongues; but how
is he to judge or know whether they do speak in another tongue or
not? It is true he hears sounds put together which resemble
languages he has heard foreigners speak; but it is not a
testimony that imparts a knowledge to his mind: he wants
something greater than this. Again, he hears others, who are
ignorant and unlearned, by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost
interpret these tongues, and unfold the things spoken by the
power of the Spirit of God in another language: but how does he
know that they give the true interpretation? His own
understanding will not testify that they have. He must,
therefore, have a testimony independent of this,--a higher, a
greater testimony,--even that of the Holy Spirit. Again, he might
see individuals, professing to be followers of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus christ, go forth and lay their hands upon the sick,
and pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus that they may be
healed. He may see them raised up and apparently restored to
health and soundness; but then, how does he know that these
persons were really as sick and as much afflicted as they
pretended to be? Seeing these things as a natural man, how is he
to know that the administration by the laying on of hands has
imparted power or virtue to heal them? Or is it the work of
imagination? Here would be left room for doubt. This testimony
alone is not sufficient to rest upon. He should have the gift and
power of the Holy Ghost resting upon himself to convince him that
they were the servants of God, and that the gifts they exercise
were from heaven. He might hear them prophesy many things that
are to take place years in the future; but he would not wish to
wait for their fulfilment to know whether they were of God: or,
while he was waiting, he might be laid in the dust. He therefore
needs something to convince him beyond all doubt, that the
individuals prophesying were filled with the Holy Ghost, and that
their predictions were true and could be depended upon; and then,
whether they come to pass or not in his day, he knows they will
be fulfilled in their times and in their seasons; and so with all
other gifts. He might see a miracle of any kind; he might see the
laws of nature apparently overcome by a person calling himself a
servant of God. How does he know he is the servant of God, or
that he performs that miracle by the power of God? Have not
devils and fallen angels power? Did they not have mighty power in
ancient days? Yes. Could they not smite the earth with plagues,
and turn water into blood anciently, as Moses the servant of God
did? Yes. Could not the wicked magicians of Egypt perform great
signs by casting down their staves, and causing them to appear
like serpents, performing great and marvellous things similar to
those the Prophet Moses performed?
179
How is the natural man to judge? There is God on the one hand,
and the devil on the other; and if one is to judge naturally of
these things, he would not be sure that the person performing a
miracle before him was really inspired of God. The gift and power
of the Holy Ghost, as I have already observed, is the greatest
evidence any man or woman can have concerning the kingdom of God.
It is given expressly to impart to mankind a knowledge of the
things of God. It is given to purify the heart of man, that he
may by its power not only be able to understand its operations
upon himself, but be able to understand its operations upon
others also; and, indeed, if I could by any possible means
independent of the Holy Ghost ascertain that a miracle was
wrought of God, what particular benefit would it be to me?
180
Scores of miracles were wrought in ancient times; but how did
they benefit the children of Israel? When they saw the waters of
the Red Sea divided and the Egyptians overthrown in its
depths,--when they were brought up before mount Sinai and heard
the voice of the trumpet out of the midst of the cloud and from
the flaming mountain, proclaiming the ten commandments in their
eras, and saw Moses go up in the midst of the fire,--when they
beheld all this display of the power of God, what effect did it
have on the great majority who saw? Did it affect their conduct?
No. Miracles had become a little common with them and said they,
What has become of this Moses? Perhaps they thought he had
perished in the mountain. They might have imagined a volcano on
the mountain, belching out its fires, accompanied by thunder and
lightning; and that some person had artfully concealed himself,
having a great trumpet, and through it pretending to give laws to
Israel. They might have said, We will not be cheated by this
pretended miracle; but while this thunder and storm is lasting on
the mount, and while it is in this terrible convulsion, we will
have a god that we can see; we will cast our gold into the fire,
and make one that will just suit us. And so they did, and fell
down and worshipped it, and said, "These be thy gods, O Israel,
&c." Here, then, we perceive what effect miracles have upon a
people, without the power and gift of the Holy Ghost to bear
testimony that These miracles are of God. The Holy Ghost bears
testimony to the man who receives it, and not to somebody else;
and if he is pure enough to receive this gift, he has power
enough in his heart to regulate his actions according to the law
of God, instead of building golden calves.
180
I have deviated from my experience, and perhaps it will not be
necessary to say any more on that subject; for it is about the
same in many respects as the experience of all the rest of the
Saints of God. It is true, I have travelled perhaps more by far
than any other man in the Church who is now living; but what of
this? I expect to travel a great deal more, if I am called upon;
for my mission is to travel: that is the command I received in
connection with the Twelve and the Seventies. We have been called
upon to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature, as they were in ancient days; and inasmuch as we cannot
go personally and preach to every creature, we have the
responsibility upon us to see that it is preached to every
creature, to every nation, tongue, and people. And inasmuch as we
do not fulfil this responsibility placed upon us, we shall have
to suffer. In connection with others, I have gone forth and
endeavoured to fulfil in some little measure the great mission
the Lord our God has given us to the nations of the earth. I have
borne testimony all the day long, first to my own nation, the
people of the United States, in the New England, Middle, Western,
and Southern States, and in the Territories, and also in the
Canadas, Upper and Lower. For many years my voice has been heard
throughout the land, warning the people to repent. And I most
assuredly know that all the testimonies I have borne are recorded
in the heavens, and it is a comfort to me to think they are not
lost and forgot; and all the people that have heard them will
have to meet them in the great and coming day.
181
I have not only borne testimony to my own nation on this
continent, baptizing believers, building up churches, travelling
on foot thousands and tens of thousands of miles without purse or
scrip, being mobbed and driven to-and-fro, and hunted by the
enemy; but I have also had the privilege of crossing the Atlantic
Ocean ten times for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus,
to bear his name among the nations afar off; and I have
endeavoured in those distant lands, as well as on this continent,
to bear my testimony faithfully among the people. And my
testimony is this, that God has in his infinite mercy and
goodness sent his angel from heaven to restore the same Gospel
that was preached eighteen hundred years ago--that he has borne
testimony, by his angels, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and by
his own voice, of the fact that he has restored his Priesthood
and his kingdom upon the face of the earth, and that the kingdom
now established will continue to roll on until all the nations
and kingdoms of the earth shall see and hear of the power and
glory of the Almighty magnified and made manifest in it. This has
been my testimony, and I rejoice in it. I am not fatigued--don't
feel like retiring to private life; but I feel to continue in
this holy calling and ministry as long as the Lord my God shall
permit me to have a being here upon the earth, be it long or
short.
181
How long I shall stay here I know not: that is among the hidden
things of futurity, so far as I am personally concerned. I look
forward with joyful anticipation to the glory that shall follow
in the rolling forth of this kingdom, and in the fulfilment of
the purposes of the Most High God in relation to this last
dispensation he has introduced upon the earth. There are a great
many things that are taking place and have taken place that I
have rejoiced in, because I have known them, from diligent
research, to be the fulfilment of modern prophecy.
181
I have not been backward about searching both ancient and modern
prophecy that I might learn something about the events of the
last dispensation, and understand the signs of the times in which
we live. I have seen prophecy after prophecy fulfilled, not only
among the people of the Latter-day Saints, but among the nations
of the earth, that were uttered years and years before they came
to pass; and there are prophecies contained in the Book of Mormon
which remain to be fulfilled, and I am looking with joyful
anticipation to the day of their fulfilment. The prophecies are
of great interest to the Saints and to the world. As an instance,
I will give you the substance of a prophecy contained in the Book
of Mormon. About six hundred years before Christ, a Prophet was
raised up in Jerusalem, by the name of Lehi, and another one by
the name of Nephi; and the Lord commanded them to leave Jerusalem
and go to a land he would give to them, and he brought them forth
by his miraculous power upon this american continent. Before they
arrived here, however, Nephi had a vision, and saw all the great
events from his day down to the winding-up scene of all things.
Among other things, he saw the Jews would be carried away shortly
after the departure of himself and his father's family into
Babylon, and he saw they would be afflicted for a length of time,
and then be restored to Jerusalem. After their return, he saw the
Messiah would make his appearance, and they would crucify him,
and then they would be dispersed among all nations.
181
He saw that the Gospel would be preached among all nations and
kingdoms, first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles. He saw
that after the Gospel should be preached by the Twelve Apostles
of the Lamb to the Jews and to the Gentiles, there would arise a
great and abominable church, the most corrupt of all churches
upon the face of all the earth, and that that great and
abominable church should have power given unto them over the
Saints of the Lamb to destroy them, &c., and that they should
corrupt the Jewish Scriptures which should issue from the mouth
of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, and take away from them many
parts that were plain, and precious, and easy to the
understanding of all men; and by reason of this great
stumblingblock, the Scriptures being in such a state, there
should be many among the nations of the Gentiles in the latter
times that should exceedingly stumble and build up numerous
churches after the forms of different doctrines, and they should
deny miracles and the power of God, saying, "They are done away."
182
After seeing all these things on the Eastern continent, he saw
the promised land to which he and father's family were about to
be led; and he beheld his descendants in their various
generations, and he saw wars, &c., among them; he saw that Jesus,
after his resurrection, made his appearance bodily among them:
this took place on the promised land, which we call America. He
saw the Israelites on this land become righteous, and he saw
three generations pass away in righteousness; then the more part
of them fell into wickedness and were destroyed, and the records
kept among them contained the fulness of the Gospel and many
prophecies and visions that were great and precious. He saw that
a remnant of the nation should dwindle more and more in unbelief,
and have wars and contentions among themselves, and become a
degraded people, and be scattered upon all the face of this
continent.
182
Then he saw in the latter days the nations and kingdoms of the
Gentiles who should discover this land, and send forth their
emigrants and form a great nation of Gentiles upon this
continent; and he saw that they should have power to free
themselves from every nation under heaven. Then he saw that by
the power of God the records of his people should come forth; and
he saw that a Church of the Saints should arise, and that it
should spread itself upon al the face of the earth, among all the
nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles; and he saw also that the
great and abominable church that was among all the nations of the
Gentiles, having dominion among all peoples and tongues, should
gather together in multitudes among the nations of the earth and
fight against the Lamb of God and against the Saints of the Most
High and his covenant people, and he says--"I beheld the power of
the Lamb, that it descended upon the Saints of the Most High that
were scattered among all the nations of the Gentiles, and they
were armed with righteousness and the power of God in great
glory. And then he said, I saw the mother of abominations begin
to have wars and rumours of war among all the nations and
kingdoms of the Gentiles: and the Lord spake unto him, saying,
Behold, the work of God is upon the mother of harlots, &c.
182
This vision continued down to the end of time. But what I wish to
call your attention to at this time is one event which has been
in a measure literally fulfilled. It is an event that no man,
unless he were a Prophet inspired by the Most High God, could
have a heart big enough to prophesy of with the least expectation
of its fulfilment; and that is, the Church of the Lamb of God
that was to be raised up after the coming forth of these records
of the ancient Israelites should be among all nations and
kingdoms of the Gentiles.
184
This was uttered and printed before the Church of Latter-day
Saints was in existence. How could a young man, inexperienced as
Joseph Smith was, have had all this foreknowledge of future
events, unless he was inspired of God? How did he know that any
Church believing in the Book of Mormon would arise? He was then
in the act of translating these records; the Church had not yet
an existence; and he was young, inexperienced, and ignorant as
regards the education and wisdom of this world. How did he know
that, after his manuscript was published, a church called the
Church of the Lamb would arise and be built upon the fulness of
the Gospel contained in the book? How did he know that, if it did
arise, it would have one year's existence? What wisdom,
education, or power could have given him this foreknowledge
independent of the power of God? How could he know, if a church
should arise, that it would have any influence beyond his own
neighbourhood? How did he know it would extend through the State
of New York, where it was first raised? How could he know that it
would extend over the United States, and much more, that it would
go to all nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles? And how did he
know that the dominions of this Church among all the nations and
kingdoms of the Gentiles should be small, because of the
wickedness of the great "mother of abominations?" How did he know
that the "mother of harlots" among these Gentiles would gather
together in great multitudes among all the nations and kingdoms
of the earth to fight against the Saints of the Lamb of God?
Common sense tells us that this would be taking a stretch far
beyond what any false prophet dare take, with any hope of
fulfilment.
184
To prophesy that a church would arise and have place in all the
nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles, and then to prophesy that
the "mother of harlots" would gather together vast multitudes
among all these nations and fight against the Saints, is taking a
step far beyond what an impostor would undertake, if he were
disposed to successfully impose upon mankind. How far has this
been fulfilled? Only in part; so far, however, as to give us no
possibility of doubting that the balance will be fulfilled, every
jot and tittle. It is true, the Saints of the Lamb of God are not
among all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles yet; but there
are very many of the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles where
this little Church that was organized in 1830 actually has a
dominion and place.
184
If we go anywhere throughout the nation of the Gentiles called
the United states, we shall find in almost every State and
Territory the Church of the Saints of the Lamb of God, that the
world call "Mormons," "fanatics," "impostors," &c. If we go into
canada, we find them there. If we go across the great ocean to
the island of Great Britain, we find them there numbering seven
or eight hundred churches organized, and some four thousand
Elders and Priests ordained to preach the Gospel contained in the
Book of Mormon, as well as in the Bible.
184
The Saints in that country are scattered throughout England,
Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Tens of thousands of them have
shipped for America, and tens of thousands still remain. Then
cross the sea into that inhospitable country called Norway, and
there we find many churches of the Saints. Then return a little
south into Denmark, where thousands more will be found. Then go
to the northeast of Denmark into Sweden, and we still find
Latter-day Saints. Then go into Germany, and we find them
scattered, more or less, throughout that confederation. I do not
know that there is any Branch of the Saints in Prussia; neither
do I know that they extend through all the German States; but we
find them in several. Next, go into Switzerland and Italy, and we
find them there. Then go to France, and we find a few there. Then
go upon some of the islands of the sea, and a few thousands are
found rejoicing in this Church. In Asia and Africa a few will be
found. They are not among all the nations and kingdoms of the
Gentiles, but they are scattered here and there among them; and
their dominions are really small, because of the wickedness of
the great and abominable church.
184
There may be many nations of Asia where the feet of Latter-day
Saints have not trod. I do not know that any of the Elders of
this Church have gone to Japan. If we go into the South Sea
Islands, the Friendly Islands, the Society Islands, and the
Sandwich Islands, we find Latter-day Saints on almost all of
them.
184
Go into the various governments and kingdoms of South America,
and we find the Latter-day Saints scarce. I don't know but there
may be now and then an Elder that has found his way there; but
suffice it to say that the dominions of the Saints in South
America are very small. But we must look for the day when this
prophecy shall be fulfilled, that the dominions of the Latter-day
Saints shall be upon all the face of the earth among all the
nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles: and has there not been
enough already fulfilled to show that the man that uttered that
before the rise of this Church was indeed truly a Prophet of the
Most High God?
184
Again: Although the great "mother of abominations" has not
gathered together in multitudes upon the face of the earth among
all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles to fight against the
Lamb of god and his Saints, yet there has been enough fulfilled
to show that the balance will be accomplished. Has this great and
abominable power, under the name of "the mother of harlots,"
popularly called Christendom, fought against the Saints in this
country? Let the history of this Church answer that question; let
the scenes we have passed through in the land of Missouri
testify; let the tribulation this people had to endure in the
state of Illinois bear witness. We will not refer to persecutions
in Utah, for here we have had but little, compared with scenes we
have past through in former years. Suffice it to say multitudes
have been gathered together--under the influence of what? Under
the influence of that great and abominable church or system
called "the mother of harlots."
184
When we come to search to the bottom of this matter, we find that
has been the great influence which has produced all the
persecutions that have come upon the Latter-day Saints since the
organization of this Church. How many preachers were gathered
together in the western part of Missouri at the time we were
driven from the State to give their advice in a pretended court
martial to have some fifteen or twenty of the leaders of this
people taken out and shot on the public square the next morning?
There were not less than seventeen priests who advised the
measure.
184
When we come to hunt for the great influence that has existed on
the multitudes that gathered to persecute the Saints of the Lamb
of God, we find it proceeding from the pulpit. Through the
falsehoods of priests and the publishing of false principles,
they have endeavoured to set on the frenzied multitude to put to
death the Latter-day Saints and deprive them of citizenship.
184
It is not necessary to speak of the scenes of cruelty and
bloodshed caused to the Saints by this influence. I can read you
in this book, (Book of Doctrine and Covenants,) before we went to
Missouri, that it should be the land of our enemies--that they
should seek to destroy our lives; and it has been fulfilled to
the very letter. We were told in revelations printed in this
book, and before the prophecy came to pass, that we should be
persecuted from city to city, and but few of those who went up to
Jackson County, Missouri, should stand to receive their
inheritance. It has been fulfilled to the very letter.
184
Here, then, was the beginning, as it were, of the fulfilment of
that saying in the Book of Mormon. That abominable church, among
one of the nations of the Gentiles at least, was gathered
together under a religious influence to persecute the Saints
contrary to the Constitution of our country. They could not do it
legally; they could not be upheld in it by true and legal
authority: but they could do it illegally, under the sanction of
priestcraft, under the advice of those who proclaim from the
pulpit.
185
Let us now go into Canada, and there a religious influence
existed, mobs arose, multitudes were gathered together, and the
Saints were stoned, hunted, and driven to-and-fro, and had to
flee from place to place. This persecution was raised up by the
"mother of harlots," the "mother of abominations,"--because of
what? Because we told them the Lord had revealed the same kind of
religion in our day that he had eighteen hundred years ago. Go to
England, and the same has happened there. Multitudes and
multitudes started up against us. The Elders have had forty or
fifty police to guard them from their meetings to their homes, to
keep them from being destroyed by the tens of thousands of people
that blockaded the streets for miles in length.
185
I know these things to be facts from actual experience. I have
passed through them. I have had tens of thousands rush upon me
with all the fury of tigers, and they were only restrained by the
power of God: but as yet the Lord has spared me, and so he has
the most of the Elders that have travelled abroad. Go to Denmark,
and we find the same opposing power; and whenever this Church has
been organized, or a Branch established, the "mother of
abominations" has marshalled her host. So far the prophecy has
been fulfilled in part, but not in full. I will tell you what
will come to pass before it is all fulfilled. There must be the
interposition of the Almighty to make a change among the nations
of the earth before this church can be established among all the
nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles. This change will probably
be brought about by war overturning all the governments and
kingdoms of the Gentiles.
185
A few years ago, many of the Saints, for want of a correct
understanding of prophecy, thought that the war between Russia
and France, England and Turkey, was the great war of
extermination foretold by the Prophets. There are prophecies of
this kind that the great "mother of abominations" will go to war,
and not a nation under heaven will escape, as they will use each
other up by millions. They imagined that perhaps the time had
come for the nations of Christendom to be nearly exterminated by
their great and terrible wars. But I lifted up my voice in
england, and put it in writing also, that the war then commencing
would not thus terminate. It was for another purpose: it was for
a chastisement, and in some measure to ameliorate the condition
of mankind, that the Gospel might more fully go forth among them.
186
How is it with regard to the war now taking place between Austria
and the allied powers of France and Sardinia? How extensive the
present European war will be we do not know; but this we do know
from prophecy--it will not result in the downfall of the "mother
of harlots." There will be a time of peace--a time that will be
more favourable to the promulgation of the Gospel, that you and I
and whosoever of the servants of God he pleases may be sent to
these European nations to fulfil the prophecy which I have
referred to in the Book of Mormon, and establish the kingdom of
God among all the nations of modern Europe. Where tyranny and
oppression and all the horrors of despotism now reign, will be
heard the Gospel of peace. Saints must be established in all
those countries. Even in Russia, that place where they would
almost put you to death if you brought a printed work of a
religious nature into the empire,--in that country, where they
will not suffer you to propagate the Bible unmolested, whose
religion is established by law, has the Gospel of Jesus Christ to
be preached. Yes, the Church of the Saints is to be established
there; and after it is established, there they are to gather
together in multitudes, like other nations, to fight against it;
and so they will in Austria, Spain, Portugal, and in all the
modern nations of Europe, as well as those nations that inhabit
Asia and Africa. This war that is now taking place will not
result in that dreadful extinction that is foretold in the Book
of Mormon, and which will rage among all the nations and kingdoms
of the Gentiles, or, in other words, among the nations of
Christendom. The one is a war preparatory to the proclamation of
the Gospel; the other is a war of terrible destruction, which
will not better the condition of those who escape. The wars that
are now taking place will have a tendency, in some measure, to
open the way for the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ to go
and establish the Church and kingdom of God among those nations.
186
A great many have prayed unwisely, and no wonder they cannot get
faith to fulfil their prayers. How have they prayed? "O Lord,
gather out all thy Saints from those European countries, and
bring them to Zion with songs of everlasting joy upon their
heads, that there may be none left abroad upon the earth."
186
If the Lord should do this, it would prove the whole system
false. When the time comes that the Saints of the Lamb of God are
scattered upon all the face of the earth, among all nations and
kingdoms of the Gentiles, and the multitudes gather against them
to battles, we shall not find such unwise prayers answered. The
Saints, instead of being all gathered out, will still be among
the nations, for the power of the Lamb of God to descend upon the
Saints of the Most High that are among all the nations and
kingdoms of the Gentiles, and not only upon these, but also upon
his covenant people, the descendants of Jacob; and they are to be
armed with righteousness and the power of God in great glory. But
gather them all out, and where have you got your Saints? It would
completely falsify this saying.
186
The day will come when the nations of Europe will have warred
among themselves sufficiently long, and those despotic
governments are torn down, and when the hand of oppression and
tyranny has been eased up, and when the principles of religious
liberty have become more fully and more widely spread, that the
Elders of this church will traverse all these nations; and then
we shall have use for these Seventies that have been organizing
so long. They have apparently been resting upon their oars,
waiting to be called out into the vineyard of the Lord. Then will
be the time for missions and callings to be given to you.
187
There are some sixty Quorums of Seventies: these have been
organizing for years, being instructed by their Presidents--being
taught in the things of the kingdom of god. What is your mission?
The Book of Doctrine and Covenants tells me it is among the
nations of the earth; that the Twelve are to open the doors; and
wherever they cannot go, they were to send; and when they send,
they shall call upon the Seventies in preference to any others,
because it is more particularly their mission to go and preach to
all people under heaven. You have not yet had an opportunity to
magnify your calling; your mission has not yet begun, only in
preparation; your great mission is still in the future among the
nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles. Some may have thought that
the times of the Gentiles was almost fulfilled. If the Lord has
fulfilled the times of the Gentiles, your calling is good for
nothing--it only exists in name. But let me tell you, you have
been called to this high and holy calling, and you will have your
hands full yet; and the Lord God of Israel, by his power, will
bear you off among the nations; and He it is that will gird up
your loins, and give your power among these nations; and He it is
that will enable you to go forth from nation to nation, and from
kingdom to kingdom, and no power will be able to stay your
progress. That has all got to be fulfilled as sure as you have
that calling upon your heads. And you have got to do a great deal
of preaching before the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled; you
have got to go and build up the Church of the Lamb of God among
those nations, and set ministers over them, and go and build up
more; and the High Priests that preside over them have got to
purify their own hearts, and the Branches over which they preside
to be prepared for the power of God that shall rest upon them in
great glory, that when the multitudes gather to fight against
them they may be armed with the power that comes from heaven,
that will cause their thrones and their kingdoms to shake to
their very centre.
188
By-and-by, after you have fulfilled your missions to the nations
of the Gentiles, and there will not any more of them
repent,--that is, when you have fully accomplished all that is
required of you in relation to them, you will have another
mission, and so will the Twelve, and that is to the house of
Israel that may be among those nations; I mean the literal
descendants of Jacob--the Jews, and the descendants of the other
tribes that may be scattered among those nations. There are some
from the ten tribes among them; but he body of the ten tribes are
in the north country. You will find a few among all these Gentile
nations: you will have to direct your attention to them after you
have fulfilled your mission among the Gentiles, and their times
are fulfilled. You will have something to do among the Jews, and
then will be a time of great power, such as you and I have not
dreamed of. Indeed, we could not, with our narrow comprehensions
of mind, perceive the power that will then follow. The Lord has
told it in a revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. He
has told us, before the rise of this Church, that in bringing
forth this Gospel, it is a light that could not be hid in
darkness: therefore, he says I must bring the fulness of my
Gospel from among the Gentiles to the house of Israel; or, this
light of the fulness of my Gospel will, as it were, be covered up
and hid in darkness in many respects, and will not shine with
that brilliancy, power, and greatness: it will not appear in that
magnitude that it will when I bring it from the midst of the
Gentiles to my people, O house of Israel. Again, the Lord says,
in another revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that
when we have preached the Gospel faithfully to the Gentile
nations, then cometh the day of my power; and we already know
what the Psalmist says in regard to that day--"My people shall be
willing in the day of my power." The house of Israel have been
unwilling in many generations past to receive the Gospel; but in
the day of his power, you Seventies, that will go forth among the
nations of Gentiles to hunt out the literal descendants of Jacob,
will be armed with that glory, power, and majesty and clothed
upon from on high to that degree that no power on earth can stay
you; and then, in that day, the seed of Jacob will be willing to
receive the testimony of the Gospel. Then many of the Jews will
believe, although many of that nation will gather to Jerusalem in
unbelief. But the Book of Mormon has told us that the main part
of them will believe while yet scattered. They will receive your
testimony and gather to Jerusalem; and because of your testimony,
the Gentile believers will gather to Zion; and because of your
testimony, all the elect of God, of whatever nation, tongue, and
people, will be gathered out year after year; and by-and-by, the
great and last gathering will be done through instrumentality of
angels. There will be two, as it were, grinding at a mill; the
faithful one will be taken, and the other will be left: there
will be two, as it were, sleeping in one bed; one will be picked
up by the angels, and the other will be left; and the remnant of
the children of god scattered abroad on all the face of the earth
will receive their last gathering by the angels. But between this
and that day there will be ship-load after ship-load gathering
continually of the elect of God, of the Israel of God, and of the
covenant people of the Lord to Zion and Jerusalem.
188
By-and-by, when the Lord has made bare his arm in signs, in great
wonders, and in mighty deeds, through the instrumentality of his
servants the Seventies, and though the instrumentality of the
churches that shall be built up, and the nations and kingdoms of
the earth have been faithfully and fully warned, and the Lord has
fulfilled and accomplished all things that have been written in
the Book of Mormon, and in other revelations pertaining to the
preaching of the Gospel to the nations of the Gentiles and to the
nations of Israel, by-and-by the Spirit of God will entirely
withdraw from those Gentile nations, and leave them to
themselves. Then they will find something else to do besides
warring against the Saints in their midst--besides raising their
sword and fighting against the Lamb of God; for then war will
commence in earnest, and such a war as probably never entered
into the hearts of men in our age to conceive of. No nation of
the Gentiles upon the face of the whole earth but what will be
engaged in deadly war, except the Latter-day Kingdom. They will
be fighting one against another. And when that day comes, the
Jews will flee to Jerusalem, and those nations will almost use
one another up, and those of them who are left will be burned;
for that will be the last sweeping judgment that is to go over
the earth to cleanse it from wickedness. That is the day spoken
of in this book--And I saw there were wars and rumours of wars
among the Gentiles, and the angel said to me, Behold the wrath of
God is upon the mother of harlots; and when that day comes, then
shall the work of the Father commence in preparing the way to
gather in all his covenant people, and then great Babylon will
come down.
189
We have been telling you about modern prophecy delivered by
Joseph Smith. Is it false, or is it true? The Latter-day Saints
know it to be true, we have seen enough of its fulfilment to know
that the balance will come to pass; but the world perceive it
not: they know it not; they do not understand the future; they
have not that spirit spoken of this forenoon by brother Taylor,
that was not only to take of the things of the Father and show to
the disciples, but show them things to come. They do not
understand the spirit of prophecy. They do not perceive that
which is written by the ancient Prophets, much less will they
understand that plainly written by the latter-day Prophets;
consequently, all these things will overtake them unawares. Even
the coming of Christ, so great an event as that is, will be to
them as a thief in the night. After the kingdom of God has spread
upon the face of the earth, and every jot and tittle of the
prophecies have been fulfilled in relation to the spreading of
the Gospel among the nations,--after signs have been shown in the
heavens above, and on the earth beneath, blood, fire, and vapour
of smoke,--after the sun is turned into darkness, and the moon
shall have the appearance of blood, and the stars have apparently
been hurled out of their places, and all things have been in
commotion, so great will be the darkness resting upon
Christendom, and so great the bonds of priestcraft with which
they will be bound, that they will not understand, and they will
be given up to the hardness of their hearts. Then will be
fulfilled that saying, That the day shall come when the Lord
shall have power over his Saints, and the Devil shall have power
over his own dominion. He will give them up to the power of the
Devil, and he will have power over them, and he will carry them
about as chaff before a whirlwind. He will gather up millions
upon millions of people into the valleys around about Jerusalem
in order to destroy the Jews after they have gathered. How will
the Devil do this? He will perform miracles to do it. The Bible
says the kings of the earth and the great ones will be deceived
by these false miracles. It says there shall be three unclean
spirits that shall go forth working miracles, and they are
spirits of devils. Where do they go? To the kings of the earth;
and what will they do? Gather them up to battle unto the great
day of God Almighty. Where? Into the valley of Armageddon. And
where is that? On the east side of Jerusalem.
189
When he gets them gathered together, they do not understand any
of these things; but they are given up to that power that
deceived them, by miracles that had been performed, to get them
to go into that valley to be destroyed. Joel, Zephaniah,
Zechariah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and nearly all of the ancient
Prophets have predicted that the nations shall be gathered up
against Jerusalem, in the valley of Jehoshaphat and the valley of
Megiddo,--that there the Lord shall fight for his people, and
smite the horse and his rider, and send plagues on these armies,
and their flesh shall be consumed from their bones and their eyes
from their sockets. They will actually fulfil these prophecies,
with all their pretension to Bible and prophetic learning.
190
But the Latter-day Saints are not in darkness; they are the
children of light, although many of us will actually be asleep.
We shall have to wake up and trim up our lamps, or we shall not
be prepared to enter in; for we shall all slumber and sleep in
that day, and some will have gone to sleep from which they will
not awake until they awake up in darkness without any oil in
their lamps. But, as a general thing, the Saints will understand
the signs of the times, if they do lie down and get to sleep.
Others have their eyes closed upon the prophecies of the ancient
Prophets; and not only that, but they are void of the spirit of
prophecy themselves. When a man has this, though he may appeal to
ancient Prophets to get understanding on some subjects he does
not clearly understand, yet, as he has the spirit of prophecy in
himself, he will not be in darkness; he will have a knowledge of
the signs of the times; he will have a knowledge of the house of
Israel, and of Zion, of the ten tribes and of many things and
purposes and events that are to take place on the earth; and he
will see coming events, and can say such an event will take
place, and after that another, and then another; and after that
the trumpet shall sound, and after that certain things will take
place, and then another trump shall sound, &c., &c.; and he will
have his eye fixed on the signs of the times, and that day will
not overtake him unawares; but upon the nations it will come as a
thief upon the mighty men and upon the chief captains, who will
gather up their hosts upon the mountains, hills, and valleys of
Palestine, to fight against the jews; and they will be as blind
as the dumb ass; and right in the midst of their blindness the
Lord will rend the heavens and stand his feet upon the Mount of
Olives, and all the Saints will come with him, and the wicked
will be destroyed from off the face of the earth.
190
I meant to be short this afternoon; but really, when I get to
studying on these things, I forget myself, and oftentimes weary
the patience of the people.
190
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, June 19, 1859
Brigham Young, June 19, 1859
LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT--MORALITY--INDEPENDENCE OF THE HUMAN
WILL--INCARNATION OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, June 19, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt
190
It is recorded in the New Testament, and said to be the words of
the Saviour while speaking of his doctrine and the things he
taught, "He that heareth and doeth my sayings shall know of my
doctrine whether it is of God or men." "Whosoever keepeth my
sayings shall know of my doctrine." I labour faithfully to
instruct the people in the way of life; and the most important
point of all my preaching and sayings is that they rest upon the
words of the Saviour. Whosoever readeth the doctrine of the Son
of God and obeys it does know whether it is true or false.
190
Christ is the light of the world, and lighteth every man that
cometh into it. No human being has ever been born upon this earth
without more or less enlightenment by that Spirit and influence
that flows from the fountain of intelligence. All people have
been more or less taught by the Spirit of revelation; and let me
say further, there never was a child born upon this earth that
was not naturally endowed with that Spirit; and when we try to
make ourselves believe differently, we are mistaken.
191
It is extensively taught that nature must be subdued, and grace
made to take its place. I wish to inform you that it is nature
for the child to be influenced by the Spirit of God: it is nature
for all people to be influenced by a good spirit; and the evil
that is spoken of is the power the Devil has gained upon this
earth through the fall. He gained power to tempt the children of
men, and wickedness is produced through their yielding to his
temptations; but it is not nature in them. They are not
"conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity" pertaining to
their spirits: it is the flesh that is alluded in that passage.
Then why not follow the dictates of the Good Spirit? We talk
about it, read of it, believe in it--that Spirit which gives joy
and peace to the children of men, and wishes and does no evil to
any person; and that is the Spirit of the Gospel.
191
If people would listen to the whisperings of that Spirit, they
would be led into the paths of truth and righteousness. If they
would overcome temptations to evil--cause their spirits to
overcome the flesh, they would bring themselves into subjection
to the law of Christ, and become Saints of God.
191
You discern evils in your neighbourhoods, in your families, and
in yourselves. The disposition to produce evil, to annoy, to
disturb the peace of families, neighbours, and society, is
produced by the power of the enemy over the flesh, through the
fall. Every person who will examine his own experience--who will
watch closely the leading of his own desires, will learn that the
very great majority prefer to do good rather than to do evil, and
would pursue a correct course, were it not for the evil power
that subjects them to its sway. In wrong-doing their own
consciences condemn them. They are taught what is right, they
read what is right, and at times the Spirit of the Lord is upon
them teaching them what is right, and would be upon them from
their youth, were it not that they give way to temptation and let
the flesh overcome the spirits that God has placed within us. I
feel to continually urge upon those who profess to be Saints
never to grieve that Spirit that enlightens their minds, teaches
them righteousness, to love God and their fellow-creatures, and
to do good to themselves and to all around them, to promote
righteousness upon the earth, and overcome iniquity in themselves
and those around them as fast as possible.
191
Some may imagine and really believe that I am opposed to the
great majority of the inhabitants of the earth--to the religious
and political parties of the day; but it is not so. To
individuals, as such, I am not opposed. The doctrine I preach is
not opposed to an individual upon the earth. If I am opposed to
anything, it is to sin--to that which produces evil in the world.
I believe that I may say with perfect safety that I am as clear
as the stars that shine in the heavens with regard to opposing
any mortal being on the earth, though many construe the opposing
of their sins into an opposition to themselves. I do not feel
opposed to an individual on the earth. I have not any enmity in
my heart, or at least I should not have. If I have, I am thus far
wrong. If we harbour vindictiveness, hatred, malice, and a spirit
that produces evil within us, we are so far given up to the power
of evil. But when I say that I am opposed to evil principles and
their consequent practices, I use an expression that I think you
can understand.
191
I am much opposed to men and women who say that they believe in
God the Father and in Jesus Christ his Son, and treat their names
with lightness. I am very much opposed to a dishonest spirit, and
that, too, in this community as well as in the world. I am very
much opposed to deception. I am very much opposed to evil
speaking. Now, understand me precisely as I mean. If I should
hear a man advocate the erroneous principles he had imbibed
through education, and oppose those principles, some might
imagine that I was opposed to that man, when in fact I am only
opposed to every evil and erroneous principle he advances. His
morality, so far as it goes, is good.
192
In the Christian world, thousands and millions of them are as
close to the truth as any man that ever lived upon the face of
the earth, so far as moral, Christian deportment is concerned. I
can find a great many of this community who live as moral lives
as men and women can. Is here anything else necessary and
important? Yes--to so live as to have the light of the Spirit of
truth abiding within you day by day, that when you hear the truth
you know it as well as you do the faces of your father's family,
and also understand every manifestation produced by erroneous
principles.
192
I plead with the Elders of Israel day by day, when I have an
opportunity, to live their religion--to so live that the Holy
Ghost will be their constant companion; and then they will be
qualified to be judges in Israel--to preside as Bishops,
presiding Elders, and High Counsellors, and as men of God to take
their families and friends by the hand and lead them in the path
of truth and virtue, and eventually into the kingdom of God. Let
me now tell you, Latter-day Saints, that you do not live to your
privileges--you do not enjoy that which it is your privilege to
enjoy; and when I see and hear of contentions, broils, misrule,
bad feelings, ill conduct, wrong in my neighbour or myself, I
know that we do not live according to our profession. Why not
live above all suspicion and above the power of Satan? This is
our privilege.
192
So far as morality is concerned, millions of the inhabitants of
the earth live according to the best light they have--according
to the best knowledge they possess. I have told you frequently
that they will receive according to their works; and all who live
according to the best principles in their possession, or that
they can understand, will reactive peace, glory, comfort, joy,
and a crown that will be far beyond what they are anticipating.
They will not be lost.
192
I was highly gratified by a remark made by the Reverend Mr. Vaux,
the gentleman who has just addressed you, that the terror of the
Lord never can, neither should, in the nature of things, bring
men to repentance. Those of you who are acquainted with the
history of the world reflect upon the conduct of the inhabitants
of the earth, and when did tyranny ever cause repentance of evil?
Never. It produces crime. When men are infringed upon in their
rights and tyrannized over, they are prone to rise in their might
and declare, "We will do as we please, and will let you know that
we will have the ruling of our own rights and dispositions.
Tyrannical power may possess the ability to behead them, hang
them, or sentence them to prison; but resolute men will have
their will.
192
Unless a ruler has the power of the Priesthood, he cannot rule
the minds of the people and win their unbounded confidence and
love. To illustrate my idea, I will relate an anecdote. A young
man entered the ministry, but soon learned that he could not rule
the minds of the people. He then turned his attention to the
study and practice of medicine, and directly discovered that the
power of evil had induced the people to care more for their
bodies than for their souls. But that profession did not give him
the influence he desired, for he found the will of the people
first and foremost with them. He then studied law, and could
command all the influence he desired; for their wills they would
gratify in preference to either soul or body. You cannot break
down the indomitable will of the human family. I have known
children to be so abused and whipped as to render them almost or
entirely worthless, and still the indomitable will remained. How
came it there? God organized us to become absolutely independent;
and the will I am speaking about is implanted within us by him;
and the spirit of every intelligent being is organized to become
independent according to its capacity.
193
You cannot break nor destroy the will. It is influenced and
controlled more or less by the evil that is sown in the flesh,
but not in the spirit, until the body has grown to years of
accountability. Then evil, when listened to, begins to rule and
overrule the spirit God has placed within man.
193
The Apostles and Prophets, when speaking of our relationship to
God, say that we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. God
is our Father, and Jesus Christ is our elder brother, and both
are our everlasting friends. This is Bible doctrine. Do you know
the relationship you sustain to them? Christ has overcome, and
now it is for us to overcome, that we may be crowned with him
heirs of God--joint heirs with Christ.
193
I feel to urge upon the people continually to depart from every
evil. We wish to see the kingdom of God in all its fulness on the
earth; and whoso beholds it will see a kingdom of purity, a
kingdom of holiness, a people filled with the power of the upper
world--with the power of God; and sin will be overcome, and this
independent organization will be brought into subjection to that
law. We call it the law of Christ: it is the law of eternal life.
When we speak of the law of Christ, we speak of it as the power
to keep matter in its organization.
193
You read of the first and second death. We witness, day by day,
the dissolution of the body, and there is also a second death.
Let a person observe the law of Christ as set forth in the Bible,
the Book of Mormon, and in all revelations God has given from the
days of Adam until now, and his conduct tends to eternal life. It
will not save their bodies from death, for it is the decree of
the Almighty that the flesh shall die. They will be made pure and
holy, and be brought into a celestial kingdom through the body's
being made pure by falling back into the dust. Sin has entered
into the world, and death by sin; so death has passed upon all
mankind, and there is no excuse: they must meet this change.
193
It may be said that Enoch and his holy city went to heaven, that
Elijah was caught up, and that it is generally believed that
Moses did not die; still the sentence that is passed upon all
mankind will come upon them at some time or other. They must meet
this change, to be prepared to enter into the celestial kingdom
of our Father and God.
193
It has also been decreed by the Almighty that spirits, upon
taking bodies, shall forget all they had known previously, or
they could not have a day of trial--could not have an opportunity
for proving themselves in darkness and temptation, in unbelief
and wickedness, to prove themselves worthy of eternal existence.
The greatest gift that God can bestow upon the children of men is
the gift of eternal life--that is, to give mankind power to
preserve their identity--to preserve themselves before the Lord.
193
The disposition, the will, the spirit, when it comes from heaven
and enters the tabernacle, is as pure as an angel.
194
The spirit from the eternal worlds enters the tabernacle at the
time of what is termed quickening, and forgets all it formerly
knew. It descends below all things, as Jesus did. All beings, to
be crowned with crowns of glory and eternal lives, must in their
infantile weakness begin, with regard to their trials, the day of
their probation. They must descend below all things, in order to
ascend above all things. There could not be a more helpless child
born of a woman than was Jesus Christ; yet he so grew and
increased in wisdom and might, that in childhood he could
confound the doctors and lawyers in his questions and answers. He
increased rapidly in his mental capacity, for he was the Son of
the Father who dwells in eternity, and was capacitated to receive
the wisdom of eternity faster than we can. But we are capacitated
to shun every evil, if we listen to the still small voice and to
those holy principles that flow from the fountain of all
intelligence.
194
Cleave to light and intelligence with all your hearts, my
brethren, that you may be prepared to preserve your identity,
which is the greatest gift of God. God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / John
Taylor, November 13, 1859
John Taylor, November 13, 1859
TRIALS, ETC.
A Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, November 13, 1859.
Reported by J. V. Long.
194
In rising before a congregation of Saints, I generally feel as
though I want to say something that will be for the benefit of my
brethren and sisters. Something that will be of some real
practical use is, in my opinion, what we want; but to talk about
abstract theories, idealities, and things that have not much
substance or reality in them, I do not think is of much use to
anybody. In regard to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is so great,
so extensive, so comprehensive, so deep, so high, and so various,
that it is almost impossible for a person to present anything
that is wrong. A man can never speak upon anything that is wrong,
so long as he continues himself to the limits of truth.
194
In relation to our present position, the things with which we are
surrounded, the prospects that lie before us, and our hopes,
cares, and anxieties, these are things that operate upon our
minds, or that ought to have some influence with us. For
instance, I am an Elder in Israel; so are many of you; and we all
profess to be Saints, nearly the whole of this congregation. Now,
the question is, What is it to be a Saint? And how far am I, and
how far are you fulfilling the obligations that devolve upon us
as Saints of God--as Elders in Israel--as fathers of families and
mothers of families? Let us ask ourselves these questions--Are we
performing our various duties in building up the kingdom of God,
in rolling forth his work upon the earth? And what are we doing
to bring about the latter-day glory? Which of our acts tends to
this? Do any of them? or do all of them? And what is really our
position? These are things that it is well for us to weigh,
consider, and find out the real responsibilities that are resting
upon us.
195
Why did I become a "Mormon?" And why did we all become "Mormons?"
We should say, Because we believed "Mormonism" to be true. What
is truth? and what part of it did we believe? In this case we
should say, All of it. What did we embrace "Mormonism" for? It
certainly was not to profess religion, in order that we might
have the honour of men; for there was nothing of that associated
with it. We had to endure considerable reproach, and have our
names cast out as evil, and to associate with a people that were
universally despised. And so they are now. But we have got along
with it, so that we now care nothing about it. Now, there is or
ought to be a reality about it. So far as I am personally
concerned, if any one wants to know why I became a "Mormon," I
will answer, Because I considered that I was an intelligent,
rational being,--that I had to do with eternity as well as time;
and having to do with both, I wanted to act in that way I could
secure the approbation of my Father in heaven, that I might be
prepared to enter into a better, purer, and more exalted state of
being in the eternal world. These were some of the first thoughts
and sentiments that governed my mind.
195
In the next place, I was called upon to be an Elder. What was my
object then? It was to obey the truth and teach others, that they
might have the same blessings that I possessed. I presume you
felt so too, and rejoiced that you knew something of the life to
come--that your hope bloomed with immortality and eternal life;
and when you were ordained, you tried to magnify that calling and
Priesthood. You were mobbed, persecuted, and afflicted, and
passed through scenes of difficulty, privation, and trial, which
you endured patiently and joyfully, knowing it was from the Lord
and intended for your good; and you were trying to obtain
salvation in the eternal worlds.
195
Many of you have passed through affliction of various kinds. If
it was an affliction to be robbed of your property--if it was a
trial to be robbed of your good name, you have endured that and
passed through it. What did you do it for? and why did you endure
it? Just for the same reason that the ancient Saints did. I never
read in the Bible, nor anywhere else, of the Saints having any
other kind of treatment than that which you have received.
196
When I embraced the Gospel, I expected to have my name cast out
as evil. I expected to be persecuted and to be mobbed, and, if
necessary, to lay down my life; and I have come pretty near it a
number of times. But this was nothing particularly new; for I had
learned before I was a "Mormon" that there was an antagonism
between truth and error, purity and iniquity,--that the righteous
always were persecuted, and that many of the ministers of Jesus
had been called to lay their lives down for their religion; and I
never expect to see anything different; and my feelings and ideas
are precisely the same on this subject as they were twenty years
ago. There is still that same spirit of antagonism existing
between truth and error that there was then. Let a man join this
Church;--I don't care how honourable he is--the moment he does,
it, that man will be despised, as sure as Jesus was. Has he
injured anybody? No. He was probably a good man, and esteemed by
his neighbours, and continued so; but when he became a servant of
God, the powers of darkness were let loose upon him; men began to
persecute him and speak evil of him, and his name was cast out as
evil. This is the lot of every man that receives the truth--I
don't care where he comes from. In the United States, england,
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Switzerland, Germany, or any
part of the world, you will find the same spirit existing; and if
you were to ask our persecutors, they could not tell you the
cause of their doing it. But although they cannot explain the
cause, yet it is "God damn the Mormons!" Ask them, Have they
injured you? No, they have not. Have they taken anything from
you, or robbed you of your liberty? No they have not. But still
it is, "God damn the Mormons!" And the simple reason why they
cannot tell the cause is because they do not know by what spirit
they are governed and controlled. If they knew by what spirit
they were governed, they would know why they are constantly using
their influence against the workers of righteousness. You may go
back to the Apostolic dispensation. Take Peter, James, and John,
and inquire who interfered with them before they became
Christians, while they were fishermen? And supposing they had a
knock down about the separation and division of the fish, no
matter: they were all one; they were of the world, all pulling in
the same net, one with the world. After awhile they became
Christians, and then they were persecuted from city to city, from
state to state, and their names were cast out as evil. Take Jesus
for example: what harm did he do? He healed the sick, opened the
eyes of the blind, and unstopped the ears of the deaf. He found
some rascals in the Temple, it is true, and took a whip and drove
them out, and said, "it is written, my house shall be a house of
prayer, and you have made it a den of thieves." This, of course,
made a disturbance, Jesus amazed them by teaching them good
principles, by telling them of their evils, exposing their
iniquities, and telling them that they were whited walls and
painted sepulchres. But it was the truth. They did not wish to
hear it: they loved darkness rather than light. That was the kind
of feeling and state of things then, and it is the same now.
Truth has precisely the same effect now that it had then, and I
presume it always will have. And if they will have done these
things in the green tree, what will they do in the dry?
196
A good man is willing to have his deeds brought to light. He
don't care how big a light it is. He is willing to say, "If there
is any wickedness in me, search me and let it be seen." But not
so with many of the religious professors and hypocrites of the
present day. Like the ancient Pharisees, these modern sepulchres,
the moment you open them, are discovered to be filled with
nothing but rottenness and dead men's bones. And these whited
walls are the same: there is the same hypocrisy; and whenever you
examine them, there is nothing but rottenness and corruption.
They might as well complain of the sun shining as to complain of
the establishment and spread of truth. The workers of iniquity
love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. If
the evil did not exist, the light could not make it manifest. All
the harm we have ever done the world is to tell them the truth as
God has revealed it, and seek to make them happy. For doing this
we have been persecuted, and expect it.
197
Peter, in speaking of this subject, said--"Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though
some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye
are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall
be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." (1 Peter
iv. 12, 13.) He might just as well have told them that it would
be so, so long as there was a God in heaven and a Devil in hell;
and it is absolutely necessary that it should be so. Concerning
these matters, I do not have any trouble. What if we have to
suffer affliction! We came here for that purpose: we came in
order that we might be purified; and this is intended to give us
a knowledge of God, of our weakness and strength, of our
corruptions, and to develop the evils that are within us,--to
give us a knowledge of eternal life, that we may be enabled to
overcome all evil and be exalted to thrones of power and glory.
Hence, when people talk to me about being severely tried, I have
to inform them that I do not know much about it. I feel, however,
to sympathise with others. It is very natural for a man to say,
Why am I placed in such position? Why have I to grapple with
these things--with these afflictions?
197
So far as I am personally concerned, I am here as a candidate for
eternity--for heaven and for happiness. I want to secure by my
acts a peace in another world that will impart that happiness and
bliss for which I am seeking. If I am driven with my brethren as
I have been, I ask myself what is the meaning of it. If I have to
pass through afflictions, I wish them to be sanctified to my
good. If I had nothing to do, and you had nothing to do, but to
sit and sing ourselves away to everlasting bliss, as the
Methodists and others do, it would be very easy. Why, the Lord
could easily remove these afflictions; but he has not a mind to
do it.
197
We read about the patience of Job; but I do not think he was a
very patient man. Probably he was, sometimes, in some things; and
in some things he was not. He cursed the day he was born, and
wished the light had never shone upon him. He was a good man
according to his own account. It was said by some that his
afflictions came because of his iniquities; but nobody was found
to say and show what they were. It appears that the Gods had a
council or conference together, and the Devil appeared amongst
them. "And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then
Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the
earth, and walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto
Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none
like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that
feareth God and escheweth evil?" (Job i. 7, 8.)
197
It appears from this that he was a man such as we ought to
be--one that feared God and acted for eternity, and that he
eschewed all evil. We are told still further that the Devil
complained that the Lord had set a hedge round about him, so that
it was next to impossible to touch him; but promised, if he would
take that away and let him have a rap at him, that his faith in
God would be shaken. From this same chapter we learn that the
Lord said he could have a chance--that he might try Job, and see
how he would act. I have no doubt but the Devil chuckled over
Job, and determined to destroy him and his family; and he went to
work and gathered together the lightning, knocked down the house
where the children of Job were assembled, and killed them all.
Then he stirred up the Sabeans, who stole his oxen and asses, and
the Chaldeans, who stole his camels and slew his servants. And
the servants of Job came in, one after another, and told him the
news; and each messenger said, "And I only escaped alone to tell
thee."
197
What was the reason? The hedge was taken away, and Satan was
allowed to do with him just what he saw proper, only to spare his
life. What did Job say? He is reported to have said a great deal;
but he was probably more patient than many of us would have been;
for he said, after the report of all his misfortunes, "The Lord
gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the
Lord." He did not say it was the "damned Gentiles" and Sabeans or
Philistines that had done these things.
198
If I had cattle, houses, and possessions, the Lord gave them to
me, and he has the right to take them away. If I have any of the
blessings of this life, I received them from the Lord. It was the
Almighty that gave them to me; and if they are taken away, I
ought to say with Job, "The Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away;
blessed be the name of the Lord." Was not that a good feeling
that Job possessed? and do you not think we should have similar
feelings? I don't think that these "damned Gentiles," as some of
you term them, have so much to do with it as you suppose. They
are servants to whom they yield themselves servants to obey; and
therefore I do not think you ought to blame so much as you do,
for they are under an influence that they cannot resist, and are
merely doing the will of their father. They calumniate you and
they lie, as you say, like the Devil. But, bless you, they cannot
help it, and the Lord permits it to be so. They cannot do any
more than they are permitted to do. It is just as the Scriptures
say--"The wrath of man shall praise me, and the remainder of
wrath I will restrain, and I will put in order and accomplish my
purpose upon the earth." Now, if it was not the Sabeans, the
Philistines, and the lightning that did all this to Job, I do not
think it is the Missourians, but it is their father, who
is--Where? [Laughter.] We ought not to complain of our position,
I think. I do not want to complain. I never have felt a spirit of
fault-finding or complaining.
198
From what I have quoted from the Book of Job, you discover that
the Devil was accustomed in those days to appear before the Lord,
as he has done in these last days; and I can assure you that he
has been above once. In regard to Job he said, "I have tried him,
and only let me touch his body: skin for skin, all that a man
hath will he give for his life." "Well," says the Lord, "he is in
your hands, only you shall spare his life." The Devil then smote
him with boils, and Job began to curse things around him, and it
appears that the Devil was pretty near right about it.
198
But Job would not deny his God. He was firm in his integrity, and
he possessed the spirit of revelation, had a right kind of belief
in God--in futurity, and was submissive to the will of the
Almighty. It is said that he got mad: and who would not be? I do
not know that the Lord would be displeased with a man for getting
mad when the Devil was let loose upon him. At any rate, we are
informed that "In all this Job sinned not."
198
I remember hearing a woman say in Missouri, "I'll be damned if I
will stand it any longer; for this is the fifth house the mob
have burned down for me in less than two years." Job did not feel
so. He was indeed severely tried; but when he came down to sober
reflection, he said in his heart, "The Sabeans may take my asses,
and the Chaldeans may fall upon my servants and kill them and
steal my sheep, and my house be thrown down with the storm, and I
may lie in the ashes, and men that I would not associate with the
dogs of my flocks may wear away my life, and my body may go to
dust; yet, though worms prey upon it, in my flesh shall I see
God. Naked I came into the world, and naked I shall go out:
blessed be the name of the Lord." Was not this a good feeling to
manifest? Let us try to imitate it and acknowledge the chastening
rod of the Almighty.
199
Now, I will consider the character of Jesus for a short time. I
will take him for an example, and ask why he was persecuted and
afflicted? Why was he put to death? We are told by the Apostle
that it was necessary for him, of whom are all things, to make
the captain of our salvation perfect through suffering. It was
absolutely necessary that he should pass through this state, and
be subject to all the weaknesses of the flesh,--that he should
also be subjected to the buffetings of Satan the same as we are,
and pass through all the trials incident to humanity, and thereby
comprehend the weakness and the true character of human nature,
with all its faults and foibles, that we might have a faithful
High Priest that would know how to deliver those that are
tempted; and hence one of the Apostles, in speaking of him, says
"For we have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with the
feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin." (Heb. iv. 15.)
199
Here, then, we find the reason why he was tempted and afflicted.
He stood at the head of that dispensation, and came to atone for
the transgressions of men--to stand at the head as the Saviour of
men.
199
It was necessary that he should have a body like ours, and be
made subject to all the weaknesses of the flesh,--that the Devil
should be let loose upon him, and that he should be tried like
other men. Then, again, in Gethsemane, he was left alone; and so
great was the struggle, that we are told he sweat, as it were,
great drops of blood. In the great day when he was about to
sacrifice his life, he said, "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" He has passed through all this, and when he sees
you passing through these trials and afflictions, he knows how to
feel towards you--how to sympathise with you. It was necessary
that he should pass this fiery ordeal; for such is the position
of things, and such the decrees of the All-wise Creator.
199
In regard to any circumstances that have taken place with regard
to this people, my feelings are and have been for over twenty
years, that I am aiming at eternal life, and am independent of
the derision of fools. If a man has a mind to determine upon
pursuing another course, I have nothing to do with it. I believe
in God, in Jesus Christ, and in the exaltation of the human
family, and consequently have acted and do act in accordance with
that belief. If others choose to do otherwise, that is their
business. But, says one, Don't you want to send them all to hell?
No, I don't; but I would be glad to get them out of it; and if I
could do them any good, I would do it with pleasure. I do not
believe in this wrath and dread; but if a man acts meanly, I will
tell him that he is a poor, mean curse. Then, if I find him
hungry, I would feed him; or if I found him naked, I would clothe
him; for the Gospel teaches me to do good and benefit mankind as
far as lies in my power.
199
I believe that everything is permitted of God, although I am far
from believing that he sanctions everything. By this, some will
consider that I am a fatalist. So far as this goes, I am; but not
in the way that the term is generally understood. These things
are permitted for our good and perfection.
199
Suppose that you are wealthy and abound in the things of this
world, and have everything good, and have the honour of the
world, what would it amount to? Let me know that I have the
approbation of God, that I am to my word, that I do not do wrong,
that I treat everybody right, and withal possess the favour of
the Almighty, then I am satisfied. I do not trouble as to these
minor things. If I can only have the blessing and smiles of my
heavenly Father, whether that comes in the shape of wealth or
poverty, in the shape of affliction or peace, it is a matter of
very little consequence to me; but if prosperity, wealth, and
peace come along with it, all is right. And I consider things of
this kind, for I know that all we have is in the hands of God.
200
Now, suppose that the President of the United States should
issue a manifesto ordering the "Mormons" to leave or be
destroyed, who would care? If I were to express my feelings, I
should say it was exceedingly mean. Suppose he should send
another army here, who would care about it? We are in the hands
of God, and he can say as he said to the Devil in regard to Job.
Do you think anybody can injure or take the lives of God's
people, unless he permits it? No; there is no power this side of
heaven that can do it. God controls his people and his people's
affairs, and there is no power can interfere farther than he lets
them. Now, who is hurt? Why a lot of the folks were tremendously
scared when those soldiers were sent out! (Laughter.) Were you
not very much afraid? I will admit that some few felt afraid; but
was there anything the matter? No, there was nothing the matter
in particular. If the Lord wanted to have me killed, I would just
as soon be killed as not. I do not believe in a religion that has
not got all my affections; but I believe in a religion that I can
live for or die for. I am not talking about things that I do not
understand. I have wrestled with death, and had the Devil aiming
at me, and I cared nothing for it. Let me be deprived of this
hope, and my religion is vain. I would just join in upon the
principle that the Gentiles do--viz., "Let us eat, drink, and be
merry, for to-morrow we die." It is for us to act upon the
principle that we started upon--to trust and have faith in
God--to let this influence us in our acts one towards another.
200
Let us now turn and examine ourselves. Why did you become a
"Mormon?" Simply because you wanted to be saved, and to work
righteousness by keeping your spirits and bodies pure. Did you
not in times past hope that you would become pure by obedience to
the Gospel and helping to build up the kingdom of God? How do you
expect to bring this about now? Do you expect to do it by
riotousness and indulging in rowdyism? Has the Gospel changed? or
how is it?
200
I observed that there are some very good scholars among us who
can learn some things very quickly. There are some men who call
themselves Elders that are trying if they cannot swear better
than the Gentiles. Now, let such men go before God with their
mouths full of foulness, or get their families together to ask
God to bless them, and see what liberty they have. Such acts are
the result of ignorance, blindness, and corruption. Are such
going to be saviors upon Mount Zion? Some of these are Elders who
are going to teach the people the ways of salvation!
200
This reminds me of a man that went from Liverpool to introduce me
into Ireland. He told the people what a glorious Gospel we had
got, and what blessings were in reserve for the faithful, and he
was drunk three-parts of his time. He was a pretty messenger of
life!
201
I consider that all such persons ought to be ashamed of
themselves. I would like to see these things stopped; and if you
won't stop them, I will tell you one thing that will stop--you
will cease to have the Spirit of God upon you to give you light
and intelligence, and you will cease to be Saints of the Most
High God. You will go back into darkness and folly, like the sow
that was washed and again returns to her wallowing in the mire. I
would like to see all the Saints do better than the Gentiles for
they do not pretend to be religious. I would like to see the
Gentiles also do better; and if there are any of them here, I
hope they will pay attention to this. It is too mean to utter
such low-lived expressions: it is humiliating and unmanly to go
and get his brain muddled, and all the faculties of his mind
darkened with his intemperate habits. It is a disgrace for men of
education and intelligence to be unable to utter five words
without an oath. Every child ought to point the finger of scorn
at any man that will come down to such a mean standard; and you
Elders in Israel and Saints, do not let people laugh at you for
getting drunk and rowdying in the streets of Zion. Before I would
be so mean, I would go and stick my head into a barrel, and crawl
out of sight, and would not be seen for twelve months.
201
Let us fear God with our hearts--not with our lips, store up the
truth in our minds, work righteousness, do good one to another,
and do right to everybody: then your peace will flow as a river;
then we can bow before the Lord our God, and ask his blessings
upon us and our families; then there will be no wrangling in our
bosoms, nor any bad or unpleasant feelings towards our
fellow-creatures.
201
If it was right for us to commence on these principles, it is
right for us to fear God in our hearts. Brethren and sisters,
fear God in your lives and conduct; speak nothing but what you
know to true; keep a guard over your actions; keep the Spirit of
God within you, and the Lord will be with you all the day long.
201
I pray God to keep us in the way of truth, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, July 31, 1859
Brigham Young, July 31, 1859
PRIESTHOOD AND ETERNAL LIFE.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, July 31, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
201
I rejoice in the privilege of making a few remarks this morning,
by way of explanation and exhortation.
201
If the Latter-day Saints assemble to worship merely because our
fathers did, or because we have been so taught by our
schoolmasters, we have not a correct view of the subject. The
Being who organized us did so upon principles which pleased him,
and can please us only through obedience to his laws. That Being
placed within us a principle that has been among all the nations
of men from the beginning--the principle of reverence, of
worship, of seeking after something superior to what we possess.
Every person possesses more or less of this principle; we all
acknowledge it more or less, and all are seeking something not in
our possession.
202
We are on this earth for an express purpose. The body is
organized, the spirit takes possession of it, and here we are as
finite beings in a world of sin, of darkness, and of the
thralldom of iniquity; and that, too, for an ex press purpose
that cannot be accomplished upon any other principle or plan.
202
Eternal existence depends solely upon adopting and carrying out
in our lives the principles couched in the term "holy
Priesthood," which alone tend to life and eternal duration and
exaltation. We are seeking for something that we are not now in
possession of; and every individual wishes to understand those
true principles which will put him in possession of the right
plan by which to obtain what we are seeking.
202
Mankind are prone to seeking after perishable things, though we
in reality, if we did but realize it, are by no means doing so
exclusively. The spirit and intelligence that God has placed
within us prompt us to seek more or less after imperishable
things. Had we worlds to command and dictate in our finite state,
with the authority and power we now possess, it would not satisfy
the mind.
202
The holy Priesthood is a system of laws and government that is
pure and holy; and if it is adhered to by intelligent man, whom
God has created a little lower than angels, it is calculated to
preserve our tabernacles in eternal being; otherwise they will be
resolved into native element. Nothing is calculated to satisfy
the mind of an intelligent being, only to obtain principles that
will preserve him in his identity, to enable him to increase in
wisdom, power, knowledge, and perfection. And when we meet to
worship, we do or should meet to speak of those principles and to
strengthen our faith. But should it please the Almighty to place
us in circumstances that would preclude our assembling to
worship, if we understand these principles, they are as dear to
us in our closets, in our homes, and when we are labouring in our
fields, our shops, or in the kanyons, as when we are in this
Tabernacle.
202
We are searching for these principles, and we are labouring
continually to obtain--What? You see mankind running to and fro,
like ants upon an ant-hill,--now forward, now wheeling and taking
the back track; then to the right and to the left, seemingly in a
perfect state of excitement and confusion. They are seeking they
know not what. They possess the foundation for eternal
intelligence, and they do not know how to obtain that which will
satisfy their minds. Nothing can satisfy, except being perfectly
subject to the law that will preserve them in their identity to
all eternity, and that is the holy Priesthood.
202
And yet, so long as we have lived, and as much as the wisest of
us have seen and learned, we are still comparatively as infants.
It is by the law of the Priesthood that men are, and by that law
they may maintain their eternal identity. A strict observance of
those laws will secure an inheritance in that kingdom where death
never enters, and all else will sooner or later pass away as a
night vision.
202
When we undertake to worship the Lord, it is eternal principles
that we desire to learn. They are taught here from Sabbath to
Sabbath, a little here and a little there, pertaining to the
doctrines of salvation, like explaining the civil laws of the
land. Lawyers are called upon to explain the civil law, and we
must be lawyers in the law of the Priesthood, to read,
comprehend, and correctly teach the writings of Moses, of the
Psalmist, of the Prophets and Apostles, or to tell the truth as
it comes fresh from heaven, independent of reading from any book.
203
No one can correctly dispute that mankind are possessed of
intelligence. Reflect upon the intelligence they possess in
mechanism, in astronomy, &c. Did they produce that? No. I
obtained the principles of intelligence that I am in possession
of from the same source that they obtained theirs, and which I
attribute to the Author of our existence. But they cannot tell
from whence those principles came. They are searching and
researching with an inherent principle that never can be
satisfied without true knowledge; and that true knowledge flows
through the Priesthood, to enable us to know how to order our
lives, to overcome every principle that tends to the death, and
to embrace every principle that tends to the life, that we may
preserve our identity to all eternity, which is the greatest
blessing bestowed upon man, and which we now have the privilege
to place ourselves in the way to secure.
203
The laws given by the Almighty to the children of men, by which
we can preserve our spirits and our bodies to all eternity, are
what the world call "Mormonism." Those laws are what this people
believe and are in possession of. And are we obliged to faulter
here and faulter there? If I am presented with unwholesome food,
or with poison that would destroy my life, am I obliged to eat
it? No, though I may be obliged to have it presented to me. If a
man hands you a dose of arsenic, saying that you need it and that
it will do you good, are you obliged to swallow it? or if those
who prefer sin, and roll it under their tongues as a sweet
morsel, present to you principles that tend to the death, are you
obliged to receive them--to join in and commit sin? Some who
profess to be Latter-day Saints do so, and continue to do so.
203
What a pity it is! How strange it is that mankind do not better
understand and conduct themselves! True, as is written, sin was
introduced to the human family by the transgression of our first
parents, and thereby the Adversary of all righteousness gained
great power over our bodies, as we can daily see exhibited,--the
flesh, as the Apostle has written, warring against the spirit. So
in a garden, the weeds spring up spontaneously; and if you wish
to produce certain fruits and vegetables, you must carefully till
the soil, because the ground is cursed to produce thorns and
thistles and obnoxious weeds. The original transgression
subjected the flesh to weakness and infirmities, but not the
spirit; which explains how much easier it is for a person to sin
than to work righteousness, by the power sin has obtained over
earthly tabernacles, notwithstanding the promptings to do right,
and that a person feels better in doing right than wrong.
203
We must have our day of trial--an opportunity to become
acquainted with the bitter and the sweet. We are so organized as
to be able to choose or to refuse. We can take the downward road
that leads to destruction, or the road that leads to life. We can
constantly act upon the principles that tend to death, or refuse
them and act upon the principles that pertain to life and
salvation. This is a day of trial; or faith and patience can now
be tried: now is the time for your fortitude and integrity to be
tried. Let the trials come; for if we should be so unspeakably
happy as to obtain a crown of eternal life, we shall be like gold
tried seven times in the fire. Let the fiery furnace burn, and
the afflictions come, and the temptations be presented;--if we
wish to be crowned with crowns of glory and exalted to dwell with
our elder brother Jesus Christ, we must choose the good and
refuse the evil.
204
According to our faith, we must strive to live our religion when
in the kanyons getting wood and lumber, when labouring in our
fields, and wherever we may be. We have to learn and practise
eternal principles, to obtain eternal life; and they are the
principles of the holy Priesthood. God has given man an agency,
and it behoves us to understand and practise the principles of
life--to live our religion and walk humbly with our God, living
according to the laws and regulations of the holy Priesthood so
far as it is revealed.
204
The principles of eternal life that are set before us are
calculated to exalt us to power and preserve us from decay. If we
choose to take the opposite course and to imbibe and practise the
principles that tend to death, the fault is with ourselves. If we
fail to obtain the salvation we are seeking for, we shall
acknowledge that we have secured to ourselves every reward that
is due to us by our acts, and that we have acted in accordance
with the independent agency given us, and we shall be judged out
of our own mouths whether we are justified or condemned.
204
When meditating upon matters as they are passing, I am happy and
rejoice that things are as they are. You do not often see me in
this building, neither do I often address you, neither do I wish
at present; but I want everything to be shaken that can be
shaken, that those who remain will be steadfastly determined to
serve their God. As I have often said, I would rather be
associated with a dozen men who would live their religion than to
have the whole world for my companions to bear off the kingdom to
all nations. I would rather see the people leave, until there are
not ten men left in the mountains, than to see what I see and
hear what mine ears have to hear--the blasphemy, corruption,
wickedness, dishonesty one with another, and running after the
Devil, and ready to strike hands wherever they meet him. I want
to see those who will not live their religion sifted out. Let
them float off, and let the few who will live their religion--who
will live for God, remain until they are like the gold that is
tried in the furnace seven times.
204
I understand that some of the people are remiss in coming to
meeting. Do they stay at home to weigh themselves in the balance,
to know whether they are actually in possession of the religion
that we profess? or are their eyes, like the fool's, in the ends
of the earth, looking for a good job here, and a bargain there,
and a speculation yonder? You will know, by-and-by, whether you
possess the religion you profess. The Lord will sift the people,
and the time is not far distant when he will sift the nations
with a sieve of vanity, and the time is at your doors when he
will hold a controversy with the nations and will plead with all
flesh, and it will be known who is for God, and who is not.
204
I often ask the Father to hasten his work--do you?--to hasten his
Zion upon the earth, and his work upon all nations. Have you any
idea what that work is? I am at times checked in my feelings, and
make the inquiry, Am I prepared, with this people, to receive
what will come?
205
Every time that my mind stretches forth to discern what the Lord
is doing, to contemplate upon his goings forth among the nations,
and what he is bringing about, according to all the sayings of
the Prophets and the designs of his Son Jesus Christ, and to
reflect upon the nations of the earth as they now are and will
be, I ask myself, Am I prepared for all this? Are the people
called Latter-day Saints prepared for all this? I am checked in
my feelings in a moment. Are you? or do you think that you are
ready? Suppose that the Lord should make his appearance in his
glory, how many in this Tabernacle could abide the day of his
coming? Is there an individual in the valleys of the mountains,
or upon the face of the earth, that could abide the appearance of
the Son of Man in his glory--that could look upon him?
205
Are you prepared for the distress that is coming upon the
nations? Many of you frequently think that your lot is very
hard--that your trials are numerous and severe, and imagine this
and that; and there is a great disposition with many of you, as
well as with the rest of the world, to pity yourselves. You had
better continue to pity yourselves, each and every one, lest we
should not be right in all the things of God as fast as he is
rolling them along. I have been driven from my home five times; I
have left my houses and lands and everything I had. Do I wish
evil to come upon my enemies? Every time I think of it, and when
my mind is opened by the visions of the Lord to see the weeping,
the wailing, and distress of the nations, that many who now live
will see, there is not a person in this room that could bear it.
There are no eyes looking upon me that could bear to see the
awful distress that the nations are bringing upon themselves--to
look upon the judgments of the Almighty that they are bringing
upon themselves.
205
You think that you see distress. I have seen poverty; I have seen
the gray headed father and mother bowed to their graves with
starvation; I have seen the middle-aged, the youth, and young
children going to their graves through starvation: but I have
seen nothing to compare with what I shall yet see, if I live. I
shall see the distress that will be upon the nations. Look a
little further and reflect upon what the Lord will do when he has
revolutionized the nations and cleansed and purged this earth
with fire. Are we prepared to sit down with Jesus when he comes?
We had better be careful to know whether we are prepared.
205
We think that we have great occasion for sorrow; but how should
we feel, after all our preparations, faith, labours, and looking
forth for the coming of the Son of Man, to be consumed by the
brightness of his appearance? We had better be purifying our
hearts: that is the best occupation I can recommend to the
Saints. I would recommend such a course, far beyond taking their
neighbour's cattle, breaking down their neighbour's fences,
spending their Sabbaths in the kanyons getting wood, or doing
anything that they should not do. Ask such persons whether they
pray. "No." A man in the Eleventh Ward said, "I prayed daily over
my crops last year, and my harvest was very light: this year I
have not prayed, and my crops look first-rate." Those who think
that they can succeed without praying, try it, and I will promise
them eternal destruction, if they persist in that course. Some
think that they can prosper by lying a little, breaking the
Sabbath, and doing almost everything that they ought not to do.
In the end they will learn that they have trod the path that
leads to the first and second death, which will have power over
them; and the time will come when they will be as though they had
not been.
205
It is recorded that Job clung to the Lord and proved his
integrity to his Father and God. The Lord, to try him, suffered
his crops to be laid waste, his property to be plundered, his
sons to be destroyed, and sorely afflicted him in divers ways;
and so it has been and will be with thousands of other persons.
And though their property, families, and friends be taken from
them, yet they should trust in their God, even though he should
slay them. And you will learn, by-and-by, what reward he has
prepared for them.
206
I am striving for the crown that awaits the end of the faithful
race--not alone for the potatoes and corn. Many come to me and
say, "Brother Brigham, are we going to have any potatoes this
year?" "I neither know nor care." "Have you planted any?" "Yes, a
great many." "Have you looked to see whether there are any sets
upon them?" "No: but it is my business to keep out the weeds, to
water and till, and wait until the harvest. I have not power to
make potatoes set. If I should plant and hoe, and raise nothing,
it is the same to me as though I obtained a good crop. God gives
or withholds the increase.
206
We are all organized to seek after something that will be
durable--that will not pass away like a dream. Then do not seek
too much after that which will perish. Such things belong to the
world. They are to be changed, and are not be relied upon. Seek
for the principles that pertain to eternal life--the principles
of the holy Priesthood. Let us prove ourselves to be friends of
God, whether we raise potatoes or not, whether our pigs and
calves live or not, whether we are blessed with much or little,
or have nothing;--trust in god and be his friends, and by-and-by
he will put us in possession of that which will be perfectly
satisfactory. Our spirits and bodies will be preserved before the
Lord, and we shall be prepared to see him in his glory--to live
with him in his kingdom--to associate with him. That is what we
are seeking, if we did but know it.
206
If any wish to apostatize, they have and always have had perfect
liberty to do so. Life and death are before you. You have had the
words of life sounded in your ears, year after year, in these
valleys, and we have been blessed with days of peace and
pleasantness--days of joy and days of comfort. Have all the
people served God? No. Some have been and are wicked, sinful,
dishonest, and unfaithful; and the Lord wants to prove us--to
prepare the righteous for his glory, and the wicked for their
doom.
206
I exhort you all to reflect whether you are ready for what is
coming, and are prepared to receive what you anticipate. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, August 4, 1859
Brigham Young, August 4, 1859
DUTY OF THE SAINTS TO LIVE THEIR RELIGION.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, August 4, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
207
On Sunday last I took the liberty to invite the different Wards
of this city to hold their fast-meeting here to-day, and I now
wish those who possess the Spirit of God to occupy the time. By
the utterance of the mouth, the feeling and impulses of the heart
are made known; and I wish to know how the brethren feel. Let
those who enjoy the power of the holy Gospel build up their
brethren and inspire them with a spark of that inward and eternal
influence that will kindle into a flame of true devotion.
207
When the eternal living principles of the Gospel of the Son of
God are implanted in the heart of a genuine intelligent being,
they do not leave him when the wicked present their blandishments
and the ungodly their enticements to swerve the godly and the
righteous from the paths of rectitude. I put it down for a fact
that those who will give way to wickedness do not belong to the
elect. With me it is a fact that persons of sound sense, and
possessing correct principles, and striving for eternal life,
will not exchange those principles for a gill of whisky or a
pinch of snuff, nor cast them aside for every stranger who meets
them and says, "How I love you!" Such persons, when convinced
that the sun shines, that it was dark last night, that it stormed
yesterday, that the river Jordan runs from Utah Lake and empties
into great Salt Lake, that there are mountains on our right and
left, do not, after sleeping for five minutes, wake up and
dispute those facts, and declare it nonsense to believe that we
are here, and that we might as well at once cease all efforts to
do right.
207
We must meet periods of trial, or how can we prove that we have
faith, and do actually permit the power of the sensibility placed
within us by our Creator to have its free, untrammelled course?
And those who can be led away by the enticements of the servants
of the Evil One do not belong to the number of the elect.
207
It is a pity that the Latter-day Saints who live here, who say
that they have embraced the Gospel of eternal life, and are
willing to sacrifice all for their salvation, or to give up all
for Christ, should be bought over by a gill of whisky. After they
have travelled thousands of miles for their religion--for their
faith, it is pitiable to see some enticed from their integrity
through the proffering, by the wicked, of a fancied good job--of
a little speculation. The Lord intends to know whether we will be
led away in this manner and destroy ourselves with such trifles;
and for this reason temptations are permitted.
208
You remember my expressions of my feelings a year ago, both in
public and in private. I wanted to travel from one end of this
Territory to the other, and cry aloud to the people, and ask them
whether there was one left in Utah who had not forgotten his God.
That work commenced, and you then understood and now understand
there was a reformation. Some of the results are plain to us--the
results of that reformation in which excessive care and labour
and much exposure caused the death of brother Jedediah M. Grant.
I wished to go through the Territory and ask whether there was
one left for God, or whether all had gone astray. I ask that
question now, and can answer it. A great many--the majority of
those who profess to be Saints are trying to live their religion.
Blow upon the spark of the Holy Ghost within you, and without
which we need not anticipate building up the kingdom of God, that
the wicked may be foiled in their efforts to corrupt and destroy.
They say that it is dangerous for people to believe in the Lord
God and possess his Spirit. "O dear, it will trouble the
magnanimity of the law, and the supremacy of the law!" What do
they know about the Almighty and his purposes and work in the
latter days? Nothing. Live your religion, keep the commandments
of God, and you will have no occasion for breaking the laws of
the land.
208
If you can be enticed away, it proves that you are not worthy of
the salvation which Jesus purchased for you by his blood. Live
your religion, or else come out and say, "I am not willing to
live my religion--I will renounce it," fearless of big men or
little men. You must be for God, and know that you are his
friends, or he will disown you. Fear not him that can only kill
the body, and then has no more than he can do; but fear Him who
has power to cast both soul and body into hell, which is the
first and second death. Fear no man, but fear the Lord God and
keep his commandments. Walk righteously before God and before
each other; and though the enemies of Jesus howl--though
temptations come and the floods of persecution overflow, trust in
him and strive to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has
made us free.
208
When I learn that some can be overthrown--can be enticed to run
here and there and forfeit every principle of right, of truth,
virtue, honour, and honesty, it is soul-sickening to me and
discouraging to angels and all good men. It is discouraging to
see persons receive the principles of eternal life, practise them
for a season, and then forsake them and follow the principles of
death and destruction. If you live your religion, you will be a
Saint to day, to-morrow, the next day, and all the time. You will
walk humbly before God, and deal justly one with another, and
disregard the condemnation and aspersions of those who are
ignorant of the principles of the eternal law of Jehovah, and of
the intent of the laws of the nations of the earth.
209
Blow upon the spark that is within you; blow it to a flame, and
see whether the fire of God's eternal love and the principles of
the holy Gospel cannot be kindled within you. Some may think that
I am discouraged. I am not. I have views of the nations of the
earth and of the situation of the people; and when I reflect upon
the faith, the feelings, and the conduct of those who try to live
their religion, and contrast that with the condition and conduct
of the mass of the children of men, I can plainly discern the
great difference. This is the best people upon the earth. True,
some complain because comparatively a few are going astray; but I
do not feel nearly so discouraged as did an ancient Prophet, when
he said, "Lord, they have digged down thine altars, and I alone
am left," while at the same time the Lord informed him that he
had preserved seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
209
Compare this people with the mass of mankind, and what other
class will sacrifice for, their faith what we have--will sell
their buildings, farms, and other property, subject themselves to
poverty and want, and travel thousands of miles? Not many who
profess the Christian religion, though some of the pagans might.
The Latter-day Saints sacrifice everything for their religion. Do
not be discouraged, for the Lord is on Israel's side, and it
behoves us to prove to him that we are on his side.
209
Some are fearful that the Lord will forsake them. A child may
begin to cry right here and be distressed with the fear that this
house is going to leave it, and its conduct would be as
consistent as to fear that God will forsake any person who is
walking in the path of truth. Who does he forsake? None save
those who first forsake him and begin to walk in by-and-forbidden
paths, where neither he nor his angels walk; and then such
persons say the Lord has forsaken them. They have forsaken the
path of rectitude and are upon the grounds of the Devil, being
led captive by his will, and do not enjoy the benign influence
that flows from the Fountain of all intelligence as they did when
they were in the path of truth. Never be fearful that the Lord
will first forsake you; for you have first to leave him, since he
never forsaketh those who are striving to do right. Abide in the
truth, and you are sure to enjoy, more or less, the sanctifying
influence of the Holy Ghost; and if you do not, you have strayed
from the paths of rectitude and truth--of love and mercy. You
must forsake the ways of the Lord in order to get out of the way,
and then the Lord will forsake you. Otherwise he is with you,
more or less, by his influence--with you by his angels and his
protecting care. I want you to thoroughly understand that you are
not to fear any being in heaven, on earth, or in hell, superior
to fearing that Being who has created the heavens and the earth,
by whom we and all things are.
209
Now, brethren, I wish to hear you express your feelings, and want
you to occupy the time. We have all the time allotted to us in a
state of probation, and then for ever and ever, worlds without
end. And if we do not live to enjoy truth, it is because we take
the road that leads to dissolution. We must live to be prepared
for better or for worse for all time to come; so we will not
hurry the exercises of our meeting.
209
God bless you and fire your hearts to speak and to exercise
yourselves in the faith of the holy Gospel, that we may know and
understand for ourselves. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Pratt, August 14, 1859
Orson Pratt, August 14, 1859
THEOCRACY.
A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, on Sunday morning, August 14, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
210
I have this moment been requested to address the people upon the
subject of a theocratical form of government, or upon that
particular form of government called the kingdom of God. I will
read a few passages from the book of Daniel the Prophet relating
to governments in general:--
210
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall
not be left to other people; but it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the
mountains without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron,
the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God hath
made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the
dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." (See
Daniel ii. 44, 45.)
210
"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which
smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and
brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the
silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like
the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried
them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that
smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole
earth." (See 34th and 35th verses.)
210
"And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints
of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; and
all dominions shall serve and obey him." (See Daniel vii. 27.)
211
The form of government given to man immediately after the
creation was theocratical; that is, the Creator became the great
Lawgiver. He appointed the officers of that government,
established his own authority, and arranged all things after his
own order, which is eternal. He himself instituted the same form
of government here in this creation that he established in other
kingdoms, worlds, or creations, so far as the capacities and
circumstances of the inhabitants would permit. Hence such a
government might in reality be termed a theocracy, because God
was the author of the laws, forms, and institution of the same.
After a period of time, men departed from God, apostatized from
the form of government instituted from heaven; and, still
thinking that it was needful and necessary to have some kind of
government, in order to control the people and keep them within
due bounds of subjection, they concluded to form and establish
governments of their own, according to the best judgment and
wisdom they had. Hence the various nations, both before and after
the flood, instituted governments according to human wisdom, some
making choice of one form, and some of another; some giving the
whole authority into the hands of a ruler, called a king, and
emperor, or monarch; others reserving a portion of the power in
the hands of various individuals, termed nobles or princes;
others leaving the form of government more or less in the hands
of the people at large, something resembling a republic. But all
these various forms instituted by man were entirely different in
one particular from that instituted of God.
211
The Lord claims it as a right, in consequence of his wisdom and
superior power, and in consequence of his having created men, to
govern them; and if so, he claims the right of originating their
laws and of dictating the form of government by which they shall
be ruled. This is his right; and every man, when he seriously
reflects on this subject, will be willing to acknowledge that God
surely has more wisdom, power, and knowledge, in relation to the
kind of government which would be best adapted to the human
family, than those finite beings whom he has created; and if he
has this superior wisdom, power, authority, and knowledge, we
ought to give to him that right.
211
But mankind would not permit him to exercise the right which so
justly belongs to him. They usurped the authority and denied the
right of the Almighty to govern them, and thus originated all the
forms of human governments which have existed upon this globe for
the last six thousand years. It is true the Lord had a hand in
the establishment of some of the laws connected with the
government of Israel; but even that people, in consequence of the
hardness of their hearts, rebelled against the righteous, just,
and holy laws that God ordained for their good, and desired laws
of a different nature, and a form of government more resembling
the corrupt nations around them. They were a hard-hearted people,
and delighted to walk in the traditions of the Egyptians, and to
follow after the imaginations of their own hearts; and when the
pure law of Jehovah came forth and was presented to that people,
it was more than they were willing to endure; it was too pure for
them: they wanted something more suited to their carnal natures.
For instance, when a man married a wife, they wished to have the
privilege of divorcing her for every trifling cause that might
happen to take place. The Lord, seeing the hardness of their
hearts, permitted Moses to give them, according to their wishes,
and inferior law. But this additional law of carnal commandments
formed no part of a pure theocratical code such as the Lord
intended to establish among that people. Many other items of law
were given to the children of Israel, according to the hardness
of their hearts, that were permitted by the Lord through Moses.
We cannot, therefore, suppose that all the Mosaic code was
acceptable and pleasing to God. Some of it was given in wrath,
that the wicked among them might stumble and fall, and not be
permitted to enter into the fulness of his rest. But God
originated the most of the Mosaic code, while Moses merely
permitted the additional laws applicable to a rebellious,
hard-hearted people.
212
The Israelites continued to be governed, more or less, by some of
those divine laws, until the coming of the Messiah; but they
often transgressed them through the traditions of their Elders;
they often departed from the living god, and lost the spirit of
revelation and communion with him. The powers, privileges, and
blessings of the kingdom which were intended to continue among
that people were in a measure taken from them at different
periods of their history. By-and-by our Saviour came to abolish
that portion of the law of Moses which was given in consequence
of transgression, and to retain that portion which he intended
should continue; for instance, the ten commandments given by the
Lord amidst the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai: these
were never intended to be done away by the law of Christ; but
when he came, they were retained as a part of the superior law of
the Gospel. The kingdom of God was built up in the days of
Christ, under this superior law; but the most of the Jewish
nation concluded to reject the Gospel as their fathers did in the
wilderness: they cast it from them, and were not willing to be
governed by it; therefore the kingdom of God, instead of being a
concentrated government among Israel, existed in detached
portions here and there. The law of God, in the days of christ,
did not have place among them in a national capacity: it did not
govern them as a people. They were not subject to it: they fought
against it. Hence the kingdom, so far as it existed, after awhile
was taken from them and transferred over into the hands of the
Gentiles.
212
The Gentiles did not receive this transferred kingdom nationally,
but individually,--few individuals only embracing the same. As
nations, they rejected it as well as the Jews. The kingdom of God
in those days, though governed ecclesiastically by Divine laws,
was not sufficiently concentrated to exercise any national
jurisdiction among any of the nations of the great Eastern
hemisphere. The isolated individuals and branches receiving the
kingdom were scattered here and there through all the countries
of the East, subject to the various forms and municipal laws of
man-made governments. This order of things continued down for a
short period after the martyrdom of the Apostles, when mankind
again departed entirely from the ecclesiastical laws of the
kingdom. There came a falling away, so that the kingdom, which
existed in a scattered and broken condition through the Gentile
nations, began to lose all the power and blessings pertaining to
it: the gift of healing was no longer made manifest; the gift of
prophecy no longer existed; and so complete and dreadful was the
apostacy, that one might travel through the whole of the Eastern
continent and not find a Prophet, or Apostle, or Revelator, or
any one who had heard the voice of God or received any
communication or revelation from him. Then visions ceased, angels
no longer appeared, miracles were done away, and every office and
power and authority and gift characterizing the kingdom of God,
or in the least resembling a theocracy, ceased from all the
Gentile nations. They, like the Jews before them, lost the fruits
of the kingdom of God; and the few Saints who remained and had in
any degree faith in the cause they had espoused, became so
darkened in their minds, through the wickedness and apostacy
which prevailed, that they were counted worthy only to be trodden
under the feet of the Gentile nations. Hence the powers of the
earth made war with all those branches that professed to be the
kingdom of God, and they overcame and destroyed them from the
earth, and the kingdom of God no longer existed, so far as we
have knowledge, on the great Eastern hemisphere, for something
like seventeen centuries.
213
Nearly seventeen long centuries rolled over the heads of the
Gentile nations in Asia, Europe, and Africa; and such a thing as
the kingdom of God was entirely unknown among them. It did not
exist either in a concentrated or scattered form. Instead of a
theocratical government, or one of Divine origin, you could
behold nothing but empires, absolute and limited monarchies,
kingdoms, principalities, dukedoms, republics, and heterogeneous
masses of conflicting revolutionary elements, thrown together, as
if by some fortuitous circumstances, fomenting, igniting, and
belching forth the hot lava of destruction, swallowing up
millions of unhappy beings, and overwhelming all countries with
desolation, misery, and death.
213
Next, let us turn to the ancient history of this great Western
hemisphere. We are informed by the sacred and Divine record,
called the Book of Mormon, that the kingdom of God flourished to
a greater extent here than in the Eastern world. On this Western
hemisphere the kingdom of God was established by the personal
appearance of our Lord and Saviour after his resurrection. Twelve
disciples were appointed on this land to administer the Gospel,
laws, and institutions of that kingdom. They went forth
preaching, prophesying, working miracles, receiving revelations,
and administering with authority Divine laws, Divine
ordinances,--calling, appointing, and ordering in every
department of the kingdom,--inspired officers holding Divine
authority to judge, to execute the laws, to govern in all things
according to the mind of the King of heaven, whom they saw, and
whose voice they heard, and whom they obeyed in all the affairs
of government. This was a theocracy indeed--a national theocracy
established in its pure form. And the ancient Israelites of
America became universally a favoured and happy people. Their
greatest settlements were in Central America and the northern
portions of South America. However, about three hundred years
after Christ, their settlements extended from Cape Horn in the
South to the frozen regions in the North--from the Atlantic on
the East to the great Pacific on the West. Large cities were
built on various parts of the land, arts and sciences flourished,
and millions of happy beings rejoiced in the blessings of
universal peace and liberty. This happy condition of things
continued for some three centuries, when they began to apostatize
and contend one with another, building up a variety of sects and
parties on this Western hemisphere, as well as in the Old World.
213
At length one portion of the nation was permitted to overpower
the other. Those who survived the overwhelming judgments of war
and famine were left only to sink into the lowest depths of
degradation and misery. Their descendants are called by us
American Indians. Thus we see that the kingdom of God did not
exist to our knowledge, either on the Eastern or Western
hemispheres of our globe for many generations. It became entirely
extinct from the earth about four centuries after the Christian
era, and there was nothing left on the face of the wide earth but
the wisdom of man, the governments of man, the religion of man,
the power of man, and the rule of man. God, angels, prophets,
revelators, and every vestige of Divine authority and government
were excluded from every nation under heaven and wholly rooted
out of the earth. This was the benighted, woeful, lamentable
condition in which the year 1830 found the children of men, both
on this continent and on the great Eastern hemisphere.
214
Governments! Yes, they have multiplied governments upon
governments. There are scores of them to be found in Europe, and
scores to be found in Asia and in Africa, of all sorts and forms,
from the proud monarchy that crushes the liberty and hopes of
millions down to the petty chieftain who degradedly wanders with
his little band of fifty, all pretending to be governed by some
sort of principles.
214
While the iron hand of despotism thus held the nations within its
withering grasp, enslaving both soul and body, the great God,
near the close of the fifteenth century, moved upon the mind of a
Columbus, and inspired him to fearlessly launch forth upon the
great expanse of unknown waters on the west of Europe; and guided
by the invisible agency of the Holy Spirit, he revealed to the
down-trodden, despairing nations, a new world.
214
Upwards of another century passed away, during which the shackles
of despotism began to be loosened. Dissenters from the Romish
Church multiplied, protesting against many of her abominations.
Nations espoused their cause. Wars raged--Protestants against
Catholics, and Catholics against Protestants, each nation
establishing its man-made religion by manmade laws. Dissenters
from these new religions formed other sects, the weaker being
persecuted by the stronger, and all being persecuted, more or
less, by the governments form whose established religion they had
dissented. Among this heterogenous compound of clashing creeds
and clashing swords, no voice of God was heard--no inspiration of
the Almighty to calm the troubled elements--no Prophet or
Revelator to point out the kingdom of God and bid the nations
welcome.
214
Human wisdom in religious or governmental affairs is the great
source of disunion and all its attendant train of evil. So great
became the disunion among the European nations, that many of the
more honest, humble souls, to escape persecution and death, came
from the old countries, and first landed in the New England
States in 1620. They are called the Pilgrim Fathers. They
established morality and many good institutions, although their
laws in many respects were very oppressive. They instituted
strict laws against what they called witchcraft, and the old blue
laws of Connecticut were established. But among all these
pilgrims there could not be found a theocratical form of
government. We only find laws instituted according to the best
wisdom and judgment of our ancestors; and by-and-by they became
sufficiently strong in this country to rise up against the
oppression of the mother country: they concluded to protest
against the tyranny and oppression heaped upon them by the King
of England: hence arose the revolutionary struggles. A new
government sprang into being, formed in accordance with more
liberal principles.
215
Let us inquire how far this government was established in
accordance with the mind and will of God. We believe, when our
ancestors threw off the yoke of tyranny and oppression placed on
them by the Government of England, that they were not only
inspired in doing this, but the Lord had something in view to
accomplish: he had his plans and purposes all laid out before
him, and our fathers were the instruments to carry out and fulfil
those purposes. Our ancestors had gained their independence, and
had framed the articles of the Constitution, and the Government
was established, giving unto the people a voice and privilege of
electing their own officers. In the Constitution, certain rights
were guaranteed to the people, such as liberty of the press, the
liberty of speech, and the liberty of emigrating from one part of
the Union to another, settling in whatever State or Territory
they saw fit. The people preserved in their own hands the power
to protect their own rights; hence, when the voice of the people
is in favour of the guaranteed rights, the whole people enjoy a
degree of liberty. If the voice of the people is declared for
that which is wrong, then the minority, however right, has to
suffer with the rest. But this, perhaps, was as good a government
as could be established under the circumstances.
215
Our brave and hardy ancestors were just emerging from the tyranny
and oppression of ages: the star of liberty had but just risen
above their horizon: their minds were still beclouded with the
dense fogs, traditions, customs, laws, and forms of governments
in the Old World; and in their experience, they were unprepared
for a theocracy, and could not even comprehend, as their children
do, the extent of that liberty into which they had so suddenly
emerged. Before they could enlarge their liberties, and seek for
a government of a purer and more heavenly form, it required a few
years to wear off those traditions.
215
Half-a-century passed away, during which the lessons of liberty
became deeply implanted in the hearts of the rising generation:
they began to comprehend and develop more fully those grand
doctrines embraced in the Constitution. Proud of their
institutions and of the dignity and honour of their great
Republic, they began to suppose their form of Government perfect,
and that nothing could be added to increase its grandeur and
magnificence. But with all its glory and greatness and
perfection, it was only a stepping-stone to a form of government
infinitely greater and more perfect--a government founded upon
Divine laws, with all its institutions, ordinances, and officers
appointed by the God of heaven. But our revolutionary fathers,
having just broken the bonds and shaken off the yoke, had not
that experience necessary to preserve inviolate the liberties
they had gained. Although they wrote the Constitution, and
obtained power over a nation more powerful than themselves, yet
this did not wholly divest them of their traditions; hence they
were not prepared to have a Prophet rise up and say--"Thus saith
the Lord God."
215
After the nation had struggled along, increasing in knowledge and
power and experience, and had maintained their independence and
liberty for upwards of half-a-century, and had made rapid strides
in teaching, developing, and enjoying the principles of physical,
moral, and religious liberty, the Almighty determined to assert
his right and establish an everlasting kingdom upon the
unalterable principles of eternal truth--a kingdom which could
never be destroyed nor ever be shaken, though the heavens should
pass away and the worlds disappear with a universal crash.
215
The Lord now saw that there was one nation upon the earth where
he could venture to begin the great work--where a theocracy could
exist in an ecclesiastical form, being legally and lawfully
entitled to all the rights and protection guaranteed in the great
American Constitution, in common with all religious parties. The
kingdom of God could not be set up without calling officers, and
inspiring men, and revealing laws, while this Republic elects its
own officers and makes its own laws.
216
The American Congress do not pretend to inspiration. The Speaker,
who occupies the highest and most honourable station in the Lower
House, is not a Prophet: he does not deliver the word of the Lord
as law; neither does the honourable President of the Senate say,
Thus saith the Lord God: but all the deliberations and enactments
of that illustrious body are the results of human wisdom. They
would not suffer a Prophet of God to come into their midst and
dictate the laws that should be adopted by the nation. They would
show him the door. They would call upon the officers that are
appointed to keep order in that honourable assembly to put out
such a character. They would very likely say, "We will not for a
moment listen to him, though he may profess to be inspired, and
to have received heavenly visions, and to have seen God, and
talked with him face to face, as Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
did; yet we will let him know that he must not come among us and
undertake to dictate us as to the kind of laws we shall pass.
This is not a theocratic form of government, and therefore we
will not listen to him."
216
In ancient times, we find even kingly powers bowed to Prophets
and Revelators, Nebuchadnezzar, in all his glory, could give heed
to the Prophet Daniel--could listen to the interpretation of his
own dream. He believed in Prophets. But the people of these
latter times have strayed so far from a theocratical form of
government that they do not even believe in such things as dreams
and visions inspired of God; hence it would be a difficult matter
for such a man as Daniel to approach the august assembly annually
convened at the capitol.
216
I have often contrasted in my reflections, the faith of the
present nations of Christendom with the faith of the ancient
Egyptians and Babylonians. These nations, as wicked as they were,
did believe in the spirit of prophecy and revelation; they did
receive a Prophet. Hence we find the Egyptians exalting a Joseph
from a dungeon, because he had a dream, and because he gave the
true interpretation thereof. Said Pharaoh, "There is no man among
us that is so able to dictate, guide, and direct the affairs of
this nation as this man. He has had a dream. The Lord has
revealed to him something about our future condition--what is to
take place in egypt and in the surrounding nations. The Lord has
revealed to him that there are to be seven years of plenty and
seven years of famine. What man is so well fitted to stand next
to me in authority, to dictate and guide the affairs of this
people in regard to the approaching famine? Let him be exalted
and honoured."
217
Would they thus honour a Prophet in this day? No. They would say,
"He is a false, visionary character, and is not fit for a Justice
of the Peace, or for any other office of the least
responsibility." The inhabitants of great Babylon--one of the
most popular nations on the earth, having gone forth, conquering
and to conquer, until the Jewish nations and all nations were
brought in subjection to them, still had confidence in Prophets;
and their great king Nebuchadnezzar, surrounded with all the
magnificence of power, and sitting on his throne, dreamed a
dream, and he had confidence there was something in it. He did
not despise the Spirit of revelation as the American Congress
would, or as the kings, emperors, and nobles of the earth at this
day would do; but he considered it indicative of something in the
future; and a proclamation was sent forth among all the wise men
of Babylon, commanding them to reveal his dream an the
interpretation thereof, or they should be put to death. About the
time they were to carry out the sentence of the king, and put to
death the astrologers and wise men of great Babylon, Daniel
exclaimed, "Why is the decree so hasty from the king?" and
desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he
would show the king the interpretation. Through the prayer of
faith, the secret was revealed to Daniel, and he came before the
king and said, "Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image.
This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before
thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of
fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his
thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part
of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands,
which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay,
and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass,
the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became
like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind
carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the
stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled
the whole earth. This is the dream."
218
I will now relate the substance of the interpretation. This great
image which you saw represents the successive kingdoms of the
world, down to the setting up of the kingdom of God. The head of
gold represents the great kingdom over which you reign; the
breast and arms of silver represent another kingdom inferior to
thee, that shall succeed thy kingdom, which all commentators
agree was the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. The belly and
thighs of brass represent another kingdom which shall succeed the
Medes and Persians, which all agree in saying was the Macedonian
empire. The legs of iron represent the next in succession which
shall have universal dominion. All agree that the fourth
represents the Roman empire. The feet of iron and clay represent
the ten kingdoms which shall spring out from the broken fragments
of the Roman empire. Governments in their weak and divided state
were to have place on the earth until the kingdom of God should
be set up in the last days.
218
The kingdom of God was entirely distinct from this great image.
It formed no part of it, but it was represented as a stone cut
out of the mountain without hands. That stone smote the image on
the feet--not on the head, nor upon any other portion of the
body: it was first to commence its operations upon the feet and
toes of the great image; and then the feet, toes, legs, breast,
arms, and head were to be broken to pieces, and become like the
chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind was to carry
away the whole image, and there was to be no place to be found
for it, while the little stone was to increase to such a
magnitude that it should fill the whole earth; and the dominion,
even the greatness of the dominion under the whole heavens was to
be given to the Saints of the Most High. This is the true
interpretation of this remarkable prophetic dream.
218
It is not my intention this morning to say much concerning the
particular relations which the kingdom of God will have towards
the religious views of men and nations. This department of this
great subject was so ably investigated by our President, Sabbath
before last, that I should esteem it a folly for me to attempt to
throw any new light upon it. Indeed, it would be very difficult
to find language to express the ideas more clearly and plainly
than they were expressed by him.
218
My object has been this morning to take another branch of this
subject, and show you the times and the seasons of establishing a
theocracy upon the earth, and perhaps say something about its
final triumph.
218
From what has been said, we can perceive that some parts of
Daniel's prophecy have already been fulfilled. The predictions
were of such a character that no man by his own wisdom, in the
days of Daniel, could have possibly foreseen those far-off
events. What man, by his own human wisdom, could for a moment
have supposed that the kingdom of the Medes and Persians would
overthrow the great empire of Babylon, in the way that it was
foretold by Daniel? Again, what man, uninspired, could have
foreseen that the Greek empire, under the government and rule of
Alexander, would go forth and overthrow the Medes and Persians,
and bear rule over all the earth; and finally, that he should
die, and the kingdom be divided among four of his
generals?--which is all clearly foretold in the 7th and 8th
chapters of Daniel. What man, by his own sagacity, without the
inspiration of the Almighty, could have understood that a great
iron kingdom should arise, and be diverse from all the other
kingdoms, and should break in pieces and devour the whole earth,
and stamp them down with oppression and tyranny?--which it is
well known was done by the great Roman empire. All these things
were fulfilled literally.
218
Again, what human foresight could have predicted that this great
kingdom should be overcome and broken up, and that the fragments
should compose the modern kingdoms of Europe, together with those
governments that have emigrated from europe to this western
continent? All these prophecies have been literally fulfilled.
Why, then, not look for the kingdom of God to arise literally
from the mountains as a little stone, to break in pieces the
great image? If one portion of the prophecy has been literally
fulfilled, why not look for the literal fulfilment of the
balance? I expect the literal fulfilment of that prophecy
relating to the Saints of the last days arising like a small
stone unconnected with this image, and disunited from all forms
of government, both civil and ecclesiastical. I look for such a
kingdom to arise, with a separate form of government, and to
continue, and prevail, and progress, until the dominion and the
greatness of the dominion under the whole heavens shall be given
to the Saints of the Most High. I look for that to be fulfilled
literally, just as much as I know the other to have been
fulfilled literally. I know that it is often argued, by those who
profess to be wise men, that the kingdom represented by this
little stone cut out of the mountain took its rise 1800 years
ago. Let us examine this, for it is of the greatest importance
that we should understand the times and the seasons.
219
Daniel said that the kingdom which was to be established in the
last days never should be destroyed, nor left to other people,
but should exist for ever, and increase until the whole earth
should be filled by the Saints of the Most High. How did it
happen with the kingdom of Christ that was set up in ancient
times? I have already related it; but I will again briefly state
that the kingdom of God, set up 1800 years ago, did not fulfil
the terms of the prophecy. It was not set up at the proper time.
The whole image which Nebuchadnezzar saw was not then standing
complete from the head of gold to the feet of iron and clay,
which should have been the case before the stone is cut out of
the mountain without hands. Did it stand complete 1800 years ago?
No. Where were the iron legs in all their power and grandeur?
Where were the feet and toes, that were part of iron and part of
potter's clay? or, in other words, the ten kingdoms which were to
succeed the great empire of Rome? In the days of the ancient
kingdom of Christ they were not in existence. The image was not
complete: it lacked the lower portions; it lacked the legs and
feet of iron and clay. It is true, the Roman empire then existed,
but not as the great western and easter portions. It is known,
that it was long after Christ before Rome was divided into two
kingdoms representing the two iron legs. The capital of one was
at Constantinople, and the capital of the other at Rome, in
Italy. But where were these legs, feet, and toes, a few centuries
before, when the kingdom of Christ was on the earth? They did not
exist.
219
In those days there was no stone from the mountains, and there
were no feet and no toes to be broken in pieces. Instead of the
ancient Church fulfilling the prediction in breaking the image,
events proved a state of things directly the reverse. Some of the
governments forming the image made war with the Saints and
overcame them, and the ancient kingdom of Christ was destroyed
from the earth.
219
Hear what the prophets predict in relation to the ancient Church.
Daniel says, "And I beheld, and the same horn made war with the
Saints, and prevailed against them." (See Daniel vii. 21.) Again,
he says, "And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own
power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and
practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people." (See
Daniel viii. 24.)
219
He further says--"And such as do wickedly against the covenant
shall be corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their
God shall be strong and do exploits, and they that understand
among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the
sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil many days. Now,
when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help:
but many shall cleave to them with flatteries." (See Daniel xi.
32, 34.)
219
John, the Revelator, in describing this same power under the
figure of a beast, says--"And all the world wondered after the
beast." "And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints,
and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds,
and tongues, and nations." (See John's Revelation, chapter xiii.)
Therefore, instead of the ancient Church overcoming the image, it
was itself to be overcome by the image. History shows the sad
fulfilment of these predictions. Therefore the former-day kingdom
was not the stone of the mountain. The ancient kingdom being
overcome, fled to heaven, and the Priesthood was caught up to God
and to his throne; and there the Saints are reserved in heaven
until the coming of the Son of God to reign on the earth,
according to the predictions of the Prophets. Then he will bring
that kingdom which is in heaven with him. He has to set up a
kingdom on earth preparatory to that which will come from heaven.
This preparatory kingdom must be established on the earth, where
men-made governments exist. It will be a kingdom increasing in
greatness and power and glory on the earth for many years
preparatory to the coming of the King with the heavenly kingdom,
at which time both the heavenly and earthly will be united in
one, under their great Head and Lawgiver.
219
Having demonstrated the fact that an everlasting kingdom is to be
set up in the last days, let us next inquire whether the period
has arrived for such a grand event to be fulfilled. Is there
anything that should be fulfilled before we ought to look for
such a kingdom? Can any one show one prediction that needs to be
accomplished before the kingdom of God is set up on the earth,
never again to be destroyed?
220
The remnants of the old Babylonish empire, under the form of
other governments, will be found mostly in Asia. The breasts and
arms of silver will also be found in Asia. The belly and thighs
of brass will be found part in Asia and part in Europe. The
broken iron kingdom still exists in Italy, Europe. The feet and
toes exist throughout Europe and among the governments of America
of European origin. Thus the location of the image is known, its
head being in Asia, and the other extremity in America. No part
is lacking. It lies stretched out over lands and seas, occupying
nearly the whole of the two great hemispheres of our globe. The
old, wrinkled, worn-out monster seems ready to break in pieces.
All that seems to be necessary is for some power, distinct and
independent, to set the old thing crumbling, and its final
dissolution will soon follow. Such a power will be the kingdom of
God cut from the mountain. The location of the stone of the
mountain could not be in Asia, Africa, or Europe, nor upon any
distant island of the sea; but it must be in America, near the
extremities of the feet and toes. This mountain kingdom could not
be found in the low countries of America, but in some high,
elevated region.
220
There is no country which would better answer the terms of the
predicted location than that elevated region bordering upon the
great Rocky Mountain chain. A kingdom in that high region might
well be called a mountain kingdom, and be thus designated by the
inspired Daniel. Its proximity to the western extremity of the
image would almost preclude the idea of any other mountainous
location.
220
But to establish such a kingdom, some one must receive divine
authority. And what is the testimony of the Latter-day Saints in
regard to the calling of any one in this church? We want now to
test ourselves. Are we the kingdom of God that was to be
established in the last days? or are we not? Have we the
characteristics of that kingdom? Have we been called in that way
and manner that the servants of God in ancient days were called?
220
To answer this question, let us go back to Joseph Smith--the one
that organized this church by the commandment of the Almighty.
When, where, and how were you, Joseph Smith, first called? How
old were you? and what were you qualifications? I was between
fourteen and fifteen years of age. Had you been to college? No.
Had you studied in any seminary of learning? No. Did you know how
to read? Yes. How to write? Yes. Did you understand much about
arithmetic? No. About grammar? No. Did you understand all the
branches of education which are generally taught in our common
schools? No. But yet you say the Lord called you when you were
but fourteen or fifteen years of age? How did he call you? I will
give you a brief history as it came from his own mouth. I have
often heard him relate it.
221
He was wrought upon by the Spirit of God, and felt the necessity
of repenting of his sins and serving God. He retired from his
father's house a little way, and bowed himself down in the
wilderness, and called upon the name of the Lord. He was
inexperienced, and in great anxiety and trouble of mind in regard
to what church he should join. He had been solicited by many
churches to join with them, and he was in great anxiety to know
which was right. He pleaded with the Lord to give him wisdom on
the subject; and while he was thus praying, he beheld a vision,
and saw a light approaching him from the heavens; and as it came
down and rested on the tops of the trees, it became more
glorious; and as it surrounded him, his mind was immediately
caught away from beholding surrounding objects. In this cloud of
light he saw two glorious personages; and one, pointing to the
other, said, "Behold my beloved son! hear ye him." Then he was
instructed and informed in regard to many things pertaining to
his own welfare, and commanded not to unite himself to any of
those churches. He was also informed that at some future time the
fulness of the Gospel should be made manifest to him, and he
should be an instrument in the hands of God of laying the
foundation of the kingdom of God.
221
Some few years after this, having proved himself faithful before
the Lord, he was commanded by an holy angel to go to a hill about
three miles from his father's house, and to take from the ancient
place of their deposit certain plates, on which was recorded the
ancient history of this great Western continent from the earliest
ages until the records were hid up by an ancient Prophet some
four centuries after Christ.
221
In the year 1827 he was permitted to take those plates from their
long deposit, and with them the Urim and Thummim--a sacred
instrument such as was used by ancient Prophets among Israel to
inquire of the Lord. He was commanded of the Lord,
notwithstanding his youth and inexperience, to translate the
engravings upon those plates into the English language. He did
so, and others wrote from his mouth. Here, then, was the way that
the Lord commenced a preparatory work for the raising up of the
kingdom of God. What use would it have been to have raised up the
kingdom of God without giving new revelation on doctrine? If a
church were raised up without the Spirit of revelation, it could
not stand for ever: it would be broken up and scattered, the same
as the other systems of the day, into numerous fragments, one
contending that he was right, and another that he was right; and
thus it would be anything else but the kingdom of God: it would
be a perfect bedlam. But, to prepare the way, the Lord gave a
lengthy revelation, contained in the Book of Mormon, including
prophecies and the fulness of the Gospel, as taught by the mouth
of the Saviour himself on this vast continent 1800 years ago.
221
With such a revelation, the kingdom of God could be set up,
having an unerring guide in doctrinal subjects--a something to
show the true points of the Gospel of Jesus and the first
principles of the laws of the kingdom, and thus remove all cause
for any division of sentiment and opinion.
221
This inspired book was revealed to Joseph Smith in fulfilment of
those prophecies which I have often repeated before you, and
which clearly predict that such a work should come to establish
the kingdom of God on the earth. The book was printed in the
early part of the year 1830, after which the Lord gave express
commands to this young man to assemble together a few who
believed in the work, and lay the foundation of the Church.
Accordingly, on the 6th of April, 1830, the Latter-day Kingdom of
God commenced in its organization, consisting of only six
members, in the town of Fayette, Seneca County, State of New
York. Was this in reality the kingdom of God? Yes; it was its
beginning, or merely a nucleus around which proper materials were
to gather and be organized. In the beginning of January, 1831,
the Lord gave a revelation for the few members of his kingdom to
gather together from the State of New York and Pennsylvania to
the State of Ohio. They gathered to the place called Kirtland,
Geauga County. They stayed there a few years, during which the
Gospel of the kingdom was extensively preached in the United
States and the Canadas. The Saints continued gathering to
Kirtland and to Jackson County, Missouri.
222
The enemy was on the alert, and knew the difference between the
establishment of the kingdom of God and those systems established
by man. If the Church was permitted to prosper, he feared that
his time was short. With the hopes of destroying the kingdom, the
Devil waged war against the Saints in jackson County, and 1,200
men, women, and children were scattered abroad in the cold months
of November and December, 1833, wandering houseless and homeless,
without food or fire, over the wild prairies and desolate
wilderness of that country, pursued on every side by ruthless
mobs. After this they settled on the north side of the Missouri
river, in Clay County, where they resided some two years; they
were again forced to leave, and sought refuge from their
persecutors still further north, in the unsettled portions of the
State. In the meantime, the Saints in Kirtland were forced to
leave their homes, fleeing from their enemies into Missouri. in
1839 they were driven out of Missouri into Illinois. In 1844 the
great Prophet of this last dispensation was murdered while under
the pledged protection of the Governor of Illinois. In the winter
of 1846, some fifteen or twenty thousand were forcibly expelled
from their homes in Illinois. In the summer following, the sick,
and the poor, and the aged, whose circumstances had not permitted
them to accompany their brethren, were cannonaded out of Nauvoo.
222
In the midst of these most inhuman and dreadful persecutions, the
United States called for five hundred of these suffering,
wandering exiles to leave their families upon the Plains in the
midst of wild savages, without shelter or food, to fight the
battles of the nation against Mexico. In 1847, after incredible
hardships and suffering, the Saints arrived in these mountains.
222
The object of our persecutors in driving us here was to destroy
the kingdom. They threatened us with utter extermination if we
stopped short of these mountains. They supposed that, when once
here, our destruction would be inevitable. "On those arid and
sterile deserts they cannot subsist; famine will speedily waste
them away: we shall be rid of them." These were their
expectations. But the Lord had another object in view in
suffering us to be driven into these elevated regions: he
intended to fulfil the prediction of Daniel, that the stone might
be located in its appropriate place, and be more fully organized
and prepared against the day when it should be taken from the
mountain to fulfil the purposes of Jehovah, and itself to become
a great mountain and fill the whole earth.
223
While down yonder in those low countries, the stone was not in
the right place: it was not fully organized. They drove us into
these mountains; and when we arrived, we found now and then a
small valley, and here and there a bush growing, covered with
crickets so thickly that you could scarcely see the limbs. It
looked dreary to many to see nothing but parched grass, barren
land, and crickets in abundance, eating up everything in the form
of vegetation. We began to build houses; but I need not give you
the history of the particulars during the twelve years of our
sojourn here. Look abroad in this Territory: behold the
flourishing settlements, forming almost a continuous chain for
some 400 miles north and south. Look at this city for a sample.
Do not our comfortable buildings, our public works, our extensive
improvements testify before heaven and earth, God, angels, and
men, that the Latter-day Saints have been an industrious people,
if nothing else? Look at the amount of labour required of men
here to make a living that is not required in a more fertile
region. A man has to spend two or three tedious days to get one
small load of wood from our almost inaccessible mountain kanyons.
He has to irrigate the land, and spend as much labour in that one
thing as the Illinois farmer would in raising his whole crop.
Independent of all this, look at the scores of cities which have
sprung up as if by magic; the tens of thousands of houses that
have been erected, many of which are large and commodious, and
may be pronounced splendid for a new country.
223
All this immense labour has been accomplished within the short
space of twelve years. By whom has it been done? By a
down-trodden, persecuted people--a people who had already been
driven five times from homes and farms, suffering the loss of
millions. We might query here, Have the Latter-day Saints had
much time to do evil, even if they had been very much disposed to
do so? You generally find that an industrious people are a moral
people--that a people whose hands are engaged, whose physical
powers are exerted from sunrise till sundown, whose weary limbs
are obliged to be active in irrigating the soil by night as well
as by day, and who are obliged to ascend the mountain heights in
quest of wood and timber, exposed by night to the chilling blasts
and drifting snows of those elevated and dreary regions, have not
much time to devise mischief. On the other hand, you go among the
nations where they are eating and drinking and feasting on the
best, and what do you find there? All manner of evil,
drunkenness, lasciviousness, blasphemies, and every species of
degradation and immorality. Such a class of lazy, indolent
loungers can imagine up more mischief in twenty-four hours than
what the whole people of the Saints would live to do in
twenty-four years.
223
But the Devil is as mad as ever. His wrath has not ceased. He
feels as indignant, and a little more so, as when we were in the
States. We really thought, say our enemies, that they would have
perished in those deserts: we supposed that there could not be an
ear of corn raised in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains,
and that if we could not only get them there, we were sure they
would come to naught. But behold, they prosper! What shall we do?
We cannot organize mobs now before breakfast, and go up against
them as we did in Missouri and Illinois. Mobs are out of the
question now. We must get something more plausible to operate
upon them, to make the people think that we do it legally. We
must persecute them anyhow. And off went the officials that were
there to spread all manner of lies, that they themselves and
everybody else knew were lies; and the people have since proved
them to be such.
224
But, without appointing a committee of investigation, and without
any further information, the Chief Executive puts an army on the
march, while nothing but devastation, death, and utter
extermination were denounced by the whole nation, as well as the
army, upon the heads of the devoted citizens of Utah. The mail
was withheld, and months passed away before the peaceful,
industrious citizens of this Territory knew that an army were
approaching, or that anything had occurred to disturb our
peaceful relations with the General Government. Under these
startling circumstances, it was concluded to preserve our heads
upon our shoulders, if possible, until we could get some official
intelligence as to the intentions of the Government and the army.
In the providence of God, the army did not reach our settlements,
as they intended, until the following summer. No battles were
fought, no blood was shed, and we still lived. Commissioners
arrived from Washington, when we were for the first time informed
that the whole nation, with ourselves and the army, had been
labouring under an entire mistake,--that the President had no
intentions against the people of Utah, but was merely wishing to
establish some military posts.
224
If the nation had been informed of this one year before, what
terrible commotion and excitement would have been avoided? But
the President, no doubt, enjoyed the joke at the nation's
expense. The kingdom of God is destined to stand for ever and
fill the whole earth. How are our enemies going to help
themselves? They have tried to do something, but we are here in
our habitation yet; but if not, the kingdom of God would roll on.
We are occupying our farms yet; but if not, the kingdom of God
would roll on. Generally speaking, we are alive yet; but if half
of us were dead, the kingdom of God would roll on. And as yet our
houses are not burned, our crops destroyed, nor our cattle killed
off; but if they were, the kingdom of God would roll on.
224
Neither the United States' army nor all the armies of the earth
can destroy the kingdom. All that we claim is, as I have stated
heretofore, in relation to ourselves, the right guaranteed to us
by the American Constitution. We do not ask for any other rights:
we ask for no more privileges under that Constitution than what
are enjoyed by the people of every other Territory of the
American Union. And even these rights we do not ask for: they are
ours without asking for them. We do not beg for them: we will not
bemean ourselves so much as to crouch to the Congress of the
United States to ask for rights that we are already in possession
of, and that every American citizen should enjoy here upon this
boasted land of freedom.
224
What! ask for that which we already possess, which is guaranteed
to us by the great Constitution of our country, and which was
purchased for us by the blood of our noble ancestors! No; we will
do no such thing? We will take the privileges already ours, and
enjoy them, until force shall deprive us of them; and this is the
feeling which every American citizen should have. Every person in
the states, as well as in the Territories, who has the least
particle of the blood of freedom running in his veins, should
maintain the dignity of the Constitution of our country and the
national laws, and should esteem them as the great shield and
bulwark of our defence against tyranny and oppression, and should
maintain them inviolate, and claim them, if it be necessary, to
the shedding of the last drop of blood that runs in his veins. We
should claim them to the last, and say, Those rights are ours,
and we will maintain them or die! These are my feelings.
225
The kingdom of God is here. Is it a theocracy? Yes, so far as
ecclesiastical law is concerned. Is there anything in the
Constitution of this Government that prevents us from
establishing any kind of laws that we please to govern us
ecclesiastically, so long as we do not infringe upon the laws of
the United States, or go against any of the rights guaranteed in
the American Constitution? No. What is guaranteed to us in that
noble instrument handed to us by our fathers? It gives every
class of people. whether few or many, the privilege of organizing
themselves, and establishing whatever laws they please to govern
them in a Church capacity; and no one has a right to molest them.
Do we hold ourselves subject to the civil laws? Yes. God,
notwithstanding he has given us Church laws, has not freed us
from the authority of the civil law. We are subject to the
Constitution as much as Kansas is, and to the laws of the United
States as much as any Territory of the nation. Have we in any
respect transgressed? If we do not transgress the law, then let
us be free, like any other American citizens, and let us worship
God according to the dictates of our own conscience. Search the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants of this Church--go through all the
sections of that book, and you will find that the voice of the
Lord is unto the people, Do this, do that, and the other thing.
That is the word of the Lord: it is the law given to govern his
Church; and the Lord says in that book, You are bound to keep the
laws of the land; and he that keepeth my laws hath no need to
break the laws of the land.
225
The Lord has not come out and said to the Latter-day Saints, Do
you go against all human or civil laws; but the reverse: he has
given these heavenly laws while in our infancy to govern us in a
Church capacity; and in so doing, we do not infringe upon the
laws of man. Again: Here is the Book of Mormon, which contains a
theocratical law to govern the Saints of God. You can find
nothing in this book that comes in contact with the American
Constitution or the laws of the United States.
225
Where, then, are we transgressing by establishing a theocratical
form of Government in the midst of this republic? We are not
transgressing any more than the Methodists or the Baptists, or
any other religious sect. All have equal rights. I would as soon
take up the weapons of war to defend the rights of the
Presbyterians as any other sect and party on this American
Continent: they all have equal rights with the Latter-day Saints,
and therefore they should be protected with them. I do not know
all things which are in the future; but Daniel's prophecy has
pointed out that the little stone will smite the image on the
feet, and break in pieces the feet, iron, clay, brass, silver,
and gold, and that the whole great fabric should come tumbling
down together with a mighty crash. That is not fulfilled. But one
thing we do know--If they will let us alone, we will let them
alone, and do them good; but if they illegally and unlawfully
trample on our toes, I do not know but we shall try to fulfil
that which is in the prophecies. If they undertake to oppress us
and bring us down into bondage, and deprive us of our just rights
guaranteed by the Constitution, I do not know but the great
Jehovah has it in his mind to do unto them as they would do unto
us, if they had the power; and I do not know but we, as American
citizens, will be compelled to rise up and defend our just rights
and fulfil that which is spoken by the ancient Prophets, while
merely acting in self-defence.
226
We calculate to maintain the Government of the United States and
the principles of the Constitution. They were given indirectly by
the voice of inspiration to our ancestors: they were given to
maintain inviolate the principles of civil and religious liberty
to all people under heaven. Can the idolater come here and build
a temple to worship idols in? Yes. Go into California and you
will find one erected by the Chinese: they are worshipping dumb
idols there. The people undertook to punish them by law; but
judgment was given that inasmuch as they did not infringe upon
the rights of others, they had a right to worship idols. Is it
the privilege of the idolater to worship here? It is the
privilege of the Mahometan to come here with his many wives? It
ought to be; but so far as the local State laws are concerned,
they have deviated from the Constitution. These State laws make
the Mahometan divorce all his wives but one, or else they will
confine him in prison for years. These State laws will break up
his family and make him disown and turn out his children upon the
wide world, fatherless and unprotected. They say to the
Mahometan, You can live here in Missouri, or in any other State,
if you will only do this.
226
What wonderful liberty! Shame on the State which will thus pass
laws in open violation of the Constitution. I would see them all
in heaven or somewhere else, before I would thank them for
offering me liberty on conditions of breaking up my family.
226
Where can you put your finger on a law passed by the American
Congress which deprives a man of the rights guaranteed to him
relative to the government of his family, no matter whether he
takes one wife or many? Undertake to deprive the people of this
one domestic institution, and you can, upon the same principle,
deprive them of all others.
226
Imprison the polygamist for having more than one wife, and you
have the same right to imprison a man for having more than one
child, or to punish the slaveholder for having more than one
slave. The same Constitution that protects the latter also
protects the former. It is just as much the right of the people
to have twelve wives as to have twelve children. What would you
think of a State law that would undertake to deprive you of the
privilege of having only one child? This would be no more
barefacedly unjust than the State laws against polygamy.
226
The Mahometan can come to Utah with his wives; anybody can come
here, without having his family broken up, his wives torn from
his bosom and his children cast out to the world. We say to all
the world, Come to Utah; and so long as we have the power to
elect wise legislators, we will protect you in your domestic
rights, according to the national Constitution.
226
From what has been said, we begin to understand something about
the kingdom of God. It is to originate in the mountains and roll
down out of them, like a stone; and as it rolls it will gather
force and greatness, until it shall become in due time like a
great mountain, and fill the whole earth. And when the great King
shall come, sitting upon the throne of his glory in the midst of
the armies of heaven, every eye will see him--every ear hear his
voice. Then shall all the proud and they that do wickedly be
consumed as stubble; then all who will not give heed to the
Prophets, and Apostles, and Jesus will be cut off from among the
people, as was predicted by Moses; then shall all people,
nations, and tongues who are spared upon the face of the whole
earth serve and obey the great King;--then there will be no sects
and parties--no idolaters or unredeemed heathens; then will be
fulfilled the prediction of Zechariah--"And the Lord shall be
king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and
his name one." (Zech. xix. 9.) Then shall the knowledge of God
cover the earth as the waters cover the bosom of the great sea.
227
But between the time of the setting up of the kingdom and its
final triumph, there will be successive stages of its increasing
greatness and glory. Many of the Saints will see their King long
before he comes in the clouds of heaven. Before that great day
the Saints will have great dominion and rule on the earth. Zion
will send forth her laws and her institutions, and her peace
officers to protect every sect of Christendom and all flesh in
their religious rights, as was so clearly and eloquently laid
before you by our beloved President two Sabbaths ago. While time
shall last, the free agency of man should be protected; but when
the archangel shall stand forth upon the land and upon the sea,
and swear, in the name of Him who liveth for ever and ever, that
time shall be no longer, then woe be unto the wicked and those
who have rejected the servants of God, for they shall be consumed
by the brightness of his coming and punished for the abuse of
that moral agency given them, and in the exercise of which they
had been so carefully protected by the laws of Zion.
227
You see the difference between the period of time in which the
kingdom is growing and spreading forth and enlarging its
dominions, and that more glorious period when the kingdom of
heaven shall come to meet the earthly kingdom--when all the
powers of heaven shall be made manifest and have place on our
transfigured and sanctified earth. May the Lord our God, our
great King and Lawgiver, bless the people! May he open the eyes
of the honest, that the words of truth may penetrate them! May
the power of the Holy Ghost, like a gentle stream, flow over
them! May the Spirit of truth rest down mightily upon the Saints
of the latter days! May they be armed with power and with the
righteousness of God in great glory! May they rise up in mighty
faith, like the people in the days of Enoch, that the heavens may
clothe them with the glory of God! and may they go forth,
conquering and to conquer, until the false tradition and evils
and sins and abominations of the children of men shall be swept
from the earth, and until the King of kings and the Lord of lords
shall reign triumphantly with omnipotent power! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, April 7, 1860
VOTING TO SUSTAIN THE AUTHORITIES OF THE CHURCH--APPOINTMENT
OF ELDER CANNON TO FILL UP THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE--REMARKS
TO DEPARTING MISSIONARIES.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, April 7, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
227
I have not inquired whether there are any cases of difficulty
between brethren or differences in doctrine that should be
presented before the Conference. I have heard of none;
consequently I have not given an opportunity to present any. I do
not expect there is any such business requiring our attention.
228
We will first present the authorities of the Church; and I
sincerely request the members to act freely and independently in
voting,--also in speaking, if it be necessary. There has been no
instance in this Church of a person's being in the least
curtailed in the privilege of speaking his honest sentiments. It
cannot be shown in the history of this people that a man has ever
been injured, either in person, property, or character, for
openly expressing, in the proper time and place, his objections
to any man holding authority in this Church, or for assigning his
reasons for such objections. Persons have frequently ruined their
own characters by making false accusations. Some say they dare
not tell their feelings, and feel obliged to remain silent. They,
no doubt, tell the truth. Why do they feel so? This, probably,
arises from some vindictive feelings against a certain man or men
whom they would injure if they could; and they conclude that
their brethren are like them and would seek their injury, if they
should avail themselves of the privilege of speaking or acting
according to their wicked sentiments and thoughts: therefore they
dare not develop the evil that is within them, lest judgment
should be meted out to them. They know that they have evil
designs; they know that they would bring evil on their brethren,
if they had the power; and fear seizes them: they skulk off, and
in the midst of the enemies of this people they say they are
conscience bound--that they are tied by the influence, power, or
authorities of this people. What is it which thus binds them? It
is the power of evil which is in their own breasts: that is all
that in the least abridges them in their privileges.
228
When I present the authorities of this Church for the Conference
to vote upon, if there is a member here who honestly and
sincerely thinks that any person whose name is presented should
not hold the office he is appointed to fill, let him speak. I
will give full liberty, not to preach sermons, nor to degrade
character, but to briefly state objections; and at the proper
time I will hear the reasons for any objections that may be
advanced. I do not know that I can make a fairer proffer. I
certainly would, if it were reasonable to do so. I would not
permit contention; I would not permit long argument here: I would
appoint another time, and have a day set apart for such things.
But I am perfectly willing to hear a person's objections briefly
stated.
228
The first name I shall present to you is that of Brigham Young,
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If
any person can say that he should not be sustained in this
office, say so. If there is no objection, as it is usual in the
marriage ceremony of the Church of England, "Let them for ever
afterwards hold their peace," and not go snivelling around,
saying that you would like to have a better man, and one who is
more capable of leading the Church.
228
[The names of the authorities and the votes thereon were printed
in the Conference minutes.]
228
The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have made
choice of George Q. Cannon to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of
the Twelve. He is pretty generally known by the people. He has
been raised in the Church, and was one of our prominent Elders in
the Sandwich Islands. He went upon that mission when he was quite
young. He is also known by many as the Editor of a paper which he
published in California, called The Western Standard. He is now
East, assisting in the transaction of business and taking charge
of this year's emigration. I will present his name to the
congregation to become a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, to
fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Parley P. Pratt. If
this is pleasing to you, you will be so kind as to vote
accordingly.
228
[The vote was unanimous.]
228
As to evil-speaking, I will say that if men will do the will of
God and keep his commandments and do good, they may say what they
please about me.
228
[The names of persons selected to go on missions were read, and
the President continued his remarks.]
229
We have at times sent men on missions to get rid of them; but
they have generally come back. Some think it is an imposition
upon the world to send such men among them. But which is best--to
keep them here to pollute others, or to send them where pollution
is more prevalent? Ten filthy sheep in a flock of a thousand will
so besmear the whole, that, to the eye of a stranger, they all
appear to be worthless, when nine hundred and ninety of them are
as good as can be, but for the outside smearing by the ten filthy
ones. We have tried to turn the filthy ones out of the flock, but
they will not always stay out. A few such defile, to outward
appearance, the whole flock; and we have it to bear.
229
I wish the Elders to go and preach the Gospel, instead of begging
from the poor their last picayune. I could say a good many things
with regard to this subject, but I dislike doing so. My feelings
are keen upon this matter. I wish the Elders to go and preach the
Gospel, to bind up the broken-hearted, to hunt up the lame, the
halt, the blind, and the poor among men, and bring them home to
Zion. Do they do this? Not always. My feelings have been
sufficiently hurt by a different course; and if the Elders do not
stop it, I do not intend to bear it much longer. Perhaps some of
them may say--"Brother Brigham, I think our lives and preaching
and general deportment will compare very well with yours." Yes,
about as well as white will compare with black, blue, or red. I
ask the people of this Church, Who of you have helped me in the
days of my poverty? Sometimes a brother or a sister has given me
a shilling or a few coppers. The second time I went to Canada,
which was after I was baptized, myself and my brother Joseph
travelled two hundred and fifty miles in snow a foot and a half
deep, with a foot of mud under it. We travelled, preached, and
baptized forty-five in the dead of winter. When we left there,
the Saints gave us five York shillings with which to bear our
expenses two hundred and fifty miles on foot, and one sister gave
me a pair of woolen mittens, two-thirds worn out. I worked with
my own hands and supported myself.
229
I have borrowed money, but where is the man I have refused to pay
what I borrowed of him? If such a man can be found, let him come
forward. I have supported myself and my family, by the help of
the Lord and my good brethren. Some of the brethren have helped
me very liberally, for which I thank them. After I was ordained
into the Quorum of the Twelve, no summer passed in which I did
not travel during the summer: I also travelled during much of
each winter. Who supported my family? God and I. Who found me
clothing? The Lord and myself. I had a large family, and in the
States have paid as high as eleven dollars a barrel for flour.
229
My business is to save the people, not to oppress, plunder, and
destroy them. It is also the duty of all the Elders to labour to
save the people. Who supported me when I was in England? I was
sick and destitute when I started for England, with not a member
of my family able to bring me a drink of water. When I was able
to walk ten or fifteen yards to a boat, I started. For an
overcoat I had a little bed-quilt my wife used to put on a
trundle-bed. When I landed in England, I had six shillings. Who
administered to me? The Lord, through good men. The brethren were
good and kind to me; but they did not gather me five pounds in
this, and a hundred pounds in that Conference, and twenty pounds
in another Branch. Have our Elders gathered money in this way?
Yes, too often, if not all the time; and I am sick and tired of
it; and if they do not stop it, I will expose them.
230
My practice in England, when I went from my office, was to put a
handful of coppers in my pocket to give to the poor. Did I feed
anybody there? Yes, scores. Did I help anybody to America? Yes,
to the last farthing I possessed. By keeping the office and doing
business myself, I had money enough to come home; but brother
Heber and brother Willard borrowed money and helped others. When
we arrived home, were we flush with means? No; we were nearly
destitute. I had a little clothing, and the most of that I gave
away to poor brethren. I also had one sovereign, and, by
obtaining fifteen cents more, was able to buy a barrel of flour.
Brother Joseph asked me what I was going to do. I told him that I
did not know, but intended to rest with my family and friends
until we ate it up, and then I would be ready to walk in the way
the Lord should open before me. Joseph would often ask me how I
lived. I told him I did not know--that I did my best, and the
Lord did the rest.
230
Do men get rich by this everlasting begging? No. Those who do it
will be poor in spirit and in purse. If you desire to be rich, go
and preach the Gospel with a liberal heart, and trust in God to
sustain you. If you cannot by such a course come home with shoes,
come with moccasins; and if you are obliged to come barefooted,
tar the bottoms of your feet: the sand sticking in the tar will
form a sole; and thank God that you have arrived here in that way
rather than in carriages. But no; many of our Elders must come in
carriages: they must have gold, and silver, and fine clothing to
enable them to flirt around with their wives.
230
Let my wives take care of themselves. "But," says one, "I have
gratified and pampered my wives so long, were I go to away, what
would become of them?" Leave them to plan and provide for
themselves.
230
Will those Elders I am talking to to-day take the hint? or will
they follow the practice of too many, and beg, and make that
their chief joy and occupation? If you take the hint, go from
here without purse or scrip, unless the brethren give you
something: leave all you can with your families, and do not beg
creation dry. Preach the Gospel, gather the poor, and bring them
home to Zion. Return naked and barefoot rather than come in
carriages procured with money obtained from the poor and
destitute. If the rich give to you, receive it thankfully. Return
with a wheelbarrow or handcart, and bring some of the honest poor
with you. If you do not pursue this course, I shall conclude that
we have made a selection of grovelling, worldly-minded men, whose
brains, at least in my estimation, are not as they should be.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Heber
C. Kimball, August 28, 1859
Heber C. Kimball, August 28, 1859
GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES OF THOSE WHO KNOW THE TRUTH, &c.
A Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, on Sunday afternoon, August 28, 1859.
Reported by J. V. Long.
231
A great many things pass through my mind, not only here, but when
I am about here, transacting business and attending to those
things that devolve upon me: yes, there are thousands of
principles and ideas come into my mind in my ruminating moments,
and I frequently wish that I could send them, like the sound of
Gabriel's trumpet, to the hearts of the Latter-day Saints, and
especially of the Elders of Israel that dwell in these valleys,
and of all those who preside over the people of God in the North
and in the South, in the United States, in South America, in
Europe, and in all the nations of the earth, and of those on the
islands of the sea, and finally, of all Saints.
231
How do you think I feel when I see the conduct of some of the
Elders of Israel, who are guilty of cursing and swearing and
getting drunk? I feel disgusted.
231
I wish the Saints abroad felt as I do. If they did, they would
come to these valleys, if they had to come with handcarts, or
pack their provisions upon their backs: they would gather to the
headquarters of the Church, for there is the head of God's
government on the earth--the keys of power; and there is the
authority, and every person that comes into this Church is
connected with that authority.
231
This is upon the same principle that brother Pratt was speaking
of this morning. He said the main trunk of the Church was in
heaven; and I can tell you that that is not all, for the main
root is in heaven, even in our Father and our God, and his Son
Jesus Christ; and the moment that the Almighty sent Peter, James,
and John, and ordained Joseph Smith an Apostle, the seed of that
Priesthood and Church was planted: it was planted in him; and as
he received it, he planted it first in one, and then in another;
and this Gospel has gone forth into many parts of the earth.
Still remember that this is one seed; that is, it all sprang from
one, the same as one mustard seed will produce ten thousand, and
then continue to multiply so long as it is planted; and so it is
that this Priesthood has spread and increased in the world.
231
Now, we use figures as Jesus did; for said he, "I speak unto you
by parables, but the world understand them not." They do not
understand the work of God; they do not know that Joseph Smith
was a Prophet, or that Hyrum Smith was a Patriarch; neither do
they comprehend that Brigham Young is an Apostle and a Prophet.
If the people in Carthage or in Illinois had known these things,
they never would have killed Joseph.
232
If William Law, William Marks, and hundreds of others had known
that Joseph was a Prophet, they would not have betrayed him, nor
tried to take away his life.
232
Do you suppose that the people would have killed Jesus, if they
had known that he was the Son of God? In this dispensation they
have killed Joseph and Hyrum and thousands of others. Yes,
thousands of men, women, and children have gone to their graves
prematurely, in consequence of the persecutions of some portions
of the inhabitants of the United States; and many of those who
did not participate in the actual persecutions said amen.
232
Do I know this? Yes, I do. I visited the cities of Washington,
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, about the time of
the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and I know that the
majority of the people rejoiced in it: still it was a shock on
many of the people. Even now there are apostates that are laying
the foundation to kill many others.
232
How do you think I feel? Why, I feel precisely as Jesus felt
under similar circumstances, and he said it would be better that
such characters should have a millstone about their necks, and
they be sunk to the bottom of the sea.
232
Some who profess to be Saints and even Elders will get drunk,
fight, and swear most horribly. Their state and condition is much
worse than that of those who do not understand the law of God,
and who have not been educated in the principles of virtue,
righteousness, purity, and holiness.
232
Brethren and sisters, if you feel willing to do as I do, you will
stay at home and let the liquor go to hell, with those that
corrupt themselves with it. The only wish I have to offer is, I
wish there was a little more strychnine in it. I wish it for the
sake of all those that will not forsake their evils; for, if I
were in that position, I should wish I was where I could not sin
any more.
232
The present state of our society is permitted for a wise purpose,
and all things have transpired according to the will of God; but
these evils and this looseness of character that have been
brought in here were never designed for you and me. It was
published in the papers, by Congress-men and judges and others in
authority, that they would send a people here to improve our
morals, and to change them; so that if we had a man to send to
Congress, we might have a dozen candidates and as many parties,
and finally be the same as they are in the House of
Representatives. But, gentlemen, this will never be with the
Latter-day Saints. If the United States ever admit us into the
Union and give us a State Government, we will carry out the
principles of union, justice, and righteousness in these
mountains, according to the will of Heaven.
232
Some of my brethren think that I had better not say anything
about the United States; but they will give us a State Government
just as soon if I talk about them as if I never named them.
233
It is as I used to tell Dr. Bernhisel, when we sent him to
Congress, about the time that plurality was preached, that the
cats were not all out of the bag yet. I told him that the cats
were going to have kittens, and then the kittens would have cats.
But it is all right whether they give us a State Government or
not. Still, if our Father in heaven designs that we should have a
State Government, we shall have one, whether I say much or little
about it; and when he intends to bring it about, he will change
the minds of the President, Cabinet, and Senate, and House of
Representatives; and he can do it as easily as I can change this
pitcher from one side of the stand to the other, and I know it.
He handles the nations of the earth, the President of the United
States and his Cabinet, and he will finally handle the whole
world for the good of his people.
233
This seems a good deal to believe. [Voice: I believe it.] You
believe it! Bless your soul, I know it. "Mormonism" is right, and
I am here telling James Buchanan what will be. I suppose you will
say that the Lord never will do this. But the Lord can change Mr.
Buchanan's mind in five minutes, just as easily as I can change
the potter's vessel, or take a lump of clay and change it into
more than one hundred and fifty different shapes.
233
You know that I am a potter by trade. Do you think the Lord can
turn and twist you into as many shapes of mind as I can a piece
of clay? I want you to be one--to be united in all things, that
you may have the blessings of heaven upon you.
233
I can say that I feel cheerful; I feel well; I enjoy the good
Spirit continually, and wish that every Saint enjoyed the same
blessings to the same extent that I do. Who ever saw any one
misused by me? No one. When I speak plainly of the conduct of
men, some will say that I mean them. All I have to say is that I
mean those who are guilty.
233
I want you to remember that there are a great many steps to be
taken in this kingdom; and if people will try to do right in all
things, the Lord will bless and prosper them; and I feel in my
heart to bless all good men, and all that have done good to this
people. I bless those that have brought us goods--sugar, tea,
coffee, &c.
233
Now, friends and neighbours--you that have come to bring us
goods, you are God's servants, and you shall be blest if you will
continue to bring us goods.
233
Brethren, in regard to our friends that are here, I wish to say
that they are the children of our Father and our God, and they
have come here and brought their goods; and I will take the
liberty of using a Yankee phrase, and say we were pretty ragged
before they came here. Gentlemen, you have conferred a favour
upon us, and no doubt many of our people will purchase goods from
you. Now, when you get our money and our favour, do try and speak
a good word for us; and when I come up and speak to you, don't
look as if you would bite my head off. I have never cheated you
out of one dime, neither have I taught my brethren to do so. I
treat all men honourably, and teach others to do likewise.
233
I will here give you merchants a little advice. Let our people
have your goods at a reasonable price, and don't have a dozen
different prices for the same article in your stores. If you will
pursue this course, you will gain confidence and secure custom;
but if you don't, you will lose it, for we shall turn merchants
ourselves. You have done good in bringing goods here, and I wish
you would bring from one to two thousand waggons next year, all
heavily laden with such things as we require. Why? Because, when
goods come here, they have to be sold; and if more were brought,
they would come down in price, and we should be able to get about
as much for one dollar as we can now get for three. I say, god
bless you! for you rescued us from the sharks. You know that a
shark is a fish that eats up all the other fish.
233
I am a backwoods Yankee, born in Vermont, in the mountains, and I
don't fear any man on the earth, and never did. If I continue to
abide in the principles of truth, I shall go to a place where
truth dwells unsullied. I am a friend to this people, for they
are the people of God, and they will prosper in all their
righteous undertakings.
234
We are blessed with plenty of all things necessary for our
comfort this year, and we shall have enough next year, for I have
no idea that these things can be taken out of the country. But I
look for pretty keen times after that, and therefore I would
recommend the brethren to buy goods and lay them away, and don't
sell them; for the time will come when many will be destitute of
the necessary comforts of life.
234
Take your grain and lay it away against a day of famine. "But,"
says some one, "he is repeating what he said a few Sundays ago."
Well, never mind how often I speak of these things: they are for
your good. Some have tried to make you believe that you cannot
keep your grain; but I say you can, if you choose, and preserve
it for years.
234
I will relate a fact in relation to my own affairs. I have been
removing a bin containing 1,200 bushels of my wheat that has lain
in the basement story of a stone house three years, and a portion
of it four years; and it is as good as it was when I had it put
in there. I moved it because the brethren said it would spoil,
and I thought I would put it in another bin, which I am doing;
and, by the help of God, I intend to keep it. And I will say that
if I had ten or fifty thousand dollars, I would lay it out in
wheat.
234
Some are afraid of speculating in wheat; but I am not, for I
shall live to see the day when I shall be able to feed many of
you. Why, don't you believe that wheat is the best property you
can have on hand? Test it; try my words, and see if I tell the
truth about it, as well as I do about other things. Many of you
say you believe it; and if you do, repent of your sins and
forsake them, and for ever turn away from them, and then be
baptized for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost by the blessing of that Priesthood which
is now upon the earth. But some say they do not believe it;
therefore they won't forsake their sins.
234
With regard to grain, I will say, If you do not lay it up and
keep it, you will be sorry in a day to come; for you will see
hard times, trying times, plagues, and famines, and bloodshed. Be
advised and provide in time, and while you have the opportunity.
234
The Apostle James, in speaking of faith, says, "Show me your
faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my
works." That is the way I intend to show mine. I will lay up my
grain, my cloth, and all the comforts of life, that my family may
be comfortable--be made to rejoice and praise the Lord. I am
sometimes joyful and sometimes sad, but I try so to live that I
may always enjoy the Holy Spirit.
234
I have no doubt about the time coming when we shall feel the
pangs of hunger and destitution; and when that time comes, what
will be the state of things with the world? Just as well as I
know what brother Pratt said to-day was true, and that it will
come to pass, do I know that these things will be of which I have
been speaking.
234
I see the course that is being taken here. Every few days a man
or two has to die. What is the cause of this? It is the liquor
and strychnine they take that fills them with the Devil. When I
first heard of these things that have been occurring, I thought
they proceeded from a few rowdy boys; but I learn that it is a
few wicked men who are slaves to their appetites. It originates
with drunkenness, whoring, and lying.
235
Now, are we not moralized? Have we not become highly civilized?
There never were such things known in these valleys until the
army came. I never knew of such drunkenness, whoring, or murder,
until then. Every little while there is somebody shot. I am
ashamed of such conduct in our streets.
235
Brethren, away to your labour, live your religion, and serve your
God with full purpose of heart, and keep away from places where
there is no good to be obtained. What are you down that street so
much for? If you have not special business with them, do not
associate with the wicked. Have I advised one of my children to
go there? No, nor my wives either: they had better be at home
cleaning their clothes, mending their stockings, and doing those
things that are required of them. This is what they ought to be
at. Every woman in these mountains, throughout these valleys,
ought to be attending to these important duties. I never saw such
things in the country I came from, and I did not know that there
was so much sin and corruption as I now see in the world. I was
honest, and I thought everybody else was honest. I am honest now,
and virtuous and upright, and always have been; and this is what
makes me bold.
235
I do not fear the face of man, or anything that lives on the
earth. I only fear to do anything that would grieve my heavenly
Father, as a child should fear to disobey his earthly parents.
But there is not that care now that there was when I was a boy
under age. When a son is eighteen or twenty-one years of age, he
now says, I shall do as I please. This, however, is only in
fulfilment of the words of the Apostle Paul, where he says, "This
know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For
men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers,
in-continent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors,
heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,
having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses
and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with
divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy, 3rd chap., 1 to 7 verses.)
235
These are Paul's words used when he was prophesying of the last
days, and they have verily come to pass. Bless your souls, I
never thought of being disobedient to my father and mother; and
in the land where I was born I never heard of such a thing. I was
born in Vermont, and brought up in Ontario county, in the State
of New York, where I stayed until I embraced "Mormonism." But
times have changed wonderfully since I was a boy, and more
especially since the revelation of the Gospel to Joseph Smith.
The spirit of disobedience and, I may say, of every species of
wickedness, has increased among the people.
235
From the time I embraced the Gospel, I have been knocked about
considerably; but I am now here in the mountains, and I am ten
times better off than I ever was before; and I have not got the
means out of your hands, neither Saints nor sinners. I have had
things stolen, and have had men come and confess it to me; but
they never brought anything back yet. I told every man that came
to me that I would forgive him, but I never told any one that he
could keep the article he had feloniously taken; and all such
acts will stand against men, and I shall meet them at the bar of
God, if I remain faithful. This is my religion, and these are my
feelings respecting sinners who know what the law of God is.
236
Now I will speak a few words about Mr. Ethan Allen, the grandson
of Colonel Ethan Allen, who was in the Revolutionary war. He came
along with the troops that came here this season: he travelled
with them, because there was a little danger from the Indians,
and the officers advised him not to come through this city at
all. But he told them that he was acquainted with President
Brigham Young and with Heber C. Kimball; and said he, "I am going
to see them, for I have been acquainted with Heber C. Kimball
nearly forty years, and I am satisfied that they are as good men
as I need wish to associate with." The officers he was talking to
said that he would find us to be "damned scoundrels." But
notwithstanding this, he came and spent several days with me, and
visited President Young several times; and when he went away, he
wept, and I felt to bless him: therefore I said, "Ethan, peace be
with you!--peace and salvation attend you and your family!" I
then told him to inquire of the Lord, and he would reveal to him
a knowledge of the truth.
236
He said to me, "I have heard a great many things against your
people; but I have found things just as I supposed I should: I
find you are all doing right and feeling well. "But," says he,
"Mr. Kimball, there are thousands of your old friends and
neighbours that would have been glad to spill your blood, and
they have expressed such sentiments both from the pulpit and from
the press."
236
I told him I knew it, and that I was just as good a man then as I
am now, and now as I was then, and that I expected to continue to
do good as long as heaven exists, and righteousness prevails, and
God reigns. "Now," said I, "tell such men to help themselves, if
they can; for 'Mormonism' will prevail, and they cannot put it
down, and I know it."
236
I do not care what anybody writes, if they tell the truth--tell
things just as I tell them, and that is just as they are. You
cannot prejudice the world any more than they are now prejudiced.
If you go to the Devil, you will have nobody to blame for it but
yourselves. I do not mean the sectarian's hell, but I mean the
hell that the "Mormons" believe in, and that is a hell of
torment.
236
When the wicked find that they are separated from their fathers
and friends--from those that are saved, they will feel sorrowful
and be in torment. Where are the wicked going? I do not know: the
Lord may break off a piece of the earth, and let them slide." I
do not know: the Lord may break off a piece of the earth, and let
them slide." I do not know anything about a sectarian hell, but I
know what God says about it--"He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
236
Now, the extent of that damnation is not here revealed; but I
believe that all will be saved that can be reached by the
redemption of Jesus Christ; and there is a way to save everybody,
except those that sin against the Holy Ghost, or shed innocent
blood, or consent thereto; and they will be judged as brother
Pratt said they would. If a man has shed innocent blood, he will
have to pay the atonement, or he never can atone for his sin;
therefore, at the day of judgment he will be judged according to
men in the flesh, and condemned according to the law.
236
Repent of your sins now, and have them forgiven, and do not wait
till after you leave this probation.
236
May the peace of God be with you! Peace be upon the righteous.
But the wicked won't prosper: they will wither and be forgotten;
and though they may plot evils against this people from this time
forth, they will be frustrated.
237
This is the kingdom of God, and that makes me so bold and
fearless, because I know it; and I know it would go on and
prosper, if they were to kill me and president Young; for we have
10,000 Elders in the United States and in this Territory, and
about 12,000 in Europe; and therefore there is no fear of the
work falling to the ground for want of men to represent it.
237
Brethren and sisters, be faithful, be humble and diligent, and
the good Spirit of the Lord will attend you from this hour, and
you will finally be saved in our Father's kingdom; which I
earnestly pray may be the happy lot of you and all good Saints,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, September 1, 1859
Brigham Young, September 1, 1859
PROVIDENCES OF GOD--PRIVILEGES AND DUTIES OF THE
SAINTS--SPIRITUAL
OPERATIONS AND MANIFESTATIONS--THE SPIRIT WORLD, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, September 1, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
237
I wish you to understand and practise the lessons you have
already received, or you cannot consistently look for more. And
do not become tired or discouraged if you cannot learn your
lessons all at once, for with diligent and close application you
can learn how to live to all eternity, which is the object of our
being here. Be patient; do not murmur at the dealings of
Providence. The Lord rules in the heavens and works his pleasure
upon the earth. Can you comprehend the meaning of the Prophet
Amos in the question, "Shall there be evil in the city, and the
Lord hath not done it?" His providences are constantly ruling and
overruling, to a greater or less degree, in the affairs of the
children of men. Do all people discern and understand that his
providences are over the workmanship of his hands, and that he
controls all things? No, they do not. The lessons you have been
taught tend to instruct you upon these points.
238
Can this people understand that the Lord--that Being we call our
Father, as also the Gods and all heavenly beings, lives upon the
principles that pertain to eternity? Can the people comprehend
that there is not, has not been, and never can be any method,
scheme, or plan devised by any being in this world for
intelligence to eternally exist and obtain an exaltation, without
knowing the good and the evil--without tasting the bitter and the
sweet? Can the people understand that it is actually necessary
for opposite principles to be placed before them, or this state
of being would be no probation, and we should have no opportunity
for exercising the agency given us? Can they understand that we
cannot obtain eternal life unless we actually know and comprehend
by our experience the principle of good and the principle of
evil, the light and the darkness, truth, virtue, and
holiness,--also vice, wickedness, and corruption? We must discern
and acknowledge that the providences of the Lord are over all the
works of his hands--that when he produces intelligent beings he
watches over them for their good. He has given human beings an
intelligence designed to become eternal, self-existent,
independent, and as Godlike as any being in the heavens.
238
To answer such design, we are given our agency--the control of
our belief, and must know the darkness from the light and the
light from the darkness, and must taste the bitter as well as the
sweet.
238
You need exhorting rather than teaching. You have been taught
doctrine in abundance, and I have sometimes thought it a pity the
Lord has revealed quite as much as he has. And I can truly say
that I believe, if I am guilty in any one point in my walk before
this people, it is in telling them things they are not worthy
of--that I have given unto them things that they could not
receive. For this reason I deem it mainly needful to stir up your
pure minds by way of remembrance.
238
Brother Spencer referred to the carelessness and forgetfulness of
the people, and to how prone we are to get out of the way, to
depart from the love, enjoyment, peace, and light that the Spirit
of the Lord and of our religion gives unto us. We should live so
as to possess that Spirit daily, hourly, and every moment. That
is a blessing to us, which makes the path of life easy. For a man
to undertake to live a Saint and walk in darkness is one of the
hardest tasks that he can undertake. You cannot imagine a
position that will sink a person more deeply in perplexity and
trouble than to try to be a Saint without living as a Saint
should--without enjoying the spirit of his religion. It is our
privilege to so live as to enjoy the spirit of our religion. That
is designed to restore us to the presence of the Gods. Gods
exist, and we had better strive to be prepared to be one with
them.
238
The people wish to know what to do to do right. When those who
live their religion meet to speak to each other--to mutually
strengthen their faith and encourage one another in good
principles, in good, wholesome, loving lives--in morality,
tradition causes some to say that they mean to do better--to
alter their lives and live better than they have, when, if it was
to save the world, they could not live any better unless they
knew more. Have we not made mistakes? Yes, a great many. If we
had known better, we could have done that which would have
resulted in greater good. But, considering their knowledge, those
who are striving to do right cannot conduct themselves any better
than they do. I know a great many that I have that opinion about.
Do they err? Yes. Do they knowingly do wickedly? They do not; but
they do as well as people can. And I do not believe that brother
Spencer, the President of this Stake, could, with the same
knowledge, better this life in past years; and I have the same
feeling in regard to many with whom I am acquainted. I know this
by my own experience, which is a most excellent schoolmaster when
we do the best we can.
239
We will seek unto the Lord for more knowledge; we will get wisdom
and forget it not, but treasure it up in our hearts, and treasure
up every holy principle as fast as our ability will permit us to
do so. And if our minds are strong enough, and we are so
constituted as to comprehend and retain, let us strive to receive
every principle that pertains to life and salvation, and treasure
them up in our hearts against the time of need. Walk humbly
before our God, and learn correct principles as fast as you can;
and then, when you discover you have missed it here and there,
where you imagine that you could have done better, never find
fault with the knowledge God has given you, nor with your own
faith, virtue, and works; for you have done the best you could.
239
This people are familiar with very many principles pertaining to
eternal life; and I will ask you what principle that will
endure--what that is valuable in life is there, so far as you
have learned, and what is there in life which you know, have
known, can learn, or that exists, that "Mormonism" has not given
to you? "Mormonism," or, in other words, the Gospel of salvation,
embraces the whole. It incorporates every true principle there is
in heaven and on earth. If a person learns a truth, he learns so
much of the Gospel of salvation. And when he learns that, he
wants to understand the bearings of the great plan. He wants to
understand--I will not say the extent of it, because he cannot do
so, but as much thereof as his ability can comprehend, and to
discern that the Gospel of salvation, the eternal Priesthood of
the Son of God, is the life that is, that was, and that is to
come,--eternal life. Those principles are given to the children
of men to practise upon, that in so doing they may come up and
inherit eternal life. This is for us to learn, treasure up in our
hearts, and practise. Do not seek for that which you cannot
magnify, but practise upon that which you have in your
possession.
239
I know very well that, whether we are active or not, the
invisible spirits are active. And every person who desires and
strives to be a Saint is closely watched by fallen spirits that
came here when Lucifer fell, and by the spirits of wicked persons
who have been here in tabernacles and departed from them, but who
are still under the control of the prince of the power of the
air. Those spirits are never idle; they are watching every person
who wishes to do right, and are continually prompting them to do
wrong. This makes it necessary for us to be continually on our
guard--makes this probation a continual warfare. We do not expect
to be idle. The individual that obtains a celestial kingdom will
never be idle in the flesh. It is a spiritual warfare. He
contends against the spirits of darkness and against the workers
of iniquity, and wars all the day long against his own passions
that pertain to fallen man. It is therefore necessary that the
people speak often one with another, encourage each other in
every good word and work, sustain every one in every good act,
operate against every evil act, and continue so to do through
life.
239
Some, who understand more or less of the principles of the
Gospel, appear to be a trifle discouraged. Such do not think more
of the life to come than they do of the present life. When the
breath leaves the body, your life has not become extinct; your
life is still in existence. And when you are in the spirit world,
everything there will appear as natural as things now do. Spirits
will be familiar with spirits in the spirit world--will converse,
behold, and exercise every variety of communication one with
another as familiarly and naturally as while here in tabernacles.
There, as here, all things will be natural, and you will
understand them as you now understand natural things. You will
there see that those spirits we are speaking of are active: they
sleep not. And you will learn that they are striving with all
their might--labouring and toiling diligently as any individual
would to accomplish an act in this world--to destroy the children
of men.
240
Pertaining to the present state of the world, you know what evil
spirits are doing. They are visiting the human family with
various manifestations. I told the people, years and years ago,
that the Lord wished them to believe in revelation; and that if
they did not believe what he had revealed, he would let the Devil
make them believe in revelation. Do you not think that the Devil
is making them believe in revelation? What is called
spirit-rapping, spirit-knocking, and so forth, is produced by the
spirits that the Lord has suffered to communicate to people on
the earth, and make them believe in revelation. There are many
who do not believe this; but I believe it, and have from the
beginning.
240
If true principles are revealed from heaven to men, and if there
are angels, and there is a possibility of their communicating to
the human family, always look for an opposite power, and evil
power, to give manifestations also: look out for the counterfeit.
240
There is evil in the world, and there is also good. Was there
ever a counterfeit without a true coin? No. Is there
communication from God? Yes. From holy angels? Yes; and we have
been proclaiming these facts during nearly thirty years. Are
there any communications from evil spirits? Yes; and the Devil is
making the people believe very strongly in revelations from the
spirit world. This is called spiritualism, and it is said that
thousands of spirits declare that "Mormonism" is true; but what
do that class of spirits know more than mortals? Perhaps a little
more in some particulars than is known here, but it is only a
little more. They are subject in the spirit world to the same
powers they were subject to here.
240
If we live faithful to the doctrine and faith of the holy Gospel
we have embraced, we shall understand the real benefit and
advantage that we will have over those who are not in possession
of the true principles of salvation or the Priesthood. If we are
faithful to our religion, when we go into the spirit world, the
fallen spirits--Lucifer and the third part of the heavenly hosts
that came with him, and the spirits of wicked men who have dwelt
upon this earth, the whole of them combined will have no
influence over our spirits. Is not that an advantage? Yes. All
the rest of the children of men are more or less subject to them,
and they are subject to them as they were while here in the
flesh.
240
If we conquer here and overcome in the Gospel, in the spirit
world our spirits will be above the power of evil spirits. Not
that we can so overcome, while here, as to be free from death;
for though Jesus overcame, yet his body was slain.
240
Every person possessing the principle of eternal life should look
upon his body as of the earth earthy. Our bodies must return to
their mother earth. True, to most people it is a wretched thought
that our spirits must, for a longer or shorter period, be
separated from our bodies, and thousands and millions have been
subject to this affliction throughout their lives. If they
understood the design of this probation and the true principles
of eternal life, it is but a small matter for the body to suffer
and die.
241
When death is past, the power of Satan has no more influence over
a faithful individual: that spirit is free, and can command the
power of Satan. The penalty demanded by the fall has been fully
paid; all is accomplished pertaining to it, when the tabernacle
of a faithful person is returned to the earth. All that was lost
is passed away, and that person will again receive his body. When
he is in the spirit world, he is free from those contaminating
and condemning influences of Satan that we are now subject to.
Here our bodies are subject to being killed by our enemies--our
names to being cast out as evil. We are persecuted, hated, not
beloved; though I presume that we are as much beloved here as the
spirits of the Saints are in the spirit world by those spirits
who hate righteousness. It is the same warfare, but we will have
power over them. Those who have passed through the vail have
power over the evil spirits to command, and they must obey.
241
You require to be stirred up to reflection, to examine your
religion--the faith of the holy Gospel--the Priesthood; for it is
worthy of your notice, lest perhaps a little gold becomes too
precious in your thoughts. The individual who builds all his
hopes upon property, upon gold and silver, and the possessions of
this world, making these treasures his idol, has never yet seen,
by vision, the glory of the celestial world,--has not had a
foretaste of it. He has little or none of that knowledge which
God designs to give to the faithful. When that is possessed, what
is the world to Saints? It is subject to them, and it is not in
the power of Satan to blot out or destroy that heavenly
knowledge.
241
You see men eagerly striving for gold, riches, wealth, and
mourning and fretting--"We wish we had done so-and-so, for then
we should have made a few more dimes. And now we wish to go and
obtain piles of gold, and to do this and that--to heap up wealth
and gain power." As Lorin W. Babbitt said, who used to belong to
this Church, but went to California, "I am going to sell my house
and go away. I have laboured eighteen years for the Lord, and now
I am going to work for Lorin W. Babbitt." What an expression!--as
though he could control the elements. If he possessed a mountain
of gold and gambled it away in one night, it would still be in
the world, whether in his possession or out of it. Suppose that
I, through covetousness and dishonesty, had accumulated millions
of dollars, and then should lose it all in an hour, in neither
case is it out of the world, and there is as much property in the
one case as in the other: it has merely changed hands. Solomon,
when speaking of these things, says, The race is not to the
swift, nor riches to men of wisdom. Do not fret, nor be so
anxious about property, nor think that when you have gathered
treasures, they alone will produce joy and comfort; for it is not
so.
242
The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor
riches to men of wisdom. The Lord gives the increase: he makes
rich whom he pleases. You may inquire, "Why not make us rich?"
Perhaps, because we would not know what to do with riches. You
remember that a while past, nine waggons went through this city
on their way to California, accompanied by some soldiers as an
escort and guard. One of our missionaries, returning home, met
them on the northern route, and asked one of them what caused him
to apostatize? The man replied--"To tell you the truth, I was
used so well at Great Salt Lake City that I could not endure it.
I came there with a hand-cart company, and had not a mouthful of
anything to eat, no clothing, nor anything to make me
comfortable. As soon as I arrived in the city, Heber C. Kimball,
having learned my name, met me and said, 'Brother, there is a
house; there are flour, meal, and fuel: you have had a hard time;
go there with your family, and make yourselves comfortable, and
eat and drink, and get rested; and when you wish to go to work, I
will give you employment and pay you for your labour.' From that
day my heart was in me to do evil. I have been trying to
apostatize ever since and have finally made out to do so; and I
cannot attribute it to anything in the world, only that I was
used so well."
242
This exhibits the spirit that is in many. They are faithful while
they are extremely poor; but give them wealth, and they are
thrown off their guard, forget their sacred vows and solemn
covenants, and the property they have around them occupies their
whole attention and affections; their minds become wholly
engrossed in their possessions. Doubtless there are some
instances opposite to this; but probably, in nineteen cases out
of twenty, poverty and hardship will tend to make people humble
and faithful.
242
Oppression, persecution, afflictions, and other trials and
privations are necessary as a test to all professing to be
Saints, that they may have an opportunity to witness the workings
of the power which is opposed to truth and holiness. Go into East
Temple-street (now commonly called "Whisky-street"), and you will
see all the wickedness you can reasonably wish to. You can there
see it, smell it, taste it, and learn enough about it, without
going anywhere else. It is all necessary, that we may have the
privilege of proving whether we prefer good or evil. There are
robbery, theft, drunkenness, lying, deceiving, gambling, whoring,
and murder; and what evil is there lacking? Scan the civilized
world and ask what evil they have that we have not; and if there
is one lacking, it will come, for every variety is necessary to
prove whether we will preserve our integrity before God.
242
You will know that the evil done here is laid to me. Let them
pursue that course until they are tired of it. I defy them, from
the gate of the celestial kingdom to the bottom of the bottomless
pit, to truthfully substantiate a single accusation against me.
They may continue to lie, and hire others to lie, and trump up
false accusations against me; for I am accustomed to that kind of
treatment from the wicked, and I am fully able, God being my
helper, to endure it: it does not hurt me one particle. If the
Devil and his servants loved me, and wrote and spoke well of me,
I should be jealous of myself. But if I keep the fellowship of
the Holy Ghost, I shall also have the fellowship of Saints and
angels. Then let the wicked howl and foam; it is all right.
242
I wish to know whether I can stand the power of temptation and
preserve my integrity. I know not but what I may be thrown into
circumstances that will be pretty hard, but feel tolerably well
assured that I shall not apostatize.
242
Evil temptations and abuse are necessary to prove our faith, to
determine whether we will sacrifice our carnal appetites and
desires, or forsake the knowledge of God and godliness. If we are
not willing to make sacrifices for the truth and the Gospel's
sake, we are not worthy celestial glory. What is there of an
earthly nature, even though dear to us, that we cannot live
without, so we have that which will sustain nature and enable us
to perform the duties and labours resting upon us? With the
exception named, I do not know of anything.
243
I can let you all go, so far as I may be required. I do not know
that I ever thought enough of tobacco, tea, snuff, or anything
else of that description, to alter the natural traits of my
character. My passions must be in subjection to my spirit.
Perhaps I am not possessed of such ungovernable passions as many
are. But let our passions be as they may, the whole man must be
the servant of that Being who gives us life. We need to talk with
each other, pray with each other, and encourage each other, until
our spirits have overcome all propensities to evil. Do you
understand, what I have often taught you as plainly as my
language will permit me, the warfare pertaining to the spirits of
the children of men while in the flesh? The spirit is pure and
holy upon its entrance into the tabernacle, and God, by the power
of his Spirit, operates upon it; but the flesh, and no more, is
unholy; and here are the holy and the unholy united. Which shall
be the master? Let the spirit that comes from the eternal world,
which at the outset is pure and holy, with the influence God
gives to it, master all the passions of the body, and bring it
under subjection to he will of Christ. That course makes us
Saints.
243
I have flattered myself, if I am as faithful as I know how to be
to my God, and my brethren, and to all my covenants, and faithful
in the discharge of my duty, when I have lived to be as old as
was Moses when the Lord appeared to him, that perhaps I then may
hold communion with the Lord, as did Moses. I am not now in that
position, though I know much more than I did twenty, ten, or five
years ago. But have I yet lived to the state of perfection that I
can commune in person with the Father and the Son at my will and
pleasure? No,--though I hold myself in readiness that he can
wield me at his will and pleasure. If I am faithful until I am
eighty years of age, perhaps the Lord will appear to me and
personally dictate me in the management of his Church and people.
A little over twenty years, and if I am faithful, perhaps I will
obtain that favour with my Father and God.
243
I am not to obtain this privilege at once or in a moment. True,
Joseph Smith in his youth had revelations from God. He saw and
understood for himself. Are you acquainted with his life? You can
read the history of it. I was acquainted with him during many
years. He had heavenly visions; angels administered to him. The
vision of his mind was opened to see and understand heavenly
things. He revealed the will of the Lord to the people, and yet
but few were really acquainted with brother Joseph. He had all
the weaknesses a man could have when the vision was not upon him,
when he was left to himself. He was constituted like other men,
and would have required years and years longer in the flesh to
become a Moses in all things. For the length of time he lived, he
was as good a man as ever lived in the flesh, Jesus excepted. It
was so ordered that a man has to live and gain by his experience
that knowledge and wisdom, and that degree of stability in his
character that will present him favourably to the heavenly hosts
at all times and under all circumstances. Let us, then, resolve
and act upon the principle of constant improvement.
244
As to doing any better than I have done, I have to know more, and
so have you. You have done as well as you knew how. This is a
matter of rejoicing to me. And though we are still far from being
perfect, the Latter-day Saints are not far from a deep desire to
be perfect. They are far from being what they should be; but they
are not far from an abiding desire to be what they should be. But
have you so trained yourselves as to be able to say, for
instance, that if the potatoes you have planted yield, abundantly
well; and if they do not, that is just as well? Can you feel to
say that in all sincerity? Can you say, after you have prepared
the ground, cast in the wheat, watered it, and taken good care of
it, and then found the crop destroyed by blight or smut, Well,
all right? Can you honestly say so? If you cannot, you have not
schooled your hearts to what you should have done--to learn that
it is God alone who gives the increase. We can plough, we can
plant, sow, water, and tend, because we are ordained to do these
things; but no man on the earth is ordained to give the increase.
244
It is for us to frame our acts. We shape our lives--we do this,
that, and the other agreeably with the best knowledge we have;
but do we produce the results of our acts? We do not. The Lord
controls the results of the acts of all nations under heaven. He
casts down a throne here, and sets up another yonder,--brings
forth a nation out of obscurity, and causes the most powerful
nations to crumble to dust. We have this to learn, and to study
and learn ourselves, and to control our own dispositions and
passions, so that when we see others out of the way, we can have
compassion on them, and say--"Thank the Lord, we have not been
suffered to go astray and give way to our passions." The merciful
man shall find mercy. When a man designedly does wrong, he ought
to be chastised for that wrong, receiving according to his works.
If a man does wrong through ignorance, and manifests sincere
sorrow for the wrong, he is the one whom we should forgive
seventy times in a day, if necessary, and not the one who has
designedly done wrong and repents not.
244
It is for us to so live that our lives will become sweet and more
precious than gold or silver. And our communion one with another,
may it increase in all the sublimity and heights and depths of
consolation known only to those who are truly united on the earth
by interests and bonds that are eternal.
244
May the Lord bless you for evermore! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Daniel
H. Wells, October 7, 1859
Daniel H. Wells, October 7, 1859
PRIVILEGES AND DUTIES OF THE SAINTS--HOME MANUFACTURES, &c.
Remarks by President Daniel H. Wells, in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
244
The President, in his remarks this morning, dropped a sentence
like this--"Let us manfully man the ship Zion." To do this I
conceive to be the duty of the Elders of this Church and kingdom.
It is a privilege which the Almighty has conferred upon us, and
one which we should esteem as the greatest that could be
conferred upon us: but do we realize this fact? Do we realize
that the Lord has revealed to us true knowledge and
intelligence--that we have become the happy recipients of true
principles of life and salvation revealed from heaven in our day?
245
None of us, with our present limited understanding of God and his
dealings with mankind, can realize fully the extent of our
present privileges: but do we understand enough of them to
stimulate us to make the work of God the business of our lives?
Is the Lord about to establish his kingdom, and is he beating
about in the world for recruits to man the ship, and have we
enlisted under his banner, to sail with him, and then do we
falter--feel cold and lukewarm? This question is for each one to
answer for himself.
245
What is this ship Zion--this great work we have undertaken? How
can we do the most good, and how accomplish the work we have
undertaken in the best and most approved way? These are questions
we must answer for ourselves. Are the people of these mountain
valleys Israel? If we are, can we not control and bear rule in a
proper manner over all matters that come under our supervision?
245
If we have faith, which it is the privilege of all the Saints to
have, can we not exert a powerful influence among the nations of
the earth for our protection and salvation as a people? And may
we not be yet more successful in disseminating the principles of
life and salvation among all nations? That righteousness may be
exalted among men by our efforts, we must nurse and cherish the
principles of righteousness in our midst. Can we rebuke evil and
walk it under our feet? We can, if we have faith as we ought to
have it, and have that oneness the President spoke of this
morning. If we have this, we can do all things, because faith is
mighty when concentrated in a oneness of action. Let Israel arise
and frown down evil, and the fear and the might and the power of
the Almighty will burn more and more in the bosoms of the Saints.
How can we serve our master and the cause in which we have
enlisted in the best possible manner? By being perfectly obedient
to those who are placed to preside over us in our various Wards
and settlements, and by living above the power of the law, as our
President has remarked.
245
Are we ready now to take hold with one heart and with one mind to
man the ship Zion--build a temple for instance? Are you ready, by
a skilful and judicious husbandry of the soil, to bring forth its
rich fruits, and store them up until you are called upon to
contribute your stored wealth, as well as your energies, for the
further development and spread of the power and influence of the
kingdom of God? Are the mechanics ready, should a call be made
upon them to go as preachers of righteousness to the nations, or
to engage in any other work that may be allotted them? I say, Are
the Elders of this Church ready to spring at once into these
various avenues, when they shall be opened again, without a
single word of complaint? Are we all willing to devote ourselves,
our interest, and all we possess to the building up of this cause
and kingdom upon the earth?
245
I believe a great majority of this people are willing to do this;
but I think they might improve in this respect as well as in many
others pertaining to their duties as Saints. I think, if they
felt to devote themselves and all they have, the hands of the
President would be loosed more than they are in many respects,
the public works would begin again, and Israel scattered abroad
would begin to flock by tens of thousands to the gathering-place
of the Saints; and I think those who have received benefit from
the P. E. Fund Company would strengthen that company by rolling
back into their hands the means they have expended for them, the
treasury of the Lord would be replenished, and these Gentile
stores would be less patronized, and handle less of your cash.
246
We have been instructed over and over again how to make ourselves
independent, and these are some of the things that have been told
to us. It is for us to build up the kingdom of God individually,
as well as collectively. Union of effort and feeling--practice as
well as precept, is what is required. Let every man thus do his
duty, and things would be as you would like to see them. Very
soon there would be no necessity for millions of dollars' worth
of goods to be brought across the Plains every year, nor of
patronizing those who spend nothing whatever to build up our
cities or improve our country. There is a lack in this respect in
this community--a lack which rests with ourselves. I think our
good friends are beginning to learn that the people called
"Mormons," who should be Saints, are really the people of this
Territory, and have some rights which they would strenuously
preserve from being trampled upon.
246
By respecting themselves, the Saints would patronize each other
as far as they can do so, instead of patronizing those who stand
ready to cut our throats on the first favourable opportunity.
246
A few, however, cannot bring about that state of things so
desirable to the many: it requires a union of effort by the
whole. The many can freeze out iniquity from our midst, by simply
letting them severely alone; and they can patronize home
manufactures, if they are disposed to do so, and be united in it.
This is of great importance to our community. Many would like to
commence manufacturing useful articles, if they could be
encouraged by the patronage of the people.
246
We know not how soon we shall be thrown upon our own resources,
and I say, the sooner the better: but I would like to see the day
when Israel will do themselves good of their own will and accord,
without being obliged to do so.
246
It has been said that the Devil could make the Saints consecrate,
when the Lord could not. The Lord may permit the Devil to do so;
but he does not force any man: he leaves all men to act upon
their agency.
246
We have enlisted to build up the kingdom of God. And who are so
blind as not to see that much of this work depends upon our
producing within ourselves that which we consume? But what is the
truth? Why, the very moment a few goods are brought into the
market a little cheaper, you get them in exchange for your money,
and home manufactures are suspended.
246
Suppose the gate was shut down upon imported goods for one
twelve-months, you would be in the same situation you were in
eighteen months ago. I wish to impress this strongly upon your
minds. Remember that now is a good time to produce for our own
support everything we can.
246
Do not suffer your flax to go to waste because goods can be
bought cheaper than you can make them, and do not let your wool
waste for the same cause. Recollect that what you do yourselves
is within: it is not an outward expense. If you are obliged to
get some things you cannot make, unite together and send for
them, and buy them where you can get them the best and cheapest,
and not suffer yourselves to be bled to death by those who have
no interest in common with you.
246
By this procedure, you can plainly see that the temporal
interests of Israel would be consulted, and there would be some
means left to build up a town or a city, and help to gather
scattered Israel. This is our business. All other considerations
sink into insignificance in comparison to our duty of building up
the kingdom of God. My mind continually dwells upon this
all-absorbing subject, and I would like to see Israel wise in
regard to these important items.
247
If those who are engaged in home manufactures were fully
patronized, they could afford to sell cheaper. The objection is,
they charge more for home manufactured articles than better
articles of the same kind can be bought for of those who import
them: but if they had your best pay, they could probably produce
better and cheaper articles. Instead of giving them your best
pay, you expect them to take firewood, or some other kind of pay,
upon which they cannot sustain their business, and you take your
cash to the stores. That is an insurmountable difficulty the home
manufacturer has to encounter.
247
Hundreds of articles can be produced among us that are now
brought from the States; and there are those in this community
who are skilful in the manufacture of them. I would like to see
those artizans commence to produce every kind of useful article
within their power, and let the brethren in the different Wards
sustain them by freely giving them their support; and as long as
they can produce as good an article as can be imported here, give
them as good a price as you would give the importer, and in as
good pay. I do not care so much what the price of an article is;
but I think it should be manufactured and sold here a little
cheaper than it can be afforded by the importer.
247
For instance, to the disgrace of this people, they buy brooms
that have been imported from the States. They can bring them here
and sell them to you from fifty cents to a dollar each. Can they
be raised and made here cheaper than that? They can.
Twelve-and-a-half cents per pound is a permanent tariff on the
importation of brooms to this country, which the home
manufacturer has the benefit of; and he can certainly produce the
material almost as cheap as it is produced in the States. I
think, then, we should manufacture and sell this article cheaper
than it can be afforded by the importer. This principle would be
my guide for the price of almost every other article of home
manufacture.
247
I have dwelt a little longer on this subject than I had intended,
but my mind has been led out upon it; and I acknowledge I think a
good deal about it, for it is an item of vast importance to us to
produce that which we consume.
247
At our meeting yesterday I was much interested. My heart was full
to overflowing. I felt very humble. I knew the Spirit of the Lord
was with us. I feel so to-day. When I heard from the congregation
how they felt--how they desire to do right, when I herd them
exhorting their brethren how they might do this and that for the
advancement of the cause of Christ, and to be faithful in the
service of the Lord, I felt there was a good time near at hand
for Israel--that the ungrateful influences that have been around
us were mellowing down, that the dark cloud was beginning to
break up, that we were about to be greatly blessed of the Lord
our God, and that he is near unto us. I feel so to-day.
247
"Mormonism" is not a thing of to-day only, but it is a lifetime
work. Let us take hold of it in the way that we can sustain
ourselves and build up the kingdom of God.
248
To manufacture the articles we consume is all in the line of our
daily duty. Everything that is necessary for our subsistence as a
kingdom, as families, and as individuals, has to be furnished. We
have to live, and we must have rules, regulations, and
authorities. We have to dig, plough, raise grain, and produce
everything we need. While we live, make rules and regulations,
and walk by them, we are building up the kingdom of God. There is
every variety of talent and genius needed, and there is a place
for every man and woman, wherein they can be useful in building
up his kingdom. All these ingredients are necessary.
248
We want what any other community has that is good and great. We
want to make the desert blossom as a rose, to build up cities,
and make useful and ornamental improvements that will beautify
the dwelling places of the Saints--make them lovely and fit
habitations for angels.
248
Should heavenly messengers be sent to our cities, called Zion,
what have we to show them that is gratifying and pleasing? Become
wealthy? Yes; it is for the inhabitants of Zion to become
wealthy, if they only use their means for the building up of the
kingdom of God. We have done very well in a great many respects,
considering the difficulties we have had to encounter: but the
word is--Continue to improve, do better, and never forget that
the building up of the kingdom of God is the only business we
have on hand. I have thought the people are not aware that the
Spirit of the Lord is with them as much as it really is.
248
When people are striving to do right all the time, they become
accustomed to its influences, and they are not apt to mark the
progress of their individual improvement as they go along in the
faithful performance of their daily duties. If the visions of our
minds had been opened twelve years ago to see the Saints as they
are situated now in this country, what a vision of remarkable
events it would have been to us! and how few would have believed
it! If we improve in the same ration ten years to come, and could
now see in vision our situation as a people at the expiration of
that time, it would be to us a most glorious vision, and almost
past belief.
248
We have been greatly and marvelously blessed; but we are
sometimes forgetful of our blessings and of our ability to do a
great many good acts, and too often think there is nothing to do,
when there is a great deal to be done. Thus many have become
slack in their duties, and have made shipwreck of faith so far
that they cannot reclaim themselves. They do not realize that
they are living in the blaze of the glory of God continually.
248
Let me exhort you to be faithful, prayerful, and humble, that you
may realize the blessings you enjoy, continue to progress in
improvement, and have more abundant blessings poured upon you;
for the Lord is willing to pour out blessings as fast as we are
prepared to receive them.
248
Let us spring forth when the word is given to perform any and
every duty we are called upon to perform. Let us present a firm
and unbroken phalanx of strength against evil of every
description, and be united in frowning it down.
248
We pray that righteousness may be exalted. Let us exalt it
ourselves; then the habitations of the Saints will be beautiful
in the eyes of God and angels, although some of them may be
homely in the eyes of men. Let us build up cities, towns, wards,
and families, wherein righteousness shall be exalted; and it will
not be a great while before it will spread over the face of the
wide world, and wickedness will be walked under foot.
248
The Latter day Saints are on a mission to perform this labour,
and it is a great one as well as a glorious one. Let us take hold
and do it manfully, always being mindful of those duties we are
called upon daily to perform.
249
Let us be faithful to the covenants we have made. We have made
them of our own freewill and accord, and have delighted to make
them, and blessed God for the privilege. Shall we, then, utterly
disregard them--walk them under our feet, as it were? or shall we
treasure them as the most sacred treasure? In the life of the
Saint, let the duty of a Saint be the first and foremost
consideration; let the public interest be his greatest wish, form
the burden of his prayers, and be the chief duty of his life. Let
him put away all covetousness, and be wholly devoted to God and
his holy religion.
249
Let us live our religion to-day, to-morrow do the same, and so
continue unto the end of our lives; then the purposes of God will
ripen as fast as we can desire them and be prepared for them.
This is my exhortation to the Saints.
249
For my part, I know I have your prayers and faith. I feel it
every day of my life, and am exceedingly thankful and grateful to
God and his people for this mark of their confidence.
249
I desire to live to see Zion redeemed, Israel gathered, Jerusalem
built up, and the people of God in all the world sustained by the
manifestations of the omnipotent power of the Almighty. For this
I live: it is more than my meat and drink. The most sacred and
cherished wish of my life is to see Israel prevail and become
victorious over their enemies--to see the mighty power and wisdom
of God, as it is transpiring before our eyes from day to day,
more abundantly displayed in their behalf.
249
We read with considerable satisfaction how Moses led Israel out
of Egypt across the desert to the land of Palestine; but do we
realize how the Lord and his servant Brigham have led us day by
day, month by month, and year by year, from the beginning to the
present day? As I have said, the manifestations of the mighty
power of God and the marvelous displays of his unsearchable
wisdom are so common with us, that we think but little of them;
and so it was with Israel of old. It became an old story with
them when the Lord interposed his power in their behalf--so much
so that, if they did not have miracle after miracle continually
before their eyes, they were ready to backslide and go into
darkness, and earned for themselves the name of being a
stiffnecked generation of people. I hope better things of the
Latter-day Saints.
249
The Prophets of ancient Israel prophesied evil upon them
continually, because of their heard-heartedness and rebellion,
when the Lord would have led them with a gentle hand.
249
In this generation I do not look for Israel to be scattered on
account of their transgressions, although various chastisements
may be necessary; but I look for Israel to be gathered from every
nation, tongue, and people, to concentrate their energies in
building up and establishing the kingdom of God in the latter
days. I look for them to be humble, obedient, and ready to
receive and perform the work of the Lord, and realize day by day
that they are led gently by his hand. It is their privilege to
see these things all the time, and continually live in the light;
for it is a day of light with the faithful, wherein is no
darkness.
249
I like to see Israel obedient, on hand, and ready to man the
ship, and do anything they shall be called upon to do. Let us
realize these things, my brethren and sisters, and not get into
that sing-song style the world are in. It is for us to keep up
with the times.
249
Let us take hold with our might, and put forth our energies in
the place they are most needed; and there let us work diligently,
no matter in what department, if it is for the good of Israel,
whether it is to plough, sow, reap, dig rocks, rear temples,
build cities, preach the Gospel, or gather Israel.
250
Do you think the Lord will stop in his work? No; his ship will be
manned, whether we man it or not; and those who stand in the way
of the onward progress of this great work will be overthrown and
ridden over.
250
There is no time or opportunity to stop, for the Lord has
undertaken the work, and he does not look backward, nor stay his
hand. If we do not wish to be removed out of the way, we must be
diligent, active, and energetic in our duty, and respond
willingly and at once to any call that may be made upon us by the
servants of the Most High.
250
Let our minds be active, wide awake, and eager to reach out after
those things that shall best promote the interests of the kingdom
of God. Let us not forget for a moment the mission we are called
upon to perform, and not become dull and sluggish in the
performance of our duties, and think we have no part or lot in
the matter. There is need of every faithful man and woman in this
kingdom, and for millions more; and then, by concentrating all
these efforts, it is easy to understand what a mighty phalanx
Israel will present, making the wicked nations tremble because of
their wickedness. There would be a mighty shaking amongst them,
if Israel was only united, firm, and steadfast to a man.
250
If the Saints could offer one prayer, with one spirit, to the
Almighty, in behalf of any one measure, I believe that prayer
would be promptly answered in a way that would be felt and
realized. If Israel will pursue this course, it will not be a
great while before they will have things as they want them, not
only here but over the face of the wide world; for the kingdom of
God will progress, and the kingdoms of this world become
subservient to its sway.
250
May the Lord help us to live to his name's glory and honour, and
for his cause and kingdom on the earth! May he help us to build
it up and appreciate the blessings we enjoy--live in the light of
truth and intelligence, that our minds may be filled with it
continually!--help us to frown down wickedness, and walk it under
foot, both at home and abroad!--help us to send forth the Gospel
to all nations, that his angels may always work with us, which
they do and will continue to do with us who remain at home and
with those who go abroad; and kingdoms and nations will be cast
down for the good of his people and the furtherance of his work!
That he may help us to do all he has designed we shall perform as
a people and as individuals, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Pratt, September 11, 1859
Orson Pratt, September 11, 1859
THE ANCIENT GOSPEL--ADAM'S TRANSGRESSION, AND MAN'S REDEMPTION
FROM ITS PENALTY, &c.
A Sermon by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, September 11, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
251
It is my intention this forenoon, if the Lord will assist me by
his Spirit, to say a few words upon the principles of the Gospel;
or, in other words, the first principles of that great plan of
salvation which was devised before the foundation of the world,
for the benefit of the inhabitants of this earth. The Gospel of
Jesus Christ is of great antiquity. It was ordained in the
councils of heaven before the world was, and all its principles,
ordinances, promises, and blessings were instituted in the
beginning, before man was placed upon the earth. These principles
have been revealed to the human family in various ages of the
world,--not only revealed in the meridian of time by Jesus and
the Apostles, but to generations and ages before the Apostles
lived on the earth.
251
Before I commence investigating these principles, to know
precisely what they are, I will read from some new revelations
which were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the month of
December, 1830. They are revelations concerning Adam, Enoch,
Noah, and the Gospel of salvation, as it was made manifest to
them. That which I am about to read is an extract from the
prophecy of Enoch--a book revealed by inspiration to the Prophet
Joseph Smith, some twenty-nine years ago:--
251
"And Enoch spake the words of God, and said, Hath God made known
unto my fathers that all men must repent? And he called upon our
father Adam by his own voice, saying, I am God: I made the world
and men before they were. And he also said unto him, Turn unto
me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy
transgressions, and be baptized, even by water, in the name of
mine only begotten Son, which is full of grace and truth, which
is Jesus Christ,--the only name which shall be given under
heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men. Ye
shall ask all things in his name; and whenever ye shall ask, it
shall be given. And our father Adam spake unto the Lord and said,
Why is it that men must repent and be baptized by water? And the
Lord said unto Adam, Behold, I have forgiven thee thy
transgressions in the garden of Eden. Hence came the saying
abroad among the people, that Christ hath atoned for original
guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon
the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation
of the world.
252
"And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying, Inasmuch as thy children
are conceived in sin, even so, when they begin to grow up, sin
conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they
may know to prize the good. And it is given unto them to know
good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves. And I
have given unto you another law and commandment; wherefore teach
it unto your children, that all men everywhere must repent, or
they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean
thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the
language of Adam, Man of holiness is his name; and the name of
his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a
righteous Judge which shall come.
252
"I give unto you a commandment to teach these things freely unto
your children, saying that inasmuch as they were born into the
world by the fall, which bringeth death, by water, and blood, and
the spirit which I have made, and so became of dust a living
soul, even so ye must be born again of water and the Spirit, and
cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten, unto the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, that ye may be sanctified
from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world,
and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory. For
by the water ye keep the commandment, by the Spirit ye are
justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified; that in you is
given the record of heaven, the Comforter, the peaceable things
of immortal glory, the truth of all things, that which quickeneth
all things--which maketh alive all things, that which knoweth all
things, and hath all power, according to wisdom, mercy, truth,
justice, and judgment.
252
"And now, behold, I say unto you, This is the plan of salvation
unto all men--the blood of mine Only Begotten, which shall come
in the meridian of time. And, behold, all things have their
likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of
me, both things which are temporal and things which are
spiritual, things which are in the heavens above, and things
which are on the earth, and things which are under the earth,
both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.
252
"And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our
father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by
the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and
was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water;
and thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon
him; and thus he was born of the Spirit, and he became quickened
in the inner man. And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying,
Thou art baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost. This is the
record of the Father and the Son, from henceforth and for ever;
and thou art after the order of Him who was without beginning of
days or end of years, from all eternity. Behold, thou art one in
me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen."
252
I have read this that the Latter-day Saints who have not had the
opportunity of reading these inspired translations of the Prophet
may have an opportunity of learning the fact that the Gospel was
revealed unto man in the earliest ages of our world. I will read
also a short extract from the prophecy of Enoch in relation to a
commandment and a mission given unto him:--
253
"And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me, Look, and I
looked and beheld the land of Sharon, and the land of Enoch, and
the land of Omner, and the land of Heni, and the land of Shem,
and the land of Haner, and the land of Hanannihah, and all the
inhabitants thereof; and the Lord said unto me, Go to this
people, and say unto them, Repent, lest I come out and smite them
with a curse, and they die. And he gave unto me a commandment
that I should baptize in the name of the Father and the Son,
which is full of grace and truth, and the Holy Spirit, which
bears record of the Father and the Son."
253
Thus we see that not only Adam understood the principles of
faith, repentance, baptism, the new birth, and the gift of the
Holy Ghost; but Enoch also understood the same plan, and had
authority given him to administer in the ordinances of it. We
will now pass along to Noah, still reading from the new
translation of the Old Testament, not translated by King James's
translators, but by the Prophet of the living God--translated by
the gift and power of inspiration from on high:--
253
"And in those days there were giants on the earth; and they
sought Noah, to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah,
and the power of the Lord was upon him.
253
"And the Lord ordained Noah, after his order, and commanded him
that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children
of men, even as it was given unto Enoch.
253
"And it came to pass that Noah called upon men that they should
repent; but they hearkened not unto his words; and also, after
they had heard him, they came up before him, saying, Behold, we
are the sons of God. Have we not taken unto ourselves the
daughters of men? and are we not eating and drinking, and
marrying and giving in marriage? Our wives bear unto us children,
and the same are mighty men, which are like unto them of old, men
of great renown. And they hearkened not to the words of Noah.
253
"And God saw that the wickedness of men had become great in the
earth; and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the
thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually.
253
"And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the
people, saying, Hearken, and give heed unto my words; believe,
and repent of your sins, and be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers did, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things
made manifest; and if you do not this, the floods will come in
upon you. Nevertheless, they hearkened not; and it repented Noah,
an his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth,
and it grieved him at his heart."
253
You recollect King James's translators render it--"And it
repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth;" but the
translation given by inspirations says--"It repented Noah, and
his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth. And
the Lord said, I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the
face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things,
and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Noah that I have
created them, and that I have made them, and he hath called upon
me, and they have sought his life."
253
These extracts which I have read concerning Adam, Enoch, and Noah
you will find in a little work called "The Pearl of Great Price,"
published by F. d. Richards, in England, a few years ago. We
might go on and read further extracts from the Book of Abraham--a
book also revealed by inspiration to the Prophet Joseph Smith,
showing that the Gospel was revealed to him, and how he received
the promise that all the children of men that would obey that
same Gospel preached by him should be justified and become his
children--called his seed, and heirs according to the promise.
But I have read sufficient for the information of the Latter-day
Saints upon this subject.
254
I know it is customary, at the present day, to select some
passage of Scripture as a text upon which to make remarks.
Sometimes I follow this custom, and sometimes I do not. I will
just observe, however, that we have no examples on record that
Jesus or his Apostles followed this plan in their preaching.
Neither have we anything on record showing that Jesus or his
apostles opened their meetings by singing, and then praying, and
then singing again, and then preaching. We frequently conform to
the present-day custom in this respect, and we often do not
conform to them, as we feel led by the Spirit of truth. Neither
was it customary, in the days of the Apostles, to make long
prayers; but if they had something very important to communicate
to the people, they did not wish the time occupied in any other
way only in delivering the message they had for them: hence we
generally find their prayers consisting of a very few sentences.
254
I shall select this morning a text of Scripture corroborative of
those I have already read. I shall select it from King James's
translation. You will find it in the Gospel according to John,
3rd chap., 5th verse:--"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
254
There is much comprehended in this passage that is not fully
realized and understood by the great mass of the human family. To
fully understand it, it is necessary we should understand the
true condition of fallen man; then we shall see the necessity of
a new birth: otherwise, perhaps, we should see no necessity for
it. It is recorded in Scripture history that our first parents,
while in the garden of Eden, transgressed a certain law and
commandment of the Almighty, by partaking of a certain forbidden
fruit; which transgression brought them under condemnation, and
subjected them to a certain penalty, which was the death of their
bodies of flesh and bones. "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou
shalt return," was the penalty pronounced upon Adam. Previous to
this, Adam was a pure, innocent being: he was not contaminated
with sin, and was entirely destitute of the knowledge of good and
evil. He was a being intended in his construction to endure for
evermore. Death had no dominion over his tabernacle: the
principle of blood which flows in the mortal tabernacles of men
did not exist in his immortal body; but his veins and arteries
contained a fluid of a far purer nature than that of blood: in
other words, they were filled with the spirit of life, which was
calculated to preserve them in immortality. Though they partook
of various kinds of fruit in the garden, yet there was no fruit
in that garden, except one called the forbidden fruit, which
would have the least tendency to destroy the principles of
immortality that reigned within them. They were organized to
endure, bodies and spirits united, millions of ages. By the
transgression of that simple law given to them, they fell from
immortality to mortality: their bodies partook of disease; the
seeds of death were sown within them; and in the day that Adam
eat thereof, (reckoning according to the Lord's time,) he passed
away and returned to his mother dust.
254
The probability is, there were deleterious properties or
poisonous qualities in the food he ate, which were calculated to
introduce into the system the seeds of mortality, and so change
it that various forces of nature should have power over it, that
in time it should die and be dissolved to dust.
255
Was this the only penalty pronounced upon father Adam? No: this
was only a part of the penalty. There was dwelling in each of the
tabernacles of Adam and Eve a personage of spirit, formed of more
refined materials than flesh and bones--materials that were
intelligent, immortal, and eternal. Immaterialists of the present
day may object to this: but we do not believe in an immaterial
substance.
255
The spirits that dwelt in our first parents were capable of
thinking, feeling, understanding, perceiving, acting, possessing
a will and a judgment: in other words, they were a part of that
great substance of life, or Spirit, which fills the immensity of
space, that is in all things, and through all things. The spirit
of man had also a penalty pronounced upon it, because it yielded
to disobedience, by giving heed to the Tempter; for, by yielding
to his teachings, it became subject to him as a servant.
255
If we become subject to a being, we are under his dominion and
power, and he controls us and exercises authority over us,
whether good or bad. Adam and Eve had placed themselves in a
condition that the Tempter had complete control over their
spirits: they became servants to the fallen angels, to do
according to their bidding.
255
Let us now examine how the fall affected their posterity. We do
not inherit Adam's transgression, but the consequences of it.
There is a difference between inheriting the original sin and
feeling the consequences of it. To illustrate: We do not say,
when children inherit the diseases of their parents brought on by
drunkenness, debauchery, lasciviousness, and wickedness of every
description, that it is the effect of the children's individual
sins. This is not so: they only inherit the consequences of the
sins of the parents. So it is with all the posterity of Adam. The
consequences of the transgression of Adam and Eve have flowed
down upon us; hence we find that all the sons and daughters of
Adam have become mortal. The seeds of dissolution are within our
tabernacles, because our first parents sinned, and yet we are not
guilty of their sins.
255
Furthermore, Adam and Eve became subject in the spirit to the
being that tempted him. The children that were begotten by him,
inheriting unholy, fallen tabernacles, also became subject to the
same being, on the supposition that there had been no atonement
provided. Hence you perceive the baneful consequences of the
fall, considered separate and apart from any atonement which was
to be made.
255
Next let us inquire as to the duration of the penalty. Was the
penalty to cease at the end of a certain period? I want you to
look at this, independent of any considerations of the atonement.
If there had been no atonement provided, the bodies of our first
parents, as well as the bodies of all their children, would have
crumbled back to their mother earth, to rise no more. Would not
that have been an eternal death of the flesh and bones? If there
were no atonement, there could be no resurrection. How could man,
being fallen and corrupted, atone for his own sins? He could not
do it. How could he deliver himself from the power of Satan to
whom he had made himself subject? He could not do it. Satan had
claim upon him, and there was no power in man, in the least
degree, to redeem himself from that bondage.
255
This is what we call fallen man, and this is what we call
spiritual death,--not a dissolution or disorganization of the
spiritual elements, but the subjection of the spirit to the power
of Satan as eternal in its duration as the subjection of the
flesh and bones to death.
256
Now let us take into consideration for a few moments the great
plan which God devised before Adam was placed in the garden of
Eden in order to redeem man. God, by his foreknowledge, beheld
that man would fall from his first estate, by turning aside from
his commandments,--that he would bring upon himself and eternal
death both of body and spirit. Now is the opportunity for mercy
to step in. Justice had consigned them to eternal death and
misery, and mercy could not step in without destroying the claims
of justice, only upon certain conditions. And what may be those
conditions? Would God accept the sacrifice of a corrupted,
sinful, degraded, fallen being as an atonement for his own sins?
No; that would not satisfy the demands of justice. God could not
exhibit the attribute of mercy on any principle whatsoever, only
for a sinless being to suffer in behalf of sinful man. Inasmuch
as the sin was against an infinite being--a transgression of a
law issued by an infinite being, the atonement must be an
infinite atonement. Hence God sent forth his only begotten Son in
the meridian of time, who took upon himself the form of fallen
man: that is, he entered into a tabernacle of flesh and bones,
although he had not been guilty of the original sin. This he did
voluntarily on his part.
256
For the edification of the Saints, I will refer to a passage in
the inspired translation of the book of Abraham, where we read
that in the counsels of eternity, before the foundation of the
world, the Lord devised the great plan of salvation. When he came
to that part of it, in relation to the future redemption of man,
which pertains to a sacrifice, he made an inquiry--"Whom shall we
send?" He did not feel, as it were, willing to say to any one of
the council, You are the person, and you must go and make this
atonement: he did not seem willing to exercise this authority
upon an innocent being, but looked around upon the assembly as
though he would have some one to volunteer. "And one answered
like unto the Son of Man, Here am I; send me." Here, then, was an
offer on the part of the Son of God, the Firstborn--"I will go
and redeem the human family upon the conditions that thou hast
devised."
256
But how could he go and redeem them? He could not redeem them,
unless be suffered for them and in their behalf. The penalty of
death had passed upon them. His father might have reasoned with
him in words something like these:--If you, a pure sinless being,
my only begotten Son, are willing to go and take upon you the
same kind of body that the fallen sons of men have taken upon
themselves--a fallen body of flesh and bones, subject to pain,
disease, sickness, temptation, and finally death, and offer
yourself as a sacrifice, (although it is not required of you, for
you have committed no sin that I should cause death to come on
your body; yet if you do this voluntarily, and keep my
commandments in all things, and not sin against me,) I will
accept the sacrifice which you make in behalf of your younger
brethren; and I will have mercy on them, otherwise no mercy can
be shown to them: justice must have its full effect, and they
must suffer eternal misery, being captive to that being whom they
have consented to obey.
257
Here, then, was the principle in which mercy could be made
manifest in behalf of the fallen sons and daughters of men. When
could this principle of mercy begin to be exercised? Could it be
exercised before the blood of the atonement was shed? Yes. There
was the free, voluntary offer of the Son of God to do all this
work, and suffer and die for his brethren, before man was placed
in the garden: hence, in the mind of God, it was just the same as
though it had actually been fulfilled. Therefore he is called a
lamb slain, as it were, before the foundation of the world: hence
he could have mercy on Adam, on Enoch, on Noah, on Abraham, on
the Prophets, and on the children of men while the earth should
stand, because of that atonement that was to be made in the
meridian of time.
257
But the great question for us to consider, on this occasion, is,
in what way the fallen sons and daughters of men can be made
partakers of the benefits of this atonement? Are they to be
unconditionally redeemed by the blood of Christ? Is it to be done
by free grace alone, without any works on the part of the
creature? or are there required on the part of the man certain
conditions by which the atoning blood of Christ can have effect
upon him. I will answer this question. The atonement of Jesus
Christ redeems mankind, so far as the fall is concerned,
unconditionally. Now, I want you all to understand this clearly.
There is no faith, repentance, baptism, or works of any kind
required on the part of man to be redeemed from the fall, or from
the sins committed by our first parents. Not one of you are
guilty because Adam and Eve sinned. Did you eat the forbidden
fruit? Were you there, on that occasion, to put forth your hand,
and take of that fruit, and eat of it? The united response of all
the world in this and all generations of man would be--"We were
not there." You are not condemned for a sin you did not commit.
Can you repent of something you never have done? I defy the whole
world to repent of Adam's sin, for they never committed it. You
did not exercise your agency on that occasion: why, then, not be
redeemed from it without exercising your agency? Why not be
redeemed by free grace alone, without works? Why be required to
believe, repent, and be baptized for Adam's sin? It would be
foolishness. The atonement of Jesus Christ will redeem every son
and daughter of Adam from his day down to the end of the earth,
so far as that sin is concerned. Hence, all little children have
been redeemed from the fall, and are perfectly innocent and pure
before God. The original sin is not imputed to them. Why? Because
of the atonement. The atonement is just as broad as the original
sin and the effects of it. If the original sin extends its
effects to the latest generations of Adam, so the atonement will
extend its effects to all his posterity, and redeem them from
these consequences. But you may inquire, If we are to be redeemed
from Adam's sin and its consequences, unconditionally, by the
atonement, shall we not be restored into the condition Adam was
in before he fell? I answer, You will be. What condition was he
in? He was an immortal being, and you will be restored to
immortality, whether you be Saints or sinners. The decree has
gone forth that every man is to be raised to immortality. Then
you will be as Adam was in the garden of Eden before he fell.
257
Furthermore, Adam, before he fell, was in the presence of God,
and could behold the face of his Maker, hear his voice, look upon
his glory, behold his angels, and associate with those pure and
holy beings. Will you be restored back to the presence of God?
Yes, after the resurrection; for Jesus says, "If I be lifted up,
I will draw all men unto me,"--that is, lift them up from their
graves, and bring them into his presence, to stand before the bar
of his judgment. What for? To be judged. For Adam's sin? No. We
have nothing to do with that sin in the day of judgment; but we
shall be brought before the bar of God, and be restored from the
fall, with flesh and bones, but not blood, and be capable of
enduring for ever and ever; and there we shall behold the face of
our God and of Jesus Christ, and the face of his angels, and be
able to converse with them, and hear them converse, as Adam did
before the fall. Is not this a complete restoration? Yes.
258
Now I want to tell you of something that will come a little
closer home than Adam's sin. Every man or woman upon the face of
this globe, that has come to the years of understanding and
accountability, has committed sin himself or herself. You have
had commandments given to you as well as our first parents had.
The holy law has issued from heaven to us, and penalties have
been affixed. And when we come up to years of understanding and
accountability, we transgress the holy law and commandment given
us from heaven, even as Adam transgressed the first law in the
garden of Eden.
258
Now let us consider the consequence of this second transgression.
God has given a law to the posterity of Adam, after coming to a
knowledge of good and evil by the fall, that they should not do
evil. If he has given a strict law that we shall not do evil, you
may depend upon it he has affixed a strict penalty to it; for
what would a law be good for without a penalty? What is the
penalty? It is, that if the posterity of Adam shall do evil, they
shall, after the resurrection, be banished again from the
presence of God, and from the glory of his power; they shall
endure the pains of the second death. The violation of the first
law given to Adam brought the first death, and the violation of
the second law given to the posterity of Adam will bring the
second death, which is the penalty attached to it. How are we
going to help ourselves? We have all sinned after we came to the
years of accountability. When we were little children, we were
perfectly pure, even as the angels of God; and of such, said
Jesus, is the kingdom of heaven, being redeemed from the fall by
the atonement. But are we redeemed from our own actual sins? We
have used our agency in committing these actual sins, and we have
no excuse to plead. We could justly excuse ourselves in relation
to the sin committed by Adam, but there is no excuse in relation
to breaking these second commandments. We have violated them with
our eyes open. Can we escape the penalty? Says one, There is the
atonement. Yes, that is true; but will that have effect to redeem
us from this second death and banishment unconditionally on our
part? No. If we are redeemed from this second penalty, it will be
by exercising our agency--by complying with certain conditions;
and these conditions I intend to lay before you, which are called
the Gospel.
258
I think I have pointed out, as clearly as my feeble language will
permit, the condition of the whole human family, so far as it
regards their fallen state, and so far as it regards their own
individual transgressions. I have tried to be simple in my
explanations.
258
What are the conditions by which we are to be redeemed from our
own actual sins and escape this second penalty? After being
redeemed from the grave and brought back into the presence of God
and angels, what would be more terrifying than to hear the words,
"Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil
and his angels?" Unpleasant as this would be, it must be
pronounced, if God is a God of truth and holiness: his justice
must take effect; and, notwithstanding the atonement, there is no
way for him to exercise his mercy in behalf of the children of
men, only through their agency. You can save yourselves through
the atonement, or let it alone. Jesus has done his part: he has
died for us--has got the plan all laid; his blood has been shed,
and he has suffered the pains of all the children of men, and in
their behalf, if they will only accept the conditions.
259
What is the first condition required of the human family? It is
to believe in Jesus Christ as the true Redeemer, and in his
Father as the true God. This condition stands before repentance,
baptism, the sacrament, or keeping the Sabbath day holy; for no
person can keep the Sabbath day holy until he complies with the
Gospel. This faith or belief is the first principle of the
Gospel. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," says
Jesus Christ; "and he that believeth not shall be damned." Much
has been said about faith. What is it? Many definitions have been
given, but there is nothing more easy to be comprehended than
faith. It is simply an act of the mind--a belief in those things
that are true. It is also a simple act of the mind to believe
those things which are not true. You may have a false faith or a
true faith. Faith should be founded upon evidence. Where
substantial evidence is presented to the mind, it should be
received, and should produce faith in our minds. We should be
very careful in regard to our faith, that we do not receive false
evidence, for this would give us a false faith. I might refer you
to many examples of false evidence producing a false faith. For
instance, a few centuries ago, almost all the world believed that
our earth did not turn upon its axis once in twenty-four hours
from west to east; but they believed the sun, moon, and stars
went round it once in twenty-four hours, and that the earth stood
still. This was a false faith--the result of believing without
sufficient evidence: they were guided by the tradition and
popular testimony of the age. Copernicus set forth evidence in
this day to prove that it was the earth that revolved on its
axis, instead of the sun, moon, and stars revolving around the
earth. The evidence he produced began to beget in the hearts of
the people a true faith, which was founded upon true evidence;
and since his day many demonstrations have been given to prove
the great fact that it is the earth which moves, instead of the
starry firmament. Upon that subject the world now have true
faith, founded upon true evidence demonstrated to them.
260
So it is in regard to Jesus, the great Redeemer, and God his
Father: evidence is granted to prove to us that there are such
beings. Chosen vessels are called, and have their eyes opened to
behold the Father and the Son, and go forth as witnesses to the
inhabitants of the earth, and bear testimony of that fact,
setting forth the doctrine of the Father and the Son. This
evidence begets in the minds of the people a true faith, while a
traditionary evidence often begets a false faith. For instance,
Paul, previous to his conversion, was a zealous, good man as far
as he understood. He went forth, being governed by his faith, to
persecute the Church of the living God. He verily believed he
ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus Christ, the
Nazarene. He believed he was doing God service in putting the
servants of Jesus Christ to death. He had a false faith, founded
upon sufficient evidence. By-and-by he received a testimony for
himself that Jesus was really and truly the Christ--that he was
persecuting the followers of the true Redeemer. His faith now
became corrected, a true faith was given him, and the testimony
he received prepared him to bear witness of the fact to tens of
thousands of others,--not a second-hand testimony, but he could
testify, My eyes have seen him; my ears have heard his voice; I
have beheld his glory. He went forth as a witness goes forth into
our courts of justice to testify that he knew positively, and not
to testify what some other men had said, or to what some other
person knew. Such witnesses go forth to the world, and their
testimony produces faith in the minds of those who carefully
weigh the evidence. Believe that Jesus is, and that he has atoned
for the children of men; believe that without his death and
sufferings there could have been no forgiveness of sins; believe
that his is the only name given under heaven whereby mankind can
be saved. It is a principle requisite to the new birth.
260
My text informs us that unless a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he can in nowise enter into the kingdom of God. Before
you can be born of water, you must have faith in such a principle
as birth of water. "Faith," says the apostle, "comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God." That is, in ancient days they
had no printing presses to circulate the written word, so that
faith could come by reading: they produced faith by their verbal
testimony in the hearts of their hearers who were honest, and who
investigated the subjects laid before them. Will this faith alone
save a person in the kingdom of God? No. This is only faith
without works, such as devils have; and yet it is necessary in a
true believer, to precede the works which he must perform. Devils
believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and they believe it on good
substantial testimony. Mankind are required to believe the same
fact as well as the devils; but such faith will never save an
individual without works: there are other conditions to be
connected with it before he can be saved.
261
What is the next step? It is to repent of all our sins: we know
what they are. These persons sitting before me, in this
congregation, can look back upon the past years of their lives,
and can reflect upon the many sins they have committed before
God, that perhaps no other person living knows anything about.
You can recollect many laws you have broken. Perhaps many of you
have forgotten some of your transgressions; but in the next world
they will be brought before you. But you can call to mind some of
the most prominent evils and transgressions which you have
committed. Have you taken the name of God in vain? What saith the
law of God? "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in
vain." Are there not many people in this city who have used that
name in vain? Are there not many persons present this morning who
have blasphemed His name? If there are, you are the persons I
mean: you are the individuals who have need of repentance. You
are the persons that must reform from this sin, or else your
faith that Jesus is the Christ will do you no good. Are there any
persons under the sound of my voice who have cheated their
neighbour, and who have been dishonest in their dealings
generally? Look within your own hearts; look back upon your past
dealings with your neighbours in former days. Have you defrauded
them out of the least particle of their property? If you have,
you have broken the law of God--that law that was thundered from
Mount Sinai by the voice of the trump of God--that law that was
continued under the Christian dispensation--namely, the ten
commandments. If you have coveted your neighbour's property, or
stolen, you have broken that portion of the law. It is just as
bad to cheat a man out of his property as to go in the night-time
and secretly steal it from him. Both of these are strictly
against the law of God, and the penalty of that law will be
fulfilled upon every individual that has transgressed it. You
cannot get from under it, only by repentance and restitution.
What said Zaccheus in ancient times? He was very anxious to see
Jesus Christ. He, no doubt, believed in him, and felt to repent,
and said, "Lord, if I have wronged any man, I am ready to restore
fourfold." Are you ready to do the same, you that have wronged
your neighbours--that have dealt dishonestly and cheated
them,--you that have put forth your hand and taken your
neighbour's goods, or his money? If you have true repentance, you
will go and restore fourfold; you will not only say to him,
"Neighbour, I am sorry I have wronged you, and I will do so no
more" (that would not be acceptable in the sight of God); but you
will go and make restitution, which is the way Samuel the Prophet
was willing to do before his death. After having lived to a good
old age, he called together the mighty hosts of Israel, and said
to them, "Behold here I am: witness against me before the Lord
and before his anointed; whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have
I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of
whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes
therewith? and I will restore it to you." No man came forward to
accuse the Prophet; and if there is no just accuser in time,
there will be none in eternity but God and your conscience. If
you know that you have wronged a man, your conscience will accuse
you in the day of judgment. Repent of that sin, for repentance
has got to be connected with your faith, or your faith is good
for nothing. Again: Is there any man in this congregation who has
committed adultery? That is against the law thundered by the
voice of the trump of God in the midst of the lightnings and
quakings of Mount Sinai. If you are guilty of that evil, repent
of it, ant turn to that God against whom you have offended, and
confess your sins, and forsake them, and do that thing no more.
262
Are there any persons in this congregation who have
murdered--who have shed innocent blood, and have done this in
their ignorance of the law of God, or perhaps in the blindness of
their minds, not knowing his law? There is a chance for you to
repent. But if there is a person who has been enlightened by the
Spirit of truth--a person who has received the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and has put forth his hand to shed innocent blood, we do
not call upon you to repent, for there is no repentance for you.
It is a sin that you will have to meet before the bar of God. It
is a sin for which there is no forgiveness in this world, nor in
the world to come. It depends altogether how much light a
murderer has before he commits the deed, as to his chance of
forgiveness; but you have to suffer the penalty that is attached
which is death.
262
I am now preaching the first principles of the Gospel, and some
of the most prominent sins of this generation I have named over
before this congregation. Look abroad among the nations of the
earth, and see the spirit of murder and bloodshed that exists in
the hearts of millions towards their fellow-men. Look at the
feeling of this generation in regard to our youthful Prophet, who
was martyred for his testimony and for the revelations he
received from heaven. In the year 1844 he was smitten down by the
hands of his enemies. Even they are called upon to repent, if
they did not know any better--if they did it in their ignorance.
But if they did it with their eyes open, we would say to such
persons, "There is no repentance for you." Perhaps, after they
have suffered in the eternal worlds, there may be a possibility
of some of those murderers who were not enlightened to find
redemption at a certain period, and some degree of glory. This
applies not only to those who put forth their hands to shed the
blood of the servants of God, but to those who have sanctioned
the dead; they are guilty also.
r
There will be a great many murderers in this generation; for
there are hundreds and thousands of pious, sanctified hypocrites
in the pulpit, and editors of the press, and the people that feel
to say, concerning the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith, I
am glad of it; thank the Lord that they have killed him, &c.,
just as they said about Jesus in his day, and about all the
Prophets in former times; and the blood of all these ancient
martyrs will be required at their hands.
263
Murder is a prominent evil of this generation. And again, behold
other prominent evils that exist in our large cities. Look at the
city of New York, for instance, which contains twenty thousand
female prostitutes, that get their daily living by prostitution,
of course encouraged by hundreds of thousands of male
prostitutes, who are just as bad or worse than the female
prostitutes. Here is a sample of one city. Then go to Boston,
Albany, St. Louis, New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and to
all the principal cities of the American Union, and you will find
the same proportion of prostitutes among those cities who are
sunk in the lowest depths of degradation, daily and hourly
prostituting themselves, and disobeying one of the most strict
and holy commandments of God ever issued from his throne; and
this is only a beginning as it were. Read the statistics of the
great city of London, which show there is in it something like
ninety thousand female prostitutes; and all these must be
encouraged and supported by millions of male prostitutes. This is
carried on not for one year only or two years, but for a whole
generation, and from generation to generation. Then step across
into the European governments. Go into France, into Germany,
Prussia, and all those old countries of the East, and you will
find in many of those nations, as the statistics show, one-half
of the children that are born to be illegitimate; and that is
only a beginning of the corruptions that exist. There are more
that are covered up in the dark, that are not made so publicly
manifest, than what are made manifest by the births of
illegitimate children. There are probably a hundred sins that are
dark and hidden from the gaze of the public to one that comes to
light. Then realize that these things have existed for
generations that are past upon our earth, and then all reflecting
men will think there is a necessity for the people to repent.
Perhaps some one may say, I am not guilty of these things. But
have you ever done anything to prevent them? Have the wise
legislators and representatives of those nations ever devised any
laws to put a stop to this wickedness? If they have not, they are
included in the guilt. Whether they are actually engaged in these
crimes or not, they will be included among the guilty ones, while
they suffer these things when it is in their power to stop them.
How can you stop them? Let the law-making departments of those
various governments enact laws that shall put an utter stop to
them. What law should they enact to stay this flood of iniquity?
Not a law that can be trampled upon with impunity by millions;
but let it be the law pointed out in the Scriptures--namely, the
law of death. Let the penalty of death be attached to your laws,
and let it be put in force upon the adulterer and the
whoremonger, both male and female; and if you do not find these
floods of prostitution assuaged, then you may depend upon it that
I do not understand these things. You would find these
prostitutions become as rare as murders, if you have the same
penalty attached. Death was the penalty for the sin of adultery
in ancient days, and the enlightened of Europe and of all
Christendom pretend to found their criminal laws, more or less,
on the Bible. All these sins and crimes need to be repented of.
263
After a man has repented, will his faith and repentance bring the
forgiveness of sins through the atonement? Are these all the
conditions required? No. You may confess your sins; but if you
never make restitution to the persons you have wronged, your
confession will be of no service. You may confess your sins to
the Lord, and promise him you will never sin any more, and after
all your sins will not be forgiven. Why? Because he has ordained
a still further condition. And what is that? Be baptized for the
remission of sins. Now, says one, is there anything in that
ordinance that actually atones for the sins of the people?
Baptism does not atone for a single sin. Then how is it that the
sins are remitted after it? Because of the atonement of Jesus
Christ--because he has opened the way whereby these conditions
can be granted to the creature--because the gifts of faith,
repentance, and baptism have been granted to you through the
atonement; and these are the conditions on which your sins can be
pardoned. Is that all? No. If you stop there, you are lost. You
have only a forgiveness of past sins; you are not a new creature:
you must be born, not only of water (which is baptism for the
remission of sins), but you must be born of the Spirit also, or
you cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
263
I will give you some few ideas in relation to baptism for the
remission of sins. This is instituted of the Lord our God as the
birth of the water. There are a great many things we cannot give
reasons for, because we do not know them ourselves. We have no
knowledge why such and such ordinances are instituted and
revealed; but when we come to baptism, we can tell why that was
revealed: we can understand the reason, because God has revealed
it. If he had not, we should be in the dark relating to it.
264
In the passage from the new translation which I read at the
commencement of my remarks, we find the first teachings of the
Gospel to Adam:--"That inasmuch as they (thy children) were born
into the world by the fall which bringeth death, by water and
blood and the spirit which I have made, and so become of dust a
living soul, even so ye must be born again of water and the
Spirit, and cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only
Begotten." This is in order that you may become a new creature,
otherwise you cannot inherit the kingdom of God. One thing is
instituted because of the other. How came we with these mortal
bodies, corrupted and degraded? Because of the fall. We are born
into the world, through the fall, with the particular kind of
bodies we inherit. When we came into this world, we were born out
of the watery elements into the element of air. We also partook
of the blood, when we were in embryo, that flowed through the
veins and arteries of our mothers, and from thence circulated
through our embryo tabernacles: our infant tabernacles were also
quickened by the human spirit; and thus, by the water and by the
blood, and by the human spirit, we were born naturally a living
soul into a world of death. if we would be restored from this
fallen state, and become a new creature, it must be by
baptism--the new birth--the birth of the water, the atoning blood
of Jesus, and the birth of the Spirit,--all three corresponding
to the water, blood, and spirit of man that enters into the
tabernacle; one thing corresponding to another--one principle to
another; and hence the ordinance of baptism was instituted, that
man might be brought forth from the liquid element of water,
which is called a birth, the same as the child is brought forth
from the same element in the womb into the air; and as the child
is quickened by the human spirit taking possession of the embryo
tabernacle, so must the individual that comes from the watery
element be quickened by the Holy Spirit, and be prepared to enter
into the kingdom of God,--one thing being in the likeness of the
other. And as, through transgression, the blood has brought death
into the world, so by the blood of Jesus Christ we must be
sanctified, that eternal life may come into the world,--one thing
answering to the other. Hence we can see the propriety of the new
birth that is spoken of in the fifth verse of the third chapter
of John.
264
How definite are the remarks of our Redeemer to Nicodemus on this
subject--"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God." No man can get there without both of these births--the
birth of the water, or baptism for the remission of sins; and
baptism by the Holy Ghost, or the new birth of the Spirit. Both
of these must be received, or we fail to enter into that kingdom
which is called the kingdom of God. How many in this congregation
have not complied with these conditions? Are there any
individuals here who believe that Jesus Christ is the only name
given under heaven whereby you may be saved, that believe in his
atoning blood? If there are, to you I say, Repent of all your
sins, (if you have not repented of them already,) and then be
baptized in water for the remission of them, and come forth again
out of the water born unto newness of life, that you may be
filled with the Holy Ghost, or be immersed with the Spirit of
truth, that you henceforth may live in newness of life, and then
you can enter into the kingdom of God. And you may set it down as
one of those immutable principles that cannot be moved, that you
never can get there without obeying these conditions. You may
flatter yourselves as much as you please to the contrary; you
cannot get there on any other terms, unless you can prove Jesus
Christ an impostor.
265
But, says one, did not the thief of the cross get there? No. He
turned to Jesus in his expiring moments, and said unto him, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said
unto him--"Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me
in paradise." And where is that? Is it in the kingdom of God? Let
us inquire into this matter. We find that paradise, according to
the definitions given by the most eminent writers, is a place of
departed spirits. Where did Jesus go? Peter said he went to
preach to the spirits in prison, while his body was in the tomb.
The Church of England, in one of their articles, say that Jesus
Christ suffered death and descended into hell, and after three
days he rose again and ascended to his Father. What did he go
there for? Peter says to preach the Gospel to them that were
dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh.
Did the thief go with him? Yes: "This day shalt thou be with me
in paradise;" and there I will preach to you among the rest. But
to enter the mansion where God dwells, and where the holy angels
dwell, you must be born of water and of the Spirit, or you cannot
enter that kingdom. Adam could not go there; Enoch could not;
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the Prophets, none of them
could get into that kingdom without being born of water and the
Spirit. This astonished Nicodemus; and Jesus said--"Art thou
master of Israel, and knowest not these things?"--as much as to
say, the new birth had been unfolded to the people since the
beginning of man, and handed down from generation to generation,
and yet you are "a master in Israel," and do not know these
things! It was the only way of salvation before Jesus came, and
it was the only way after he came. And these ordinances must be
administered by properly authorized persons. But as time will not
admit us to make remarks on this point, we conclude by bearing
testimony that the great God has restored this same plan or
system of things, by which you can be born of water and the
Spirit by legal administrators--by those who have received power
and authority from heaven, from under the hands of holy angels.
This is the testimony we have to bear to all nations. It is the
testimony we have borne far beyond these United States. We have
crossed the great ocean into foreign countries, and borne this
testimony in many lands. I see sitting before me hundreds in this
assembly that have crossed the ocean and come to these Rocky
Mountains to settle with the Saints of God, to live or to die
with them if necessary. You heard the servants of God bear
testimony in your native countries, that holy angels had been
sent from heaven, clothed with authority and power, who laid
their hands upon chosen vessels, and restored the authority and
Apostleship again to the earth, in order that people might be
baptized; for they could not be born of water unless the
administrator had authority to administer. If a man undertake to
administer the ordinance of baptism, and he is only called by his
fellow-men, it would not be worth anything. It would not be legal
in the great judgment day. A person cannot be born again
legitimately without a legal administrator. If you are born of
the Spirit, there must needs be a man authorized to administer
that Spirit. Paul says, "Who hath also made us able ministers of
the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the
letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." Why? because he was
authorized to lay his hands on baptized believers, and confirm
upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost, that they might be born of
the Spirit and become new creatures.
266
In the last days the same Apostleship has been restored, and you
are the witnesses of the servants of God that occupy these seats.
We may say thousands of the people in this territory are
witnesses that this authority is restored. How do you know? Did
you see the angel? No. Did you have a heavenly vision? How do you
know that these are the servants of God--that angels have come
from heaven and restored the Apostleship? You answer, We believed
their testimony on good substantial evidence, but we did not know
it to be true; we acted on our faith, repented of our sins, were
baptized, and the administrator laid his hands on our heads, and
confirmed the Holy Ghost upon us. Did you receive it? Yes, and we
received a perfect knowledge that they were the servants of God.
This is what Luke means when he says, "And we are witnesses of
these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given
to them that obey him."
266
Now, strangers, if you want to obtain a knowledge that this work
is of God, obey the word of God, and you shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost; and when you receive that gift, you will know:
you will be beyond belief, so far as that one thing is concerned.
You will know that this is the truth which we have told you: you
will know that an angel of God has been sent from heaven; that
the Book of Mormon is a Divine revelation--the history of ancient
America, containing the Gospel preached in ancient times in this
land; that God has raised up his kingdom on earth for the last
time; that this is the winding-up dispensation; and that the
great day of the Lord is at hand. This you will know through the
administration of the ordinances of the Gospel.
266
Are you willing to try it? Are you willing to believe our
testimony? We say to infidels--you who do not know whether there
is a God or not, test our words and prove them whether they are
true or not. If you do as we tell you, you shall know there is a
God--that this is his work--that these testimonies given by the
servants of God are testimonies given for your benefit, to
prepare you for the great day of his coming. Infidels and all
other men may know whether this work is true or not. You can
prove whether we are false teachers or not. We set these things
before you: comply with them, and the blessing is yours, as sure
as the Lord lives and reigns on his eternal throne. But if you do
not comply with them, you cannot know until it is too late. May
God bless those that are inquiring after the truth, and all that
obey it, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, October 6, 1859
Brigham Young, October 6, 1859
BLESSINGS OF ASSOCIATION--ORIGINAL PURITY OF THE HUMAN
SPIRIT--TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS, &C.
Instructions by President Brigham Young, given in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
267
We have assembled this morning in the capacity of a Conference;
and as it is also our fast-day, we will conduct the forenoon
services as we generally do in our fast-day meetings, when the
Saints meet to express their feelings and to strengthen each
other in their faith of the holy Gospel. We will, so far as the
time will permit, give all the Saints who may wish the privilege
to freely express their views and reflections to this
congregation; and I hope we shall be enabled to appreciate the
privilege we enjoy. I am aware that the Saints like to speak
often one to another, if the candle of the Lord is lit up within
them; and it is their delight to walk in the light thereof, and
diffuse that delight to others, that they also may enjoy its
blessings.
267
You are well aware, by your own experience, that mankind in their
feelings and spirits are more or less subject to be operated upon
by surrounding influences. You, no doubt, discover that you are
very much inclined to mingle with and participate in the feelings
and exercises of the society in which you are. Mankind are
naturally inclined to associate one with another. Deprive an
individual of the society of his fellow-beings, and life becomes
wearisome and a burden to him; his hours and days become
monotonous and tedious.
267
This people, as a religious people, are more blessed with the
spirit of association than are the generality of those called
Christians. A gathering and social spirit seems to be the order
of heaven--of the spirit that is in the Gospel we have embraced.
Though it may be esteemed as a fault--as an unwarrantable act to
separate ourselves from those who do not believe as we believe,
yet such is the nature of a portion of our religion pertaining to
the performance of outward duties. If the Latter-day Saints can
associate together, free from the contaminating influences that
are in the world, it is a blessing and a great privilege. What
would induce a child to grow up in the wickedness of the wicked
world, if it never saw or heard any of it? Would you see the
fruit you now see produced? You would not. If children never
heard language unbecoming intelligent beings, in their most
heated passions, they would not know what to say; they would have
no words to express their wicked feelings, until reflection would
take the place of anger, and they would refrain from it.
268
It is very true that, through the fall, we are all prone to evil.
It is also true that the spirit in man is also pure and holy upon
its entrance into a tabernacle, and perfectly prepared to be
influenced and receive instruction. Being united with the body,
which was brought under condemnation through the fall, they are
inseparably connected in a probation. And while they remain
together, the spirit of evil, through the fall, has great power
with the body; and the body, through its intimate connection, has
great power with the spirit; and for this reason both are prone
to evil. Still it would be difficult to find a person upon the
earth so vile--so wicked--so overcome by the grossness of earth,
that the holy principles and acts in the lives of the righteous
are not more beautiful to them than are the wickedness and
corruption in the lives of the froward and disobedient. The human
family naturally admire a life of virtue and truth, and abhor
falsehood and every kind of wickedness. The spirits that the
Almighty has put into their tabernacles will more or less admire
goodness, inwardly if not outwardly, though they are often
overcome by the evil propensities that pertain to the flesh.
268
Since we are permitted by our Father and our God to do good, let
us never suffer ourselves to be tempted, to be drawn aside, to be
overcome, or thwarted in the pure and holy purpose that the pure
spirit of intelligence (the spirit that is in us) reveals to the
understanding. Not but that it is necessary in the very nature of
things, in the economy of heaven, that we should be tried and
tempted in all things, in order to prove ourselves and prepare
ourselves to enjoy that eternal life that is prepared for the
just. The time will be when people will not be tempted as they
now are--when there will be no Tempter upon the earth. The
knowledge and intelligence that will be diffused among the people
will enable them to live a time and a season without the Tempter.
But we live in a day when the power and rule of that evil
principle is more excessive upon the earth that it ever has been.
As the Prophet said, "For every one, from the least even unto the
greatest, is given to covetousness; from the prophet even unto
the priest, every one dealeth falsely." Mankind, in the present
day, are further from the intelligence, the light, the glory, and
the power of the Invisible than ever they were before, from the
days of Adam until now. There never was a day of such heathen
darkness and unbelief as now prevails. We have had the privilege
of receiving those holy principles calculated to give us power to
secure to ourselves eternal life and happiness, if we follow out
those principles. It is a constant warfare. As the apostle
expresses it, "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the
spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the
other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." The spirit
that is put into man is pure and holy; but through the power of
evil with the flesh, it is more or less contaminated, influenced,
seduced, and brought into bondage by the evil that exists upon
the earth. Let the spirit overcome and come off conqueror.
268
While we have the privilege of speaking to each other, let us
speak words of comfort and consolation. When you are influenced
by the Spirit of holiness and purity, let your light shine; but
if you are tried and tempted and buffeted by Satan, keep your
thoughts to yourselves--keep your mouths closed; for speaking
produces fruit, either of a good or evil character.
269
If persons think they have greater sorrow and affliction than any
others, when they reveal that sorrow and affliction, it produces
fruit. You frequently hear brethren and sisters say that they
feel so tried and tempted, and have so many cares, and are so
buffeted, that they must give vent to their feelings; and they
yield to the temptation, and deal out their unpleasant sensations
to their families and neighbours. Make up your minds thoroughly,
once for all, that if we have trials, the Lord has suffered them
to be brought upon us, and he will give us grace to bear them;
and that they do not concern our families, friends, and
neighbours, we can bear them off alone. But if we have light or
intelligence--that which will do good, we will impart it; but our
bad feelings, our desponding feelings, our dark hours, and
disagreeable sensations we will keep to ourselves. Let that be
the determination of every individual, for spirit begets
spirit--likeness, likeness; feelings beget their likeness; and
custom, custom. You know very well, by your own experience, that
you are naturally inclined to more or less adopt the customs,
feelings, and manners of the people you associate with. If, then,
we give vent to all our bad feelings and disagreeable sensations,
how quickly we beget the same in others, and load each other down
with our troubles, and become sunk in darkness and despair! If
you have anything good to say, speak it and comfort the hearts of
the Saints. If you have that which tends to death, keep it to
yourselves: we do not want it, for we already have plenty of it.
269
Frame your lives according to the precepts of the Gospel. Let
your deal, walk, and conversation be that upon which an angel can
look with pleasure. And in all your social communications, or
whatever your associations are, let all the dark, discontented,
murmuring, unhappy, miserable feelings--all the evil fruit of the
mind, fall from the tree in silence and unnoticed; and so let it
perish, without taking it up to present to your neighbours. But
when you have joy and happiness, light and intelligence, truth
and virtue, offer that fruit abundantly to your neighbours, and
it will do them good, and so strengthen the hands of your
fellow-beings, even though you may be looked upon as an outcast,
vile people, not worthy of the society of what are commonly
deemed the intelligent portion of the world. This reminds me of
what a man in Connecticut said when he was preparing to emigrate
to Utah. His aunt was deeply regretting that he was going away
off to Utah to live with that dark and outcast people. "Why, my
dear boy, you are going entirely away from the Christians!" He
replied--"Aunt, I have prayed for years to be delivered from
these Christians." I am happy, brethren and sisters, that we are
measurably delivered from the so-called Christians.
270
Do you wish to know why I am happy for this deliverance? Because
we have the privilege of associating together and pouring out the
intelligence God has given us and is revealing from time to time,
that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, and
are not much trammelled by the fashions, customs, and
contaminating influences of the world. Are there good men and
women among them? Yes, a great many who are just as good, so far
as they know, as we are. We have the benefit of further knowledge
and further commands in this generation, being actually the
disciples of the Lord Jesus, understanding our Master and his
business and mission upon the earth. We have the privilege of
diffusing this knowledge to the nations, and calling out those
who wish to join hand and heart in building up the kingdom of God
in the last days--in bringing forth the Zion of God, and bringing
about one universal reign of peace and righteousness upon the
earth. It is our business, and is all the business we have on our
hands, to redeem the nations of the earth, and produce
righteousness and the knowledge of God, until it shall go forth
like the light of the morning sun. And let me say to you
Latter-day Saints, Wake out of your slumber, and prepare
yourselves for days that are fast approaching; for times are
approaching of which you are little aware. Forsake the spirit of
the world, bid farewell to your love and affections for the
things of the world, and cleave unto God and unto those things
that are calculated to prepare you to dwell in his presence. The
earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, and he deals with
the children of men according to their agency--according to their
knowledge and power, to let each and every one have an
opportunity of proving themselves worthy to be crowned with
crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal lives; and if they
forfeit them, they must abide the consequences. But if they live
the principles of the holy religion that Jesus Christ has
produced on the earth, they will be prepared to dwell eternally
in his presence.
270
Brethren and sisters, I will make one request of you. When you
speak, speak so that we can hear and understand you, whether it
be much or little, good or bad. If you have nothing to say, take
my counsel, and keep your seat. If you have anything to say, say
it; and when you get through, stop. Let your feelings be governed
and controlled by the principles of eternal life, as should the
children of God, delighting in truth and righteousness. Let the
wicked say what they please, for their breath is in their
nostrils, and all their glory is like the grass and the flower of
the grass that passeth away. They are here but for a moment, and
soon those who know them now will know them no more for ever.
They will soon be as though they had not been upon the earth.
270
Let not your feelings be afflicted or in anywise troubled by the
sayings and doings of the wicked, for they are in the hands of
the Almighty, and he will dispose of individuals and nations as
seemeth him good. He must give them an opportunity to receive the
truth and prepare themselves to dwell eternally with him, or to
reject it and prepare themselves to be cut down as cumberers of
the ground, suffer the wrath of the Almighty, and perish and be
wasted away until they will be known no more. Seek for that which
will endure. Set your hearts upon those things that will abide
not only to-day, to-morrow, this year, and throughout your
lifetime, but also the coming of the Lord Jesus christ and the
presence of the Almighty who dwells in eternal burnings.
270
May God bless you! Amen.
271
POSSESSION OF THE SPIRIT, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
271
Brethren and sisters, I rejoice exceedingly for the manifestation
of the Spirit of God I have witnessed here to-day. We have heard
good testimonies and good counsel, and the Spirit of the Lord is
upon the people; and I trust that I shall see an increase of this
Spirit, which I have felt in a signal manner to-day, and which I
also feel day by day.
271
The world could not hire me to be a "Mormon," unless I enjoyed
the spirit of my religion. I need that spirit in my business, as
well as in my worship; and I surely would need it, if I had to go
to the kanyons and drive cattle: I would need a double portion of
it. Whatever we do should be in accordance with the mind of the
Holy Spirit. We are not at all under the necessity of falling
into the mistake that the Christian world falls into. They think,
when they are handling or dealing in the things of this world,
that those things have nothing to do with their religion. Our
religion takes within its wide embrace not only things of heaven,
but also things of earth. It circumscribes all art, science, and
literature pertaining to heaven, earth, and hell. Is there any
good? It belongs to you and me. Is their virtue? It is ours. Is
there truth? It is ours. Is there knowledge? It is for us.
271
All eternity is before us. Let us deal with ourselves like men
and women of God. Let us deal with one another like intelligent
beings. Our religion drinks up all truth, and the Lord Almighty
will gather unto Zion all the intelligence and wisdom that has
ever been exhibited among men.
271
When I see men craving for and lusting after the things of this
world, it looks very childish to me. These things belong to the
Lord, and we are his. The gold and the silver, the fine flour,
the wine and the oil, and all the treasures of the earth are his,
and he disposes of them as he will. When we are prepared, we
shall have gold sufficient to pave the streets, and we will tread
it under our feet. Shame on men and women, professing to be
Saints, who worship and love the perishing things of earth. Love
God and his work, and all is ours in time and in eternity.
271
May the Lord help us so to do! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Daniel
H. Wells, September 1, 1859
Daniel H. Wells, September 1, 1859
IMPORTANCE OF HOME MANUFACTURES, PRODUCE, &c.
Remarks by President Daniel H. Wells, delivered in the
Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, September 1, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
272
Brethren and sisters, I feel there is a good spirit with us here
to-day: all is peace; and we have had remarks from the President
which have been very gratifying, at least to me, and I presume
they have been to you.
272
There is not a great deal to say after hearing such a discourse.
I feel a deep solemnity resting upon my feelings, and a strong
desire to treasure up the words I have heard, and apply them in
my daily walk and practice.
272
Under these feelings I would not be free to rise and speak at
all, at this time, were it not that the President has requested
me to do so. He wishes to hear others speak, that he may judge of
the state of their feelings.
272
The inducements for the Saints to be faithful are certainly very
great. There is no happiness, no joy, nothing worth living for,
outside the religion of Jesus Christ--the principles of life and
salvation, or "Mormonism" as it is now called by many. These
principles embrace everything, as our President has told us,
which is worth knowing or possessing.
272
By means of our religion we may participate freely in the great
blessings which all the world are seeking, but cannot find
outside this Church and kingdom. We may have a permanent joy--a
happiness that is unalloyed.
272
It is to our greatest advantage to be faithful in living our
religion, although we may have to suffer poverty and persecution,
which matters not, so long as our faith fails not; for as we pass
along we feast upon a joy and a peace that the world cannot give
nor take away, to say nothing of the reward that lies at the end
of the race.
272
Every person feels well in the consciousness that he is living in
that manner that is pleasing to our Father and God. If we live
according to the understanding we have of right, the promise is
that more light and truth will be imparted to us, and in this way
may we go on unto perfection.
272
We have been told year after year how to conduct ourselves;--not
to give way to temptation, but live our religion faithfully;--to
be honest in all our dealings with one another--to be
pure-minded, and seek, in all our temporal economies as a people,
to be free and independent. We have had our minds occasionally
lit up with the idea of being independent; and you know that the
way to do this is to encourage domestic or home manufactures--to
supply our own wants.
273
Some may say, What is the use of striving to do this, so long as
clothing is plenty and cheap? and hence neglect to raise their
flax, cotton, wool, and hemp. Instead of pursuing this course, it
would be best for us now to improve the present time, secure such
things as we need, and to abate a single particle in our efforts
to produce, for our own sustenance, clothing and food, that we
may be free and independent. In a day to come the Lord may shut
down the gate, and throw us upon our own resources. Then let us
not be off our guard because a few loads of merchandize have been
brought into our country. The Lord has no doubt permitted this to
supply the present necessities of the people. But will he
continue to supply them in this way? or will there be a scarcity
of such things that are now plentiful? There will be a scarcity,
as Brother Kimball has said.
273
I see no other way to escape pinching necessity than to go to
with all our might and produce the things we need the most. The
Lord blesses us with years of plenty against the time of need,
and in these times of plenty it would be well for us to treasure
up grain and other rich products of the earth.
273
To be righteous towards God is to obey. Jesus said, "If a man
loveth me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him,
and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. He that
loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear
is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."
273
Let us be truly obedient in the things we do know; and then, if
we have a desire for the things we do not know, the Lord will
perhaps give them to us. A father feels more like giving to a
child that has complied with his requests than to one that has
not. Another thing: we frequently ask for things that we have no
business with. Let us be careful about this, and faithfully
practise upon that we have already received.
273
I feel a peculiar joy and an unspeakable satisfaction myself in
the things of God. I have desired a greater degree of
intelligence, that I might be more useful and of greater benefit
in the kingdom of God. I do not know that I have coveted anything
in this world, only to be more useful in building up the kingdom
of Christ in my day and generation.
273
May the Lord help us to overcome evil with good--to sustain the
principles of righteousness and the authorities of the Priesthood
of God now on the earth.
273
We would like to build a temple. Suppose we had one now; are we
prepared to enter into it? My earnest desire is that we may be
faithful and be found worthy to go into it when it is built, and
receive the blessings of eternity; but we shall not be, unless we
progress in all the principles of eternal life. As soon as we are
worthy to go into the house of the Lord and receive those
blessings, we shall have a house.
273
The Lord delights to pour out the riches of eternity upon his
faithful children. Why does he not do it more abundantly? Because
we are not worthy to receive them. Then let us, by our godly
lives, prove ourselves worthy of those blessings.
273
May the Lord help us to accomplish all he requires of us, in the
name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, October 6, 1859
Brigham Young, October 6, 1859
ETERNAL LIFE--BLESSINGS AND PRIVILEGES OF SAINTS.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
274
I am pleased with the privilege of standing before the Saints to
bear my testimony to the truth and to express some of my thoughts
pertaining to eternal life. The knowledge of the truth should be
prized by all Saints. There are no people blessed to the same
degree as those who are blessed with the words of eternal life.
Men may be blessed with the things of this life--may possess all
the blessings this world can furnish--may have the honour and
glory of man; but all this bears no comparison to the blessings
that are bestowed upon those who understand the ways of life and
salvation.
274
One generation passes away, and another succeeds. Mankind are
continually changing. Kingdoms and thrones arise, and are gone
like a vapour that passeth away. The glory of man is but for a
moment. Are the nations that have arisen, flourished, and passed
away prepared to dwell in eternal life in another state of
existence? We are blessed with the words and way of life, through
the Gospel, by One who has deigned to call us brethren--not by
adoption, in the strict sense of the world, but is flesh of our
flesh and bone of our bone,--One who has redeemed us.
274
The generality of mankind are ignorant of the real relationship
that exists between them and Heaven. They do not understand that
God is our Father. By adoption? No; but we are his children by a
legal inheritance. He gave his only begotten Son, pertaining to
the flesh, to redeem the whole family of man.
274
Who can define the divinity of man? Only those who understand the
true principles of eternity--the principles that pertain to life
and salvation. Man, by being exalted, does not lose the power and
ability naturally given to him; but, on the contrary, by taking
the road that leads to life, he gains more power, more influence
and ability during every step he progresses therein. Mankind have
power given them to propagate their species. An exaltation to the
celestial kingdom of God by no means lessens that power. On these
points the children of men are shrouded in mystery and
uncertainty.
274
When we say that we are blessed above many of our fellows, we may
also say that we have the greatest reason to rejoice in and love
our religion, to walk humbly before our God, do good to each
other, and forsake all evil and the appearance of it. Is this too
much to say and do? Does it rob the blessings the Lord has
bestowed upon us of any of their rich enjoyments? The greater our
privileges and the greater the blessings bestowed upon us, the
more faithfulness and diligence are required in our callings to
save the children of men.
275
When you approach the throne of grace and petition the Father, in
the name of that Saviour who has redeemed the world, do you use
that name as the name of a stranger? If you understand your own
religion, you petition that Personage as you would one of your
brethren in the flesh. Is this strange to you? It should bring
near to you things that pertain to eternity, give your
reflections and views a more exalted cast, stamp your daily
actions with truth and honesty, and cause you to be filled with
the Spirit and power of God.
275
I have reflected much upon the subject of religion, the world of
mankind, their relations one to another and to the Author of
their being, and the object of their existence. We are now
endowed with that knowledge, a proper improvement upon which will
enable us to secure an inheritance in the celestial kingdom of
our God. Millions of the inhabitants of this earth have striven
to their uttermost--stretched their minds to the greatest extent
to become acquainted with what the Lord has seen fit to bestow
upon us, without any outlay of labour or energy on our part. He
has seen fit to call his servant Joseph Smith, jun., and submit
to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven,--to reveal to him the
mysteries of salvation, and bring to light things that have been
hid for many ages--things that the world have been seeking
for--wrestling with the powers of heaven to obtain, that they
might know how to make their escape from this wicked world, and
secure to themselves a sure abiding-place--an inheritance that
passeth not away. Thousands have spent their lives--the best part
of their days, to search out what has been revealed to us without
the least exertion of ours.
275
When we say that we believe the Gospel and rejoice in it, let us
not forget that it is to us a free gift. How far did you travel
to obtain it? How much money did you pay for it? What penance did
you perform to prove yourselves worthy of it? The blessings we
enjoy came to us without money and without price. Have we not
great reason to be thankful that the Spirit of the Lord has
touched the eyes of our understandings that we may see, and that
he has given us his Spirit to bend our dispositions to his
requirements?
275
We talk about our trials and troubles here in this life: but
suppose that you could see yourselves thousands and millions of
years after you have proved faithful to your religion during the
few short years in this time, and have obtained eternal salvation
and a crown of glory in the presence of God; then look back upon
your lives here, and see the losses, crosses, and
disappointments, the sorrows arising from disobedient
children--from wicked parents who have opposed their children who
wished to embrace the truth, the persecutions from city to city,
from state to state, being hunted and driven, you would be
constrained to exclaim, "But what of all that? Those things were
but for a moment, and we are now here. We have been faithful
during a few moments in our mortality, and now we enjoy eternal
life and glory, with power to progress in all the boundless
knowledge and through the countless stages of progression,
enjoying the smiles and approbation of our Father and God, and of
Jesus Christ our elder brother."
276
The child who has his father's razor, or any other article
dangerous for him to handle, and about the use of which he has no
knowledge, when deprived of it, his trials are equal to ours,
according to his capacity. We seldom think of the trials of our
little ones when we say to them, You must not have this or that;
you must do so and so to receive my smiles and approbation; you
must not think for a moment that your judgment, wisdom,
experience, and wishes are to be compared with mine. Does not the
Father of all living conduct himself in this wise towards his
children? He has revealed to us that he will prepare us for
glory, for life eternal,--will preserve our identity for ever, if
we will be guided by him. But we must be obedient to him, for he
understands more than we do. We should destroy ourselves if we
were suffered to take our own way; hence we are taught to suffer
the Father to point out our path to an eternal duration
hereafter, where our present afflictions will appear as flimsy as
the shadows of the morning that flee upon the approach of day.
God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, October 7, 1859
Brigham Young, October 7, 1859
UNION, ETC.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
276
Jesus Christ, in his teachings, made plain the difference between
the powers calculated to destroy, annihilate, dissolve, reduce to
native element, and those which will eternally endure. In view of
this, he prayed to his Father for his disciples, and wished them
to pay particular attention to this one principle in their faith.
The words he is recorded to have made use of are--"Sanctify them
through the truth: thy word is truth. As thou has sent me into
the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for
their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them
also which shall believe on me through their word, that they all
may be one, as thou Father art in me and I in thee, that they
also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast
sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them,
that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in
me, that they may be made perfect in one."
276
The Saviour sought continually to impress upon the minds of his
disciples that a perfect oneness reigned among all celestial
beings--that the Father and the Son and their minister, the Holy
Ghost, were one in their administration in heaven and among the
people pertaining to this earth. Between them and all the
heavenly hosts there can be no disunion, no discord, no wavering
on a suggestion, on a thought or reflection, on a feeling or
manifestation; for such a principle would differ widely from the
character of Him who dictates them, who makes his throne the
habitation of justice, mercy, equity, and truth. If the heavenly
hosts were not one, they would be entirely unfit to dwell in
eternal burnings with the Father and Ruler of the universe.
277
A perfect oneness will save a people, because intelligent
beings cannot become perfectly one only by acting upon principles
that pertain to eternal life. Wicked men may be partially united
in evil; but, in the very nature of things, such a union is of
short duration. The very principle upon which they are partially
united will itself breed contention and disunion to destroy the
temporary compact. Only the line of truth and righteousness can
secure to any kingdom or people, either of earthly or heavenly
existence, an eternal continuation of perfect union; for only
truth and those who are sanctified by it can dwell in celestial
glory. This truth we have, and we offer it, without money or
price, to the world who are beguiled, benighted, and deceived by
the artful mass of superstition, bigotry, tradition, fashions,
customs, cliques, and plans that have been growing and ripening
from the days of Adam until now, introducing discord, strife,
animosity, anarchy, and crime of every grade, suffering of every
kind, and premature death to millions. They are embracing shadows
and trying to retain that which will perish in their grasp and
leave them desolate. All organized matter must dissolve and
return to its native element, unless it is made pure and
holy--capable of enduring eternal burnings. All principles,
principalities, powers, thrones, kingdoms, dominions,
communities, neighbourhoods, and individuals, with their actions
public and private, their feelings and aspirations, that are not
concentrated in the oneness taught by our Saviour, will come to
dissolution into native element. Says Jesus, "I and my Father are
one." They are one in their faith, purposes, and actions, the
Saviour being subject to the Father in all things. Again, he
says--"For I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the
will of him that sent me." Again--"I come to do thy will, O God."
Many more of the sayings of Christ might be quoted, which set
forth this principle of oneness, that I have upon my mind and
wish to impress upon the minds of the people.
278
I do not hesitate in saying that, if the people will concentrate
their faith and works to accomplish the great object of their
existence, their troubles, sorrows, anxieties, difficulties,
contentions, animosities, and strife would be at end. This idea I
wish to apply more particularly to those who are called to act in
the capacity of Presidents, Bishops, Counsellors, High
Counsellors, and to every man holding office in this Church; but
I also wish it to apply to every member, both male and female. I
will say to my brethren and sisters, Were your faith concentrated
upon the proper object, your confidence unshaken, your lives pure
and holy, every one fulfilling the duties of his or her calling
according to the Priesthood and capacity bestowed upon you, you
would be filled with the Holy Ghost, and it would be as
impossible for any man to deceive and lead you to destruction as
for a feather to remain unconsumed in the midst of intense heat.
I may not be able to convince you of this fact, but I can tell
you that it is true. I can reveal principles that pertain to this
oneness--to this holiness of life; but to make the people believe
and practise them is another thing. I can preach the Gospel, but
I cannot make people obey its mandates when they are not so
disposed: that is a matter left entirely to themselves. I can
tell you how to avoid your difficulties, jars, contentions, and
sorrows. I can tell you how to establish peace, prosperity,
plenty, and happiness in your midst, and how to maintain them;
but I cannot make you follow my directions, if you are not so
disposed. This is also a matter that is left entirely with
yourselves; and you must reap the reward of your own doings,
whether they be good or evil.
278
In some instances, the people lose confidence in their Bishops,
and the Bishops lose confidence in themselves and in the people.
Were it in my power to bring the people to understanding and
obedience, I would place them in such a degree of advancement
that their Bishop could not live in their midst, unless he
administered in his office with holy hands and with pure heart.
Then, if he lacked the wisdom and discretion to judge righteously
between man and man, he would be filled with the revelations of
eternity, to enable him to judge like an angel, to discriminate
between right and wrong, to point out the path of duty to every
one, and to designate what is required of each person in his
respective calling. But this advancement is for the people and
Bishops to obtain for themselves, through the means the Gospel
supplies.
278
I have lived in the days of Prophets and Revelators. I have been
subject to rule--to the powers that have been and now are. This
is not new to me. My own experience has led me, step by step,
from day to day, and from night to night. When fear comes upon
the people that a Bishop or President is leading them astray and
introducing evil among them, it proves to me that the people are
wrong and are destitute of the power of their holy calling. They
are willingly deceived. It is folly to say that a community of
Saints who are living up to their callings can be led astray by
their Bishop or President. There is no such principle in all the
kingdoms God has made.
278
It may be that some pray that their Bishop may be led wrong, that
they may get rid of him. If so, is that taking a course to save
the children of men? Take a man of the weakest intellect of any
in a Ward and ordain him a Bishop, and then let every other man
in that Ward be filled with the power of his holy calling; are
they not ready and willing to give a word of counsel to their
Bishop when they meet him? Their faith is concentrated upon him;
they pray for him early and late, that the Lord will fill him
with wisdom, enlarge his understanding, open the visions of his
mind, and show him things as they are in time and in eternity.
You all know that even such a man would become mighty in the
house of Israel, if he had the faith of his Ward. The capacities
of all sane persons are capable of enlargement. You may take the
weakest man in the Church, if he is faithful, and ordain him a
Bishop, and he will grow into wisdom, knowledge, strength, power,
light, intelligence, and the spirit of his calling. If he does
not thus advance, it is because he more or less forsakes his
calling and sets his heart upon something besides the holy
Priesthood that is placed upon him. There is not a faithful man
in this Church but what will increase in his understanding of the
ways and duties of life. His mind will expand, the visions of
heaven will be opened to him, and truth pertaining to all
subjects of art and science will increase within him.
278
Does not the weakest intellect of a properly organized person
know more at ten years of age than it did at five--more at twenty
than at ten--more at forty than at twenty, and so continue? Yes.
This proves that he has grown, increased, and expanded in his
capacity from his infancy. Now I will apply this to an officer in
the Church. He once knew but little; he now knows considerable.
Any Bishop, under the influence of the prayers and confidence of
his brethren and sisters, with a faithful and holy life on his
part, will increase in faith and good works, and the rich fruits
of his mind will manifest from day to day increased wisdom and
intelligence.
279
You hear the remark that such and such a man is not fit to
be a Bishop? I acknowledge that many who are called to be Bishops
are not fit for the office, for it is one of the most important
offices in the Church to rightly administer in temporal things. A
Bishop also ministers in spiritual things, and is required to
devote time to the wellbeing and prosperity of his ward, like a
father to a family. It is an office that keenly tries the
patience, faith, and feelings of a man. If the brethren and
sisters prayed for that man continually, and lived their
religion, he would know how to settle certain business
transactions without running to me about this, that, and the
other. Brethren would not run to me about things, that, and the
other. Brethren would not run to me about things as simple as,
"So-and-so has been building a fence on the line between us, and
has put his polls wrong end foremost. Will you not counsel him to
turn them?" And sisters are running to me about things as simple
as, "Sister So-and-so's hens have laid on my premises, and they
do not lay with their heads in the right direction." Does such
conduct proceed from true knowledge among the Latter-day Saints?
No. I do not wish to talk about such folly, neither to have my
time wasted by visits upon such unimportant subjects. I do not
wonder that the Lord suffers us to be more or less abused by our
enemies. I do not wonder that the devils laugh at our folly.
279
Let men and women who profess to be Latter-day Saints live their
religion, and they will be filled with wisdom, and all these
little trifling traits of life will vanish. If my brother or
sister commits an overt act, all I wish to know is whether the
wrong was intended. If so, I cannot fellowship you; but I will
bear with the inconvenience you have put me to. If no wrong was
intended, all is right--we have nothing to say. How is it? Do you
seek not the Lord early and late, constantly, from morning until
evening? Are your secret devotions and the impulse of every
moment filled with the desire to have the Lord Almighty lead you,
direct you, and prepare you for the discharge of every duty in
building up his kingdom on the earth and the promotion of
righteousness?
279
I do not wonder that some say that this or that Bishop is not fit
for his calling. It is true; for there are Bishops who condescend
to notice childish trifles, unworthy the notice of a child five
years old. They love the world--are covetous. Their minds are
upon this, that, and the other, instead of upon the duties of
their office, which are to them a secondary consideration. Such
men are not fit for this office.
279
I will here offer advice that may apply to every officer and
member in this Church, from myself down. I will say to wives,
whose husbands are unruly and will not walk in the paths of
rectitude and truth, Live your religion faithfully; and if you
have sons and daughters, let them do the same and be one with
you, and you will burn the wicked man out of the house, for he
will not be able to resist the power of God that is within you.
Let the people in Wards live their religion; let every man and
woman be filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, and you will
burn out an unfaithful Bishop, without being obliged to complain
of him and quarrel him out of the Ward. If you are not one, you
cannot be Saints. How can we be one? Shall we seek to establish a
perfect oneness by means of the order God has instituted upon the
earth? or shall we set up our individual judgments against that
order?
280
If my individual judgment must be the standard, then farewell to
union--farewell to oneness. God can never save us upon any such
principle. He is the Author or our existence--the Giver of every
good and perfect gift, and he must be obeyed, If he has restored
the holy Priesthood to the children of men and organized his
Church upon the earth, it is time that we knew it. If we do not
know it, let us, in the first place, find out whether his Church
is here or not; and wherever we find it, with its keys and
powers, let us bow to its mandates and observe religiously its
order.
280
I will here make a few remarks which I think will check some of
the complaints from women about their husbands. I acknowledge
that many women know much more than their husbands, and for this
reason the faith and confidence in them droop; they do not seek
to uphold them in the dignity of their position and calling. And
again, maybe the husband does not magnify his priesthood, follow
diligently the duties of his calling, and increase in the faith
of the Gospel, as it is his privilege to do. He should be the
head of the wife all the day long. I will venture to say a little
more upon this point. I like to see people consistent with the
wisdom they profess to have. Were I a woman possessed of great
powers of mind, filled with wisdom, and, upon the whole, a
magnanimous woman, and had been privileged with my choice, and
had married a man, and found myself deceived, he not answering my
expectations, and I being sorry that I had made such a choice,
let me show my wisdom by not complaining about it. A woman's
wisdom and judgment has failed her once in the choice of a
husband, and it may again, if she is not very careful. By seeking
to cast off her husband--by withdrawing her confidence and
goodwill from him, she casts a dark shade upon his path, when, by
pursuing a proper course of love, obedience, and encouragement,
he might attain to that perfection she had anticipated in him.
When the enemy once gets advantage over you, he is very apt to
improve upon it, and to gain a greater when he has another
opportunity.
280
If wives have wicked and unfaithful husbands, if children have
wicked and unfaithful parents, if Wards have unfaithful Bishops,
and if there are Presidents who are not capable of magnifying
their Priesthood and calling, let wives, children, and people
seek unto the Lord to be filled with that power of the Holy Ghost
that will remove those unfaithful persons to other quarters. Let
them remove them by the power of faith in such a way as not in
the least to infringe upon the rights of a single person, giving
them no just ground for complaint. Let all the Saints fulfil
every duty, and manifest in their lives true and full obedience
to the commandments and requirements of the Gospel, then our
Bishops and presiding officers can say, 'God bless you, brother!"
or "God bless you, sister!--you are following your calling and
mission, and magnifying your being on the earth." If all the
people would so live, there would be no High Council or Bishops'
Court necessary to adjudicate upon matters of contention and
strife. If a man did not lay his polls on his fence to please me,
I would go and turn them, and he would be quite willing that I
should be accommodated.
281
I will give you a text: Except I am one with my good brethren, do
not say that I am a Latter-day Saint. We must be one. Our faith
must be concentrated in one great work--the building up of the
kingdom of God on the earth, and our works must aim to the
accomplishment of that great purpose. This people, I am happy to
say, are fast improving. In our testimony meeting yesterday, I
could not refrain from weeping for joy. What a peaceful, joyous,
happy, heavenly spirit rested upon the congregation. Live so, my
brethren and sisters, that you can enjoy that Spirit all the
time.
281
The brethren, in testifying yesterday, used the common
expression, "The Lord is here." If he was not here in person, he
was by his ministers, by his angels, by his Spirit. It is well
for us that he did not raise the vail; for if he had, we should
have been consumed by the brightness of his glory and the majesty
of his power. The Lord was here by his Spirit, and he is here in
like manner to-day. The Spirit of the Lord is in the midst of the
people. Then why not yield perfect obedience to his Priesthood?
If we have it, we are in duty bound to live to it and be guided
continually by its sacred order.
281
Let every man stand in his lot and calling as long as he can, and
not complain that this Bishop and that President cannot perform
his duty. Why can he not? Because you are exercising your faith
against him, which, in many instances, is the reason why he is
trammelled. If the faith, spirit, and life of the people are
right, they would not be troubled with bad Bishops and bad
Presidents, and I would not be so troubled with bad Bishops and
bad Presidents, and I would not be so troubled with affairs which
should be attended to by others. Live so that you can discern the
things of God--so that you can at once discern between the things
of God, the things of man, and the things of the Devil.
281
I would beseech and pray the people to so live that if I do not
magnify my office and calling, you will burn me by your faith and
good works, and I shall be removed. Salvation is what I am
seeking and striving for, and it is also your aim and object. The
Lord has restored the Priesthood in our day for the salvation of
Israel. Does he design to save anybody else? Yes; he will save
the house of Esau, and I hope to live until I see Mount Zion
established, and saviours come up to save those poor, miserable
beings who are continually persecuting us--all who have not
sinned against the Holy Ghost. Our labour is to save ourselves,
to save the house of Israel, to save the house of Esau, and all
the Gentile nations,--every one that can be saved.
281
The salvation offered in the Gospel is one of the most consoling,
one of the most merciful, one of the most magnanimous principles
that can be advanced in all the revelations of God to man. All
the sons and daughters of men will be saved, except the sons of
perdition.
281
Brethren and sisters, I feel as calm and serene as the autumn sun
of our mountain home. All is right. I have minded my own
business, and I intend so to do. I have known many to become rich
by minding their own business. I have seldom seen enough
affliction to prevent my dropping to sleep in a minute after I
had lain down to rest and my business for the day was done, and
sleeping as soundly as a healthy child in the lap of its mother.
God is at the helm. He guides the ship, and will bring us safely
to port. All we have to care about is to take care of ourselves
and see that we do right. Let us man the ship manfully, every one
standing faithfully and firmly to his post, and she will outride
every storm and safely bear us to the harbour of celestial bliss.
281
I have said but a small part of what I wish to say, but I will
give way for others. God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, October 9, 1859
Brigham Young, October 9, 1859
INTELLIGENCE, ETC.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 9, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
282
I shall address you this morning upon a subject that is more
interesting to me than any other pertaining to the life of man.
It is a subject of deep study and research, and has been from age
to age among the reflecting and philosophical portions of the
human family. The intelligence given to the children of men is
the subject to which I allude, and upon which has been expended
more intellectual labour and profound thought than upon any other
that has ever attracted the attention of man.
282
The Psalmist has written, "What is man, that thou art mindful of
him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast
made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him
with glory and honour." This passage is but one of many which
refer to the organization of man as though it were a great
mystery--something that could not be fully comprehended by the
greatest minds while dwelling in earthly tabernacles. It is a
matter of vital interest to each of us, and yet it is often
farthest from the thoughts of the greater portion of mankind.
Instead of reflecting upon and searching for hidden things of the
greatest value to them, they rather wish to learn how to secure
their way through this world as easily and as comfortably as
possible. The reflections what they are here for, who produced
them, and where they are from, far too seldom enter their minds.
282
Many have written upon this great subject, and there exists a
great variety of reflections, views, and opinions which I have
not time to dwell upon in detail. I will merely give you a few
texts, or what you may term a text-book. Nor shall I now take
time to minutely elaborate any particular point, but will present
such views as shall come into my mind, trusting that I shall have
your faith and prayers to be able to edify both Saint and sinner,
believer and unbeliever.
282
If the inhabitants of the earth thoroughly understood their own
being, their views, feelings, faith, and affections would be very
different from what they now are. Many believe in predestination,
while others of the Christian world oppose that doctrine and
exclusively advocate free grace, free will, free offering, etc.;
and each party of Christians has its pet theory or doctrine, upon
which it builds its hopes of eternal salvation. Such a course is
like five or six hundred men each selecting and running off with
a piece of the machinery of a cotton mill, and declaring that he
had the cotton mill entire. This comparison may be truly applied
to the Christian world as it now is with regard to the holy and
divine principles which have been revealed pertaining to eternal
life and salvation.
283
Many of you, no doubt, have concluded that the doctrine of
election and reprobation is true, and you do so with propriety,
for it is true; it is a scriptural doctrine. Others do not
believe this doctrine, affirming with all their faith, might, and
skill that free grace and freewill are or ought to be the
foundation of man's faith in his Creator. Very well. I can also
say to them that free grace and freewill are scripturally true.
The first-named doctrine is as true as the second, and the second
as the first. Others, again, declare that mankind have no will,
neither free nor restrained, in their actions; for instance, the
Rationalists or Freethinkers, who deny the existence and divinity
of the Gods that we believe in. But so far from their believing
their own theory, Mr. Neil, of Boston, while in prison for having
no religion, wrote an essay, in which he declared that "All is
God."
283
I might enumerate many more instances, and say that they are all
right so far as they go in truth. The doctrine of freewill and
conditional salvation, the doctrine of free grace and
unconditional salvation, the doctrine of foreordination and
reprobation, and many more that I have not time to enumerate, can
all be fully and satisfactorily proved by the Scriptures, and are
true.
283
On the other hand, many untrue doctrines are taught and believed,
such as there being infants, not a span long, weltering in the
flames of hell, there to remain throughout the countless ages of
eternity, and the doctrine of total depravity. Some have gone so
far as to say that a man or woman who wishes to be saved in the
kingdom of God--who wishes to be a servant or handmaid of the
Almighty, must feel that deep contrition of heart, that sound
repentance, and such a sense of his or her unworthiness and
nothingness, and of the supremacy, glory, and exaltation of that
Deity they believe in, as to exclaim before God and their
brethren and sisters that they are willing to be damned. To me
that is one of the heights of nonsense; for if a person is
willing to be damned, he cares not to make the efforts necessary
to secure salvation. All this confusion is in the world--party
against party--communities against communities--individuals
against individuals. One sets out with five truths and fifteen
errors, making the articles of his faith twenty; another dissents
from him, rejects those five truths, selects perhaps five more,
and adds as many errors as did the former one, and then he comes
out a flaming reformer. Men, in dissenting from one another, have
too often exercised no better judgment than to deny and dissent
from many truths because their ancestors cherished and believed
them, which has produced numerous parties, sects, and articles of
faith, when, in fact, taking them in mass, they have an immense
amount of true principles.
284
It was the occupation of Jesus christ and his Apostles to
propagate the Gospel of salvation and the principles of eternal
life to the world, and it is our duty and calling, as ministers
of the same salvation and Gospel, to gather every item of truth
and reject every error. Whether a truth be found with professed
infidels, or with the Universalists, or the Church of Rome, or
the Methodists, the Church of England, the Presbyterians, the
Baptists, the Quakers, the Shakers, or any other of the various
and numerous different sects and parties, all of whom have more
or less truth, it is the business of the Elders of this Church
(Jesus, their elder brother, being at their head,) to gather up
all the truths in the world pertaining to life and salvation, to
the Gospel we preach, to mechanism of every kind, to the
sciences, and to philosophy, wherever it may be found in every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and bring it to Zion.
284
The people upon this earth have a great many errors, and they
have also a great many truths. This statement is not only true of
the nations termed civilized--those who profess to worship the
true God, but is equally applicable to pagans of all countries,
for in their religious rights and ceremonies may be found a great
many truths which we will also gather home to Zion. All truth is
for the salvation of the children of men--for their benefit and
learning--for their furtherance in the principles of divine
knowledge; and divine knowledge is any matter of fact--truth; and
all truth pertains to divinity.
284
When we view mankind collectively, or as nations, communities,
neighbourhoods, and families, we are led to inquire into the
object of our being here and situated as we find ourselves to be.
Did we produce ourselves, and endow ourselves with that knowledge
and intelligence we now possess? All are ready to acknowledge
that we had nothing to do with the origin of our being--that we
were produced by a superior Power, without either the knowledge
or the exercise of the agency we now possess. We know that we are
here. We know that we live, breathe, and walk upon the earth. We
know this naturally, as the brute creation knows. We know that
our food and drink come from the elements around us: by them we
are nourished, cherished, refreshed, and sustained, with the
addition of sleep. We live and breathe, and breathe and live. Who
can define and point out the particularities of the wonderful
organization of man?
284
It enters into the minds of but few that the air we inhale is the
greatest source of our life. We derive more real nourishment to
our mortal tabernacles from this element than from the solid food
we receive into our stomachs. Our lungs expand and contract to
sustain the life which God has given us. Of the component parts
of this great fountain of vitality I have not time to treat; but
this interesting information you may gather in part from numerous
works on natural philosophy. I will, however, say that the air is
full of life and vitality, and its volume fills immensity. The
relative terms height, depth, length, and breadth do not apply to
it. Could you pass with the velocity of the electric fluid over
telegraphic wires, during the continuation of more years than you
can comprehend, you would still be surrounded by it and in the
bosom of eternity as much as you now are; and it is filled with
the spirit of life which emanates from God.
285
Many have tried to penetrate to the First Cause of all things;
but it would be as easy for an ant to number the grains of sand
on the earth. It is not for man, with his limited intelligence,
to grasp eternity in his comprehension. There is an eternity of
life, from which we were composed by the wisdom and skill of
superior Beings. It would be as easy for a gnat to trace the
history of man back to his origin as for man to fathom the First
Cause of all things, lift the veil of eternity, and reveal the
mysteries that have been sought after by philosophers from the
beginning. What, then, should be the calling and duty of the
children of men? Instead of inquiring after the origin of the
Gods--instead of trying to explore the depths of eternities that
have been, that are, and that will be,--instead of endeavouring
to discover the boundaries of boundless space, let them seek to
know the object of their present existence, and how to apply, in
the most profitable manner for their mutual good and salvation,
the intelligence they possess. Let them seek to know and
thoroughly understand things within their reach, and to make
themselves well acquainted with the object of their being here,
by diligently seeking unto a superior Power for information, and
by the careful study of the best books.
285
The life that is within us is a part of an eternity of life, and
is organized spirit, which is clothed upon by tabernacles,
thereby constituting our present being, which is designed for the
attainment of further intelligence. The matter composing our
bodies and spirits has been organized from the eternity of matter
that fills immensity.
285
Were I to fully speak what I know and understand concerning
myself and others, you might think me to be infringing. I shall
therefore omit some things that I would otherwise say to you if
the people were prepared to receive them.
285
Jesus Christ says, "And this is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has
sent." We are not now in a capacity to know him in his fulness of
glory. We know a few things that he has revealed concerning
himself, but there are a great many which we do not know. When
people have secured to themselves eternal life, they are where
they can understand the true character of their Father and God,
and the object of the creation, fall, and redemption of man after
the creation of this world. These points have ever been subjects
for speculation with all classes of believers, and are subjects
of much interest to those who entertain a deep anxiety to know
how to secure to themselves eternal life. Our bodies are
organized from the eternity of matter, from such matter as we
breathe, and from such matter as is found in the vegetable and
mineral kingdoms. This matter is organized into a world, with all
its appendages, by whom? By the Almighty; and we see it peopled
by men and women who are made in the image of God.
285
All this vast creation as produced from element in its
unorganized state; the mountains, rivers, seas, valleys, plains,
and the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms beneath and
around us, all speaking forth the wonderful works of the Great
God. Shall I say that the seeds of vegetables were planted here
by the Characters that framed and built this world--that the
seeds of every plant composing the vegetable kingdom were brought
from another world? This would be news to many of you. Who
brought them here? It matters little to us whether it was John,
James, William, Adam, or Bartholomew who brought them; but it was
some Being who had power to frame this earth with its seas,
valleys, mountains, and rivers, and cause it to teem with
vegetable and animal life.
286
Here let me state to all philosophers of every class upon the
earth, When you tell me that father Adam was made as we make
adobies from the earth, you tell me what I deem an idle tale.
When you tell me that the beasts of the field were produced in
that manner, you are speaking idle worlds devoid of meaning.
There is no such thing in all the eternities where the Gods
dwell. Mankind are here because they are the offspring of parents
who were first brought here from another planet, and power was
given them to propagate their species, and they were commanded to
multiply and replenish the earth. The offspring of Adam and Eve
are commanded to take the rude elements, and, by the knowledge
God has given, to convert them into everything required for their
life, health, adornment, wealth, comfort, and consolation. Have
we the knowledge to do this? We have. Who gave us this knowledge?
Our Father who made us; for he is the only wise God, and to him
we owe allegiance; to him we owe our lives. He has brought us
forth and taught us all we know. We are not indebted to any other
power or God for all our great blessings.
286
We see man upon the earth, and discern that he is endowed with
great intelligence, which displays its scope and power in various
ways to meet and provide for the exigencies and wants of the
human race. Wise statesmen know how to devise and plan for a
kingdom, and can closely calculate the results of the policies
they adopt. They understand the course to be pursued to induce
the people to submit to a wholesome government or to a despotic
rule as may please the will of the rulers. There are historians
of various grades, philosophers wise and simple, and an
exceedingly great variety of capacities and tastes. In our
Republican government we see some who are acute politicians, but
that seems to be the extent of their knowledge. You may find
others who are good statesmen, but poor politicians. Some are
excellent mathematicians, and understand and care for but little
outside that science. Still, if a man is capable of learning the
geography of the earth, he is also capable of learning the laws
of the nations that inhabit it, if you will give him time
according to his capacity. One scholar in a school may far
outstrip the rest; but give them sufficient time, and they can
learn what the quick, bright scholar has learned so easily and
quickly. If we are capacitated to learn one thing to-day, we can
learn another to-morrow. It is the height of folly to say that a
man can only learn so much and no more. The further literary men
advance in their studies, the more they discern there is to
learn, and the more anxious they are to learn. This is made
manifest before us day by day, and is observed upon the face of
the whole earth.
286
The principle of intelligence is within us. Who planted it there?
He who made us. That which you see developed in the children of
men (you may call it disposition, or whatever else you please,)
is the force of the mind or the spirit, and the body is a
tabernacle organized for its temporary habitation.
286
It is written of the Saviour that he descended below all things.
If he did he descended in capacity. I will merely tell you what I
believe on this point. I believe that there never was a child
born on this earth with any less capacity than dwelt in the child
that was born in a manger of his mother Mary. I believe,
according to the natural ability which he received from his
mother and from his supposed father Joseph, that there never was
a child that descended lower in capacity, or that knew less. Yet,
according to the history given of him, his power of mind
developed with such wonderful rapidity that when he was but a few
years old he propounded questions to the learned doctors of his
day which they could not answer, and answered questions
propounded to him which the querists could not answer. He
increased in wisdom and knowledge, and came into communication
with his Father. The Being whom we call Father was the Father of
the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was also his Father
pertaining to the flesh. Infidels and Christians, make all you
can of this statement. The Bible, which all Christians profess to
believe, reveals that fact, and it reveals the truth upon that
point, and I am a witness of its truth. The Apostles who were
personally acquainted with Jesus Christ did know and understand
what they wrote, and they wrote the truth.
287
He was endowed with capacity to receive intelligence. We, his
brethren, are also endowed with capacity to receive intelligence.
And what some would call the volition of the creature--the will
of the creature--the disposition, the power of willing or
determining, is bequeathed to us in like manner as it is to the
Son of God; and it is as independent as it is inherited by the
angels or Gods--that is, the will to dispose of this intelligence
at our pleasure in doing good or evil. It is held by the
followers of Robert Owen that men are more or less influenced
entirely in their actions by the force of circumstances: but is
there a man or woman in this house that could not walk out, if
you wanted to--if your will was set in you to do it? or sit here
until meeting is out, if you are disposed? The volition of the
creature is made independent by the unalterable decree of the
Almighty. I can rise up or sit still--speak or be silent. Were
this not so, I would at once request parents never to correct a
child for another disobedient act.
287
We are organized to be so independent in this capacity as to
determine and act for ourselves as to whether we will serve God
and obey him in preference to serving ourselves. If we serve
ourselves and evil principles, we do not subserve the object of
our creation. This element of which our tabernacles are organized
is calculated to decompose and return to its mother earth, or to
its native element. This intelligence, which might be called
divine intelligence, is implanted in mortal or human beings; and
if we take a course to promote the principles of life--seek unto
our Father and God, and obtain his will and perform it, the
spirit will become purified, sanctified, cleansed, and made holy
in the body, and the grave will cleanse the flesh. When the
spirit overcomes the evil consequences of the fall, which are in
the mortal tabernacle, it will reign predominant in the flesh,
and is then prepared to be exalted, and will, in the
resurrection, be reunited with those particles that formed the
mortal body, which will be called together as with the sound of a
trumpet and become immortal. Why? Because the particles composing
these bodies have been made subject and obedient, by the law of
the everlasting Priesthood, and the will and commandment of the
Supreme Ruler of the universe, who holds the keys of life and
death. Every principle, act, and portion of the lives of the
children of men that does not tend to this will lead to an
eternal dissolution of the identity of the person.
287
"Why," some say, "we thought that the wicked were to be sent to
hell to dwell with eternal burnings for evermore." They go to
hell and will stay there until the anger of the Almighty consumes
them and they become disorganized, as the elements of the fuel we
burn are disorganized by the action of fire and thrown back again
to their native element. The wicked will endure the wrath of God
and be "turned into hell, with all the nations that forget God."
What will be done with them there? Those who did not persecute
the Son of God in the flesh while acting for themselves and
following the direction of their own will--those who did not
persecute the holy Priesthood of the Son of God--those who did
not consent to the shedding of innocent blood--those who did not
seek to obliterate the kingdom of God from the earth, will,
by-and-by, be sought after.
287
You read about a first resurrection. If there is a first, there
is a second. And if a second, may there not be a third, and a
fourth, and so on? Yes; and happy are they who have a part in the
first resurrection. Yes, more blessed are they than any others.
But blessed also are they that will have part in the second
resurrection, for they will be brought forth to enjoy a kingdom
that is more glorious than the sectarian world ever dreamed of.
288
The "Mormon" Elders will tell you that all people must
receive this Gospel--the Gospel of Jesus christ, and be baptized
for the remission of sins, or they cannot be saved. Let me
explain this to you. They cannot go where God and Christ dwell,
for that is a kingdom of itself--the celestial kingdom. Jesus
said, "In my Father's house are many mansions," or kingdoms. They
will come forth in the first, second, or some other resurrection,
if they have not been guilty of the particular sins I have just
mentioned; and they will enjoy a kingdom and a glory greater than
they had ever anticipated. When we talk about people's being
damned, I would like to have all understand that we do not use
the term "damnation" in the sense that it is used by the
sectarian world. Universal salvation or redemption is the
doctrine of the Bible; but the people do not know how or where to
discriminate between truth and error. All those who have done
according to the best of their knowledge, whether they are
Christians, Pagans, Jews, Mohammedans, or any other class of men
that have ever lived upon the earth, that have dealt honestly and
justly with their fellow-beings, walked uprightly before each
other, loved mercy, tried to put down iniquity, and done as far
right as they knew how, according to the laws they lived under,
no matter what the laws were, will share in a resurrection that
will be glorious far beyond the conception of mortals.
288
How many times have I been asked, "Do you believe that such a man
as John Wesley will be damned?" I could answer the question
either way, for they do not know what it is to be saved or
damned. John Wesley is in the spirit-world. He did not receive
the ordinances of the everlasting Gospel in the flesh, and
consequently is not prepared to hold the keys of the kingdom and
be a minister of the great work of God in the last dispensation,
but is dependent upon others to attain a celestial glory. Has he
gone to hell? No. When the spirit leaves the body, it goes into
the spirit-world, where the spirits of men are classified
according to their own wills or pleasure, as men are here, only
they are in a more pure and refined state of existence. Do you
suppose that John Wesley is lifting up his eyes in hell, being in
torment? No; he is talking to those who heard and would not
believe him when he was on the earth. He may be asking them
whether they do not now see the justice of a reformation from the
Church of England mode of religion--whether they do not now see
that that Church had gone astray from the true religion, and that
he was right. Yes; and they, no doubt, see it as John Wesley
does, and are willing to worship God according to the best
knowledge they have. As death left him, so judgment will find
him, trying to worship God in the best manner he was acquainted
with. John Wesley and his true followers will receive a glory far
surpassing what they ever thought or dreamed of while under the
influence of their greatest inspirations, and they will be saved.
Are they also damned? Yes, because they have not attained the
victory over the enemy of all righteousness. It is the holy
Priesthood of God that gives man the victory in this world, and
he begins to reign over the power of the enemy here. The keys of
the kingdom of the Son of God outreach and circumscribe the power
of the Enemy.
289
Much has been said about the power of the Latter-day Saints. Is
it the people called Latter-day Saints that have this power, or
is it the Priesthood? It is the Priesthood; and if they live
according to that Priesthood, they can commence their work here
and gain many victories, and be prepared to receive glory,
immortality, and eternal life, that when they go into the
spirit-world, their work will far surpass that of any other man
or being that has not been blessed with the keys of the
Priesthood here.
289
Joseph Smith holds the keys of this last dispensation, and is now
engaged behind the vail in the great work of the last days. I can
tell our beloved brother Christians who have slain the Prophets
and butchered and otherwise caused the death of thousands of
Latter-day Saints, the priests who have thanked God in their
prayers and thanksgiving from the pulpit that we have been
plundered, driven, and slain, and the deacons under the pulpit,
and their brethren and sisters in their closets, who have thanked
God, thinking that the Latter-day Saints were wasted away,
something that no doubt will mortify them--something that, to say
the least, is a matter of deep regret to them--namely, that no
man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the
celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith.
From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the
winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the
certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their
entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are--I with you
and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent. He holds
the keys of that kingdom for the last dispensation--the keys to
rule in the spirit-world; and he rules there triumphantly, for he
gained full power and a glorious victory over the power of Satan
while he was yet in the flesh, and was a martyr to his religion
and to the name of Christ, which gives him a most perfect victory
in the spirit-world. He reigns there as supreme a being in his
sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven. Many will
exclaim--"Oh, that is very disagreeable! It is preposterous! We
cannot bear the thought!" But it is true.
289
I will now tell you something that ought to comfort every man and
woman on the face of the earth. Joseph Smith, junior, will again
be on this earth dictating plans and calling forth his brethren
to be baptized for the very characters who wish this was not so,
in order to bring them into a kingdom to enjoy, perhaps, the
presence of angels or the spirits of good men, if they cannot
endure the presence of the Father and the son; and he will never
cease his operations, under the directions of the Son of God,
until the last ones of the children of men are saved that can be,
from Adam till now.
290
Should not this thought comfort all people? They will, by-and-by,
be a thousand times more thankful for such a man as Joseph Smith,
junior, than it is possible for them to be for any earthly good
whatever. It is his mission to see that all the children of men
in this last dispensation are saved, that can be, through the
redemption. You will be thankful, every one of you, that Joseph
Smith, junior, was ordained to this great calling before the
worlds were. I told you that the doctrine of election and
reprobation is a true doctrine. It was decreed in the counsels of
eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid,
that he should be the man, in the last dispensation of this
world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive
the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of
God. The Lord had his eye upon him, and upon his father, and upon
his father's father, and upon their progenitors clear back to
Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch,
and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood
as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man.
He was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last
dispensation, as much so as Pharaoh was fore-ordained to be a
wicked man, or as was Jesus to be the Saviour of the world
because he was the oldest son in the family.
290
Abraham was ordained to be the father of the faithful,--that is,
he was ordained to come forth at a certain period; and when he
had proved himself faithful to his God, and would resist the
worship of idols, and trample them under his feet in the presence
of their king, and set up the worship of the true God, he
obtained the appellation of "father of the faithful." "For whom
he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son." He knew, millions of years before this world
was framed, that Pharaoh would be a wicked man. He saw--he
understood; his work was before him, and he could see it from the
beginning to the end. And so scrutinizing, penetrating, and
expanded are his visions and knowledge, that not even a hair of
our head can fall to the ground unnoticed by him. He foreknew
what Joseph, who was sold into Egypt, would do. Joseph was
foreordained to be the temporal saviour of his father's house,
and the seed of Joseph are ordained to be the spiritual and
temporal saviours of all the house of Israel in the latter days.
Joseph's seed has mixed itself with all the seed of man upon the
face of the whole earth. The great majority of those who are now
before me are the descendants of that Joseph who was sold. Joseph
Smith, junior, was foreordained to come through the loins of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and so on down through the
Prophets and Apostles; and thus he came forth in the last days to
be a minister of salvation, and to hold the keys of the last
dispensation of the fulness of times.
290
The whole object of the creation of this world is to exalt the
intelligences that are placed upon it, that they may live,
endure, and increase for ever and ever. We are not here to
quarrel and contend about the things of this world, but we are
here to subdue and beautify it. Let every man and woman worship
their God with all their heart. Let them pay their devotions and
sacrifices to him, the Supreme, and the Author of their
existence. Do all the good you can to your fellow-creatures. You
are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. God has created of one
blood all the nations and kingdoms of men that dwell upon all the
face of the earth: black, white, copper-coloured, or whatever
their colour, customs, or religion, they have all sprung from the
same origin; the blood of all is from the same element. Adam and
Eve are the parents of all pertaining to the flesh, and I would
not say that they are not also the parents of our spirits.
291
You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth,
uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and
seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the
intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first
man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his
brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of
Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and
that would have put a termination to that line of human beings.
This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is
the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the
flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same
race--that they should be the "servant of servants;" and they
will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists
cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree. How long is
that race to endure the dreadful curse that is upon them? That
curse will remain upon them, and they never can hold the
Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam
have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the
Priesthood and the keys thereof. Until the last ones of the
residue of Adam's children are brought up to that favourable
position, the children of Cain cannot receive the first
ordinances of the Priesthood. They were the first that were
cursed, and they will be the last from whom the curse will be
removed. When the residue of the family of Adam come up and
receive their blessings, then the curse will be removed from the
seed of Cain, and they will receive blessings in like proportion.
291
I have but just commenced my remarks, and have presented you a
few texts; and it is now time to adjourn. The exertion required
to speak to you somewhat at length seems to injure me. I will
therefore stop.
291
I bless you all, inasmuch as you have desired and striven to do
right, to revere the name of Deity, and to exalt the character of
his Son on the earth. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Daniel
H. Wells, October 16, 1859
Daniel H. Wells, October 16, 1859
DEVOTEDNESS TO "MORMONISM"--RESPONSIBILITY.
Remarks by President D. H. Wells, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 16, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
291
Brethren and Sisters,--I arise before you this afternoon without
having any particular subject on my mind upon which to speak,
hoping and believing that the Lord will help me, that I may say
what I shall say to your edification and comfort.
291
"Mormonism" presents themes sufficient for our consideration at
all times and upon all occasions. We never need be at a loss for
a subject, for there is no part of it that we can contemplate
that is not fitting and suitable to almost any occasion that may
arise.
291
I feel that the principles of the holy Gospel are all-absorbing.
In them are concentrated all my hopes of happiness--my life, my
business, all my interests, both temporal and spiritual, in time
and eternity, and I trust will ever be. There is nothing else
that I esteem worthy to engage my attention in comparison, and I
have no hopes outside my interest in this kingdom, neither do I
wish to have.
291
When I embraced "Mormonism," I let go everything else; and since
then I have had no wish or desire but to attend to those things
required at my hands. I take peculiar pleasure and delight in
doing anything that is for the advancement of this kingdom.
292
I feel and ardent anxiety to see Israel rise triumphant over
every opposing object that may lie in their onward course. With
me it is "Hosanna!" and "Glory to God!" when Israel obtain a
single victory. It is "Israel for ever!" all the time.
292
These are a part of my feelings with regard to this work.
292
I expect one of the distinguishing features between the
Latter-day Saints and the sectarian world is, that they feel so
devoted to the cause they have espoused, that they are willing to
pass through any amount of suffering, even to the loss of their
lives, to subserve its interests.
292
The outsiders look on the devotedness of the Latter-day Saints to
this cause and kingdom with great astonishment. There is a reason
for this devotedness they know nothing about. They cannot
conceive how men should let their religion occupy their whole
affections.
292
How is it in the United States? They have no confidence in their
religious leaders. Have they any in their God? I do not wish to
be severe in my strictures on them. They virtually say to their
religious leaders, Stand there, and do not dare to interfere with
our temporal affairs, or interfere with us in any way except in
religious matters. They look upon them as their spiritual leaders
only.
292
The world generally have an idea, and it is too true with many of
the Latter-day Saints, that they know better about their
every-day affairs than the Lord. They even go so far as to
exclude religious teachers from holding offices in their
political circles. They do not elevate their religious ministers
to the civil offices of the country.
292
Would not we, as a people, be willing to let the Lord dictate our
affairs temporally and spiritually? This is a distinguishing
feature, I say, between the Latter-day Saints and the rest of the
world: they are not willing that the Lord should dictate their
temporal affairs, and we profess to be willing that he should.
292
If ever we are prospered exceedingly, we shall have to submit
ourselves to his dictation temporally, because he is building up
a temporal kingdom on the earth, as well as a spiritual kingdom,
in the last days. He is gathering the people together from the
four quarters of the earth, that he may concentrate a power to
bring forth his purposes in the last days--that he may magnify
his name in the earth--that he may have a people who will do as
he wishes them, that he may exalt and bless them.
292
The Lord takes us through many channels, through a chequered
path, to bring us to the position to be capable and worthy to
receive the blessings he is desirous of dispensing to the
children of men who will acknowledge him as having a right to
rule on a portion of the earth, at least, if not on the whole of
it.
292
Has he not a right to rule on this earth? Who has done so much
for it as our Lord and Saviour? The Prophets have intimated that
all his enemies should be laid beneath his feet, that he should
triumph over every opposing foe, and that the kingdoms of this
world should be broken in pieces, and become the kingdoms of our
Lord and his Christ.
292
This is what we are expecting in this our day and generation. The
work has commenced, and we have become participants in
it--citizens of the kingdom of God, if you please. This thought
carries with it joy and satisfaction to the soul of every true
Saint, and to every person who is desirous of seeing
righteousness obtain a foothold on the earth, and wickedness
walked underfoot.
292
This is what makes the people of God so enthusiastic in regard to
their religion. Great blessings are held out to them in having
the Lord to reign over them, in being submissive to his will in
all things, and thereby doing the work he has allotted them to do
in the last days.
293
It is very encouraging to the Saints to know and realize
that this duty and privilege rests on their shoulders. The Lord
in his kindness has enlightened their minds to see the ripening
of the work he has commenced and will perform.
293
The world cannot understand the work in which we are engaged.
They look upon this Church as another sect or persuasion of
people. In one sense we are. Our forms of worship are similar to
theirs; but this abiding faith they do not have. We have
something to cling to about which they know nothing--which their
doctrines do not teach. The blessings we enjoy they think of as
being a great way off--something to be hoped for, but not
expected. We understand things they do not; therefore we have
great cause to rejoice and offer thanksgiving and praise to our
God. We have great cause to be industrious and active in the
discharge and full performance of our duties, and to concentrate
our interests in this kingdom and in its advancement.
293
Let that be our daily work. Let us have no other
business--nothing that shall come between us and our duty in
regard to this. Let not the Evil One place any barrier between us
and our daily righteous walk.
293
It is the duty of each and every one of the Saints to feel that
share of responsibility that belongs to them. Upon our shoulders
the kingdom rests, and the Lord is perfectly willing to roll it
forth so fast as he shall have a people that are willing and
capable to bear it off. Let us not be impatient if things do not
come about as fast as we wish to see them; for, let me assure
you, if the Lord were to answer our desires with respect to this,
we should not be able to bear up under it. So fast as he can get
a people who will be able to bear the kingdom off, he will roll
it onward.
293
The people of God must strengthen their knees, gird up their
loins, endeavour to have their faith increased by living nearer
to the Lord, and by shaking off the Evil One.
293
There are too many among us who shake hands with the Devil; and
while this is so the Lord cannot bless this people as he wants to
bless them. Were he to pour out the multiplicity of blessings he
has in store upon them now, it would send many of them to
destruction; otherwise his great blessings will save them when
they understand them. It is necessary we should live near to the
Lord.
293
I am not obliged to mingle with evil because it surrounds me. And
Elder whose duty calls him into the Gentile world can keep
himself as pure and as holy as he was in the midst of the Saints.
He may enwrap himself as in a cloak against every evil that would
surround his footsteps.
293
It is in the power of every man to resist the Devil, and he will
flee from him. He will not take possession of any man's heart
unless he makes him a welcome inhabitant and invites him to share
in his affections.
293
It is in the power of every man and every woman not to give way
to evil thoughts and speak evil against their neighbours. If they
do this, the first thing they know they are overcome. They will
think evil in the first place; and if they encourage the evil
thoughts, they will finally give utterance to them; and when they
do this, they are still further from the true path than before.
And so they go on, until they are overtaken by apostacy, which
they did not think of when they commenced this course.
294
Every one has his own peculiar feelings, and it is well enough
for people to be courteous one to another: but suppose a thing is
done that comes across our natural feelings and judgment a
little,--why should we set our judgment to be above that of our
brethren? Why should one man suppose he knows better than anybody
else? Why not yield at once to the superior judgment of another?
And if another man's view is not as good as your own, what of it?
Let us lay aside our judgment, and let our neighbour have his way
in regard to matters that do not particularly concern us. Why
not, rather than contend?
294
If we encourage a spirit of contention, we shall fall into
darkness. Why not take a course to live in the light? The result
will show which is the best.
294
Let us all be for the kingdom. Another man's policy for the
kingdom may be just as good as mine. If you are called upon to
act in a particular place, act in it until you shall be
displaced, and act in it according to the best light and judgment
you have, though another might go about the same thing
differently. Let us, however, sustain that man who is appointed
to act, and act with him, so long as he is honest and sincere
within. If all the people in this city and in other settlements
could see this, there would be less contention.
294
I have seen good men get at variance, in the outside settlements,
because their Bishops did not do as they thought they ought; and
I have seen Bishops removed, and others put in their places, and
they would do exactly the same things in their own way.
294
I feel like being generous. I feel like letting men go about a
thing in their own way, to benefit the people and the kingdom.
Let us look a little beyond the surface, and see a benefit in
another man's policy as well as our own, and think that another
man has got a little common sense as well as ourselves.
294
In this way, I think, there would be a great deal less to find
fault with; and then we can see and appreciate the policy of our
brother that is as desirous of doing well, even as we are. Then
we should get rid of a certain thing called envy, which very
frequently besets some people.
294
I would like to see my brethren learn wisdom. I would like to
have more myself. I would like to have them increase in the
knowledge of God--in things pertaining to eternal life, as well
as in things pertaining to our every-day life and business; and
thus let us learn to save ourselves daily, that we may be saved
with a full salvation at last.
294
It is not the great things of the kingdom that cause men to fall
away and go to destruction. It is the small things of
life--matters of traffic and deal, upon which people stumble.
Large mountains are magnified from small molehills, and they loom
out greater and greater the longer persons travel in that path.
294
If I do not want one of my wives or children to go to the
Devil--if I do not wish them to be overcome by evil, I consider
it my duty to keep them out of the way of evil, and not suffer
them to visit places and company that would be likely to lead
them astray.
295
Suppose I place myself and family under the power of influences
that are from the devil--influences that are calculated to lead
us into darkness and apostacy; or if I have characters about my
house who are filthy, wicked--who curse God and use profane
language, having no respect for my religion, for God, for angels,
and holy beings,--how far do you think I shall be held
responsible, should one of my family go into apostacy through
this influence which I have thrown around them? Would I be held
responsible, or not? How far is that mother responsible for her
daughter, when she surrounds her with influences that are
calculated to lead her astray and into darkness? How far can the
father be held responsible for the future conduct of his
daughters, after surrounding them with pernicious influences, and
they should, in consequence thereof, fall away?
295
It appears to me as though persons in pretty good faith, who
think they may stand themselves, will be held responsible for
many of these things. It seems to me, if I surrounded my family
with evil influences, and they were led astray thereby, I should
have nobody else to blame for it but myself.
295
It is true sons and daughters may go contrary to fathers' and
mothers' counsel, and parents employ every means in their power
to keep them from wandering into by-and-forbidden paths.
295
Under these circumstances they may not be considered responsible;
but when parents place bad influences around their children, or
introduce them into their houses, I look quite differently upon
the matter of responsibility.
295
Even at the present time, many are caused to mourn: they have
real sorrow of heart, in consequence of their own
injudiciousness--of their want of thought and good understanding.
They now see where they have missed it; and many a heart will yet
sorrow for not pursuing a different course.
295
Let us not forget these important items, but have our minds
stirred up to them, and be careful as to what kind of influences
we surround our families with. Let the mother be careful what
kind of company she lets her daughter keep. This is the way to
preserve their own hearts from bitter sorrow, and their daughters
from degradation and death. How far will the father of that young
man be held responsible, whose pernicious practices have led him
to drunkenness?
295
I like to have liquour in my house for family use, in case of
sickness; and if I could have my own feelings gratified, I would
always have it in my house: but I would rather forego all the
benefit it would do my family than to see any member of this
Church and kingdom, or any true friend of mine, led into
drunkenness and into death. I would rather that not a drop more
should ever be manufactured, from this time forth, than that it
should be the means of destroying one soul.
295
If my influence and words could blot out of existence the
excessive use of it, I would do so. When I see otherwise faithful
and intelligent men overcome and rendered perfectly useless by
the intemperate use of ardent spirits, I feel like saying, Never
let a drop more be made, but let it go entirely out of existence.
But when I reflect, I see it is like the temptations of the
Devil: men must know the evil as well as the good.
295
This is all right; and it is to try them, whether they will show
their integrity, by wallowing in the mire, or by using it without
abusing themselves by it. If men who have an appetite formed for
it overcome it, so much greater will be their reward; but if they
subject themselves to it, it becomes their lord and master. We
see a good many who are controlled by it.
295
I despise this abominable practice. At the same time, men must
have their agency, and do as they please. If the holy influences
of the Gospel will not fetch them out of it, I do not know
anything that will.
296
I do not expect any reward for being tempted with ardent spirits,
for I have no disposition to be tempted by it. I have no liking
for it, although I could be benefited by the use of it, in the
way I would use it; but I would rather forego that for my
brethren's sake. I have not that evil desire to overcome. I have
other things to overcome; but this is no besetting sin of mine.
296
May God bless us and help us to triumph over sin, is my prayer in
the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Amasa
M. Lyman, December 25, 1859
Amasa M. Lyman, December 25, 1859
THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION, &c.
Discourse delivered by Elder Amasa Lyman,
in the Ninth Ward School House,
Great Salt Lake City, December 25, 1859.
Reported by J. V. Long.
296
I feel very much to appreciate the privilege and blessing
extended to me, and this opportunity of meeting with the brethren
and sisters in this Ward, and also to have the opportunity, for a
little time, to discuss with you those things that are of
interest to us as Saints.
297
There are a great many things connected with the publishing of
the Gospel, and its being believed on the part of the people, and
being received by them as a rule of practice, that is interesting
for us to consider. There is a great deal of variety connected
with it, although its principles are ever the same, and the truth
is unchangeable. Yet truth never, even with us, puts on all its
beauty, until we comprehend it fully, and realize the great
influence that the views we entertain with regard to the truth
may exercise over our actions. It becomes important, then, that
we should learn to think correctly, and that we should learn to
adopt correct views about things which we believe; for as we
think of a matter, so we will treat it. If we adopt such views of
the Gospel that will lead us to conclude that a large amount of
all that has to be done for our benefit and salvation is the work
of some other individuals besides ourselves, it would be very
natural for this, in its tendency, and in the influence it would
have and exert over us, to lead our minds from that which would
tend to our emancipation from sin and iniquity.
297
There are certain prominent things connected with the Gospel as
it is generally treated, and as it has been revealed to us. The
Son of God, the Saviour of the world, in the way that it has been
taught to us, is made to have a great share in it and a great
deal to do with it. Some suppose that he has done so much, and
has made such peculiar kinds of provisions for our wants and
necessities, that there is but little left for us to do,--little
more, perhaps, than to attend to a few ordinances that are
instituted for us: this is about all; but that the great plan and
work that bring salvation are things that belong to the mission
of Jesus Christ. If this is correct, it is what we ought to
believe; if it is not, it is that which we should expose; and we
should labour to undeceive the people; for we certainly ought to
begin to entertain correct views. If there is a work left for us
to do, it will be accomplished as the result of our exertions.
297
When we cling to what Jesus Christ has done for us, do you not
see that our part will never be done? We may pray and sing, and
pay Tithing, and go to church, and attend to all the outward
forms of religion, and attend to all those things that thousands
believed in doing, and then we shall find that our salvation will
not be wrought out.
297
Now, I am not myself very much in favour of preching long sermons
about things that are a great way from home. Some people interest
themselves at times by telling and undertaking to explain how
Gods are made, and what they are made of, and all about it. There
is only one way that I have any idea of knowing anything about
Gods. There is only one class of them that I have had the
privilege of forming an acquaintance with; and I would only wish,
on the present occasion, to allude to this matter with a view to
bring it down to our capacities--to our circumstances, as a
matter that is practical.
297
We entertain various notions with regard to the Saviour of the
world. Now, whether this excellence that he possessed constituted
him the Son of God--the heir of all his Father's vast dominions,
whether there were any of them that he inherited, or whether he
acquired all the great and glorious qualities that he possessed,
we will not now stop to inquire. Now, if Jesus is regarded as
God, and if we wish to learn his history, let us read it as it is
developed in the Scriptures; and if he is God, and you would know
the history of the father, learn it in the Son; for he assures us
that he came do the works which he saw his Father do. Of Jesus it
was said, "He was anointed with the oil of gladness above his
fellows," and for this reason--"he loved righteousness and hated
iniquity."
297
This is the way matters look with us--the way we examine
everything that is presented to us. We are promised a victory
over sin, if we will break off our iniquities and our sins by
turning to God. There is no remarkable difference between us and
Jesus, if he was anointed because he loved righteousness. What is
the difference? We have the promise of becoming heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with him to all those extensive domains possessed by
the Father, upon the conditions that we are as obedient to the
commandments of God as Jesus was. Jesus was anointed and
preferred before others, from the simple fact that he loved
righteousness better than others, and hated iniquity more. And
hence it is written--"For it became him, for whom are all things,
and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to
make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
(Heb. ii. 10.)
298
We are told, you perceive, in the history of the Son of God, that
he was made perfect through sufferings; and therefore we must
conclude that if he was made perfect, he must, at some time, (no
matter when that time might have been,) have lacked that
perfection which he appears to have gained by the sufferings he
experienced. "Well, but," says one, "of what practical benefit is
that to us?" Simply this: We learn that Jesus--the individual
whom we have been taught to adore from our infancy,--to worship
and revere--God our Father, possessed of an infinitude of power,
ability, and capacity for happiness and glory, and for the
accomplishment of his own will and pleasure, was once as we are.
Then to think that the same opportunity is extended to us, that
we may become all that he is that is great and good--to think
that, with all our faults and weaknesses--with all the
temptations that hang around us, the same privilege that is
extended to him of attaining salvation is also extended to
us,--that it is simply salvation that was extended to Jesus, and
that the same as that which is extended to us. That heaven of
glory and perfection which is offered to us in the Gospel is the
same that was offered to Jesus; and the right to the possession
of all those riches and this great glory that was attained by him
are equally open to us. This is encouraging to me. Why? Because I
am not only contemplating myself as a mortal worm--a creature
that is annoyed with the faults and follies of fallen humanity,
but I view myself in connection with this principle that is
associated with the work that is to prepare us to be associated
in that better condition, in which we view the Saviour of the
world as existing in that perfect sunshine of bliss, enjoying the
rich reward of the saved and sanctified in the presence of God.
298
This view of the subject should create within us an ardent wish
for the same glory, remembering that this is the door--this the
salvation that is offered to us in the Gospel that we have
received. But upon what principle shall we avail ourselves of
these blessings? Has Jesus done anything that will bring
salvation to you and me? The chief of what he has done is that he
has revealed the plan of the Gospel--the scheme of human
redemption, and manifested himself among his brethren; and we may
say he has done a great deal more, for he has shed his blood for
it. So have others shed their blood. But whose blood has cleansed
you and me? It is said that the blood of Jesus cleanses from all
sins. Then why is it that we remain sinners? It is simply because
the blood of Jesus has not cleansed us from sin--because it has
not reached us. What is the reason? It is because we have not
been found in that perfect path of obedience that ensures us a
freedom from sin.
298
One of the old Apostles boasts of having been made a king and
priest, washed in the blood of Jesus. What was required of Jesus?
He was required to be baptized the same as you and I. He was
required to walk in the path of obedience, in order that he might
be an example of that obedience which is required of you and me,
by which we may be cleansed from sin.
298
We will suppose that Jesus had come into the world and died on
Calvary as he died, but that he had not left the principles of
life in the world. Suppose he had never called the humble
fishermen and endowed them, how much wiser would the world have
been? Who would have been delivered from sin? Who would have
realized the blessings of the Gospel of salvation? But Jesus
lived, and Jesus died. Then what is it that should make us
rejoice? It is that Jesus, who was here, has returned to the
heavens,--that his work is done. We should also be thankful for
the truths that he taught, for the many good things that he said,
for the Priesthood he left, through which the Gospel is revealed,
and a medium opened through which you and I could be brought to
the knowledge of the truth, accomplish that which will produce a
deliverance from sin.
299
Then let us not rejoice altogether because Jesus lived, or that
he died in the world, but that coming into the world he brought
with him the Priesthood--that he brought with him the power, the
right to officiate as well as to teach the Gospel of life; and by
virtue of his appointment he had power to appoint others to act
in his name. When he was crucified, and for a few days left this
state of existence, it was to open the door of salvation to a
fallen world. Well, then, it is the Gospel, after all, for which
we respect Jesus. There was nothing about Jesus but the
Priesthood that he held and the Gospel that he proclaimed that
was so very singular. But he died for the world. Yes; and what
man that ever died for the truth that he died for, did not die
for the world? Prophets have died in our day. Men have testified
to the truth, and for that truth have died; but has their blood
redeemed us from the sin and transgression we were previously
guilty of? Have we found redemption through them? As far as we
have obtained it, it has been by walking in the truth. Jesus, who
was the bright and full reflection of the character of his
Father, was himself a perfect pattern of obedience. He not only
recommended to the world obedience, but was himself a living
pattern and example of that obedience which he taught, and
through that obedience merited that which was conferred upon him.
Hence we read that he was exalted above his brethren, simply
because he loved righteousness and hated iniquity; and it is that
same principle that saves you and me. We may talk of men being
redeemed by the efficacy of his blood; but the truth is that that
blood has no efficacy to wash away our sins. That must depend
upon our own action.
299
Can Jesus free us from sin while we go and sin again? What is it
that frees us from sin? Did not Jesus preach the word of life?
Yes. But who is it that shall believe--that shall be benefited
and instructed? It is we that are to be redeemed. Jesus could
preach of heaven, of the works of Omnipotence, and the vastness
of his creations, because he understood them. And if we were only
a little more enlightened, we could probably understand a great
deal more than we do; but in our present darkness we need further
instruction. Truth exists all around us to a vast infinity, yet
we pass on in our darkness from year to year, and add folly to
our transgressions, and still continue to hope that yet, through
Jesus, we shall be redeemed; but it will be when, by our own
actions, we shall be released from the thraldrom of sin.
299
"Well," says one, "you do not think much of Jesus." Yes, I do.
"How much?" I think he was a good man. "But," says the inquirer,
"I think that is a very low estimate of him." What, then, would
you have him to be better than a good man? What and who is he?
"Why," says one, "he is the Lord from heaven." Who are the
characters or beings of whom the Apostle spoke, when he
said--"There are gods many and lords many?" I suppose them to be
good men. Jesus himself, when speaking in these last days, and
explaining to the Prophet of this great and last dispensation,
says, "Man of holiness is my name." Well, what does this all
show? Simply that Jesus was a man. We also learn that his Father
was a man.
300
Jesus came to do the will of his Father, and none other work than
that which he saw his Father do. And we, through our obedience,
became brethren and sisters with him, and joint-heirs to the rich
inheritances that he is heir to. Why, the practicability of this
principle is demonstrated in the case of Jesus himself. He came
to this earth as a living example of the truth--of the fact that
it was possible that man, though weak and feeble, can be exalted,
saved from his ignorance, and exalted to the capacity of a
God,--that we, poor worms of the dust, partakers of the evils and
afflictions that trouble and torment mortality,--that we could be
exalted--that we could come into this low condition, and pass
from that low state of ignorance that we were in, and thereby
gain an experience that would fit us for exaltation. Then the
Gospel comes to us as a source of encouragement and comfort:
therefore it should give us strength in our weakness, when the
way may appear dark and almost without hope--when afflicted
through the perplexities and hardships that we have to encounter;
for Jesus has travelled on the way himself: he has travelled it,
step by step, and piece by piece, and degree by degree, and has
experienced all the grievous afflictions that flesh is heir to.
Has he been exalted by it? We shall all say that he has. He has
been exalted from that degree of imperfection in which we exist
to his present condition, with power, might, and excellence, even
all that is possible for him to enjoy. Then if it is possible for
you and I to travel this same road, let us begin to inquire if we
are doing it; for be assured that if we obtain that victory and
exaltation that he possesses, it will be by doing as he did. He
was obedient to the truth. He did not even presume to shrink from
the bitter cup, though his feeling, as a man, rather inclined him
to the seat of life. Hence, said he, Father, I would a little
rather that this cup pass by; but on reflection he said, "Father,
not my will, but thine be done."
300
Well, now, how would we have distinguished between this offering
and one similar to the natural eye, but different in its design?
Suppose a thing of this kind had transpired with us--supposing
that it would have taken place in our midst, would we have any
idea that it was a good man, a man of integrity, that died? How
could we have known this? When he gives his own account of
himself, he simply says, "Man of holiness is my name." He did not
wish to have it understood that there was any being in existence,
no matter by what majesty, might, and power he might be
surrounded, that could go beyond the good men--the holy men.
300
What view does this lead us to take of the Gospel that this Jesus
has led us to look into? Simply that it is a practical system of
piety, purity, holiness, and truth,--truth that is to be
exhibited in our actions, purity that is to extend to all our
motives and designs, and holiness that is to be a characteristic
of our lives, and to extend to all there is connected with our
lives, our actions, and all that we do and say; for the action of
the mind is considered. If these thoughts be correct--be pure,
the actions that will reflect those thoughts will be good and
beneficial, and the body that sees it will be correspondingly
pure.
300
Then were is this purity to be wrought out--this propriety of
thought--this perfection of holiness? Where is it to be read of,
that we may be benefited by it--that we may travel in the way
that Jesus has travelled--that we may follow in the example that
he has set? Can we get our neighbour in the way to be the holy
man, the righteous man, for us, and we reap the reward in heaven?
Oh no. We must be the obedient men and women ourselves. We must
be the patient men and women, and feel all that forbearance and
mercy, that loving-kindness and charity ourselves; we must be the
men and the women that will put on the habiliments of truth--the
garments of holiness, and wear them for ourselves. We must wear
them day by day, month by month, year by year, and for ever.
301
I want you to see this, and to comprehend that the whole matter
of your salvation is your own business and work. What else has
Jesus done? What did he require of man? You examine principle in
the Gospel as it is taught to you, and what requirement of that
Gospel has been obeyed for you? None.
301
We are required to be obedient from the beginning unto the
practice of every virtue that the Gospel can open out. This is
what is required of you and me, that we may be saved and become
just like Jesus. Then you see that it is entirely a practical
affair with every one of us. We may theorize as much as we
please, and talk about purity and holiness; and as long as we
theorize about them, we shall find that they will do us no
good--never, until we reduce them to practice and adopt that kind
of holiness that is acceptable to God. How can we know that one
great principle of obedience, excepting we comply with the
requirements of the Gospel? How can we know what is good for us,
excepting we be tried in these things? The Almighty is gratified
when his purposes are accomplished, and when we are preparing
ourselves to be exalted and admitted into his presence, that we
may be prepared by that education to be filled with that
knowledge and clothed with power as himself--be filled with that
infinitude of capacity that he himself enjoys, and that those
principles may be so implanted in our being and sought by us
during our existence upon the earth, that we shall increase our
own greatness and the glory and power of our God.
301
"Well, but," says one, "where does this power come from? Does it
come from God?" We should answer, "Yes." Well, then, where did He
get it from? Did he inherit it? No, he did not. When we talk of
the Father and of Jesus, we can say they did not inherit it. Why
do we say that Jesus did not inherit this greatness and glory?
Because he is recommended to us as one who came to do nothing but
what he had seen his Father do, (who, like Jesus, had once been
imperfect,) and that, like him, he had risen to might, majesty,
and power, and clothed himself with the truth and with knowledge
that endowed him with power to act and to be acted upon, to
design and to execute those designs. Well, then, the power of God
is--what? Why, it is the Gospel; and the Apostle said that the
Gospel was "the power of God unto salvation;" and it is the
salvation of every individual and everything that is clothed with
it.
301
Who is saved? Why, the individual that has power; and the
individual that possesses knowledge has power. It is just as the
Apostle says--he was not ashamed of that Gospel that was the
power of God unto salvation, that was revealed by Him that loved
righteousness and hated iniquity.
301
The Gospel, then, as preached unto us, is the power of God that
saves. What does it do? It enlightens that which is dark; it
gives us power where all is weakness before; it endows us with
capacity where before there was no capacity, and where there was
no strength.
302
This is what the Gospel does for us: it is that which saves and
fills our minds with that which we need not be ashamed of; and it
is the simple fact that we should carry to our home, to our
firesides, to correct the evils that exist between man and man,
between parents and children, husbands and wives: but it is,
nevertheless, the power of God that saves. It is that which
tranquilizes the power of the soul that is not wholly under the
principles of truth. It is not like the empty proclamation of
enthusiasm, but it is deliverance to the captives; it is freedom
to the sick soul--to the soul that is in the dark, that knows not
the truth, that has no hope that reaches into the vast future,
and opens up prospects for the immortality and the salvation of
the souls of men. This is the way that the Gospel opens to us in
regard to the salvation of the soul: it will make everything in
the soul tranquil as the blest in heaven. It is that which must
abide constantly within us; it is that which must be developed in
our homes. Why? That all the members of that home may become
legitimate lovers of the truth, be truthful in all they do and
say, and be calculated by their good works to subserve the ends
of righteousness and peace, and to bring about the purposes of
God. "Why," says one, "the Gospel seems to be a great matter to
be carried to the simple circles of our homes, and for it to
enter into the trivial affairs of our every-day life; it seems to
be a small matter to that vast infinitude of greatness and glory
in its fulness that we seek to enjoy in a future state."
302
Brethren and sisters, what greatness you expect to enjoy, what
you intend to enjoy in the fountain of bliss that lies before the
Saints! The origin of all this, the region where it must be
commenced is in the soul, at the firesides, within the circle of
your family. Where is it to come from? If the blessings developed
that constitute the happiness of the saved and sanctified, that
enrich the pleasures of those that have passed away, are
attainable, why have we not been blessed? Why has not the Gospel
brought salvation to our firesides and to our homes? Why, we have
naught but imperfections of our own. But these could not stand in
the way; for the blood of Jesus could have cleansed us from sin,
aside from our own works, according to the feelings of some. Then
why is it that we are these slaves of sin, and are afflicted with
the consequences thereof? Why is it that the sanctuary of home is
deprived of these blessings? The Gospel that saved Jesus, that
clothed him with power, that bestowed upon him all the
perfections that he possessed as a God, why has it not wrought
out its work with us? Our firesides have not been blessed with
the harmony and bliss that is affected by its purity and hallowed
influence. We would not inquire where is heaven, or say how far
it is from us, from our homes; for there would be a fountain of
bliss to any one who would partake of the food that angels feed
upon--who would partake and realize the perfection in which they
dwell, and the harmony by which they are associated, and those
that dwell with them. Then it would be no matter of uncertainty
with us; neither should we care whether heaven was a little way
off, or at a vast or immeasurable distance; for then in our
homes, within our own family circles, would be that heaven and
happiness for which we are seeking. There would be perfection;
there would be the beauty of holiness in spirit and in truth.
302
Now, this is the religion that should be developed at home; it
should be of domestic manufacture as well as the clothes that we
wear; and their beauty, you know we are told, should consist in
the beauty of the workmanship of our own hands.
303
If we realized that our salvation depended upon our living in
peace at home with our wives and children, and upon our
cherishing the principles of virtue, of holiness, and of purity,
do you suppose that we should ever be at a loss for an
opportunity of doing some good? Do you suppose we should ever be
at a loss to do something that would save the cause of truth? Our
homes and our heaven would ever be with us. The constitution and
establishment of our home in peace, and making that happiness and
giving that satisfaction which will produce it, constitute the
burden of our labour at home and abroad.
304
But we are called to go and preach the Gospel to distant nations,
simply that the honest may be gathered together and have homes
like you and I, until a nation shall be imbued with the principle
of that heavenly government that we talk and read so much about,
that the will of God may be done on earth as it is done in
heaven.
304
According to this, then, the object is the same, whether you
labour at home or abroad. I want this riveted on your
memories--to have you think upon it every day. I do not want you
to think that you can live your religion while you are
quarrelling with your wives every day; I do not want you to think
that you are travelling the road to salvation while you are
quarrelling with everybody around you. What is the difficulty?
What causes this quarrelling? "Why," says the man, "my wife has a
contentious spirit: she is not going to heaven; she is not going
on the road to those perfections that will bring her to a perfect
and sanctified state: she has put far from her the day of
sanctification." Then, as ministers of righteousness, I want you
to go to work at home. Why? Simply because home is the place
where you should live your religion.
304
"But," says one, "I am going to wait until I go on a mission;
then I will devote all my time to serving the Lord."
304
If you wait till then, when you are gone thousands of miles away,
what will your wife and children do? Who, having wife and
children, and having laboured to bring them here, and lived with
them here from year to year, will neglect to develop in them the
principles that will save and make them happy in time, and exalt
them in eternity? I want you to save them by implanting in them
correct principles; and then, if you are called to go abroad, you
can teach the people the principles that will save, for you will
have learned them at home. Then, if they should apostatize when
they have been gathered here, as some do, to our own sorrow and
to theirs too, you would have the confidence and consolation of
knowing that your own family were saved, because you had taught
them the principles of salvation while you were with them. Then
why do some seem so anxious to live their religion abroad, while
they neglect to teach and practise it at home? It is evident that
they do not enjoy the spirit of the Gospel; and if they have not
within them the principles of purity and holiness, and do not lie
their religion at home, what assurance have we that they will
live it when they get thousands of miles from their friends?
304
I want you to go to work in your own circles, and cultivate the
principles of righteousness, and let the world go their own way.
Do not trouble about how your neighbours are getting along, but
seek to make your own home the dwelling place of God; seek to
make it a sanctuary where the richest blessings of God shall be
enjoyed--where the truth shall be kept in rich stores to bless
you and yours. Then that point will become a point of attraction
to which your affections may repair with feelings of
satisfaction. And if you go abroad, your peace will be increased
with the reflection that you have left your family stationed upon
the immutable and sure basis of eternal truth; and while time
passes, and the angels of heaven carry you safely along, your
friends and connections at home are still wending their way
onward to the haven of peace and rest, where all is right--where
peace and joy flow like a river to those who are sanctified
through the truth.
305
Now, do not excuse yourselves because you are Seventies, and are
therefore called to go abroad as special witnesses to the
nations; for we are called to save our own: that is our first
duty. It is true we can do a great deal towards bringing others
to a knowledge of the truth; and if we can preach to the
world--to those that are afar off, we can also preach to those
that are near to us, and save them; and how? Do as much to save
them as Jesus has done, and then we shall have done our duty.
What is it that he has told us? He told us how to save ourselves
with the principles of virtue, righteousness, and peace; and let
us so live that those principles may be in the young men that are
growing up around our hearts. There is nothing that is important
to some, except it is a great way off. But the foundation of
purity should be at our homes: there God should dwell; there God
should reign in all the greatness of his glory, and in all the
perfection of his attributes. Where will this be? Why, wherever
there is a good man--a man devoted to the truth, whose affections
are identified with it and for it, and who loves righteousness
and hates iniquity, as Jesus did. This is the way I want you to
live, and then there will be less wickedness--fewer lies
told--less tattling by the fireside about your neighbours. The
husband and wife will have less difficulties of a character and
kind that are unendurable. If we can come down from the
exaltedness of our feelings and humble ourselves, we can avoid
most of the evils that are common among mankind.
305
Who have these kinds of difficulties to which I have alluded?
People that are very religious--people that go to church--people
that are favoured in various ways, and who preach long sermons
for the benefit of such as themselves. What is the reason that
they are not saved? Why, simply because they never have time to
live their religion--because they never had an idea that to live
their religion was to be at peace at home--that the paying their
Tithing was offering an offering that would be acceptable to God;
and those who did think so, had an idea that that of itself would
save them. I want you to understand that it is all nonsense to
take the latter position. "What," says one, "should we not pay
our Tithing?" Should we not pray? Yes, pray, and pay your
Tithing. But this is not all: I want you to pray God Almighty to
bless you with strength, with forbearance, with charity, that you
may be merciful to each other's weaknesses, and that you may look
with tender compassion upon one another, as God looks upon us,
his children, all the day long. This is what I want you to pray
for. And husbands, if your wives speak harsh words, don't speak
another in return. "But," says one, "how can I bear it?" Why,
hold your tongue. You talk of ruling nations, kingdoms,
principalities, and powers, and yet cannot hold your tongue! What
wise rulers you would make!
306
I suppose, when the Bishop was made or ordained, you all thought
that you ought to have been made Bishops,--you were so clever, so
accomplished, and so well qualified to rule, in your own
estimation. I want you to prove that you are capable of being
Bishops, by keeping your mouths shut when a storm of passion
arises within you. Let it die. Never let the world hear the
breath of heaven wafting away the ill-spoken word--the hasty
declaration. No, never. Why not? Because, if hell is within you,
keep it there. "Why," says one, "is it not just as bad to think
of hell as it is to speak it out?" No--not half as bad. Why?
Because, if you thought of killing me, and were not to do it, I
should not be hurt. But, if you took away my life, then I should
be hurt. Hence, then, you see, there is a difference between
thinking and doing. I want you husbands and wives to carry this
home with you, and learn to hold your tongue, when you have
nothing but some miserable, provoking thing to say. "Well, but,"
says one man, "my wife acts so like the Devil that I cannot get
along with her. I thought I was married to an angel, but I have
found out I was deceived, and that she is a fiend." If you were
such a fool as to marry a wife of that kind, you ought to learn a
little by experience.
306
Now, knowledge is power; and if you have married a woman that
does not answer your expectations, that is not an angel, that
does not abound in goodness, and that is not the very
quintessence of perfection, what will you do? I will go and get a
divorce. Then what will you do? Live single? No. You will marry
another, then? You answer, "Yes." Then you will live with her,
conquer her, and control her, I suppose? "Yes," says one, "that
seems like the idea; and I will go home and let my wife know that
she has got to mind me and obey me." Why, what are you going to
do? "if she don't obey me, I will chastise her; I will beat her."
I presume you mean to treat her in the way that some of us are
accustomed to treat our mules? "Yes," says the man, "I will let
her know that she has got to obey me."
306
You poor miserable souls who think thus, if you go home and whip
your wives because of what I say to you to-night upon family
government, the sin shall lie at your own door, and the lash that
will be upon you shall be far more severe than anything that you
can inflict upon your poor wives.
306
I want you to go home and let them know that you are better men,
that you are improving, that you are better than they, and that
you are improving in righteousness faster than they are. Then, if
your wife is disposed to quarrel, she will soon get tired of it;
she will turn to righteousness and follow your holy example. Then
let me urge upon you the necessity of proving to your wives that
there is more consistency in your conduct than there is in
theirs, and that you are capable of living without saying harsh
things yourselves.
306
Brethren, this is the way I want you to govern your wives, and in
ninety-nine cases out of every hundred you will succeed in
governing them in righteousness; they will be faithful and true
to you, and to the Gospel that has been revealed in this
dispensation. And if you get a little mortified with something
that may transpire, which is often the case, your wife would
adopt the course that she has seen adopted by you: she would hold
her tongue, unless she could say some very pleasing thing; and in
this way there will be peace established in your home. Whenever
there is peace, and the home circle lives in peace and quietude,
the blessings of heaven and the revelations of the Holy Spirit
will be there; its inspiration will be there, and it will be like
a burning, never-dying flame within you, and you will walk
together in peace and in harmony. You won't stumble and die in
the way; there will be no difference of feeling; but the twine of
family affection will grow stronger, day by day, and year by
year; and the passing year will add intensity to that affection
that is within you, and you will have an increased determination
to live your religion.
306
Then your children would see in their parents and example for
speaking the truth and acting truthfully to each other. Then
there would be an example before them, and they would, no doubt,
obey the truth, and regard you as truthful and sincere in all
your expressions, whether in regard to the things of God or those
of a more trivial character. They would then see that you
struggled not only to speak of the truth, but to exhibit it in
all the actions of your lives.
307
This is the way I want you to live your religion in this Ward;
this is the way I want you to sustain your Bishop, that he may
not be taxed with all the little difficulties of your domestic
circles. He is a little man, and it is enough for him to be taxed
with the general business of the Ward. I want you to understand
that he has need of what you promised him. Did you not promise
him that you would sustain him by your works as well as by your
faith? I want you to redeem that promise; for if it had not been
necessary for you to do this, it would not have been asked. Then
sustain your Bishop, and uphold him. "But," says one, "I do not
know that it is my business. If he is not smart enough, let the
proper authorities put in another." Why, bless you, the
authorities did not want the smartest men; but they wanted to
prove to the world that the Lord could make those smart whom he
called and ordained. "Why," says one, "You do not think much of
our Bishop; you do not appear to estimate him very highly." Yes,
I do; but I want you to understand that he has got his own
weaknesses and faults to contend with, the same as other men, and
just as much of yours as you put upon him. I want you that are
smart men to resolve yourselves into bishops, and to play the
Bishop's part at home, and to adopt the principles that he
inculcates in your home circles. How very few there are who do
this! But it is not too late to learn to judge righteously--to
create quietude and peace, virtue and holiness, at your own
homes. Then who will there be to annoy the Bishop with their
troubles? Who will be sending to the President for a divorce,
when you all get your little wards at home thoroughly
disciplined? This you can do, by being united, more effectually
than he can; for he cannot be always with you. Then you can bring
out your little wards, and let him have the advantage of a leaf
out of your books.
307
But if you cannot do this, hold your tongues and be ashamed, and
just conclude that you will fulfil the promise that you made, and
strengthen him, and simply because he needs strength; and aid him
all you can; afford him all the comfort you can; and this will
bring you together in the principles of truth: it unites you in
one, so that your action will be one; your feelings and your
spirit will be one, and you will walk in the same path together
and be agreed.
307
Take this course in regard to living your religion, and you do
well. But possibly you do not need any of this instruction. If
you do not, I am very glad of it. And if you have qualified
yourselves and cultivated your minds to that degree of perfection
that you do not need it here, you may just pass it over to your
neighbours. Let righteousness be developed in this Ward, and let
that unanimity of feeling be manifested that will cause the
instructions of your Bishop to be warmly received; and let faith
be exercised for him, that he may be full of knowledge and power,
and have influence among the people for whose good he labours day
by day. This is the way I want you to act in regard to this
matter; and, to do this effectually, you must make all things
right at home. Do not leave this great work for the Bishop alone,
but let it be the duty of every man in the home circle, and there
will be unanimity throughout the Ward; and to the Bishop will be
given what is required in his official capacity, and he will have
power and strength, and he will be estimated to some extent by
the influence which he exercises over the men that are in his
Ward.
308
Well, then, what else shall we do? you may now inquire. There is
another matter I want to engage you in. I want your help in a
cautious, but effectual crusade against stealing. "Well, but,"
says one, "the President said we could not stop stealing." This
is not what I was going to ask you to do; but I want every good
man in this Ward to consider himself a missionary and a minister.
I want you to get hold of the young men, and to advise them as
fathers should advise them. "Well, but," says one, "the young men
here in this Ward have fathers; and if I should presume to give
them advice, their fathers will be displeased." I do not suppose
they would. At least, I think you may venture to carry out my
advice.
308
The spirit of thieving stalks abroad in our land, and it has its
advocates among the people. It gets hold of the unguarded youth,
and causes them to steal from their neighbours, being unguarded
by the truth. You fathers, do you know this to be true? "Yes,"
say some, "we hear that there is stealing done over yonder
(pointing towards the west), and that it is Bill Hickman and his
gang that do it. But do you know that there is a thief who visits
your son and corrupts his morals, and who is making him believe
there is no harm in stealing from a Gentile?
308
"Oh, to be sure," say you; "I know that such a man visits my son.
I don't know exactly where my son is now, but he is about the
city somewhere." This is what I want you should know. Make it
your business to know where your sons are, for they have only to
go into some of the streets of the city to meet with thieves who
tell them there is no harm in stealing from the Gentiles, and who
tell them that the Presidency of the Church say so. This is the
way the lies were told about us, to lead the unwise and unwary
from the truth. Do you want to save yourselves from the scorn and
disgrace that will cover your son wherever he goes? If you do,
watch over your sons and also over the associations that they
form. To you that have daughters, I would say, Watch over them,
or by-and-by you will come to your friends with a pitiful face,
saying, O my poor daughter, she is gone! Where? To Camp Floyd, to
the States, and to the Devil. O my daughter, that we have raised
carefully, and we thought she would live to honour us; but, alas,
she has gone!
308
Yes; but you did not know, while she was with you, that she was
forming an acquaintance with habits and making associations with
those things that have succeeded in removing her beyond your
reach. "True, she went to every dancing party," says the
unsuspecting father; "but how could I refuse her the privilege?"
Perhaps the Bishop was called to go and pray for them, in order
to sanctify the affair; and perhaps she went with the son of your
neighbour whom you regard; and hence you will say, How can I
refuse and offend my brother? Yes, offend your brother; for that
is worth less than the salvation of your child. "But," says one,
"shall we not let our children go to parties?" Yes, let them go;
I would not dare to advise you not to let them go. And why?
Because it would not do any good.
308
If your daughters associate with those that have no interest in
the truth, advise them to discontinue their intimacy with such
persons, and enjoin upon them the necessity of pursuing that
course that will preserve them in purity and keep them in the
truth. If your daughter will go, what then? Why, let her go. Do
not break her neck to keep her, for she would not be in heaven if
her neck was broken.
308
I allude to this simply to elucidate the truth, and to show the
way those things are accomplished of which I have been speaking.
Perhaps your daughters have not associated with Gentiles, you may
say. I would as soon my daughter would associate with some
Gentiles as with many that profess to be Saints, especially those
who have nothing to talk about but balderdash, and nothing in
their minds but the wicked plans concocted by corrupt hearts.
309
I allude to these things thus pointedly and minutely,
because they will affect your happiness and wellbeing, as well as
that of your children. Do not undertake to crowd things to
extremes, to obtain any of the blessings I have alluded to. Do
not commit a greater evil than those that already exist, by
creating others.
309
I pray that you may to strive to cultivate a love for the Spirit
of God, and a love for his people, that you may constantly be
under the guidance of that Spirit, and always have it abiding in
you, that you may do everything in favour of the truth, dwell
happily beneath its influence, and lead your children in the way
of life. That this may be your happy lot, through diligence and
obedience in the Gospel, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Pratt, September 18, 1859
Orson Pratt, September 18, 1859
PRIVILEGES AND EXPERIENCE OF THE SAINTS, ETC.
Exhortation by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, September 18, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
310
I have been extremely gratified in the remarks that have been
made by brother Gates. The instructions which he has given us
have been imparted, as I believe, by the gift of the Holy Ghost.
I feel truly grateful that we live in an age of the world when we
can receive instructions by the power and wisdom of that Spirit
which searches all things--that Spirit that understands all
things, and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. All
other preaching is vain. I can say, with him, that it is one of
the greatest pleasures of my life to speak, when I can have the
Spirit of the Lord to assist me. Without it, I would rather do
the hardest kind of bodily labour. Indeed, I do not think that it
is the privilege of any of the servants of God to speak in the
name of the Lord without that Spirit. But I have oftentimes
thought that no person who was living according to the
commandments of God could rise before a congregation of Saints
like this before me, and open his mouth in humility and
simplicity of heart, but what the Lord would give him something
to say. It is through the united faith of the people of
God--through that confidence which they have in the Being whom
they worship, that he, for their edification and benefit, will
grant his Spirit unto his humble and faithful Saints. But we
oftentimes deprive ourselves of the blessings and enjoyments
which we might receive, through the darkness of our minds,
through our selfishness, through our neglect of keeping the
commandments of God, through our disobedience, and through the
abundance of cares and perplexities with which we have to contend
in this mortal existence. All these things have a tendency, more
or less, to darken the understanding and drive away from the
heart that peaceable Spirit which whispers peace to the minds of
the sons and daughters of God. I often reflect upon this subject
much, and inquire in my own mind, and try to search out some of
the causes of our being so far beneath the privileges which are
guaranteed to us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not because
the promises of God have failed. It is not because we are not
worshipping the same Being whom the Saints worshipped in ancient
days. It is not because there are insurmountable obstacles in our
way; but the cause lies in our own selves. We are the individuals
that shut out this light of heaven--this light of truth that
would otherwise shine upon our understandings. Do you ever
compare yourselves with those people that we read of in ancient
times that were called the people of God? I mean some of the best
of them. Not but that there were individuals who lived then,
professing to be the children of God, who were just as imperfect
in their ways and doings and conduct as some of us are. But,
then, there were others who lived in ancient times who were far
in advance of us. They attained to greater faith and to greater
privileges than those we enjoy.
310
Where is there a servant of God in all the Church of Latter-day
Saints that has enjoyed the same privileges that many of the
first of the servants of God did 1,800 years ago on the Eastern
continent? There are scarcely any. Have we beheld Jesus face to
face? Have we conversed with him as Peter, James, and John, and
the others of the Twelve did in that day and age of the world?
No, we have not. There may have been some few exceptions. Have we
attained even to the blessings of the lesser Priesthood, to say
nothing about of the higher blessings of the greater Priesthood?
What are the blessings promised to the lesser Priesthood? They
are not only to hold authority and administer in the name of the
Lord in temporal things, and administer in certain outward
ordinances; but there are privileges that the lesser Priesthood
enjoy far exceeding those temporal administrations. They were to
have the privilege of conversing with angels. Did you ever
reflect or realize how great a privilege this is?
311
Is it not a great privilege to go before the Lord and receive the
ministration of angels, and instructions from their mouths with
regard to what should be spoken to the people? But very few of
the lesser Priesthood who sit under the sound of my voice, or who
are to be found upon the whole earth, have attained to this
privilege. If the lesser Priesthood have not attained to it, let
us inquire concerning those that hold still higher authority,
concerning the Elders, Seventies, High Priests, the Twelve, the
various Bishops, and the various authorities and presiding Elders
over different Branches and settlements. Have they even attained
to the blessings of the lesser Priesthood? No. With the exception
of a very few individuals who may have come up to their
privileges, who may have had the visions of eternity opened to
them, and may have conversed with angels, and received
instructions with regard to their callings and duties, and what
they shall say to the people; but, with the exception of these
few individuals, the others are away in the back grounds. And
when we come to speak of the higher privileges, beyond that of
receiving the administration of angels, you can scarcely find a
man in all the Latter-day Kingdom that has come up to them. I
have not. I speak it to my shame, and I speak it, as brother
Gates spoke concerning himself, with shame, that I have not
attained to the privileges that pertain to the higher Priesthood.
What are these privileges? They are plainly laid down in the word
of God. Those holding that Priesthood have the privilege not only
of receiving the ministration of angels, but to have the heavens
opened to them, and to behold the face of God.
311
Now, no man, without the Spirit of the Lord resting upon him to
quicken him in body and mind, can have this great and exalted
privilege to behold the face of God the Father who is in the
heavens. But few have attained to this great and exalted
privilege. Are there not some reasons--some causes? Have we not
been members of this Church, some of us for sixteen, eighteen, or
twenty years, and some of us for twenty-five and almost thirty
years? It will be twenty-nine years to-morrow since I was
baptized into this Church; and I feel ashamed that I have not
made greater progress in the things of the kingdom of God, when
compared with the promises that have been made to us.
Notwithstanding all this, when I reflect upon the advancement
which we have made, compared with our former ignorance, I can
truly say that the contrast is very great. We have learned many
things pertaining to the first principles of our religion, and
pertaining to the first principles of our conduct as Saints of
the Most High; and we have learned this lesson most thoroughly
too. It is not merely a theoretical lesson, but we have learned
it practically.
311
Many of us have learned to be subject to every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God. We have learned that it is not only
necessary for us to cease from taking the name of the Lord our
God in vain, but to never mention his name only by constraint of
his Spirit. We have learned to impose a guard upon our tongues,
to speak no evil concerning the children of God. We have learned
not to backbite our neighbours and friends. Many of us have
learned this lesson, but not all of us.
311
We have learned, also, practically, the necessity of ceasing from
all light-mindedness and levity and excessive laughter. But there
are many, I am sorry to say, who have not learned the first
principle of this lesson. We have learned that we can be cheerful
without yielding to much laughter; for this is accounted in the
revelations of God as sin in the sight of Heaven.
311
We have learned a great many important principles pertaining to
family government. We have learned many important principles
pertaining to giving heed to all the counsels of the Priesthood
that may be imparted unto us, from time to time, by the voice of
the Spirit of God. We have learned, in a great measure, to
discern those who have the Spirit and those who have it not, when
they speak to us in Church or in Ward meetings. We have learned
that our religion consists in doing the things required at our
hands, instead of hearing from Sabbath to Sabbath, and not doing.
311
We have learned the necessity of giving the most earnest heed to
every counsel and word which the Lord our God has given to
regulate our conduct. And many of us have learned, also, that
when the Lord speaks, not by command, but by the word of wisdom
and advice, that we should give heed to the same, in order to
enjoy that flow of the Spirit of the living God in our hearts
which is necessary to prepare us for further blessings. But,
after all we have learned during the last quarter-of-a-century in
this Church, we have not yet prepared ourselves sufficiently to
receive the great and important blessings I have named pertaining
to the two Priesthoods of the living God.
312
When shall we learn this lesson? When we have learned to govern
ourselves more perfectly than we have hitherto done--to guard
ourselves on the right hand and on the left from the
encroachments of evil--to set a seal upon our mouths and tongues,
and only to use them according to the principles of eternal
truth--according to the mind and will of God. When we have
learned to do unto others as we would have them do unto us in all
things, and to regulate ourselves not only by the written
commandments of the Most High God, but by the words of wisdom and
counsel imparted to us day by day through his servants--when we
have learned these important lessons more perfectly, then we may
expect the promise of the Lord to be more perfectly fulfilled to
us, and not before.
312
I can recollect, twenty-nine years ago this present autumn, that
I went into the chamber of father Whitmer, in whose house the
Lord manifested himself in the organization of this church,
consisting of six members. I went into that chamber with the
Prophet Joseph Smith, to inquire of the Lord; and he received a
revelation for my benefit, which was written from the mouth of
the Prophet by John Whitmer, one of the witnesses of the Book of
Mormon. I was then only about nineteen years of age, and was
desirous to know what my duty was. The Lord commanded in this
revelation that I should preach his Gospel. I thought that was a
very great and important calling, and I felt altogether
incompetent unless the Lord qualified my by his Spirit.
312
Among other things contained in this revelation, the Lord gave me
a command in these words:--"Therefore lift up thy voice and
prophesy and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost." I
thought to myself, that unless the Lord shall pour out his Spirit
upon me more fully than anything I ever yet have experienced, I
never can perform these duties acceptably in his sight.
312
To prophesy without the Holy Ghost--to reveal--was something I
dare not do. I would rather have had my head severed from my body
than to have been guilty of so great a crime. Indeed, there is
one of the most awful denunciations pronounced upon that man who
undertakes to prophesy in the name of the Lord, without the Holy
Ghost to inspire him. Such a man in ancient days was to be cut
off from the midst of Israel.
312
I felt, therefore, the importance of those sayings; and truly,
when I looked at the magnitude and importance of the command
given to me to prophesy by the power of the Holy Ghost, I felt
oftentimes to tremble and shrink, for fear I never should be able
to fulfil and accomplish so great a work.
312
And I recollect another revelation that requires all the servants
of God who are sent forth, to lift up their voices and preach and
prophesy as it shall be given by the Spirit of God. Have we
attained to this gift of prophecy as we ought as the servants of
the living God? How few of us have obtained a message beforehand
by the Spirit of the living God to deliver to the people, as
Jacob, one of the ancient servants of God, did on the American
continent. Jacob, the brother of Nephi, came into the temple to
preach to the people, and declared to them that the Lord had
previously revealed to him what he should say to them. He went
and inquired of the Lord, and he revealed his mind and will, and
thus Jacob found out what was wanted for the people: he
understood their condition and what sins they had committed
before the Most High, and he knew how to reprove them, because
God had visited him by the Spirit of revelation.
313
How many of us have gone forth and received our errand from the
Lord by the voice of the Spirit of revelation, before we have
ventured before the people to teach the things of the kingdom of
God? Although I have often prayed and sought earnestly and humbly
that I might be assisted to preach to the people, and to say
something to benefit them, yet I have not, by my earnestness and
diligence and faith, been able to obtain those revelations and
visions that belong to the High Priesthood and to the
Apostleship, that I might know what to preach to the people to
the extent of our privileges for their edification. Yet I do know
the Lord has blessed me and my brethren, and given us a portion
of his Spirit; and our hearts have been dictated, as I believe,
by the spirit of wisdom and counsel; and the things of the
kingdom of God have been made known to us in the very moment; and
we have been able to speak to them, but not in that power and
demonstration that belongs to the Priesthood of the living God.
313
I recollect reading the prophecy of Enoch, that he, after having
gathered together his people from the different parts of the
earth, the same as we are doing, commenced preaching
righteousness to them. He built up the city called Zion, and the
Lord revealed himself to Enoch, and he saw him face to face. God
walked and talked with him, and he dwelt in the midst of the city
of Zion for the space of three hundred and sixty-five years; and
then God took Enoch, city, people and all, to heaven.
313
I recollect reading of Enoch's having gathered his people, and
that their enemies came up against them to battle. What kind of
weapons did Enoch use to destroy his enemies? It says, "And he
(Enoch) spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and
the mountains fled, according to his command; and the rivers of
water were turned out of their course, and the roar of the lions
was heard out of the wilderness, and all nations feared greatly,
so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of
language which God had given him."
313
That was the power given to that Priesthood and authority which
was conferred upon Enoch in the early ages of the world. It is
also your privilege, ye servants of the living God, to obtain by
faith the same blessings and the same power, that when you shall
be appointed upon foreign missions, you can open your mouths by
the power of the same Spirit that rested upon Enoch--that you can
not only teach them what they shall do, but prophesy to the
people and tell them what shall be in the future--tell them of
the judgments and calamities that shall overtake the wicked. It
is your privilege to prophesy to the great and to the low, to the
king on his throne, to great men in high places, to the
inhabitants of the earth, and to foretell that which shall befall
their cities, villages, nations, countries, and kingdoms,--to
foretell all these things, not by your wisdom, nor by the spirit
of false prophecy, but by the power of that Spirit which rested
on Enoch in ancient days. With such a qualification, you could go
forth and perform the mission appointed to you acceptably in the
sight of God.
314
What is the privilege of the servants of God that are remaining
here in the midst of the settlements of Zion? It is our privilege
to sanctify ourselves and have even greater power than those who
go to the nations. Why? Because here is the great central place
of gathering, and here should centre all the powers of the
everlasting Priesthood. Here, in our midst, should be poured out
the blessings of that Priesthood to their fullest extent. Here
the servants of God should be clothed upon from on high with the
glory of God, and be able to foretell all things which would be
for the welfare and benefit of the children of Zion. All these
blessings belong to the Priesthood here.
314
You have the keys of the Priesthood; you have the key-words of
the Priesthood here; you have the signs of the Priesthood here;
you have all the ordinances of the Priesthood here which have
been revealed; you have learned the rules and laws of the
Priesthood; and why not, ye Elders of Israel--ye servants of the
Most High God, rise up in the power of the Priesthood and magnify
your callings throughout the settlements in this Territory? Why
give way to darkness, to debauchery, to low and degraded things,
and mix with those who are calculated to fill you with the spirit
of evil continually?
314
Why suffer a cloud of darkness to hover over your minds, even a
cloud of thick darkness that is almost impenetrable? Why suffer
your faith to die away, that you cannot prevail with the heavens
and obtain the blessings of the Priesthood revealed in the last
days?
314
Awake, awake, O ye Elders of Israel, and be clothed with the
spirit and power of your callings, and do the work assigned you,
and prepare for the great day of the Lord, which is at hand.
314
I feel, in some measure, the importance of these things. It rests
on my mind; it weighs me down by day, and oftentimes I lay awake
at nights contemplating the greatness of our privileges and the
backwardness of the Saints of God to claim them.
314
But I do not wish to occupy too much of the time. May God bless
you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Hyde, October 6, 1859
Orson Hyde, October 6, 1859
SOWING AND REAPING--FULFILMENT OF COVENANTS.
Remarks by President Orson Hyde, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
314
As liberty was extended this morning to confess our faults and
speak our feelings and our experience, I now avail myself of the
privilege granted.
314
For some length of time I do not know that I have committed any
very grievous sins or serious iniquities. At the same time, I
feel that the light of heaven in me reproves me for many things;
and I seek to receive the admonitions of the Spirit, and profit
continually by them.
315
I am sensible that I am subject to weaknesses, to many foibles
and failings; yet, as I before said, I am not conscious of having
committed any very grievous sin,--at least, since the
reformation. My desires are to keep the commandments of God, and
to retain in my own bosom his good Spirit. That Spirit was
particularly manifested here this morning; and while it was upon
me, I endeavoured to look at myself, and it seemed as though a
live coal was in my heart, that caused it to burn with joy and
gladness, with thanksgiving and praise to our God. Had I given
vent to my feelings, without restraint, I might have made more
noise than would have been acceptable to this congregation. But
"the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets, and
wisdom is justified of her children."
315
The counsel we received this morning commends itself to every
man's conscience. The good which we feel, and with which we are
often exercised, may be freely dispensed to others; but the bad
feelings which we sometimes possess should not often be suffered
to burden others, but should be buried--smothered, until they die
out. The good which we possess we may reveal to our friends for
their edification and comfort, but withhold from them our griefs
and sorrows, and reveal them unto God, who bears our sorrows
willingly, without endangering himself.
315
If we never sow gloomy, desponding, or evil principles, we shall
not be likely to reap them. If we sow cheerful, lively, and good
principles, we shall most likely reap an abundant harvest of the
same; for, according to that which a man soweth, that also shall
he reap. Let us learn to restrain every evil feeling; for if we
give them birth, there is no telling the amount of evil they may
create, and when or where they will end their work of death.
315
The Son of Man sowed good seed in his field; and while men slept,
the enemy came and sowed tares: consequently, there was a mixed
crop. Let us sow pure seed, as did the Son of Man, and watch,
lest the enemy sow bad seed, and cause a great amount of trouble
thereby.
315
A few thoughts have suggested themselves to my mind in connection
with some remarks I made last Sunday in the afternoon. It is not
my province always to say that things are so-and-so; yet, under
some circumstances, it is. But I will now do as I did last
Sabbath. I will suppose a case.
315
We all acknowledge that we had an existence before we were born
into this world. How long before we took our departure from the
realms of bliss to find tabernacles in flesh is unknown to us.
Suffice it to say that we were sent here. We came willingly: the
requirement of our heavenly Father and our anxiety to take bodies
brought us here. We might be sent on a mission to some foreign
country, and feel under obligation to go, not only from respect
to the moral condition of the people to whom we are sent, but
also out of respect to the authority which required the service
at our hands. But if we were to consult our own feelings, and be
allowed our choice to go or stay with equal approval, we might
prefer to remain at home. But we understood things better there
than we do in this lower world. Here, in this world, Paul says,
"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but
by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope" [of
return]. The creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage
of corruption and brought into the glorious liberty of the
children of God.
316
Then, if it be true that we entered into a covenant with the
powers celestial, before we left our former homes, that we would
come here and obey the voice of the Lord, through whomsoever he
might speak, these powers are witnesses of the covenant into
which we entered; and it is not impossible that we signed the
articles thereof with our own hands,--which articles may be
retained in the archives above, to be presented to us when we
rise from the dead, and be judged out of our own mouths,
according to that which is written in the books.
316
We are situated here in various relations, not only to the
servants of God that are given us to guide our energies, but we
also stand in various relations to one another, as husband and
wife, parent and child,--which relations are branches of that
everlasting covenant, because they are legitimate and ordained of
God. Did we covenant and agree that we would be subject to the
authorities of heaven placed over us? What do you think about it?
Do you think we plighted our faith and came here with that view
and under that covenant? And, in this respect, is the whole world
on the same footing? Yes, verily: "He that receiveth you
receiveth me."
316
The vail is thick between us and the country whence we came. We
cannot see clearly--we cannot clearly comprehend--we have
forgotten! For instance, when we leave our homes on earth for a
long time, and roam abroad in foreign lands, we forget many of
the little incidents of our nativity, barely recollecting and
being impressed that we have a home in some far-off country,
while in other the thought is entirely obliterated from their
memory, and is to them as though such things had never existed.
But our forgetfulness cannot alter the facts.
316
Did we covenant to be subject to the authority of God in all the
different relations of life--that we would be loyal to the
legitimate powers that emanate from God? I have been led to think
that such is the truth. Something whispers these things to me in
this light. Again, for instance, the husband and wife unite their
destinies under the seal of this everlasting covenant, for this
covenant covers all the just transactions of the legitimate
authorities and powers that be on earth. We therefore regard
marriage as a branch of the everlasting covenant.
316
What did we agree to before we came here? If to anything, I
suppose the very same things we agreed to since we did come here,
that are legitimate and proper. The husband agreed to be a
faithful servant of God, to do his duty to all that were placed
under his charge. The wife, on her part, covenants that she will
be a faithful and devoted wife, and will obey her husband in the
Lord in all things. If this were so, it is all right; for it is
just as we are taught on the earth.
316
But the question is, Did we subscribe to any such doctrine as
this on the start? I will not say that we did; yet I have had
such thoughts, and they whisper strongly in my heart.
317
Children agreed to obey their parents, as parents agreed to obey
their superiors in the kingdom of God; and parents were brought
under obligation to train their children in the way they should
go. This is written in the Bible, if nowhere else. How many of us
look upon the rearing and training of our children, and the
correction of their wrongs, as about the least duty that is
enjoined upon us? There are too many that look upon it in this
point of view. Do you ask what evidence I have of that fact? When
I go among the children of the city, and hear them use profane
and unbecoming language, there we have the evidence not only of
their parents' neglect, but of their shame and dishonour. It is
said, "honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be
long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." What is it
to honour thy father? is it to say, "Oh, father, how I love you!"
or, "Oh, how I love you, mother! how glad I am to see you! I
really feel glad and happy to be with you!"
317
As far as these go, they are all very well. But suppose the child
would never lie--would never curse and swear, but observe the
rules of propriety; do you not see that he honours his parent?
and the observer comes to the conclusion that the fountain is
pure. The tree is known by its fruit. The children are our fruit,
and the character of the children is an index, more or less, to
the quality of the tree that bore them. It appears so to me.
317
I find that after covenants have been entered into among the
Saints, as, for instance, between husband and wife, there are
sometimes divorces called for, and the covenant is broken. When
we go back whence we came, to give an account of our stewardship,
what apology can we plead before the King of kings and Lord of
lords? If either party have been guilty of adultery, then divorce
may be justifiable; but upon what other ground? I await the
answer. Will the plea of the hardness of hearts meet with favour
at the final bar?
317
Look, for instance, at the person who renounces his faith, and
goes again to the spirit and practices of the world. He has
broken the terms of the everlasting covenant, and is gone whoring
after other gods, and is consequently divorced. What kind of an
account can he render, if he repent not? How is he going to meet
it in a coming day, when the vail shall be rent asunder, and he
shall see his own handwriting subscribing to the everlasting
covenant produced against him. Is it not written in the beautiful
song sung by brother McAllister this morning, that "Angels above
us are silent notes taking?" and was not that song inspired by
the Spirit of God, and just as true as any line in the Bible, and
just as faithful?
317
Well, then, it stands us in hand, brethren and sisters, to look
well to ourselves, and be sure that neither the husband nor the
wife is the transgressor; for the one that is really in the
fault, when weighed in the balance, will be found wanting; and I
fear for such.
317
It is well for us to look at these things, and make ourselves
fully acquainted with the obligations we are under one to
another, to discharge them in the fear of God; and I know not how
we can discharge them, unless we have the Spirit of the true and
living God; for that is what gives life--what gives energy and
animation, and should inspire us in all our ways.
317
In relation to the wickedness that is alleged to exist among the
Saints, I will tell you what conclusion I have come to. When I
have seen persons that I thought were out of the way, if a
convenient opportunity offered, and I have felt it was wisdom, I
would reprove them. At the same time I say, Let me take that as
an admonition to regulate my own conduct, and see that I do not
go astray, that I may not be swamped in the spirit of evil--in
the spirit and pride of this world. Let me take care of number
one, and keep him clear of all iniquity, free from a spirit of
murmuring or fault-finding.
317
Some suppose that because men in higher authority than themselves
do so-and-so, they can do so-and-so with less impunity. It is
immaterial to us what So-and-so does; it gives no license to us
to do wrong; and we may plead that argument before God and
angels, but it will avail us nothing. Our own improprieties and
unwise course will be so plain in our minds that we shall never
think of giving utterance to any such argument.
318
If we have good, let us distribute it as we have heard this
morning. Let us sow good. It is immaterial what others do, so far
as we are concerned. If we sow good, we shall reap good.
318
I do not feel to prolong my remarks. There is one word more I
want to say, however; and that is, I feel that there is good near
at hand for this people; and I have felt so for a number of weeks
and months.
318
Now, for heaven's sake, let us go to and regulate ourselves, and
prepare for it, lest, peradventure, by postponing to do this, our
dish may be bottom-side up when it comes. I tell you, Good is
coming to those whose dish is right side up. May God bless the
faithful! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / John
Taylor, October 7, 1859
John Taylor, October 7, 1859
UNION, ETC.
A Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
318
I have been very much edified since the commencement of this
Conference. My heart was lead to rejoice yesterday exceedingly,
when I saw the Spirit and feeling that was manifested among the
Saints, and in listening to the remarks made by President Young
and others to-day. I have felt joyful in the Lord, and I bless
the name of the God of Israel that I am associated with his
Church and kingdom on the earth. These feelings I wish at all
times to cherish in my bosom and carry out in my life; and I
believe there are hundreds, if not thousands, before me to-day,
who have the same spirit and feeling, and the same desires.
318
It is true, we have seen, for a few months past, many things that
are painful for good men and women to reflect upon. Wickedness
has seemed to triumph; but when we see the spirit and feeling
that is manifested among the Saints, we are confident that we can
find many more faithful men and women among them than the Lord
did in Elijah's day, when idolatry, wickedness, and corruption of
various kinds prevailed.
318
The old Prophet felt a little sorrowful. He thereupon went alone,
and there was a voice, as it were the voice of thunder; but the
Lord was not in the thunder: there was the voice of an
earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake: finally,
there was a still small voice whispering in his ear,
saying--"What doest thou here, Elijah?" He answered and
said--"Lord, they have killed thy prophets and dug down thine
altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life." But the Lord
gave him to understand that it was a mistake, informing him that
he had reserved to himself seven thousand men in Israel who had
not bowed their knees to Baal. I think he would find more here,
without finding so much of the evil which the Prophet complained
of in that day and age of the world.
319
One thing in particular strikes my mind, and probably
strikes the minds of many, that the spirit of evil is bold,
uproarious, rampant, and fond of exhibiting itself everywhere,
while the spirit of righteousness, virtue, integrity, and truth
is modest and retiring, and not very anxious to exhibit itself:
consequently, when a spirit of this kind prevails, it seems as
though the Devil is to pay. When you feel after the heart-strings
of the people and touch them with the touch-stone of truth, all
good men and women will answer to the test, showing that the
spirit of truth, of intelligence, of union, of virtue, and
integrity still exists and prevails in the bosom of all the
faithful; so that when we meet together in the capacity of a
Conference, every opposing feeling to these noble qualities and
truths in the character of a Saint is subdued, the Spirit of the
Lord becomes the prevailing influence, and we feel as we have
often felt on former occasions.
319
We realize that we have not lost his Holy Spirit; and if we
continue to encourage it, it will be in us a spirit of life,
light, intelligence, and truth,--in fact, a spirit springing up
unto everlasting life. It is the principle embodied in the words
of Jesus to the woman of Samaria.
319
We feel that we are in possession of the principles of eternal
life, which are as a well of water within us and around us, and
of which we drink and participate in when we live our religion.
It emanates from God, issues from the Fountain of life and
truth--the Source of all intelligence, and is imparted to us
through the medium of the everlasting Gospel. It has enlightened
our minds, enlarged our understandings, extended our feelings,
informed our judgment--has warmed up our affections to God and
holiness, has nourished and cherished us, and put us in
possession of principles that we know will abide for ever and for
ever.
319
We have been seeking, in a great measure, to do the will of our
heavenly Father, to keep his commandments, magnify our
Priesthood, honour our calling, and do that which is right in the
sight of God continually.
319
Inasmuch as we have done this, the Spirit of God is yet with
us--a living, abiding, eternal principle, which is extending,
growing, and increasing within us, until we shall be prepared to
associate with the Gods of eternity.
319
What makes us so buoyant and joyful on occasions like this? Why
is it that the Spirit and power of God is more visibly manifested
at the time of our General conference, when the authorities of
the Church from all parts are assembled together to talk on the
things of God, regulate the affairs of his kingdom, to put in
order anything that may be wrong, and counsel together pertaining
to the interests of Zion and the building up of Israel? It is
because there is a union of good feelings, good desires and
aspirations; and one spirit inspires the whole, forming a phalanx
of power, of faith, and of the Spirit of the Lord. A single taper
will give a light, and it is pleasant to look upon; but thousands
of the same kind of light make a general illumination. With us it
is a time of union, of light, of life, of intelligence, of the
Spirit of the living God. Our feelings are one--our faith is one;
and a great multitude possessing this oneness forms an array of
power that no power on this side of earth or hell is able to cope
with or overcome.
320
We feel mighty to-day. We are satisfied that we are associated
with the kingdom of God upon the earth. We know that this is the
Church and kingdom of God, and our temporal and eternal interests
are centred in it. We know that it was established for the
gathering of Israel, for the redemption of the Saints, for the
permanent establishment of the principles of righteousness upon
all the earth, for the introduction of correct principles of
government, for the salvation of the living and the dead--for the
salvation of our progenitors and posterity.
320
We believe that we, as a body of people, embracing all the
various Quorums of this Church and kingdom, are engaged in this
one great work; and hence there is a feeling of faith, union, and
intensity--or power, if you please--of the Spirit of the living
God, that quickens and vivifies the mind, gives energy to the
body, and joy to the bosom. In this we all feel to participate.
The Lord is here by his Spirit and power, and our hearts are
joyful.
320
Speaking, then, upon the principle of union among the Saints, for
this seems to be the topic of conversation at this
Conference,--union with each other, union in families, union with
our Bishops and Wards, union with the Twelve and with the first
Presidency, union throughout the Church and kingdom in all its
various ramifications;--this seems to be the spirit and feeling
and teaching that flows from the various speakers who have during
this Conference addressed us.
320
How can this union be brought about more extensively? All agree
that union is a great and powerful principle. The several States
of this great American confederacy have chosen for their national
motto--"E Pluribus Unum," which means--"Many in one." They think
that union is very good. Professedly every good man thinks that
it is good to be united in anything that is good; but the great
difficulty with the world is to bring this about. The nations of
the world are not united, and each nation is divided and split
up, and confusion and the spirit of war and animosity and evil
abound everywhere. They are not united, but they are full of
jealousy, hatred, strife, envy, and malice.
320
Witness the late European wars. What did they fight for? Who can
tell? They fought for nothing, and they made peace for nothing. I
have searched the papers diligently, but I must confess that I
have been unable to discover what they fought for; and I question
very much if the Emperor of France, the King of Sardinia, or the
opposing powers could tell you: yet one hundred thousand men have
been sent into eternity to satisfy the caprice of a few
individuals, and for what purpose? I cannot tell, and I do not
know anybody else that can. I have not met with a man or with a
writer yet that knew what they fought for, or what they made
peace for. What are they now doing? France is building extra
ships, and England is building extra ships. What for? They do not
know.
320
A nation is afraid its neighbouring nations are going to possess
a little more power than it possesses, and it must create more
power to cope with them. That is all the union I know anything
about in the world.
320
What is the union that exists in these United States? And what
are the feelings that prevail among them? Pretty much the same
that prevail among the European nations.
320
Look at the animosities, strife, hatred, and jealousy, and the
spirit of war that prevail between the North and the South. Yet
the Northern and Southern States are said to be united together:
they have entered into certain compacts to make what they call "E
Pluribus Unum." How far they are united, the past, present, and
future events must declare. What do the world say about the
Saints of God? They say we are united, and they are fearful of
our union. They say we think as one, act as one, believe as one,
and are "led by the nose by one man."
321
Horace Greeley says it is nonsense for the United States to
send any public officers here, and advises the Government to
appoint President Young Governor of the Territory of Utah; for he
says he carries the "keys of the Territory in his breeches
pocket" anyway.
321
The world do not like the Saints, because they are united; and
another thing is very evident--they do not understand the
principle of our union. Some suppose it is a species of Daniteism
or terrorism--a sort of tyrannical power that is made use of to
bring men down into subjection; and hence, in accordance with
these ideas, the Government sent out an army to give protection
to the oppressed people of Utah, and escort back all who want to
go back to the East or to California, and dare not, for fear of
Brigham and the Twelve.
321
When Governor Cumming came here first, he offered deliverance to
the captives in Zion, and told the people in public that if there
were any that wanted his protection, it should be had. How many
sought it? I think his Excellency's mind has become better
informed since his association with the people. He has found out
that, with very few exceptions, the people are well contented to
remain in Utah and build up their adopted country.
321
I speak of this as an example, to show the spirit and feeling
that exists in the minds of many of the leading politicians of
the United States, and the erroneous ideas they form in relation
to us as a people; for Governor Cumming was instructed in
relation to this matter. They do err, not knowing the Scriptures
nor the power of God, as the Sadducees did in the days of Jesus.
They do err, because they understand not the fundamental
principles of the kingdom of God. They do err, because they do
not know how it is that this whole people can be controlled by
one influence and spirit, and how they are under that control
willingly and voluntarily, and of their own free individual
action and accord; and so far from their being controlled, it is
impossible to drive them out of it.
321
The world do not know the all-powerful influence that pervades
the minds of this people, called Latter-day Saints, creating the
union they so much wonder at and fear.
321
The governments of the earth make use of different means to unite
their people, or, rather, sustain their power. In some of the
despotic governments they have vassals, or serfs, whom they make
serve them in the capacity of armies. With these and police
forces, they make use of the people to rivet their own chains by
concentrated earthly power. They appeal not to the will,
judgment, feeling, or spirits of men. They make them obey by
force. In this way they bring about a kind of false union. This
prevails, to a great extent, in Turkey and Russia; and as far as
I can learn, the same prevails in China and Japan, and, to a
certain extent, in Austria, Germany, and other European
governments. There men are absolutely forced, to a certain
extent, to bow down in servile submission to the will of one man
in right and in wrong, as the case may be.
322
The same principle exists, to a great extent, in France, but not
so extensively as in those other countries; yet she went forth
with magnanimous enthusiasm to deliver downtrodden Italy, while
in that very France twenty men were not permitted to meet
together without a permit from the police department. Were we
assembled in France as we now are, without a license, the police
force would have power to possess themselves of the keys and lock
up this door, after turning out every one of the congregation.
These are some of the blessings of despotism. That is a kind of
union which they enforce, and hence they can command the popular
vote for anything they please. The people dare not resist the
will of their rulers; they are brought down into subjection by
force, bound in chains, and their chains riveted upon them in
every imaginable form.
322
In the British Constitution, as it now stands, there are three
powers, all opposed to each other, called kings, lords, and
commons. The king pulls one way, the commons another, and the
lords another, on the same principle that you prop up a steamboat
pipe by chains pulling different ways: the moment you cut one of
those chains, down comes the chimney-pipe. The British Government
presents a sort of pulling policy instead of propping up. It is
so with all other political institutions of our day.
322
The great cause of all this evil is, God has not established
their governments, nor framed their laws, nor inspired their
law-makers, nor given wisdom to their kings and emperors. They
have governed by their own wisdom, but heavenly intelligence they
have not possessed. One evil has followed on the heels of
another, corruption has followed corruption, and there has been
no man to point them out the right way; or, if there was, they
have not listened to his counsels.
322
What is to be done in this deplorable state of things? The Lord
wants to establish a kingdom that shall break in pieces all these
kingdoms. The Devil has held the reins long enough; kings and
rulers have borne rule without the Lord long enough; the nations
have groaned under tyranny and oppression and every kind of
maladministration long enough; and it is now time for the Lord to
regulate his own vineyard, and put things to right that have been
put wrong by the reign of wickedness.
322
To bring this about, does he speak to the Emperor of France, or
to the Emperor of Russia, to the King or Queen of England, or to
the President of the United States, to the Emperor of China, to
the Ruler of Japan, or to any other earthly power? They would not
listen to him. What do they know about God, his rule, or his
authority? Nothing at all. What could he do with them? Simply
nothing at all. Suppose he were to speak to the Pope, what does
he know about God? Nothing.
322
The Almighty wishes to accomplish a great purpose on the earth in
the last days. Whom is he going to speak to, and send to prepare
the way for the fulfilment of his latter-day purposes?
322
Suppose you were God, and placed in such circumstances, and had
such a set of kings, governors, rulers, potentates, and priests
to deal with, how could you put them right? And suppose you
wanted to introduce your form of government upon the earth, your
spirit, your law, your intelligence, and the way your government
in the heavens is administered,--and were you determined to
establish your kingdom on the earth, how would you do it? [Voice
in the stand: "The only way would be to lead them all into the
Red Sea together."] how could you get at these kings and great
men of the earth? You could not. Would they listen to a
revelation from God? Verily, no.
322
You may go to any of the priests of the day, presidents of
colleges, and you will find them too great to bow to God: their
reputation would be at stake: if God should reveal his will to
them, they would be called false prophets, and this they could
not endure.
323
Under the circumstances, what could God do? He could not do
better than he has done. Men are now wandering in darkness, like
you and I were before the Gospel greeted our ears. What did we
know previous to that? Nothing. I did not know that it was
necessary to be baptized for the remission of sins until the
Gospel taught it to me; yet I knew the Bible from A to Z. I could
read a great many things in the prophecies, and make calculations
about the Millennium and the gathering of Israel, but did not
know the first principles of the Gospel of Christ; and there is
not a man here that knew them.
323
I have travelled extensively in the world, and have never met
with a priest or scientific man that knew the first principles of
the Gospel of Christ in any country.
323
What could the Lord do with such a pack of ignorant fools as we
were? There was one man that had a little good sense and a spark
of faith in the promises of God, and that was Joseph Smith--a
backwoods man. He believed a certain portion of Scripture which
said--"if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to
all men liberally and upbraideth not." He was fool enough in the
eyes of the world, and wise enough in the eyes of God and angels
and all true intelligence, to go into a secret place to ask God
for wisdom, believing that God would hear him. The Lord did hear
him, and told him what to do.
323
Yes, there was one man that believed God--that had simplicity,
honesty, truth, and integrity enough to ask wisdom of him, while
the presidents of churches and men of extensive erudition and
research sought wisdom from the musty records and uncertain
traditions of the ancient fathers. The votaries of the Catholic
and Greek churches all do this: they have all sought to their
idols for a knowledge of God, except Joseph Smith, who sought
true intelligence from him; and he sent his angels, one after
another, to instruct him; and thus the Lord commenced to
communicate his will, his knowledge, and wisdom to him and others
as fast as they were able to receive them.
323
Joseph Smith was considered a fool--a gold-digger. Although all
the world nearly have turned gold-diggers since that, it has
become a respectable profession; but it is highly unpopular to be
a Prophet and receive revelation from God. And these priests and
professors have always been the most bitter opposers of God and
his revelations.
323
Some twenty years ago, when I was out preaching the Gospel, I
always expected some priest to pop up and create a disturbance by
opposing the truth; and I never had any peace until I met them
and made manifest their folly before their own congregations.
Then I could go peaceably about my business.
323
The priests were always the first to oppose the truth, the Bible,
the revelations of God, containing the principles God had
revealed for the salvation of the human family.
323
The Lord sent Joseph Smith, gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost,
and the spirit of wisdom and intelligence rested down upon him,
and he unfolded and made plain the Scriptures to the elders that
first came to him. They were not educated, but they spake as I
had never heard man speak before. They knew the Bible a thousand
times better than I did. Where did they get their information?
From the Bible. Where else? From that record which the Lord
revealed through a holy angel to Joseph Smith, and gave him power
to translate the same. That record contains wisdom and
intelligence we knew nothing about.
324
Again, God gave sundry revelations, and in them he unfolded
things pertaining to our position and the position of men of God
who have lived in the different ages of the world, and pertaining
to the condition of all classes of men and angels in the eternal
worlds, the future destiny of the human family, the salvation
that has been wrought out for them, and how they are to obtain
it.
324
Again, the Lord has imparted the gift of his Holy Ghost to his
people, and opened a communication between the heavens and the
earth. Worldly wise men stumble at these things, while the Saints
of God are being built up in intelligence and in light by the
administration of angels--by visions of the Spirit of the living
God, teaching them, guiding them, and instructing them under all
circumstances, opening out their way in time of persecution and
trials in a way that the hand of God is visible to all
intelligent Saints.
324
What else did the Lord do through Joseph Smith? He restored the
holy Priesthood. And what is that? It is the government of God,
whether in the heavens or on the earth,--the principle and power
by which he regulates, controls, dictates, and manages his
affairs, his worlds, his kingdoms, his principalities, his
powers, his intelligences, and all things that are underneath him
and above him, and with which he has to do. He has restored that
Priesthood, and a restoration of that Priesthood necessarily
implies a restoration of his rule and power, and an organization
of his kingdom and government on the earth. This, therefore, is
that kingdom, and is organized according to the revelations,
wisdom, communications, or order of God: hence it has its First
Presidency, its Prophets and Apostles, its Seventies and High
Priests, its Bishops, Teachers, and Deacons, and every appendage
that is necessary to completeness, and to promote the happiness
and welfare of the human family, and for all purposes of
government on this earth and in the heavens. Or, in other worlds,
this organization is a pattern of things in the heavens, and is
the mediums or channels through which the blessings of God flow
to his people on the earth, and through which intelligence is
communicated concerning all subjects with which the Saints are
concerned, whether they relate to this world or to the world
which is to come.
324
We are not left to grope any longer in the dark about what kind
of government we are to have, for the Lord has revealed it; and
if you do not yet know it, you will. Do you want to know what is
our Constitution, what our laws, and who are our lawgivers? The
Scriptures shall answer--"The Lord is our king, the Lord is our
judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, and he will rule over us." How?
Through the Priesthood. Do you want to know what kind of courts,
what kind of judge, and what kind of lawyers you ought to have?
Go and ask your High Council and Bishops. They will instruct you
in relation to your judiciary, and tell you who should judge
matters, and regulate them, and put them in order. Do you want to
know what kind of morals you ought to be governed by? You ought
to be governed by the morals contained in these books. Do you
want to learn the duties of husband and wife, of parents and
children? The Gospel of Jesus Christ unfolds them, and the
Priesthood are the true exponents of that Gospel; in fact, what
we have here--the government of God restored again to the earth.
We have here a people who are not ashamed to acknowledge his law
and his power, who are not ashamed to acknowledge his authority,
nor afraid to submit to his laws.
325
How extensive has this union to be? and who understands anything
about correct principles--how to put in order things that are
wrong, and straighten up the crooked paths? The same power that
governs in the heavens, that rules and regulates the planetary
system, that causes seed-time and harvest, day and night, summer
and winter, and all the regular changes of the heavenly bodies in
their proper succession,--this same intelligence is required to
govern the world, produce order out of chaos, and bring back that
same state of things which has been forfeited in consequence of
the transgressions of man,--to restore correct government,
legitimate rule and dominion, true religion, morals, and science,
and every other correct principle; for there is no good or
perfect gift that does not proceed from god, either in regard to
religion, government, mechanism, or science.
325
What do we wish to do? To obtain more and more of the same
spirit, of the same light, and of the same intelligence. We read
some curious manifestations for power that occurred in the days
of the disciples of Christ. Peter, after he had baptized the
eunuch, was caught up by the Spirit and carried to another place.
Much has been developed in latter times as to the application of
the power of steam to machinery, and great results have been
attained in the application of electricity to the conveyance of
intelligence.
325
The principles always existed, but it remained to be discovered
how to apply them to the wants of mankind, which information was
given by revelation. But there is one power we cannot yet find
out--how to lift ourselves up as Philip did, and pass to another
place. Such a power exists, or Philip could not have exercised
it. That power we cannot know until the Lord reveals it.
325
What do we know about the resurrection? What do we know about a
great many more things we talk about? We are only, as it were, in
a state of embryo. We have scarcely learned the first letters of
the alphabet; we have only learned some of the first principles
of the Gospel of Christ; but we have not yet learned how to be in
perfect subjection to the authorities of the kingdom of God.
325
We see in part, and we know in part, we prophesy in
part, believe in part, and we try in part to do right. The Lord
has blessed us with great blessings, but he has only blessed us
in part.
325
We are in the school of the Prophets, trying to learn; and the
Lord teaches us by peace and by wars, by prosperity and by
adversity. He teaches us by bringing our enemies upon us, and by
taking them away from us. He shows forth his great power, and
maketh manifest our wickedness and infirmities, leading us to
know that our trust and confidence only is in God.
325
The Lord has given us the blessings of the knowledge of the
fulness of the Gospel of Christ, through his servant Joseph
Smith. And when he was martyred, the Lord raised up his servant
Brigham to be his mouthpiece to tell his mind and will. What for?
Because he has got a little handful of people here in these
mountains, gathered from the nations of the earth, who are
beginning to open their eyes to the truth;, and can see men and
trees walking, as it were. We sometimes think we were very
intelligent and wise; but our actions do not show that we know
much.
326
What we have learned, we have learned from this book, and from
this, and from that, and from Joseph Smith, and from a little of
the spirit of revelation, which we have obtained by being
obedient to the Gospel, by the laying on of hands, and the
reception of the Holy Ghost, and by our faith from time to time.
In this way we have obtained a little smattering of something
pertaining to eternal life: we feel it, and it makes us jubilant
and happy; but in reality, the extent of our information is very
limited in comparison to the eternity of knowledge that is in
store for the faithful. He has organized the different Quorums,
authorities, helps, and governments in his Church and kingdom, to
convey his will to his people, and through them to the people of
the world, to bring them to a knowledge of correct principles,
laws, and ordinances, that they may learn to do right and fear
him that there might be a people on the earth who will fear him,
acknowledge his law, and submit to his authority, which is the
power of the holy Priesthood.
326
Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice: they know me and follow me;
and a stranger they will not follow, because they know not the
voice of a stranger."
326
The reason this people will not break up and follow strangers is
because they know not their voice. Some few have gone after
strangers; but, as it was formerly said, "They went out from us
because they were not of us." They fell into darkness, and were
led astray. But those who have within them the true and living
principle of life eternal, it leads them to rejoice: they have
something that buoys them up and unites them together. What is
it? It is the Spirit of the living God--the Holy Ghost, which
flows to them through the proper channel.
326
Could any of you have that Spirit and not have fellowship with
President Young and the other authorities of the Church and
kingdom of God? No, you could not.
326
When you hear a man talk against the authorities of this Church
and kingdom, you may know he is sliding down hill. He does not
know what spirit influences him; he is ignorant that he is in the
dark; and, unless he retraces his steps quickly, he will go
overboard. You may set that down as a fact all the time. Why?
Because, if this is the Church and kingdom of God, and President
Young is the elect of God, and his Council and the Twelve and
others are the elect of god, and you seek to injure them, you run
a great risk, and will be found fighting against God; for Jesus
says, "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me; and he that rejecteth you
rejecteth me, and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent
me."
326
You cannot say that you love God while you hate your brethren.
You cannot say that you submit to the law of God while you reject
the word and counsel of his servants.
326
There was a man in Missouri who said he did not believe in Joseph
Smith, because he said he was not a true Prophet. Why? Because
the revelations say, "If any man committeth adultery, he shall
lose the Spirit of God and apostatize." "Now, [said he,] I have
committed adultery, and have not apostatized." You can judge
where he was. He did not see that he had apostatized when he
discarded Joseph as a false Prophet. The Scripture says, "The
branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine,
neither can you bear fruit except you abide in me." "If I abide
in you and you in me, you may ask what you will, and it shall be
granted unto you." Why? Because there is a spirit of union, of
faith, and concentration upon correct principles.
326
I want to show you the difference between this kind of spirit and
the spirit of the world--between this kind of government and the
government of the world, and the influence that has been made use
of by despotic governments, emperors, kings, and rulers, who have
abused the power vested in their hands. What is the difference?
327
Did anybody force you into this Church and kingdom? Is there
a single person here that can say that he was compelled to join
this Church? If there is, let him speak. Did anybody force you to
come to Utah against your will? If there are any that were
coerced, let them speak. [Voices: "No."] You entered this Church,
and came here voluntarily. Did ever anybody force you to stop
here when you wanted to leave?
327
There are some few instances where men have been forced to stay
who have been guilty of stealing, and would like to escape, but
cannot. There are also men who have wanted to go away without
paying their debts, and were followed by their creditors.
Independent of those instances, has there ever been any influence
exercised over any man that would in the least jeopardize him in
liberty in body or in limb? There has not. Then where is there
any coercion. I am at the defiance of this congregation and of
the world to show it.
327
Let us look at others. Who places kings, rulers, and potentates
upon their thrones? Napoleon Bonaparte was more honest than the
rest. When the Pope was about to put the crown on his head, he
took it from him, and placed it on his own head, and crowned
himself, saying, "I have won it." Other kings have obtained their
authority by the sword, or received it from those who have thus
obtained it; and the very people that they coerce and rob of
their freedom are made to give them their power, and it is
permitted by the Great Ruler of the universe. But in relation to
us, we are here of our own accord. We have embraced the Gospel of
our own accord. We continue here of our own accord.
327
I will go a little farther. All the authorities of this Church,
from President Young down, will be presented before this
Conference for reception or rejection. If any of us have
committed any mean act, you have a chance to tell us twice a
year. Will they allow that in any other kingdom upon earth? No.
327
There has not been a President of the United States yet that
could have held his office twelve months, if this privilege had
been given to the people. Where is there an authority or a
government that is subjected to the same ordeal that the
authorities of this Church are? Nowhere; and yet people are
afraid of bondage.
327
Great conscience! what bondage can there be that you have not the
privilege to resist? People have got to do right, or else be
disfellowshipped from this Church. And I tell you now, before you
vote for me, if you know anything against me, tell it; or if you
know anything against any of the authorities you are called upon
to sustain, tell it. But if you do not, and vote to sustain the
men God has chosen, you cannot complain if they expect you will
sustain them in their endeavours to establish the kingdom of God.
327
We talk sometimes about Vox populi, vox Dei--the voice of the
people is the voice of God; yet, sometimes it is the voice of the
Devil, which would be more proper but Vox populi, vox diaboli;
for the voice of the people is frequently the voice of the Devil.
In the first place, it should be the voice of God, and then the
voice of the people.
327
Formerly God made known his law, and all the congregation said
Amen. They acknowledged it. It is so now in the kingdom of God.
328
If you vote for the constituted authorities of this Church, you
must be notoriously mean, and as corrupt as the Devil, if you
find fault afterwards with the way in which they manage. I tell
you this before you vote, that you may have an understanding of
what you are doing. If these authorities are sustained by your
voice, it is then the voice of God, and his kingdom is in full
organization, going forth to do his will.
328
What next? The Lord speaks to President Young and manifests his
will to him, and he says, Do this, or do that. What is your duty?
Why, to do it. A good Saint would never dream of anything else. I
should be anxious to know the President's will, and should think
I was knowing the will of God, and should want to be doing it as
quick as I could.
328
There is union in faith and in intelligence. God must have a
mouthpiece, and his words must be obeyed. He must speak through
his servant, and he to his people, and thus through the various
channels. This is the way with the Lord. We read in the creation
that the Gods said, "Let there light." And the Gods said, "Let
the light be divided from the darkness;" and it was so. And the
Gods said, "Let there be beasts of the field, and fowls of the
air, and creeping things to creep on the face of the earth;" and
it was so. The moment that the Gods spoke, there were personages
ready to carry out their will and fulfil their designs on the
earth. He that is wise can understand.
328
Jesus taught his disciples to pray. "Our Father who art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven." How is his will done in heaven? In
just the way that I have told you.
328
If you realize the true nature of this prayer which you have
often prayed, when President Young, or any of the authorities of
this Church would tell you to do anything, it would be done. When
this is so, there will be that kind of union we have a right to
look for and expect; then the will of God will be done with us as
it is done by the angels in heaven; and whenever this kingdom
shall extend over all the earth, the will of God will be done
over all the earth as it is done in heaven; and there will be one
government, one law, one spirit of truth, of light, and of
intelligence. That is God's law, God's government, God's Spirit,
God's truth, and the people will be God's people.
328
May God bless you all, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Heber
C. Kimball, October 7, 1859
Heber C. Kimball, October 7, 1859
ONENESS, &c.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
329
I have been much gratified to hear the remarks of brother Turley.
And I was exceedingly pleased to see him this morning. I
naturally love him, for he is a true man. He is as true as gold
that has a little dross in it. There is a good deal of the true
metal in him. We all, more or less, partake of the world and the
flesh and the Devil, and that is the dross which is in us.
329
Brother Brigham has given us a text upon oneness; and, in support
of it, I would quote another portion of the words of Jesus when
he says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman:
that is, he sprang from his Father, and was trained and nursed by
him. "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away;
and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may
bring forth more fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more
can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the
branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit; for, without me, ye can do nothing."
329
How is it possible for us to exist as true disciples of Christ
without partaking of his attributes and the attributes of the
Father? If a limb abide in the tree, and the tree in the root,
they are one. Upon the same principle, the Father, his Son Jesus
Christ, and his disciples are one. The Father gave up his Son to
be sacrificed for the sins of the world, that he might draw all
men unto him. "Greater love hath no man than this--that a man lay
down his life for his friends. And ye are my friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command you."
329
He called Apostles--Peter, James, John, and nine others, and
committed unto them the keys of his salvation. He says to
them--"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit
should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father
pertaining to this world, and we are his brethren.
330
Peter, James, and John committed the same keys to Joseph Smith in
this last dispensation, and he committed them to his Twelve
Apostles before his martyrdom, Brigham Young presiding over them,
who is now our Prophet and leader, and holds the keys of the
kingdom of God on the earth in the last days; and he will hold
them for ever; and Joseph holds those keys in the spirit-world,
and will continue to hold them,--President Young holding them in
connection with him, and every other man in his order and
standing in this Church holding them in connection with President
Young.
330
Again, Jesus says, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as
a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into
the fire, and they are burned." It is the nourishment which flows
from the true vine that preserves all those who remain in the
vine, giving them eternal life. A branch that remains in the vine
cannot be burned, but it endureth for ever.
330
You expect our leader, his council, the Twelve Apostles, and the
Bishops to honour their callings because they are your leaders;
but they are under no more responsibility to honour their
calling, abide in the vine, and live their religion faithfully,
than other departments of the Priesthood are. Unfaithfulness
would lead to their destruction just as quick as it would lead to
yours. It is necessary we should be one, as the branches are one
in the vine, that we may partake of the nourishment that cometh
from the Father, through the Son and the Holy Ghost, and through
the different authorities in heaven and on earth.
330
I feel to thank God that the little branch that was down in San
Bernardino is on its way here; and my prayer to God is that all
the distant branches will gather themselves closer and closer
together, and unite themselves as one man; and when they have
done that, in the name of Israel's God, we can rise above the
world, the flesh, and the Devil; for they can then have nothing
in common with us. Let us be one in principle, one in
righteousness, one in heart and action, seeking in all the
pursuits of our lives the chief interest of the kingdom of God;
and in doing this we seek the individual interest of the whole,
doing unto one another as we would wish others to do unto us
under like circumstances; for upon this practice hang the law and
the Prophets. Prophets and righteous men and women of all ages
have clung to these principles as perfectly as they could in the
flesh. That we may attain to the salvation they have gained, it
is necessary we should pursue the same course they pursued to
gain it.
330
If I do not wish a man to take the advantage of me, I should not
take the advantage of him. If I do not want a man to steal from
me, I should not steal from him. If I want my neighbour to hold
my property sacred, I should hold his property sacred.
330
That which the world calls "Mormonism" is the kingdom of God--the
kingdom which Daniel saw; and this kingdom Joseph Smith was sent
by the Almighty to establish, with its Priesthood and
authorities; and we shall prosper exceedingly, if we cleave to
it, keeping ourselves pure and clean.
330
It is very painful to my feelings when men who hold the holy
Priesthood in this Church set an example that is unworthy their
high calling, and would influence simple men and women to go
astray. Instead of being saviours of men, they destroy them, and
will sooner or later have to account for their conduct for the
injury they have done by an unwholesome and destructive example.
331
Let us wake up and keep the commandments of god more perfectly,
cleansing our hands from evil actions and our hearts from unholy
affections, keeping humble and lowly at the feet of Jesus. I find
that I have to live near unto god, exercise all the faith in my
possession, and practise all the integrity I can command. An
Elder said yesterday, "When a man goes in secret before his god,
he does not act the hypocrite; but often before men he will make
a beautiful flowery prayer, to be heard of men." When I was a
Baptist, I learned some of their prayers to deliver in public, to
tickle the ears of men, and have them say, "What a beautiful
prayer that was!" I do not feel so now; but I feel to ask my
Father and God for just what I need; and I find it very useful to
say, "Father, I ask thee, in the name of Jesus, to teach me how
to pray, and inspire me to ask for the things thou desirest to
confer upon thy son." When I go before the Father in this way, I
notice I have a powerful spirit of prayer.
331
It has been said, "A man needs a portion of the Spirit to drive
oxen." [Voice in the stand: "Yes, a double portion of it."] I
know, as well as I know my name is Heber C. Kimball, that a
spirit of kindness in a man will beget the same in his animal, in
his child, or in persons over whom he exercises control. The Holy
Ghost in the people of God will control not only our domestic
animals, our families, our servants, and our handmaids, but it
will control the armies of men that are in the world, the
mountains, seas, streams of water, tempests, famines, and
pestilence, and every destructive power, that they come not nigh
unto us, just as much as we can keep sickness from us by the
power of faith and prayer and good works. If we live our
religion, we shall never suffer as the world suffers. We shall
not be perplexed with famine and pestilence, with the
caterpillar, and other destructive insects, which the Lord will
send in the last days to afflict the wicked.
331
God will sustain us, if we will sustain him and be his friends.
But how can you be his friends, except you are friends to his
cause and to his servants? You cannot find favour with your God
while you are opposed to his authority, or to the ordinances and
regulations of his house.
331
This is the work and kingdom of God, and it will triumph over
every opposing fee. Joseph Smith was ordained a Prophet of the
Most High. His brother Hyrum was ordained a Prophet and Patriarch
to hold the same Priesthood his father Joseph Smith, senior,
held. Brother Brigham is Joseph Smith's successor, and holds the
keys of the kingdom of heaven; and every man who stands by him
will stand while heaven and earth shall continue, and they will
never lack for the comforts of life while the earth stands.
331
The Spirit of the Lord God was upon every Elder here yesterday,
and my prayer is that it may increase upon all the people. If you
had a fulness of that Spirit that President Young, brother Heber,
brother Daniel, and hundreds of others in this community have
got, the sutlers and followers of this army and these merchants
would not get another kernel of wheat from us.
331
I fear you will bring yourselves unto want and sorrow, to hunger
and nakedness, through your improvident and reckless procedure in
relation to your breadstuffs, and not listening to what has been
told you by your best friends. I know, as the Lord God liveth,
the words which have been spoken by our President will surely be
fulfilled; for his instructions are the words of God to this
people.
331
I do not wish to dwell on this theme all the time; but I know
thousands of this people have not bread to subsist upon for three
months to come. In many portions of this Territory--the northern
part of it for instance, they have not enough grain to last them
until another harvest, and supply seed. Then, why do you go and
dispose of that wheat when we are threatened with a scarcity? It
is written in the New Testament, "But if any provide not for his
own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied
the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
332
"Well," says one, "that means my wife and children; and if I
provide for them, it is enough." Yes; but a man has to provide
"for his own," and especially for those of his own house. Are you
not of the family of Christ? Are you not required to provide for
the household of faith to which you belong?
332
If there are members of that household that have not means to
step forward and save themselves, it is our duty to support and
encourage them, setting them an example worthy of imitation.
332
May God bless you. May the peace and blessing of our Father be
upon you, in connection with the whole of Israel throughout the
earth. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Brigham
Young, October 8, 1859
Brigham Young, October 8, 1859
PROGRESS IN KNOWLEDGE, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 8, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
332
In the remarks I am about to offer, I do not design to
cast the least reflection upon the honesty, integrity,
truthfulness, and faithfulness of this people; but I really feel
to praise them. And I repeat what I have frequently said, that,
in my opinion, Enoch and his people, during the first
twenty-nine-and-a-half years of their history, did not make
greater progress in the knowledge of the Father and Son than this
people have. This thought gives me great comfort, encouragement,
and consolation.
332
Our traditions and education, from our birth until we embraced
this Gospel, were in many instances contrary to the plan of
salvation, antagonistic to the word of God, and opposed to his
character,--not designedly; but we and our fathers grovelled in
the deepest shades of mental darkness and ignorance touching God,
his character, and the Gospel plan. Our teachers were no better
than ourselves, for thick darkness covered all. The blind were
leading the blind. They are still doing so, and both will fall
into the ditch.
332
Under these considerations, I think that we, as a people, are
doing as well as we know how. We are advancing from year to year
in the knowledge of God. Before we came into this Church, we
knew, comparatively, but little in regard to the true religion of
Christ. Is there now a man in all the world, outside of this
Church, that can tell the first thing about it? Although they
have the Old and New Testament, and day by day scrutinize every
letter, word, and sentence of those books, yet they cannot
rightly tell one thing in regard to the kingdom of God.
333
Brother Taylor said that, before he heard this Gospel, he did not
even know that it was necessary to be baptized for the remission
of sins. He had read the Bible many times and really did not
believe it, though he supposed that he believed every word in it.
Had a person said to him, "Mr. Taylor, here is the New Testament,
which gives a true history of the Saviour of the world and of the
religion he produced for the salvation of the children of men,
but you do not believe it," Mr. Taylor would have considered
himself persecuted for righteousness' sake, and perhaps would
have put the person out of his house.
333
There is not one of us who professed to be Christians before we
embraced this Gospel could have borne to be told that we did not
believe all that is written in the Old and New Testaments. We
should have deemed such a statement very unwarranted and past
enduring; yet such was the fact.
333
We had read, over and over again, that baptism was for the
remission of sins; yet none of us knew that it was true and
requisite. We had often read the commission of the Saviour to the
disciples, that the believer in their words should be baptized to
be saved; yet who of us fully believed that he spoke the truth?
We read the Bible with the idea that it gave a history of
something that was, but is not now, and never will be.
333
In this state of ignorance and blindness the Gospel found us; yet
we have learned many great and glorious truths during the short
experience we have had in this Church. We now see the consistency
of the vital truths that the ancient Apostles left recorded for
the world to read. We might say that the Bible is a guide-board
to the world, as it points out the path for them to walk in: it
draws a line to guide their conduct.
333
We have learned much from the Bible. We have also learned much
from the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants;
but all the salvation you can obtain by means of those books
alone is comparatively of little value. They contain a history of
what other men have done, show the path they walked in, and the
way in which they obtained the words of eternal life for
themselves; but all the Scriptures from the days of Adam until
now cannot, alone, save one individual. Were they all committed
to memory so perfectly that they could be recited with the
greatest ease, that alone would not save one of the smallest of
God's creatures, nor bring any person nearer the gate of the
celestial kingdom. In visiting a foreign nation, an understanding
of their language, geography, manners, customs, and laws is very
agreeable and beneficial. So the reading of the Bible gives
comfort and happiness to the traveller to eternity, and points
out to him in part the character and attributes of the Being whom
to know is life eternal. We have not yet attained to that
knowledge, and the mere reading of the Scriptures can never put
us in possession of it.
333
When the vision of your mind is opened by the Eternal Spirit, you
measurably see Zion in its beauty and perfection, and are filled
with ecstacies of joy; but when the vision closes, you still find
yourselves in this dark and benighted world. In a vision of Zion
in its glory, you do not see your own and your brethren's
foibles, while you are struggling from day to day to prepare
yourselves to participate in the glory you gaze upon while you
are in the spirit.
333
We are still warring against the darkness and imperfections,
temptations and vicissitudes inherent to the flesh in this dark
and benighted world; and it is by a steady, unwavering course of
daily progression that we can be prepared to enjoy the glories of
the celestial kingdom with God our Father.
334
If a person is baptized for the remission of sins, and dies in a
short time thereafter, he is not prepared at once to enjoy a
fulness of the glory promised to the faithful in the Gospel; for
he must be schooled, while in the spirit, in the other
departments of the house of God, passing on from truth to truth,
from intelligence to intelligence, until he is prepared to again
receive his body and to enter into the presence of the Father and
the Son. We cannot enter into celestial glory in our present
state of ignorance and mental darkness.
334
I know that we have been taught from our infancy, and it is now a
popular doctrine with all the denominations of the Christians of
the nineteenth century, that, when the mortal tenement is
committed to the grave, there is an end of all further progress
in intelligence and learning with regard to this probation. In
support of this idea, they advance the scripture, "If the tree
fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where
the tree falleth, there it shall be." Again, "Whatsoever thy hand
findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor
device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou
goest."
334
The worms have work to do in the grave until the body is reduced
to mother earth. But the active, intelligent, divine organization
that inhabited the body does not descend with it into the grave
to work with the worms; but it goes to the spirit-world, and is
much more busily engaged there than when it was a tenant in a
mortal tabernacle.
334
Suppose, then, that a man is evil in his heart--wholly given up
to wickedness, and in that condition dies, his spirit will enter
the spirit-world intent upon evil. On the other hand, if we are
striving with all the powers and faculties God has given us to
improve upon our talents, to prepare ourselves to dwell in
eternal life, and the grave receives our bodies while we are thus
engaged, with what disposition will our spirits enter their next
state? They will be still striving to do the things of God, only
in a much greater degree--learning, increasing, growing in grace
and in the knowledge of the truth.
334
The people called Christians are shrouded in ignorance, and read
the Scriptures with darkened understandings.
334
Do you read the Scriptures, my brethren and sisters, as though
you were writing them a thousand, two thousand, or five thousand
years ago? Do you read them as though you stood in the place of
the men who wrote them? If you do not feel thus, it is your
privilege to do so, that you may be as familiar with the spirit
and meaning of the written word of God as you are with your daily
walk and conversation, or as you are with your workmen or with
your households. You may understand what the Prophets understood
and thought--what they designed and planned to bring forth to
their brethren for their good.
334
When you can thus feel, then you may begin to think that you can
find out something about God, and begin to learn who he is. He is
our Father--the Father of our spirits, and was once a man in
mortal flesh as we are, and is now an exalted Being.
334
How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a
time when there were not Gods and worlds, and when men were not
passing through the same ordeals that we are now passing through.
That course has been from all eternity, and it is and will be to
all eternity. You cannot comprehend this; but when you can, it
will be to you a matter of great consolation.
335
It appears ridiculous to the world, under their darkened and
erroneous traditions, that God has once been a finite being; and
yet we are not in such close communion with him as many have
supposed. He has passed on, and is exalted far beyond what we can
now comprehend. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither
hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive all the things
of God. We are not capacitated to receive them all at once; but
God, by his Spirit, reveals to our spirits as we grow and become
able and capacitated to comprehend, through improving upon every
means of grace placed within our power, until we shall be counted
worthy to receive all things.
335
"All is yours," says the Apostle. Do not become disheartened,
give up your labours, and conclude that you are not to be saved.
All is yours, if you will but live according to what you know,
and increase in knowledge and godliness; and if you increase in
these, you will also increase in all things pertaining to the
earth; and by-and-by, you will be satisfied that all is the
Lord's, and that we are Christ's, and that Christ is God's. All
centres in the Father; wherefore let us all be satisfied that he
gives to us as we are capacitated to receive.
335
We need not be discouraged; but, as I have exhorted on another
occasion, Let the Elders of Israel manfully man the old ship
Zion--let every man faithfully stand to his post, and they will
ultimately be worthy to enter into celestial glory. This is all
the business we have on hand at present.
335
Doubtless you understood and bear in mind what brother Taylor
said with regard to voting for the authorities of the Church. I
wish all the brethren and sisters to vote by raising their right
hands, the meaning of which many of you understand. If there are
any who do not feel like voting in the affirmative, when the name
of one of the authorities in the Church is presented, and they
suppose that they have sufficient cause for withholding their
support, they may have the privilege of entering their complaints
or objections before the Conference. If you present good and
sufficient reasons for not voting for an individual, we will give
the subject a candid investigation.
335
We will now present the authorities.
336
RE-ORGANIZATION OF THE HIGH COUNCIL--APPOINTMENT OF
YOUNG MEN TO OFFICES IN THE PRIESTHOOD, &c.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, October 8, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
336
With regard to the High Council, I wish to make a suggestion
which has just occurred to me. It seems to me best, in voting for
the authorities, to pass over their names for the present. I do
not think there is much fault to be found with the High
Councillors now in office. We are willing to give them credit for
all the good they have done, and we do not wish to know anything
against them, although some of them have injured themselves more
than they have others. Solomon declared, "Better is a poor and
wise child than an old and foolish king who will no more be
admonished." This is a true saying; and I wish to apply it, in
some respects, in the present instance. In the remarks I shall
now make, some may think that I am quite plain-spoken and frank
with my brethren. Grant it: so also I am with myself.
336
When I was baptized into this Church, it was in its infancy,
although a considerable number had been baptized before me, and
many of them were older when they were baptized than I was. They
improved, their minds expanded, they received truth and
intelligence, increased in the knowledge of the things of God,
and bid fair to become full-grown men in Christ Jesus. But some
of them, when they had gained a little spiritual strength and
knowledge, apparently stopped in their growth. This was in the
eastern country, and but a few years passed before the
fruit-trees began to cease bearing fruit. The cherry and
plum-trees where this work commenced began to fail in
fruit-bearing, and the black bunches began to increase on their
trunks and branches, caused by the depredations of insects which
destroy the sap and life of the trees. The apple-tree also has
nearly ceased bearing in that and the adjacent regions. One of
our old neighbours, whose name is Allen, says that good apples
have for years been very scarce in that country, where, to my
certain knowledge, they used to be excellent and abundant. And in
the few that mature, a worm is generally found at the core. So it
has been with many who embraced the Gospel in that country: like
the fruit-trees, they have ceased to grow and increase and bear
the fruits of the Spirit.
337
It is a common adage, "Old men for counsel, and young men for
war." Until men born in the Priesthood grow old therein in
faithfulness, I would say, with comparatively few exceptions,
"Young men for counsel, and young men for war." For knowledge and
understanding, I would rather, as a general thing, select young
men for eighteen years of age--the son of men who have been in
this Church from the beginning, than to select their fathers.
Their minds have been but little, if any, trammelled with
erroneous traditions and teachings. Let the yoke of the Gospel be
put upon those young men brother Joseph referred to in his
remarks, who have been sowing their wild oats for years, and
generally better and more correct in the offices of the
Priesthood than many of the gray-haired fathers. They understand
more about God, about Jesus Christ, and the government of God on
the earth, than do many of the fathers and grand-fathers.
337
It never hurts my feelings to see young exuberant life and
animation manifest themselves; but I do not like to hear
swearing: to that I strongly object. I also strongly object to
their getting drunk, to their pilfering their neighbours'
property, and to their doing anything else that is wrong. I love
to see our young men wide awake, ready for anything in the line
of right, having their minds bent in the channel of truth. They
learn the truth from their childhood, and know but little else,
if their parents have done their duty in properly directing the
growth of the young branches. Their wild, foolish, childish,
boyish caprices will occasionally be exhibited; but when those
pass off, you find in them a solid basis of truth and good
principle. Some few of those who give rein to their wild and
foolish notions, and seemingly give themselves up to destruction,
will meet hard times: suffering and trouble will arrest them in
their wild career, and then they will begin to inquire after
their friends. They will seek those whose bosoms are filled with
compassion and goodwill towards them, will cease their follies,
and their friends will rejoice over them in their efforts to
become good and wise. Do not be discouraged about the follies of
the young.
337
I know that parents are often much troubled about their children.
I have heard many relate their troubles and sorrows in this
respect, though they are comparatively trifling, unless your
children disregard all your tender solicitude and wise counsels
and examples, and, when arrived at maturity, forsake you and go
headlong to destruction, when you will think that you never had
any trouble until then. The want of bread for them in their
infancy was no sorrow, when compared with such a trial.
Parents--you who continue to live the life of true Christians,
and are filled with faith, virtue, and good works, I promise you,
in the name of Israel's God, that you will have your children,
and no power can rob you of them; for all will be saved, except
the sons of perdition. If they go to hell, you will have the
privilege of dragging them from there, if you are faithful. That
is the promise made to Abraham. You are aware that the children
of Israel acted as badly as the Devil could make them, and the
Lord afflicted them in this life, because of the promise he made
to their father Abraham that he would save his seed.
337
You may inquire of the intelligent of the world whether they can
tell why the aborigines of this country are dark, loathsome,
ignorant, and sunken into the depths of degradation; and they
cannot tell. I can tell you in a few words: They are the seed of
Joseph, and belong to the household of God; and he will afflict
them in this world, and save every one of them hereafter, even
though they previously go into hell. When the Lord has a people,
he makes covenants with them and gives unto them promises: then,
if they transgress his law, change his ordinances, and break the
covenants he has made with them, he will put a mark upon them, as
in the case of the Lamanites and other portions of the house of
Israel; but by-and-by they will become a white and delightsome
people.
338
Brethren, I wish you to understand things precisely as they
are. We shall dissolve the present High Council of this Stake.
Many of them are far advanced in years, and some of them live at
considerable distances from this city. They have laboured
according to the best of their ability; but I would like to see
men who never become so old that they cannot learn. I desire to
see everybody on the track of improvement, gaining all the
knowledge, power, and advancement possible for them to gain and
possess. But so it is: many of the first members in this Church
appear as though they never could keep pace with the times,
increasing in the knowledge of the truth and improving thereupon.
338
I will tell you how to expand and increase as far as I know. Let
your whole soul--affections, actions, wishes, desires, every
effort and motive, and every hour's labour you perform be with a
single eye to the building up the Zion of God on the earth. If
you will pursue this course, you will learn every day and make
advancements every hour. But when you so love your property as to
quarrel and contend about this, that, or the other trifling
affair, as though all your affections were placed upon the
changing, fading things of earth, it is impossible to increase in
the knowledge of truth. The thrones and kingdoms of earth are
frequently changing hands. Adventurers rise up or go forth and
establish new governments, and in a few short years they are cast
down to give place to more successful powers. All earthly things
are changing hands. The gold, the silver, and other property pass
from my hands to yours, and from yours to the hands of others.
Shame on a people that place their affections upon this changing
matter! Love God and the things that change not.
338
I have a little more counsel that I wish to give during this
Conference, and you may tell it to your Presidents, Bishops, High
Councillors, High Priests, Seventies, &c. My counsel to the
Elders of Israel is to let whisky, brandy, and other strong
drinks alone. I will tell you how drunkards appear to me.
Although I have been a man of the world, yet I have never seen a
moment, since I thought I had a character or had to establish
one, when, with very few exceptions, I would count them worthy,
in regard to moral character, to wipe my shoes upon, figuratively
speaking. I would not abuse them, but I would give them something
to kill the life of the liquor, and, when they were sufficiently
sober, ask them if they did not think they were extremely
foolish. Probably scores, who are not here, are drunk now; and it
is my positive counsel and command that drinking liquor be
stopped. If I had the influence the world gives me credit for, I
would not have a single drunkard, thief, or liar in this society.
I do not profess to have that influence, but I can raise my voice
against those evils.
339
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command the Elders of
Israel--those who have been in the habit of getting drunk--to
cease drinking strong drink from this time henceforth, until you
really need it. But some may think they need it as soon as they
go out of this house. Let me be your physician in this matter. So
long as you are able to walk and attend to your business, it is
folly to say that you need ardent spirits to keep you alive. The
constitution that a person has should be nourished and cherished;
and whenever we take anything into the system to force and
stimulate it beyond its natural capacity, it shortens life. I am
physician enough to know that. When you are tired and think you
need a little spirituous liquor, take some bread-and-butter, or
bread-and-milk, and lie down and rest. Do not labour so hard as
to deem it requisite to get half-drunk in order to keep up your
spirits. If you will follow this counsel, you will be full of
life and health, and will increase your intelligence, your joy,
and comfort.
339
As I have already requested, I now again request the authorities
of this Church in their various localities to sever from this
society those who will not cease getting drunk. If you know a man
to be guilty of pilfering, or any species of dishonesty,
disfellowship that man in his Quorum, and let his Bishop cut him
off from the Church. I have no fellowship with thieves, liars,
murderers, robbers, whoremongers, or any such characters. I never
have had, and I hope I never shall have. [The congregation
exclaimed, "Amen."] If I had the influence that the wicked accuse
me of, I would straighten up the perverse among this people, and
bring that Zion we see in vision. They would either repent and do
right, or go where society is more congenial to their evil habits
and practices.
339
Brethren, I desire to so live that I can remain with you until my
work on the earth is finished. But were I as good as you wish me
to be, I could not. Brother Greeley says that Brigham appears to
be in no hurry to get to heaven. No: I wish to stay here and
fight the Devil until he is bound, and all wickedness is cleansed
from the earth, and it is made ready for Christ to come and
receive his right. And it is for us to be ready to abide the day
of his coming.
339
May God bless you! Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Amasa
M. Lyman, December 25, 1859
Amasa M. Lyman, December 25, 1859
THE GOSPEL--TITHING--RELIGION IN THE HOME CIRCLE.
A Discourse by Elder Amasa Lyman, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, December 25, 1859.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
339
I am glad this morning, brethren and sisters, to enjoy the
privilege again of meeting with you, with the opportunity that is
afforded me of occupying a portion of time devoted to worship;
and I would indulge a hope that the little time we are together
may be so devoted as to be a benefit to us all. To effect this, I
know of nothing better than to have our attention called again,
as it has so often been, to a consideration of the principles of
our religion.
340
One might suppose that all had been said that could or that need
be said upon this subject. The necessity for our attention being
called to the consideration of the principles of our religion
must exist until such time as we properly and fully comprehend
those principles, and from comprehending them are unable to
reduce them to practice; for it is not until they are reduced to
practice that they yield to us the fruits of salvation. Hence we
shall have to refer to the principles of the Gospel again and
again, that they may be kept before our minds, that we shall not
lose sight of them in the multiplicity of things that exist
around us to engage our attention.
340
When we consider the great amount of wrongs that are to be
corrected by the Gospel, in connection with our being in the
world, and then the amount of opposition against which we have to
receive and practice the truth, a little reflection will lead us
to conclude that the consummation of our work is far in the
future.
340
When we consider the condition of the mind, influenced as it is
by the prejudices of education, by the influences of those habits
of thought and reflection which have been established in the
mind, which is the result of the influences of circumstances with
which we have been surrounded, we find that there is but a very
small portion of the powers of our minds that are faithfully,
patiently, and undividedly devoted to the consideration of the
principles of our religion.
340
We have fallen into a habit of fashion with regard to the
preaching of the Gospel, that if we say but a very little--preach
but very short sermons, they must generally extend over a large
extent of country. Comparatively speaking, we travel over earth
and heaven frequently, when in our notions of things we have made
these places to be a great way apart: we travel often over the
extreme of degradation, wretchedness, misery, and ignorance in
which we ourselves exist, to that better condition of things that
we hope for in the vast future, when sin, with all its
concomitant train of evils, shall cease to afflict us, or to
oppose an obstacle to our enjoyment of the happiness and
blessings promised by the Gospel.
340
This is the way, in short, in which we look at the subject, when
the Gospel is presented to us as a remedy for all the evils that
afflict us--a sovereign balm for all our ills. We only think of
what we are now, and of what we shall be when our salvation is
consummated.
340
A moment's reflection will satisfy you, as well as myself, that
this view of the matter leaves all that extensive and unexplored
region that intervenes between our present sinful and our future
saved and happy condition out of the question.
340
In order that we may be saved by the Gospel we have embraced, it
becomes indispensably necessary that we should reduce the
principles of that Gospel to practice. In order to do this, we
must, for a little while, leave out of the question this general
view of things, and perhaps refrain from the gratification of our
feelings in the contemplation of that brighter picture of what we
may be by-and-by, to contemplate in the light of truth our
present condition, and learn how to apply the principles of the
Gospel that will save us to the details of life.
340
We may say the Gospel will save us from all that afflicts
us--from all that to us is a source of trouble and annoyance of
any kind whatever. That embraces a great deal; it covers all the
ill feelings that may ever be again awakened in the human
bosom--every unholy passion and every evil in the soul, resulting
from the influences of any corrupt habit that may have been
formed from the education that we have received. I say it covers
all this: it promises to remove all this; but in what way?
340
There are certain generalities in our religion that we all seem
to become acquainted with more or less--those things that are
preserved to us as requirements--that are placed before us in a
form that is defined so that we can comprehend them. Those things
we understand to be binding upon us to attend to as a people.
341
We consider it right and proper to observe the institution of the
Sabbath. We regard it to be right and proper to observe the
institution of Tithing. In short, we regard it as being right to
observe sacredly every duty that is defined and pointed out to
us; so that we, like the people of old, are particular about
paying our Tithing, although perhaps not any more than we should
be. But this duty we can think of; we can remember it. "it is not
right," says one. yes, it is right. But as it was with the people
of old, so it is a little with us Latter-day Saints: we think
that the Tithing of what we produce by our labour will open to us
the gates of celestial bliss and happiness--that it will bring us
to that redemption from sin that we look for, when the Saviour
has declared simply and plainly, and in a manner that it would
seem no one needs be mistaken, that "it is eternal life to know
God," &c.
341
Now the thing to which I would direct your attention is this,
that you should remember your Tithing; but be sure at the same
time to remember the object for which you are required to pay
Tithing. "Well," says one, "is it not to support the poor?" That
is one thing. You suppose, then, that, if the Tithing goes to
feed the poor, build up temples and houses of worship, to
establish institutions of learning, to forward the cause of
education in our midst, that the great object of its institution
is reached. If this were all, then probably Jesus might have said
that this is eternal life, to pay your Tithing punctually and
faithfully: but he did not say this.
341
What is the greater object for which this institution was
ordained? I speak of this because it is before all the people.
The reason for this institution is simply the same as that for
which the institution of the preaching of the Gospel, as it is
denominated, was ordained of God.
341
Why was the Gospel taught to you in your scattered condition
among the different nations of the earth? For the simplest of all
reasons--the preaching of the word became an ordinance of the
Gospel; that is, that it is necessary mankind should be
enlightened, and for that very reason are the Saints gathered
together, and for that very reason are they surrounded by
institutions ordained to preserve them together.
341
By the preaching of the Gospel you will discover, by a reference
to the course you are induced to take, following the direction
indicated by it, that you all walk in the same path. In gathering
you are brought to the same place, and you are supposed to
receive the same instructions: the same principles are taught,
the same advantages are extended to you, and the same blessings
promised to you all, through your faithfulness.
341
What, then, can be plainer to the mind than that the great object
was to bring mankind to the knowledge of the truth? For this
cause you are required to pay Tithing, to favour the
accomplishment of this great object. For what should the poor be
nourished? For what should the Priesthood be sustained? For what
should temples be built, and educational establishments be reared
in our midst? Simply for the accomplishment of this great work of
educating the human mind in the knowledge of the principles of
truth--for the correcting, as a matter of course, of every error
that may have found place in their minds.
342
This, then, is the object for which we are brought together; and
here we are taught from time to time what is denominated the
Gospel. We are told to live our religion. What does this embrace?
Every-thing. It extends to every duty that devolves upon us in
the accomplishment of the work that is before us. It is to give
the principles of the Gospel that application to ourselves and to
our actions that will leave in us and with us no error that shall
not be corrected--no wrong principle whose deformities shall not
be dragged into the light, that we may see it and turn away from
it, that we may be able to substitute in its place a view of
things that is correct and fully consistent with the
accomplishment of the object for which we labour.
342
What I would wish with regard to the Saints is simply this, that
they may learn to apply the principles of the Gospel to the
details of life--to the small matters in our moral existence,
which, when associated together, constitute the great sum of all
that fills up our time.
342
I want you to pay Tithing faithfully, and respond with an
affection that is undivided to every requirement. For what? For
contributing to that amount of means that is necessary and
requisite for the accomplishment of this work that has for its
object the emancipation of our race from the ignorance that has
bound them. But remember that it is to learn to know God that we
are associated together, and that all these institutions are
established around us and in our midst.
342
I want you to learn that to live your religion is to apply the
Gospel to the regulation of your actions in every department of
human life. I do not wish you to think that you are living
acceptably before God, and in the manner that he requires you to
live when you pay your Tithing, and are doing other things that
you know to be wrong, and that you are fully aware is not
acceptable in his sight or conducive to your own happiness!
342
I want you to remember that the Gospel must have its application
at home. I might preach to you here for forty years to live your
religion. Is it possible, while doing this, there are people who
would listen that length of time to the proclamation, day after
day, week after week, month after month, and year after year, and
then practice in the circle at home things that are directly
opposed to all good principles, to good, and to happiness.
342
Who is it that commits sin in all Israel To-day? Do the best
among the people? Do the most faithful and the most humble and
the most contrite in spirit? Are they afflicted with any evils?
Are they afflicted with any temptations to do wrong? Do they in
any case whatever do wrong?
342
Who are they that do wrong chiefly? Those who have been taught,
perhaps, for a quarter-of-a-century to do right. This has been
sounding in their ears continually from year to year--"Do right,
live your religion, break off your sins, be righteous, and
forsake your iniquities by turning to God."
342
Why is it they are yet afflicted with sin? Is it because they
have not paid their Tithing? Perhaps they have been punctual in
paying it. They may have been constant in their observance of the
institution of the Sabbath, in attending meeting, and of ceasing
all unnecessary labour on that day; yet once in a while a very
curious thing gets out in the wind. What is it? "Brother
So-and-so has done wrong; sister So-and-so has done wrong.
Why--would you believe it?--they have actually had a little
family disturbance, or what we sometimes call a quarrel!" Why is
it? I know of no reason only that that religion, to the
institution of which they have been paying so strict attention
for so many years, has failed as yet to have an application--to
what? To that portion of their lives and actions that pass within
the circle at home. They come here and pray, and, for aught I
know, they go home and pray as much as they can for the
ill-feelings they have.
343
The point that I would like to impress upon your minds to-day is
that to live our religion acceptably before God, and in a manner
that will be conducive to our happiness and salvation and
permanent exaltation in the kingdom of God, we must give it an
application to the details of life. The minutest of life's
details must be rendered holy, just, true, and proper, by its
application to them.
343
I do not want men and women to consider they are living their
religion when they indulge in quarrelling at home. Husbands and
wives living at variance with each other in their feelings at
home are not living their religion. They are not applying the
principles of the Gospel around their hearths and within the home
circle.
343
Says one, "If we pay our Tithing, do you not think we shall get
to heaven, though we do quarrel, &c.?" It will be a peculiar kind
of heaven! It would be, as a matter of course, that heaven where
men and women quarrel, simply because it is the only one for
which they are prepared and adapted. If they were in any other,
they would be rendered wretched to a certain extent. Why? They
would want to get mad and have the old difference of feeling, to
gratify a disposition to say a rash word for a rash word, instead
of adopting the old scriptural maxim which is so good and
heavenly--"A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words
stir up anger."
343
Perhaps people may suppose it is none of my business to allude
here to matters that are transpiring within your home circle. If
it is not, then I have nothing to do with your salvation. is
there no obligation resting on me as a servant of God--as a
minister of righteousness in the midst of the people, to
administer the words of truth to them in a way to save them, that
they may have the advantage through an application of the truth
to the regulation of their actions of deliverance from sin?
343
Then if this is the case, and I find a dark spot in your lives
which is not developed in the public congregation, when you met
with the assembled thousands to hear the principles of
righteousness treated upon in a general way, what must be done?
Simply to require, in a spirit of kindness, a disposition to
discharge faithfully the duties that rest upon us in these dark
portions of your lives, if they exist; and if they do not, no one
will be hurt.
343
Were you to bring to this assembly the feelings and the actions
that evidence the existence of these feelings all through the
week, we should have a very different assembly, so far as
appearance, condition, and spirit are concerned, from what we
generally have here. "Would you want to have us bring them here?"
No.
343
I want to give you a few plain, direct hints, that you may take
home with you as a sort of Christmas present, that you may give
them an application around your hearth, that you may become
better men and women, better husbands and wives, and become there
the ministers of righteousness and truth, to correct the evils
that exist there, if there are any; and if there are none, you
can go home and rejoice, and thank God that you are delivered so
far from the power of sin.
344
We have been taught, with regard to the Gospel, in general terms,
what we are to do, and how we are to act; and we are told again
and again to live our religion. I want husbands and wives,
fathers and mothers, and their children that have arrived at
years of accountability, to understand that the great place of
places where the principles of our religion should be applied,
where they should be treasured, where they should produce their
own legitimate fruit, is the circle of home. It is around the
fireside in every home where the principles of righteousness must
be developed, where the principles that will give stability,
power, and eternal endurance to the kingdom of God and to its
institutions, must be in full force and daily application: they
must there obtain a place within the affections of the persons
associated in those circles.
344
We may talk about attending to the generalities of religion; but
so long as we neglect its details that enter into the home
circle, that are concentrated around our fireside,--so long as we
neglect the cultivation of the principles of heaven and happiness
there, so long we shall fail to enjoy the fulness of what the
Gospel promises to us. Here is where heaven must have its
beginning--where its foundation must be laid, not only for our
present happiness, but for its eternal perpetuity.
344
What do these home circles make? They make what I see around me
to-day. They constitute the people, the community, the nation. if
the principles of the Gospel are developed at home, when you come
to the place of public assembly, you bring them with you: you
bring with you the spirit of heaven, the spirit of peace and
harmony. It is that principle which will lead to the consummation
of that great work, the object of which is to bring about that
condition of things wherein the will of God will be done on earth
as it is done in heaven.
344
If you could do all this with a reference to those little things
that disturb the peace at home, that plant a thorn where a rose
should be planted, that cultivate principle of strife where
quietude and harmony should prevail, great would be our happiness
as a people, both at home and in our public assemblies.
344
if you neglect the cultivation of these virtues, their opposite
will prevail and exert a deleterious influence over the minds and
actions of men and women, which are made evident in their lives.
344
Would we live to enjoy the Spirit of God? This we are exhorted to
do. If we would secure this inestimable blessing, there is no
better way than to cultivate in the home circle that frame of
mind and feeling that will render the Holy Spirit a constant and
welcome visitor there; and not only a welcome visitor, but he
might be changed to a constant guest that would be present ever
to impart that knowledge which is life, that understanding that
causes the soul to be fruitful in the elements of peace,
happiness, and glory.
344
But while that little circle of home is distracted by broils,
quarrels, dissension, and strife, by a lack of that affectionate
regard for the principles of truth that should characterize all
the children of God devoted to the principles and interests of
his kingdom, the Spirit of Truth cannot find a resting-place
there. The soul may complain that it is barren and unfruitful in
that happiness it fain would enjoy.
344
Here, then, is the great field of our labour. If we have thought,
in our own extended views of the work of God, that we should go
from one end of the earth to the other to publish salvation and
save men, we find here a field is opened at our very homes--a
field that should engage the attention of every man, woman, and
child that has arrived at years of understanding in all Israel.
345
Here is a field for the Seventies. "Should the Seventies engage
in this field?" says one. "They are called to preach in all the
world." Yes; and because they are called to preach the Gospel in
all the world, they seem to have no idea that Salt Lake--the
place of their homes--is any part of the world. They never seem
to have the spirit of their calling, unless they are called to go
away from home. Why is it so? I know of no reason only because
they do not court that spirit at home--that they do not make
their homes the same field of faithful, honest, and persevering
exertions that they would make in the field away from home.
345
If the same prayers were to ascend to God with the same degree of
fervency--was the same attention paid to the propriety of
examples that are set--was the same word of wisdom and truth and
goodness and virtue constantly flowing from them in the midst of
the home circle that might characterize all their labours abroad,
then the misery at home would become prolific in truth, in which
plants of righteousness would spring up and yield the fruits of
peace.
345
"I am a Seventy, and consequently have nothing to do here! There
is a First Presidency here, a High Council, and a whole host of
Bishops. I shall only be regarded as guilty of meddling with
other men's business, if I should say anything." Then you will
not even presume to talk to your wife at home--to call your sons
and your daughters around you to advise with them and explain to
them the parental anxiety and care you have for them, by making
them acquainted with the duties that they are strangers to, by
placing them above that which would lead them from the path of
virtue that they may escape the evils that surround them.
345
I want to say to the Seventies, High Priests, Elders and
Apostles, Prophets and Presidents, it is your privilege and duty
to extend the principles of righteousness in the field at home.
You need not tell me, you Seventies, that you are qualified to
preach salvation to the people of distant nations, when you
cannot preach it around your own hearth at home. you must be a
Saint, an Elder, a Seventy, an Apostle, &c., around your
fireside, in the circle of your home, in the midst of the Saints
gathered home. The best and most conclusive evidence that you can
tell the truth abroad, and show an example worthy of acceptation,
is to do it at home. if I am satisfied a man can tell the truth
and live it at home, I have no fear of him anywhere else.
345
I want to say to all Israel, Wake up to your interests at home.
"But how can this condition of things exist among us when the
great mass of our community here are ordained to public
service--to service abroad?" I want you to carefully consider one
thing--that your calling, whatever it may be, was not to neglect
your home and the cultivation of the principles of salvation
within the home circle.
345
You may never be called to go abroad. "But," says one, "I was
ordained to be a Seventy, to preach in all the world." Some that
have been thus ordained die before they fulfil their mission, and
some apostatize;--which, by-the-bye, is a matter that can be most
effectually remedied by simply adopting my little advice I have
thrown out this morning--to cultivate perseveringly and
faithfully those principles that are calculated to emancipate the
soul from the thraldrom of sin, misery, and death.
345
Cultivate this in your homes, and you will become ministers of
salvation indeed, whether you go abroad or not. You will then
discharge the duty you owe to God, to mankind, to yourselves, and
to your families around you.
345
I want the Seventies to remember that this is a part of all the
world where we now live. And if an evil exists in our streets
here, it is as much an evil as though it existed a thousand miles
from this place.
346
Is there a benighted soul here that can be enlightened by the
words of instruction imparted by the servants of God? If so, why
wait until you travel ten thousand miles? Make that benighted
soul that lives here the object of your care. if you win it
through the words of truth and knowledge, it is a soul saved, as
much so as though you had brought it ten thousand miles.
346
What would be the result of this course of procedure? Vice,
folly, and wickedness would receive a constant and firm rebuke,
and no great noise would be made about it. We would simply be
minding our own business in a quiet way. the young, in whose
minds the habit of thought and reflection are being formed, could
be corrected; their footsteps could be directed in the paths of
truth and virtue; and there would be less inclination to steal,
and less corruption of the youth in our midst.
346
"But," says one of the Seventies, "Is all this lawful for the
Seventies to do? Would we not be found fault with if we were to
make it our business to talk with our neighbour, old or young, in
the street, touching these things?" I do not think you would be
taken up for treason by the authorities of the Church, at any
rate; and I do not think the civil authorities in this country
would take any exception to the preaching of honesty, virtue, and
truth. But, above all, try to preach it in that most effectual
way by your own truthful example. if you would preach to the
wayward to restrain themselves from their folly, show an example
yourselves of circumspection in your conduct--of propriety,
consistency, and truth. Would you win the wayward to paths of
rectitude, address them in a spirit of kindness, charity,
compassion, sympathy, and love.
346
if this principle is good in a public and general way, apply it
also at home. And before you go away on that distant mission you
anticipate among distant nations that may occupy years of time,
try to develop the principles of righteousness in the home
circle, and establish them there, that they may be growing
thriftily there--that in your absence the fruits of heaven may be
developed,--that blessings of peace and harmony may have their
existence there: then your home circle is the seat of heaven--the
nursery of truth, where all the perfections must originate that
will constitute all your future greatness and glory.
346
Seek to make your heaven in your home; seek to develop its
perfections there; seek to develop its truthfulness there. Why?
Simply because you cannot make it anywhere else. It is not
possible, because home is the nursery where all the constituent
principles of heavenly bliss and glory are to be developed. Why,
then, think of finding them in your wanderings over the face of
the earth, when home is the only place where they are to be
found, and where they must be developed. you bring the people
from distant nations, that homes of this character may
exist--homes that shall be rich in treasures of heavenly bliss
developed and perfected in their circles.
346
This is the way I look at and think of our religion, and this I
consider to be the right, the proper way for us to patiently,
faithfully, and properly live our religion. We are afflicted in
our country with a great deal of evil: there are evils of an
out-door character that are very troublesome and annoying, aside
from those things that annoy us at home, when, if we lived our
religion at home effectually, there would be less inclination of
the youthful mind to vice, folly, and nonsense.
346
Now, that we may, as a people and as individuals, be wise,
prudent, humble, and faithful in prosecuting this work of ours to
its final consummation, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Heber
C. Kimball, January 1, 1860
ONENESS OF THE PRIESTHOOD--INDEPENDENCE OF ZION--TIME AND
ETERNITY--EVIL HABITS AND PRACTICES, &c.
Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 1, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
347
Excuse me, brethren and sisters, if I appear before you with my
head covered, as the day is cold and uncomfortable. I deem it
necessary to adopt every means in my power to ward off death, and
remain as long as possible in this state of existence.
347
We cannot live too long, if we live our religion, worship the
Lord our God in the way that pleases him, and continue to be his
friends.
347
How can we be the friends of God? We are acquainted with but one
way. We cannot approach his presence so as to see him in person,
while in the flesh and unchanged; but we can approach him and see
him in his representatives. Then, to become the friends of God,
it is plain that we should be the friends of his legally
authorized representatives on the earth--the men whom he has
placed to lead his people--the men who hold the keys of the
kingdom of heaven.
347
There are many, no doubt, who do not believe that the servants of
God possess any greater power and authority from him than other
men. Such persons have a perfect right to their belief, and must
risk the consequences of it.
347
I know that President Brigham Young holds those keys and power to
seal on earth and in heaven--to loose on earth and in heaven. I
know also another thing--that I hold that authority in connection
with him; and not only do I, but hundreds of others. All those
who do should be one with him, the same as the branches are one
with the trunk and the roots of a vine. For it is impossible for
a branch to continue in the vine and bear fruit, if it is not one
with the vine. I think you understand the simple and beautiful
comparison used by Jesus Christ where he says, "I am the true
vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that
beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth
fruit, he pruneth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." This
applies particularly to this principle of oneness.
347
Jesus Christ spoke very frequently by comparison, and no doubt
used that style of language because it is the most impressive. I
speak a great deal by comparison, and know of no better way to
express myself and make plain to my hearers the idea or principle
that is on my mind.
348
What a pleasure it would be to us to see every Elder of Israel
partaking freely of the Spirit and power of God, being clothed
with the power and realizing the responsibility of his calling,
and separating himself from the wickedness of the world, that we
might be one in Christ, as he is one with the Father, that the
Holy Ghost might take up his abode with us, and abide with us
continually, showing us things to come, and bringing things to
our remembrance.
348
All those who possess this Spirit cannot help becoming Prophets,
and it would be as much in their nature to prophecy, as it is in
the nature of the fountain of City Creek to give out its constant
supply of water; and that fountain depends upon another for its
supplies. So the Holy Ghost taketh of the things of the Father,
and revealeth them unto us. There never was a fountain that had
not itself a fountain from which it drew its supplies; and so it
is with the creation of all things in heaven and in earth. It
always was and always will be.
348
There are some people in our community who feel very much
discouraged for fear we shall have to leave the valleys and flee
into the mountains. Supposing we have to flee into the mountains,
what of it? I care not. I would as readily go into the mountains
as stay in the valleys, if it were the will of God. But we never
shall be forced into such circumstances, if we do right. I have
told you, President Young has told you, and hundreds of others
have told you that we never should leave this country until the
Lord wanted us to.
348
There was a man here a few days ago, who has been in the Church
nearly as long as I have, who told me we should have to leave the
valleys and flee into the mountains--into the secret chambers,
and close our doors around us. I told him the mountains were
nothing more than sloping masses of Mother Earth--that we were
now in the chambers, and should not yet go on to the roof. You
need not trouble yourselves upon that matter.
348
Let us be more diligent than ever in building and improving, in
cultivating the earth, and raising from it wheat, corn, flax,
cotton, fruit,--everything necessary for our comfort and the
sustenance of life--sheep, and cattle, and horses, and all kinds
of useful animals. Cease to cultivate the earth, and it is
impossible for us to exist in life. It supplies us food and
clothing, silver and gold, and precious stones; yea, everything
to comfort and bless our mortal existence--everything to adorn,
beautify, and embellish. Let us, then, by a diligent and
judicious cultivation of Mother Earth, and by a careful
husbanding of her products, work our way into permanent
independence as a people. Industry and true economy are the
elements of the independence of any people. If every man in this
kingdom would pursue this wise and profitable course, there would
not exist among us much more trouble.
348
The United States and all the nations of the earth are about to
have as much to do as they can attend to, without troubling us.
Not many years will pass away before we will build our temple
here, and the sons and daughters of the Almighty will enter into
it and receive the endowments and blessings that are in store for
the faithful. But do not expect that I shall prophecy that that
house will be built without hands. Though the kingdom that was to
be set up in the last days, according to the Prophet Daniel, was
compared by him to a stone that was cut out of the mountain
without hands, we cannot suppose that temples can be built
without hands. The Prophet had reference, no doubt, in this
comparison to a block of rock detached by an invisible power from
a mountain side, which commenced in its rough and unpolished
state to roll down to the plains beneath.
349
Joseph Smith, in his day, used a similar comparison when speaking
of men who are polished. He compared them to a smoothly-polished
stone, which, when set to rolling, would lose all its fine
polish, and turn up marred and bruised, without even leaving a
line to mark its course. On the other hand, set a stone to
rolling that is unpolished and rough from the mountain side, and
it will do great execution in its course, and leave a visible
path behind it, and become smoother as it rolls. Joseph compared
himself to a rough stone. What is the use of polishing stones for
building purposes before they are taken out of the mountains?
349
It is not always the outward appearance that shows the true man.
That man who has a good heart is very apt to manifest outwardly
good fruits. There are thousands in this place who are nearly as
good as they can be at the present time, though the next minute
it is possible for them to be better.
349
People talk much about time and eternity, and they say they do
not care so much for eternity as they do for time. And again,
others say they do not care so much about time as they do about
eternity. They do not think for a moment what they are talking
about. What is time? (striking the pulpit.) That is all there is
about it. That little circumstance of my striking the pulpit is
in eternity. It is eternity on the right and on the left, behind
and before, and the time being, as it appears to us, is the
centre of it. So we pass on from time to eternity every day we
live. We are in eternity, in eternity. Civilized nations have
divided a portion of eternity into seconds, minutes, hours, days,
months, and years for their own convenience, to mark their
passage through time.
349
The uncivilized, or savage tribes of men, the American Indians,
for instance, have no other calendar than incidents in nature,
such as the rising and setting of the sun,--hence they count by
so many sleeps; the full and dark of the moon,--hence they count
by so many moons. In short, the only idea we have of time is
gathered from natural phenomena in eternity. We might introduce
here a beautiful comparison of a ship in the middle of the
Atlantic. Is it not a pathless waste of waters all around to the
passengers on board, except on the frail timbers where they
stand? So it is with eternity, with this difference--eternity is
shoreless.
349
Let the brethren and sisters come to the conclusion that now is
the time to set out anew, and then continue from this time
henceforth and for ever in doing right. If any of you have been
in the practice of drinking spirituous liquors to excess, cease
at once the wicked and destructive practice. If such a practice
is committed, it has its time, and makes its mark on the broad
face of eternity: if you cease the practice, no time is given to
it, and it cannot leave its trace on eternity from that instant
until you again commit the same wrong. This reasoning will apply
to every other wrong committed by the children of men.
349
Let us spend time in doing right, and we shall receive in the
Lord's time right for right, grace for grace. If we do not
associate with the wicked world any more than is unavoidably
necessary for the time being, do you think they will have
anything in common with us in eternity, or we with them? No. This
is all I have to say now about time and eternity.
349
If we were to take the right course, it would not be long before
we should be nearly independent of supplies from abroad. It would
not be long ere we should be able to sustain ourselves
independently, and then with greater ability bring about the
purposes of our God; and this would make all men amenable to him
and to his rule. A man will give all he has to save his natural
existence for the time being; at the same time he can neglect
with perfect impunity the things that pertain to his eternal
existence and interests.
350
Is it not better for us with one accord to determine to be Saints
indeed--to live our religion every moment by serving our God and
keeping his commandments? How can a man keep the commandments of
God and suffer himself to be dishonest, to be deceitful, to
steal, and take the advantage of his neighbour in every possible
way, and lie to him to gain a dollar? A man cannot both be a
Saint and be dishonest. No doubt the dispositions of the parents
have some influence in laying the foundation of the character of
the child, morally and physically; and God, in one of his
revelations to Joseph Smith, has said, "But behold, I say unto
you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the
world, through mine Only Begotten; wherefore they cannot sin, for
power is not given to Satan to tempt little children until they
begin to become accountable before me; for it is given unto them
even as I will, according to mine own pleasure, that great things
may be required at the hands of their parents." And Jesus said,
"Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for
of such is the kingdom of heaven."
350
How do people become dishonest? By, in the first place, yielding
to temptation, and suffering the spirit which is in them to
become contaminated by the power of the evil one. Men become
confirmed drunkards by nourishing a depraved appetite for
spirituous liquor, and thus they become slaves to a destructive
habit.
350
If men by their organizations were compelled to steal, to murder,
and do a thousand other evils, they could not be held
accountable, and the agency of man would be destroyed. Satan
tempts men to evil, and they have power to resist the temptation.
The more sin is cultivated, the stronger it grows, until it binds
down men with strong chains.
350
Satan whispers in the ears of those who list to obey him, "Lie a
little, deceive a little, take the advantage of your neighbour a
little, drink whisky a little: it will not harm you;"--leading
them along, as it were, with silken cords, until he binds them
with his strong chains, and readily leads them down to
destruction.
350
Do you inquire whom I mean? I mean those who are guilty. Are
there any of this character here? Yes; I see some of them now.
Are they to be seen disgracing themselves in the public streets?
Yes: you may go down into "Whisky" street, and you can see them
every day. How does it appear in the eyes of good men and in the
eyes of God and angels, when they see those professing to be
Saints and Elders in Israel, holding the Priesthood of God,
drinking whisky and swaggering with those who hate God and his
people, who, if they had the power, would kill President Young,
and me, and Daniel, and any of our friends who are determined to
uphold and sustain righteousness?
350
The scene that occurred down that street on Christmas-day is
still fresh in our minds. O heavens! what a celebration of the
day on which Christ the Saviour of the world was born! O horrible
example! for men professing to be Saints and friends of God, with
murder in their hearts, to thirst for each other's blood! The
duty of the Seventies and Elders of this Church is plainly
defined. I would separate all such unprofitable branches from the
vine, and let them wither and be burned. I say unto you
Seventies--ye authorities of the Church of God, You are not doing
your duty if you do not do this.
350
President Young has cried unto you loud and long, ye Elders of
Israel; and he has shaken his garments, and the responsibility is
upon you. It seems as though you cannot prune the vineyard, in
the righteousness of your calling, unless he shall step forward
and do it at the peril of his own life. Hear this, ye Bishops and
Elders, for I will tell you of it. Why do not you do your duty?
"Why," some of you, perhaps, can say in great truthfulness, "I
was drunk myself last week, and dare not, for fear of being told
of it." Then go forward and repent of your sins before the
people, and then step forward and separate; take the diseased
sheep from the rest of the flock.
350
O ye Elders of Israel! how long are you going to sit under these
things in tame inactivity and let the wickedness of the world
debauch and lead away this people? How long shall we wait for you
to go forward in the faithful performance of your duties? Shall
we have to wait until the Spirit shall say, "Cut off the
unprofitable servants"?
350
In the few remarks I have made, I have expressed my feelings very
pointedly, and mean what I say.
350
I am now near sixty years of age, and I have no need of
spirituous liquor. I do not use it. I feel much better without it
than with it. Without it, I enjoy the natural exercise of the
functions of my nature; whereas, were I to use it, the opposite
would be the case.
350
I look upon men who keep whisky shops, and vend it, in the same
light as I do those who frequent such places, and get drunk, and
swear, and wallow in the mire. A few days ago a drunkard was
severed from the Church; and it will not be long before more of
them will be, if they do not repent.
350
Would I suffer a wicked man to hire my house to sell whisky in?
No. If I did, the moment he went out of it I would put fire to
it, and clean the whole thing out.
350
There are men whom we have nourished and cherished in our midst,
and purchased their goods, and comforted them, invited them to
our parties, and blessed them, and made them rich; and for the
space of nine years and over they have been lurking like an adder
in our path. Will I still feed them? Yes, when they are hungry
and destitute. But will I cherish them to cut my throat? That is
what you are doing. You are nourishing men who would cut our
throats the very first opportunity. Why do you do it? Because
they sell goods a little cheaper than they can be manufactured
here. Let us send for our own goods, and raise in our own
country, as much as possible, all the staple articles of our own
consumption.
350
Let us love according to the order of God, according to the
principles of righteousness and truth. It is not the tabernacle
that I love, but the spirit that dwells in it,--not the tenement,
but the tenant. Why should I love the poor, sickly, frail body
that is daily going back to the dust? Let us place our affections
upon spiritual and heavenly things, that endure for ever, and not
upon things that are earthly and perish with the using; but let
us regard them in the light for which they were created by the
Great Creator and Ruler of the universe.
350
Money was not made to worship, but to be a convenience. You
cannot eat it, but you can buy bread with it, which will keep you
from starvation. When I was in London, I used to think I was well
off if I could get two penny loaves a day and a little water. The
pennies were of no use to me only to buy the bread. So with all
earthly things. As I have already said, Let us love heavenly
things; let us place our affections upon the things that are
eternal. I honour, love, and reverence the spirit of a good man
who honours his calling. I do not care if he has but one eye, one
arm, or one leg.
351
You may take away almost any member from the body, and the head
can live, though it may not accomplish the same amount of good as
it could if all the members were healthy and in active
usefulness. The head is the mainspring of the body, the centre of
light and intelligence. Take away the head, and the natural body
ceases to live and to be intelligent. If the man who leads us was
destroyed, it would very materially affect the body. But if every
one of this people should turn away but him, he holds the
Priesthood and power of God just the same. All those who hold the
Priesthood and honour their callings can put it upon others in
every part of the earth where they may be in the discharge of
their duties.
351
May God bless you, brethren! Peace be upon you! The peace and
blessing of God be multiplied upon all the righteous here--upon
all the righteous that are in the east, in the west, in the
north, and in the south, throughout the extension of the whole
earth! May this blessing be upon the righteous, and upon their
righteous seed after them for ever!
351
May he help you to withdraw yourselves from unrighteousness and
cleave to righteousness in time, and then you are eternally in
it. May the Lord comfort the righteous, and help them to overcome
the little evils. It is the little frivolous disputing and
contention in families that creates the greatest difficulties and
troubles, and hinders us from merging into the blessings of God,
and from that communion with the Holy Ghost we might enjoy. Now,
ye Elders of Israel, step forward and do as you have been told in
righteousness and truth. If you are not righteous, repent and
begin anew. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Erastus
Snow, January 5, 1860
Erastus Snow, January 5, 1860
SUBMISSION TO THE DIVINE WILL--ETERNAL LIFE, &c.
A Discourse by Elder Erastus Snow, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 5, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
351
I have lately held certain conversations which have caused a
train of reflection in my mind this morning, and a few passages
of Scripture to float across my mind, which, unless I should be
led in another train of thought, I will give to my brethren and
sisters: but I desire not my own will, but the will of my Father
who is in heaven. That which is meet to me might not be to a
mixed multitude of people. God knoweth best that which is
suitable unto our circumstances.
351
If we would do the most good, we must feel the most passive in
the hands of our heavenly Father. We must be like a musical
instrument in the hands of a skilful performer. Shall the
instrument say to him that performs upon it, Why do you play
thus? Or shall the law say to him that speaketh it, Why dost thou
use me thus?
352
True, every individual intelligence is possessed of a will, which
is a propelling power within himself. Good and evil are placed
before us, and we have to choose between them. Light and darkness
exist; and if we are not influenced by the one power, we shall be
by the other. When we entered into the fulness of the
Gospel--into a sacred and holy covenant with God, we virtually
agreed to surrender our will to him; we agreed to place ourselves
under his direction, guidance, dictation, and counsel, that our
will should be merged in his. Hence we are in duty bound, and it
is for our best interest to strive to attain to that state of
mind and feeling that we shall have no will of our own,
independent of the will of our Father in heaven, and say in all
things, "Father, not mine, but thy will be done." Let me speak,
therefore, not according to any selfishness that is in me,--not
to speak simply my own feelings, but that the mind of Christ may
be in me, that I may speak as he would, were he in my place this
morning, and act as he would if he were in my circumstances. Nor
have we the promise of our Father that he will dictate in us,
unless we arrive at this state of feeling.
352
If our spirits are inclined to be stiff and refractory, and we
desire continually the gratification of our own will to the
extent that this feeling prevails in us, the Spirit of the Lord
is held at a distance from us; or, in other words, the Father
withholds his Spirit from us in proportion as we desire the
gratification of our own will. We interpose a barrier between us
and our Father, that he cannot, consistently with himself, move
upon us so as to control our actions. He may set bounds around us
and hedge us in round about, that beyond a certain point our will
cannot be gratified. When he cannot influence our wills in any
other way, by bringing a combination of circumstances to bear
upon us to circumscribe us, he may eventually bring our wills
into subjection, like we would corral a wild horse, or one that
has grown cunning and is unwilling to be caught and bridled, and
keeps out of the way of his pursuers. They are under the
necessity of taking him by guile, by alluring him into some large
field or corral, to gradually hem him in, until he is brought
into a small compass, where, before he is aware of it, he finds
himself taken. Our Father operates in a similar way.
352
I might say also that our Adversary profits by a similar example,
understanding the same policy to a degree. When he would involve
us in his snares, he is careful to do it in a way we shall not
know it until our feet are in. This arises from our limited
capacity--from our weakness, and the weaker power becomes a prey
to the greater.
352
Our Father in heaven is labouring for our exaltation; his work
for ever and ever is doing good: good is the part he has chosen;
evil he escheweth. He seeks to unite and concentrate the faith
and feelings of intelligent beings to improve them, to teach them
the benefits of doing good, and the consequences resulting from
doing evil, that the one principle tendeth to dissolution and to
eternal death and disorganization, while the other principle
tendeth to life, to perpetuate the organization which has already
been effected, and bring it to the highest state of perfection;
or, in other words, to secure to intelligent beings the boon they
most earnestly desire--namely, the continuation of lives.
353
What desire has been planted in the human breast that is equal to
the desire of life? What will a man not give in exchange for his
life? To use the words of the Saviour--"For what is a man
profited, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" What
man under the sentence of death for a breach of law that would
not give all he possessed of earthly substance to atone, if his
life could only be spared? How few there are that would not be
willing to give the whole world, if they possessed it, for their
lives.
353
Why is this universal desire planted in the human breast to live?
It is a law ordained in nature for good. We may call it instinct,
or by what name we please,--it is a universal law in all
intelligent beings to seek to retain the organization they
possess. Hence when sickness assails us, an enemy appears in
deadly array with a show to lay us low in death; every faculty of
the soul is aroused to repel it, and we use all the means in our
power to stay the progress of disease.
353
The Scriptures inform us that the greatest gift of God is eternal
life. Is this a gift of God in deed and in truth? Yes; I
understand it to be, to all intents and purposes, the gift of
God. Yet eternal life is not attained without compliance on our
part with those principles that lead to the attainment of it. I
will illustrate this by what we see daily in our natural life. We
understand, by what we learn daily, that there are certain things
that tend to destroy this tabernacle; and there are other things
which, if we deserve, have a tendency to prolong the organization
of this tabernacle and our temporal existence.
353
For example, we have learned, by numerous observations and
examples, that if an individual cast himself into the sea,
without having any means of floating, he will sink in the water
and under it, and he cannot live. A certain thing is necessary to
his existence, which is the pure, wholesome air inhaled into the
lungs. Anything that cuts us off from this supply terminates our
earthly existence: the machinery of this tabernacle cannot be
kept in motion without it. We have also learned that excessive
heat or excessive cold will stop this machinery of life. There
are various other causes which stop the machinery of life in our
mortal tabernacles. If we would prolong our organization for any
certain number of years, we must carefully guard against those
evils that endanger our tabernacles. Excesses of every kind have
a tendency to weaken, and ultimately to destroy the tabernacle of
man. An excessive appetite, if encouraged with rich viands, and
this persisted in, will make the possessor a glutton, and shorten
his mortal career.
353
If a person having a strong desire for stimulants, such as
spirituous liquors, tea, coffee, tobacco, opium, &c., that
stimulate the nervous system to excess, and continues to gratify
this appetite, will soon destroy the elasticity of his nervous
system, and become like a bow that is often bent almost to
breaking. If a bow be kept strung up to its utmost tension, it
loses its power and strength, until it is of little or no use.
354
So in nature: the more any powerful stimulant is made use of in
the human system, the sooner the human machinery will be worn
out. It follows, then, if we will secure life and preserve the
organization of this tabernacle, we must observe the laws of
life--we must abstain from intemperance of every description. We
must neither indulge in excessive eating, excessive drinking, nor
in excessive working, whereby to overtax our physical energies or
our nervous system. Perhaps no kind of labour will so rapidly
weaken the power of life within us, or strength of those
tabernacles, like excessive mental labour, because it has a more
direct influence upon the nervous system. The nervous system
seems to be a sort of connecting link between our spirit and our
tabernacles. Yet a proper amount of labour, physical and mental,
becomes necessary to the proper development of the faculties of
both body and soul.
354
The child that has never faith to attempt to walk, as a matter of
course, will never learn to walk. When he first begins to
exercise his feet and legs to walk, they are weak, and scarcely
capable of supporting his little frame; but the more he exercises
them, the more he receives strength. And so with every other
portion of the tabernacle. The same may be said of all mental
gifts and endowments. The mind that is naturally stupid, dull,
and inactive, and no outward circumstances are brought to bear
upon it, to impel it to exercise,--that mind remains
comparatively undeveloped; that spirit does not improve, nor
increase in strength and capacity.
354
The more the mental faculties are brought into exercise, if it is
not immoderate exercise, the more these faculties receive
strength, and the greater powers of research are developed in
that spirit; and where shall the end thereof be?
354
There is no end to its increase of knowledge and truth, unless we
turn round and go the other way; in other words, unless we
persistently pursue the path of death and violate every law, both
physical and mental, until we become dissolved.
354
If we cease temperate habits, and give ourselves up to the
gratification of our lusts and appetites, and pursue this course
from year to year, we shall find ourselves steadily going down to
the chambers of death, and no power can hinder it: it is a fixed
law of our physical existence. Can the Lord change it? I will not
stop to inquire whether he can or not. I will say, however, I
never heard of his doing it on any other condition than that
individual repenting of his evil course. When he does this, and
observes the laws of life and health, God will add his blessing
to his efforts, and he will begin to ascend the hill again, and
he may regain in some measure that which he has lost. But as long
as he continues that course of evil, no power can redeem him.
354
What I say, therefore, in regard to the mortal body is equally
applicable to the eternal life of the soul.
354
There is no such principle as saving a man in his sins, neither
physically nor spiritually. Our Saviour has never offered himself
as an atonement for mankind to redeem and save them in their
sins. I regard this as an utter impossibility.
354
Some of my friends who may have been reared up in the old
straitjacket school of modern theology may be startled with the
idea of anything being impossible with God. But I conceive it to
be a fixed axiom that two and two make four, whether the addition
is made by man or God.
354
It is just as impossible for God to add two and two together and
make ten of it as it is for me or you. Mathematical truths are as
true with God and angels as they are with man. I understand that
what has exalted to life and salvation our Father in heaven and
all the Gods of eternity will also exalt us, their children. And
what causes Lucifer and his followers to descend to the regions
of death and perdition will also lead us in the same direction;
and no atonement of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can alter
that eternal law, any more than he can make two and two to mean
sixteen.
355
One may ask wherein the atonement of Jesus Christ has affected
us. Through his atonement is granted unto us repentance and
remission of sins. He came from the Father to sojourn in the
flesh among men, to take upon him the infirmities of the flesh
and the weaknesses of human nature, subjecting himself to the
contradiction of sinners, exposing himself to all the physical
ills that prey upon the human system, and to all the powers of
darkness that prey upon the intellectual faculties of man,
exposing himself to the temptations of the hosts of hell. He had
to combat all these contending powers, to resist Satan and all
his armies, and to resist every other evil flesh is heir to, and
set forth an example of purity and perfection to the human
family. In the language of sacred writ--"For what the law could
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned
sin in the flesh."
355
Thus he demonstrated to human beings that it is possible for them
to live without sin, that our God might be just in condemning sin
in every form, and in every place, and in every being; so that in
truth he might say, as he says in the preface of the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, that he cannot look upon sin with the
least degree of allowance. We can understand also why he is of a
merciful and forgiving spirit, exercising a fatherly tenderness
over us, to pardon our follies and weaknesses; yet he cannot
justify them in the least degree.
355
Should we seek to become like him, to be actuated by the same
principle, striving to ascend to the same glory? We should: we
should imitate his example. And while we exercise the same
unbounded mercy and compassion over the weakness of our fellows,
yet in no case whatever should we look upon sin with the least
degree of allowance, or in any manner justify it. However much
may be said in palliation of the faults of mankind, nothing can
be said in justification of them. The Scriptures say that our
Saviour was tempted in all things like we are, yet without sin.
And in order that he might be tempted in all things like we are,
he was born of a woman as we were, possessing like passions with
ourselves, and was exposed to the same kind of temptations to
which we are exposed in life. Yet he withstood them all.
355
The Scriptures say he tasted death for every man. Did he taste
death for every man with a view that every man should be saved
from death? No. If so, it would destroy the principle I have been
speaking of, and would save the children of men in their sins.
But while death had passed upon all mankind because of sin, there
was no power that could avert it; yet, by offering himself an
offering for sin, he opened a way for mankind to be raised again
from the dead, and for ever afterwards be set free from its
power.
355
His death has also opened up a door of repentance unto us, giving
unto us hope of redemption through his blood. Has it given us a
hope of salvation in our sins? Not to me. I hope not to be able
to eat fire with impunity, and still prolong my days. I have no
such promise that I can have melted lead running down my throat
instead of wholesome diet, and expect it is going to be converted
into life-giving food in my system. I have no better grounds to
hope that I shall, by the death of Christ, be saved from the
consequences of persisting in a wicked course of life.
355
The consequences of our transgressions must fall upon us. Yet
Christ has placed before us the principles of faith, hope, and
charity. If we will exercise faith in him, we may have hope of
redemption through his blood, on condition that we repent of our
sins and turn about and pursue the path of life. We and our
fathers before us have so far partaken of the elements of death
that we cannot save our mortal tabernacles from that change that
awaits them.
356
This promise we have--that when the time comes that is written of
in the Scripture, that Satan shall be bound, and shall cease to
exercise his power and dominion over the hearts of the children
of God for the space of a thousand years, the children that shall
grow up unto the Lord shall not taste of death; that is, they
shall not sleep in the earth, but they shall be changed in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and they shall be caught up,
and their rest shall be glorious.
356
I thus distinguish between them and us, because at that time they
shall grow up with a more complete and perfect understanding of
the laws of life and health, and they will observe them. And the
temptations and evils that surround us on every hand shall be
removed from them. The elements that are now under the control of
the prince and power of the air, and charged with death, which we
are constantly brought in contact with, will then be removed; the
elements will be sanctified, the curse will be removed from the
earth and its surrounding atmosphere, and the powers of darkness
that rule in the atmosphere will be confined to their own region,
and the tabernacles of the children of men shall grow up without
sin unto salvation.
356
Hence their tabernacles shall not be subject to pain and sickness
like unto ours. There will be no pain and sickness, because there
will be no breach of the laws of life and health. There will be
no intemperance of any kind, because there will be no breach of
the laws of life and health. There will be no intemperance of any
kind, because there will be no evil spirit at the elbow
continually ready to allure and draw into sin. But the Spirit of
the Lord will be with every person to guide him constantly, and
the law of the Lord will be written in his heart, so that one
will not need to say to another, "This is the way; walk ye in
it." There will be no Devil to tempt on the right hand and on the
left, saying, "This is the way, walk in it." Thus having this
good influence continually around them to keep them in the
straight path, they will grow up without sickness, pain, or
death.
356
There will be a change wrought in their tabernacles, which is
equivalent to death and the resurrection; but they will not sleep
in the dust of the earth. Their tabernacles shall not moulder
back into corruption; but they shall be like Jesus Christ's most
glorious tabernacle, who never knew sin; and he is the only being
we read of whose tabernacle did not see corruption, except a few
who obtained beforehand the privilege of translation.
356
We read--"Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took
him." The Apostle Paul, says he was translated. The revelation
given through Joseph Smith teaches that a great many others in
enoch's day obtained the same blessing.
356
We read in the Book of Mormon of Three Nephites, upon whom the
Lord wrought a change, that their bodies should not see
corruption; but that change was in itself equivalent to death and
the resurrection. Whether the complete change took place in that
day, or whether a still greater change remains to take place with
them, we are not informed positively. But Mormon, writing about
it, gives it as his opinion, and says it was so signified to him
by the Spirit, that there remained for them a greater change in
the great day when all should be changed.
356
Suffice it to say that because of the fall of Adam, the elements
of the earth of which we partake have sown the seeds of mortality
in the earthly tabernacle, so that it becomes necessary they
should all undergo the same change, whether by returning to the
dust, and being raised again, or by that change which takes place
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
357
The principle to me is inevitable, that the penalty of our
transgressions must fall on us, and that salvation and full
redemption from our sins is only to be obtained by ceasing to do
evil, and learning to do well,--by turning from the path that
leads to death, and taking the road that leads to life. In this
way we secure to ourselves the blessings of the atonement, which
opens the door of salvation to all such, and points out the way
of life which he himself has entered.
357
Let us follow him. As it is written, "I am the true shepherd. The
true shepherd entereth in at the door, but a thief climbeth up
some other way." He is also denominated "The Captain of our
salvation," "The Great Apostle and High Priest of our profession,
to show our feet the way."
357
There is one precious privilege which the Gospel of Jesus Christ
has extended to those that believe and obey it--their sins go to
judgment beforehand. It is written, "Some men's sins go to
judgment beforehand, while others follow after." Who is it that
has the privilege of being judged beforehand? And who is it whose
sins follow after? All who repent of their sins and turn to the
living God, their sins go to judgment beforehand. "What,
immediately at the time they repent?" Yes. When they repent and
pursue the course that is marked out to them by which to obtain
pardon, their sins go to judgment beforehand; that is, they
obtain pardon to the extent they are capable of receiving it.
357
Do I obtain pardon for my transgressions, so that I shall escape
the penalty of death? No, I do not. I may so far obtain
forgiveness by faith in Christ that the sentence of death may be
commuted, and life prolonged, like it was with Hezekiah of old,
whose life was lengthened out fifteen years.
357
There are hundreds and thousands before me here and in this
Territory who have had their lives lengthened our through
obedience to the Gospel of peace, who were languishing upon beds
of death, under the sentence of death, and they were on the verge
of the grave; but, through repentance, and the Elders of Israel
administering to them, the power of death was stayed and their
lives were prolonged: yet the sentence of death was not revoked,
but it must pass upon all mankind. Through the exercise of faith
we may gain a reprieve for a few days longer, or at the farthest
for a few years, to live and do good. And some might possibly
attain to that glorious privilege Enoch and others obtained, that
they should not sleep in the earth, but be changed in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, and pass from mortal to immortality,
by which means the penalty is executed and the law satisfied.
357
But it pleased God our Father that the Saviour should be
subjected to all the temptations and pangs to which flesh is
heir. I will say that his grief and sorrow was not that which is
unto death, but it sprang from his sympathies for his
blood-relatives; I mean his Father's family that is here on the
earth, for whom he came to suffer. He bore our sorrows and
carried our griefs. He took upon him the sicknesses of us all and
felt our infirmities. No blind man or leper cried to him for help
in vain; but he felt their infirmities, and stretched forth his
hands and helped them, and exerted himself to ameliorate their
sufferings. Did he suffer hunger and fatigue? Yes. And when his
hour was coming, and he felt his end was nigh at hand, all the
infirmities of the flesh, as it were, crowded upon him, and he
felt even to shrink from drinking that bitter cup; and said three
times, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
358
It pleased our Father that he should be clothed in mortality,
that he might be subjected to all these sensations and feelings
of our infirmities, that he might fully comprehend them all to
the extent that henceforth, in his mediatorial services for
mankind, he might of a truth be touched with the feelings of all
our infirmities, understanding them most perfectly, in order that
he might be filled with compassion, not to justify our sins, but
to have mercy and compassion upon our infirmities. Thus, by his
atonement, he has opened a door, that, after we have paid the
penalty, which is death, we may be raised again from the dead.
358
This is the salvation that is wrought out for us; this is the
hope which was begotten in the disciples of Jesus christ by his
resurrection from the dead, which Peter alludes to in his
Epistle, 1st chapter, wherein he says, "Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant
mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved
in heaven for you."
358
Here is a promise that the faithful should receive immortal
tabernacles--an enduring inheritance in the world to come. But
they were never authorized to hope that the penalties of their
transgressions should never be inflicted upon them: but after
they had suffered the penalty of the law, then they might find
redemption, that the eternal death should not pass upon them.
358
"Blessed and holy are those that have part in the first
resurrection," saith the Scriptures; for on such the second death
hath no power."
358
"The second death," what is that? In this we are more directly
interested, for this mortal tabernacle must die; and we have a
sure and certain hope it shall be raised again from the dead. I
can endure this: I can pass through the momentary afflictions I
am called to suffer in this life; and I will try not to complain,
if I see there is a prospect of not being again subjected to that
second death. What is it? There are some sayings in the
Revelations of St. John in reference to the lake of fire and
brimstone, which is the second death, where their worm dieth not
and the fire is not quenched, where there is no end to their
torment. There are a great many sayings in the Scripture of the
same import, which is denominated "the second death."
358
There is a revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
which, to my mind, is more explicit than any I find in the Old
and New Testament on this subject. It is in that revelation in
which our father speaks unto us concerning the transgression of
Adam, and death that passed upon him because of his
transgression. He partook of a spiritual death. That which was
spiritual was first, and afterwards that which was temporal.
Again, says the revelation, "The last shall be first, and the
first shall be last."
358
The spiritual death is that which shall be passed upon the wicked
when he shall say unto them, "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels." You can read this
revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants when you go
home.
359
I understand that that second death is a spiritual death. Is it
meant that the spirit shall die? Each of you can draw your own
conclusions as well as I. Your traditions may be such that your
thoughts do not run in the same channel with mine in this
respect. But I can conceive of no other spiritual death than
dissolution. I understand, when applied to the mortal tabernacle,
it alludes to the dissolution of that tabernacle: it ceases to
act in its functions, being dissolved, to return to its native
element.
359
I conceive that the same term is applicable to the spirit in like
manner. Whether it be a dissolution, or whether it be an eternal
preservation of that spirit in a state of torment and misery,
which I do not admit, one thing is certain--that the hope of
redemption and eternal life is past for ever from those who are
the subjects of the second death.
359
I understand this to be a curse upon those who give themselves up
altogether to work wickedness and abominations, who have sinned
so far that they have no longer any part in life: they have
sinned that sin which is unto death, for which there is no
redemption or forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to
come.
359
Some people entertain the idea from the sayings in the
Revelations of St. John, that those wicked ones are to be
preserved in a literal liquid lake of fire and brimstone, to
suffer the torments of fire for ever and ever, without the
possibility of being consumed or changed. I do not so understand
the meaning and intention of the sacred writers. The Saviour
says--"Fear not him that is able to destroy the body only, but
rather fear him that is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell." "Hell" may be an analogous term, and applicable in
different places to different things; but in this passage it is
evident he implies the destruction of the soul as well as the
body.
359
These reflections of mine I do not teach as doctrine, binding
your consciences, but as views which I have of the sacred
Scriptures, referring to the second death.
359
One thing is taught clearly in all the revelations, ancient and
modern, that there is a class on whom the second death shall
pass; and the thought of their returning to their native element
is the thought which all intelligent beings shrink from. The
instinct within us is to cleave to life--to cleave to our
organization; and the greatest joy we feel is in the certain hope
of a resurrection from the dead. The idea of the second death, or
dissolution of the spirit, is that which is the most terrifying
to the soul. But our Father has so ordained that our spiritual
organizations, as well as our tabernacles, can only be maintained
and perfected through obedience to the laws of eternal life.
359
Blessed is the child that is corrected, for he shall learn wisdom
Blessed is the man who is called to an account for his sins from
day to day. Blessed is the congregation of the Lord and all
Saints who are permitted to have the Holy Ghost manifested on
them, and through the servants of the Lord, to call them to
account for their sins, reproving them for their transgressions,
that they may be corrected. This is far better for us all, that
our sins be brought to judgment in this life, than to have them
put off to a future day.
359
May the Lord help us to repent day by day, and to receive the
chastisements of the Almighty, that we may attain to everlasting
life. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / John
Taylor, January 15, 1860
John Taylor, January 15, 1860
THE GOSPEL.
A Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 15, 1860.
Reported by G. D. Watt.
360
I came here this morning anticipating the pleasure of listening
to some of my brethren. But it seems to have fallen to my lot
again to address you, and I do so with pleasure at this time, as
upon all such occasions, and willingly communicate anything that
may be imparted unto me which may be a benefit or blessing to
those who may listen.
360
The great principles of truth are so varied and comprehensive,
that it is difficult to know where to commence our illustrations
of a portion of them, and where to leave off. They reach back
into the past, exist in the present, and stretch forward into the
future. In the Gospel of Jesus Christ is embodied all truth, so
far as the salvation of the human family is concerned; and hence
it is spoken of in the Scriptures as being the everlasting
Gospel.
360
To those who have not reflected seriously upon the dealings of
God and his laws, the Lord appears to be changeable in his way of
saving the human family. In the different dispensations from Adam
until Christ, they suppose that he has adopted as many different
ways of salvation.
360
We are told by Christian divines of the dispensation that existed
before the flood; we are informed of the Patriarchal
dispensation, the Mosaic dispensation, and finally of the
Christian dispensation; and it is a prevailing idea among the
uninformed that each of these dispensations presented a different
system of salvation adopted by the Almighty in teaching the human
family, in enlightening their minds, and in giving unto them
correct information in regard to God and eternity. Hence I have
often heard eminent divines refer to the dispensation before the
flood as a day of almost utter darkness; then to the Patriarchal
dispensation as one in which a faint glimmer of light began to be
made manifest; of the Mosaic dispensation as a time in which the
sun began to rise a little above the horizon; and of the
Christian dispensation, as it now exists in the world, as being
the fulness of light and intelligence, or the full blaze of
Gospel day. These views of the different dispensations generally
obtain among professors of Christianity.
360
I entertain a very different opinion of the Almighty. God, like
his Son, Jesus Christ, is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for
ever,"--the same in intelligence, the same in purity, the same in
his projects, plans, and designs. He is, in short, unchangeable.
And I apprehend, if the Saints who had communication with him in
ancient days were to appear on this earth at the present time,
they would find the same medium of communication, the same way of
imparting intelligence, and the same unchangeable Being that
existed 1,800, 4,000, or 6,000 years ago.
361
It is true mankind have not at all times been susceptible of
receiving and appreciating the same degree of light, truth, and
intelligence that they have at other times. God has in certain
instances withdrawn the light of his countenance--his Holy
Spirit--the light and intelligence that proceeds from him, in a
certain degree, from the human family; but his laws are
immutable, and he is the same eternal, unchangeable Being.
361
The truth does not change. What was true 1800, 4,000, or 6,000
years ago, is true to-day; and what was false in any age of the
world is false to-day. Truth, like the great Eloheim, is eternal
and unchangeable, and it is for us to learn its principles, to
know how to appreciate it, and govern ourselves accordingly.
361
As the Gospel is a principle that emanates from God, like its
Author, it is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for
ever,"--eternal and unchangeable. God ordained it before the
morning stars sang together for joy, or ere this world rolled
into existence, for the salvation of the human race. It has been
in the mind of God, and as often as developed it has been
manifested as an eternal, unchangeable, undeviating plan by which
to save, bless, exalt, and dignify man, and to accomplish this
end by one certain, unalterable method of salvation, according to
its degree or manifestation.
361
I speak of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness and of the
blessings associated therewith. It is perfect folly to entertain
the idea that the Gospel has only existed about 1,800 years, and
yet this foolish idea is strongly entertained and almost
universally believed throughout Christendom. This mistake is for
want of calm reflection and correct information upon that
subject.
361
It may here be necessary to inquire what the Gospel is.
Commentators tell us it means good tidings of great joy. This
language had particular reference to the announcement of the
birth of the Saviour to the shepherds of Galilee, by the angel of
God. "And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them (the
shepherds), and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and
they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not;
for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of
David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.'" This was simply the
announcement of the birth of Christ. As to its referring to the
Gospel, it might certainly admit of an argument. The birth of our
Saviour and the message he came to deliver are two different
things.
361
I do not think the message Jesus came to communicate was at all
joyful to the Pharisees and hypocrites of his day, for he told
them they could not escape the damnation of hell; nor to those
individuals whom he proclaimed to be "like unto whited
sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within
full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness." They looked
upon him as an impostor, who said to them, "He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be
damned." It is not to be supposed for a moment that those men
would receive such an announcement as good tidings of great joy,
which was to be to all people.
362
Again: We are told the Gospel is the New Testament. I do not find
any such declaration even in the New Testament itself. There are
certain records in the New Testament giving an account of the
birth, life, suffering, and death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. It contains also an account of the doctrines he taught,
the discourses he delivered, and the moral sentiments he
inculcated. It gives us an account of the organization of his
Church, and of the teachings of his apostles, and the manner of
their administration, &c. But this is not the Gospel.
362
The Gospel is a certain living, abiding, eternal principle. That
which is written in the New Testament is like a chart of a
country, if you please; but the Gospel is the country itself. A
man having the map of the United States in his possession would
be considered foolish if he supposed he possessed the United
States; and because a man may have the Old and New Testament in
his possession, it does not argue that he has the Gospel. But is
it not written in some of our good Bibles, "The Gospel according
to St. John," "The Gospel according to St. Matthew," &c.?
Certainly. But what has that to do with it? The Gospels according
to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John describe certain teachings and
instructions which Jesus gave, and among the rest the officers
constituting his Church are named. "And God hath set some in the
church; first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly,
teachers; after that, miracles; then gifts of healing, helps,
governments, diversities of tongues," &c. These are the living
substance of which they write and account.
362
Well, but the gospel is contained in the Old and New Testament.
It is not, nor in the Book of Mormon, nor in the revelations we
have received. These are simply records, histories, commandments,
&c. The Gospel is a living, abiding, eternal, and unchangeable
principle that has existed co-equal with God, and always will
exist, while time and eternity endure, wherever it is developed
and made manifest.
362
We will quote from the Gospel according to St. Paul, and see what
he has to say in relation to this matter:--"For I am not ashamed
of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith, as it is written, The just shall live by
faith."
362
Now, I presume Paul knew a little more about the Gospel than some
of our learned commentators, and was better acquainted with its
operations, organization, spirit, and power. In addition to what
Paul has said, I will here assert that the Gospel of Jesus Christ
always was, from the very commencement of this earth, "the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;" and the
righteousness of God was always revealed through the Gospel as
specified by this Apostle. Whenever and wherever the Gospel of
Jesus Christ existed, there the power of God and the knowledge of
God existed; and therein at all times, and in every age, the
righteousness of God was revealed through it from faith to faith.
That is an assertion of my own for the time being, and I do not
know but I have as much right to assert that as Paul had the
other.
362
But as it is proper that men should give a reason at all times
for their statements, this I am willing and ready to do. Before,
however, we enter into the investigation of this subject, we will
look at another for a short time, which seems to be intimately
associated with it.
362
Paul in his time reasoned about a certain Melchizedek Priesthood,
and about a certain Melchizedek, who he says was greater than
Abraham, and who he said was without father or mother, without
beginning of days or end of years, and abideth a priest
continually, and that Christ was "a priest for ever, after the
order of Melchizedek." I speak of this because it will be
necessary to refer to it in the argument we may be led to adduce
in relation to this subject.
363
Who was this man Melchizedek? He was simply a man which the Bible
gives an account of, and he positively had a father and a mother.
It is not really said he had not. I say he had, and can prove it,
if the Bible be true. We might differ so far as words are
concerned, but not in ideas and facts. Paul was talking about a
Priesthood: Melchizedek had this Priesthood. It was the
Priesthood of which he was speaking, and not the man. It was this
Priesthood of Melchizedek that was without beginning of days or
end of years. "And he abideth a priest continually, and ever
liveth to make intercession for us;" that is, the Priesthood
continues in the eternal world as well as in the world of time.
363
We will now go back to the Gospel and endeavour to show that
wherever the Gospel existed, there existed also the power of God
and the revelations of God, and therein men had a knowledge of
God, and "therein was revealed the righteousness of God from
faith to faith." But let me make another remark here concerning
the Priesthood. We are told it holds the mysteries of the
revelations of God. These are sayings we have a right to look
into and investigate, to find out upon what principle they are
based.
363
How did Adam get his information of the things of God? He got it
through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and through this same
Priesthood of which we have been speaking. God came to him in the
garden and talked with him. We are told that no man can see the
face of God and live. How was it that he obtained his knowledge
of God? Through the Gospel; and he was the first man upon this
earth that had the Gospel and the holy Priesthood; and if he had
it not, he could not have known anything about God or his
revelations. But God revealed himself to him and told him what he
might do and what he might not do, what course he was to pursue
and what course not to pursue; and when he transgressed the laws
which the Lord gave to him, he was driven from the face of God,
and left in a measure to grope in the dark.
363
Let us pass on to Enoch's day. The Bible only gives a very short
account of Enoch. We are told that "he walked with God, and was
not, for God took him." Then he had the Gospel, for it is through
the gospel that "the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith." It is that which holds the keys of the mysteries of
the revelations of God. It is that which imparts a knowledge of
the Priesthood, and it is by the Gospel that mankind can commune
with God: it is that which is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth. Enoch had this through the Gospel.
Being in possession of this, he was enabled to communicate with
God--had revelations from him. And further revelations which have
been given in these last days go to show us that Enoch built a
city, and that he taught the citizens of that city the great
principles of eternal truth as they emanated from god; that God
communed with them--taught them correct principles; and that
by-and-by, when the people waxed full of iniquity and the earth
became ripe for destruction, Enoch and his city were caught up
into heaven.
363
The Bible gives a very short account of this, saying, "Enoch
walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." Jude also
speaks of him--"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied
of these, saying, 'Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of
his Saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all
that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they
have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which
ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
364
Enoch, how did you happen to know about things that should
transpire some thousands of years hence--you that lived so far
back in the remote ages of the world, that were so dark and
benighted, according to the ideas of modern theologians? "I had
the Gospel, and the Gospel holds the keys of the mysteries of the
revelations of God; and by the spirit of that Gospel I was
enabled to look through the dark vista of the future, to draw
back the curtain of eternity, and contemplate the things of God,
and his purposes concerning the nations of the earth, until I
gazed upon the winding-up scene."
364
And Jude, how did you happen to know that Enoch prophesied of
these things? for we have no account of it in the Bible. Where
did you obtain your information? "I had the same Gospel that
Enoch had, and the same power of revelation, and the same Spirit
that he had, so that I was enabled to develop the same things,
and to know precisely what Enoch prophesied about, and have given
my testimony in relation to that matter."
364
But Joseph Smith, where did you get your information from? "I had
just the same Gospel that Enoch had, and the same that Jude had;
and I also testified of the same things, and we all agree."
364
In tracing out this history, we find it written that God was
about to destroy the inhabitants of the earth with a flood. How
did he make this known? "God saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually." All flesh had corrupted its
way before the Lord, with the exception of a few. There was Noah,
who was a man that feared God and worked righteousness, and had
in his possession the Gospel and the holy Priesthood; and the
Lord God communicated with him, and this he did by revelation,
and told him to build an ark to save himself and family from the
flood. And he gave Noah the dimensions of the ark--how it was to
be constructed, and with what kind of materials. He also told him
what kind of animals he was to bring into it, giving him
instructions relating to the whole matter. How did you happen to
know all this, Noah? "I had the Gospel, which is the power of God
unto salvation; and it proved my salvation and the salvation of
my family; and through it I was enabled to understand the designs
and purposes of God, and prepare for those great events about to
take place on the earth."
364
We next come to old Abraham, and we find that the Lord talked
with him:--"And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of
Mamre; and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day." And
the Lord talked with Abraham and with his wife Sarah, and told
her she should have a child at a certain time. They had quite a
long conversation. Sometimes the messenger that was sent to
Abraham is called an angel, and sometimes the Lord. Suffice it to
say that the Lord did reveal himself and communicated his will
unto him; and finally he tried and tested him in every variety of
way. "And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt
Abraham, and said unto him, 'Abraham ;' and he said, 'Behold,
here I am.' And he said, 'Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac,
whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer
him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I
will tell thee of.'" In this manner the Lord tried Abraham.
365
The great principle I wish to keep before your minds is, that men
in those different ages of the world did have a knowledge of God,
and they obtained it through revelation and a knowledge of the
Gospel. Through this, Abraham obtained a knowledge of God--of his
purposes and designs; and there was no other way in which he
could have a knowledge of God, only in the way here specified;
and hence the Gospel to Abraham was a principle wherein the
righteousness of God was revealed from faith to faith; and it was
to him as much the power of God unto salvation as it was in the
days of Jesus christ and the Apostles, or any other day.
365
Jesus, in speaking of Abraham, says, "Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad."
365
Then, Abraham, you saw the day of the Son of God and was glad
some two thousand years before the dawn of that day burst upon
the earth. How did you happen to see it? Was it not enough for
you to know that God spoke to you and gave you certain great and
glorious promises concerning your seed? No. You must actually
penetrate events that should transpire in after ages. How did you
know all this? "By the Gospel." Do you mean to say that you, too,
had the Gospel? "Yes; for life and immortality are brought to
light by the Gospel; and the Gospel is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth, and therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; and whoever
knows anything about life and immortality and the power of God
must know some-thing about the Gospel of salvation."
365
"Well," say some, "we would really like a little more testimony
from the Bible on this subject; for we have great confidence in
the Bible." You shall have it. What does Paul say?--"And the
Scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through
faith, preached the Gospel before unto Abraham, saying, 'In thee
shall all nations be blessed.' So, then, they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham."
365
Then Abraham had the Gospel preached to him, and so had
Melchizedek. "How do you prove that?" Paul says, speaking of this
ancient king of Salem, that he was "made like unto the Son of
God," and "abideth a priest continually." And "now consider how
great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the
tenth of the spoils." "He, whose descent is not counted from
them, received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the
promises. And without all contradiction, the less is blessed of
the better."
365
Abraham had the Gospel, and was the father of the faithful; yet
Melchizedek was greater than he--greater in the Priesthood and in
the Gospel.
365
We will now inquire a little about Moses--a deliverer that was
raised up to Israel, who was set apart to deliver his people from
the bondage under which they groaned in the land of Egypt. The
Lord spake to Moses and sent him to Pharaoh, and kept sending him
from time to time until Pharaoh let Israel go; and Moses was
their leader, and led them forth out of the land of Egypt.
365
How did Moses know about this deliverance? How did he know how to
give Israel instruction and revelation? Because he had received
it himself. The Lord had spoken to him, and had revealed his will
to him, and manifested his purposes to him from time to time.
When the Lord first called him, he felt incompetent for the task,
and answered the Lord as follows:--
366
"And Moses said unto the Lord, 'O my Lord, I am not eloquent,
neither heretofore nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant;
but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.' 'And the anger of
the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said--'Is not Aaron
the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And he
also cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will
be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put
words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth and with his
mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy
spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to
thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of
God.'"
366
Thus Moses led the people out from the bondage of Egypt: by
visions, by revelations, by the voice of God, by the
manifestation of the power of God, with a high hand and
outstretched arm, he led them out, and destroyed the Egyptians
when they essayed to follow them, after smiting them with plagues
and various afflictions that overtook them, in consequence of
their rebellion against God and the testimony Moses delivered in
their midst.
366
How was it that Moses understood anything about the will of God
in the leading forth of that people? It was because he had the
Gospel, which is a principle of revelation, as we have before
stated; and through it intelligence was communicated unto him.
366
But you say you would like to see something from the Bible to
prove this. I should think what has been already said in
illustration of this great leading principle is sufficient to
satisfy anybody. It satisfies me.
366
But I will give you a little of the Bible touching Moses having
the Gospel. Paul says, "But with whom was he grieved forty years?
Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the
wilderness?" "So we see that they could not enter into it because
of unbelief. Let us therefore fear lest, a promise being left us
of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short
of it. For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them;
but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with
faith in them that heard it." Here Paul not only declares they
had the Gospel as well as we, but he makes use of them as an
example to all unbelievers.
366
We will now touch upon a lesser dispensation, if you please to
call it by that name, and try to find out how that happened to
come. I speak of that dispensation that existed previous to the
ushering in of the Gospel, as people suppose.
366
Paul says, "And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed
before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and
thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the
promise of none effect." "Wherefore, then, serveth the law? It is
added, because of transgressions, till the seed should come to
whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the
hand of a mediator." He further writes on this subject, saying,
"Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were
offered both gifts and sacrifices, and could not make him that
did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience, which
stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings and carnal
ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation."
367
What was the transgression of ancient Israel? They rejected the
teachings of Moses. When he came down from the mount, where he
had been talking with God face to face, he found the people had
made unto themselves a golden calf, and said, "These be thy gods,
O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." They
had forsaken God, the Fountain of living waters, and hewed out to
themselves cisterns--broken cisterns, that could hold no water.
And Moses was wroth with them; and so was the Lord, who was about
to destroy them: but Moses pleaded with him, and he spared them.
But seeing they judged themselves unworthy of eternal life, and
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and revelations, and communications
with him, he placed them under a law of carnal commandments and
ordinances, placing a yoke on their necks, which one of the
ancient Apostles says, "Neither we nor our fathers were able to
bear." He placed them under ceremonies and forms, and it was
said, Do this and live; refuse to do it, and die.
367
This code of laws and ordinances was given to them under the
auspices and direction of the Aaronic Priesthood; and the
Melchizedek Priesthood was taken away from them to a certain
extent, which deprived them of its succession, &c.
367
Still the spirit of revelation was among the Prophets that still
remained among them; but, as a nation, they were placed under a
system of carnal ordinances, because of their transgressions.
367
What was the law added to? It was added to the Gospel. This we
should have known, if Paul had never said a word about it,
because Moses held the keys of the revelations of God, could go
into the mount of God, and by that power led seventy Elders of
Israel into the presence of God, and they saw the God of Israel.
I know that the law was added to the Gospel on that principle,
because the Gospel always was a power that enlightened the eyes
of men, and put them in possession of revelation and
communication with God, and that gave them a knowledge of things
past, present, and to come.
367
We will pass by the time when they were under a law of carnal
ordinances, consisting of burnt offerings and sacrifices, &c.,
and come to the time when the Gospel is again restored, and when
a Priest after the order of Melchizedek, Enoch, Abraham, Noah,
Moses, and Adam, again appeared upon the earth,--namely, the Son
of God, who was "a priest for ever, after the order of
Melchizedek." It was not necessary that he should be enabled
genealogically to prove that he was of the seed of Aaron and of
the tribe of Levi; but his Priesthood was after the order of
Melchizedek, which was without beginning of days or end of
years,--a Priesthood not indebted directly to human descent, but
one that administers both in time and eternity.
367
At the time Jesus Christ came upon the earth we find the same
kind of revelations began to be made manifest,--the same Spirit,
and the same power, blessing, and the same communications with
God. And hence, when he came he went forth baptizing, as John,
his predecessor, had done, John said concerning him, "I indeed
baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after
me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Did he do
this? He did. When he made choice of his Apostles, he breathed
upon them and said--"Receive ye the Holy Ghost." And they began
to have visions and revelations, and the power of God was made
manifest on them. Paul, in writing of this power, says--"I knew a
man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body I
cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell: God
knoweth;) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard
unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."
By-and-by, Paul begins to let out some of these things. He says
he saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, speaking of
the resurrection, and the state of man after death, and the glory
that awaits the faithful.
368
An angel of the Lord opened the prison-doors, and set Peter
and some others at liberty. The angel of the Lord appeared to
Paul in a dream, and comforted him when he was in danger of being
shipwrecked, and told him that no one on board should perish. How
came they in possession of all this knowledge? and how came they
to be such favourites with the heavens? It was all through the
Gospel.
368
We find the Apostle John driven as a poor exile and outcast to
the Isle of Patmos, in consequence of his religion, where he had
to labour among the slaves in the lead mines, oppressed and bowed
down in consequence of the tyranny and severity of his
task-masters. But he was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and the
heavens were opened to his view, and he gazed on the past, on the
present, and on the future, contemplating events that should
transpire through every subsequent period of time until the
winding-up scene. He told of the time when the grave should
deliver up its dead, and when the sea should deliver up its dead,
and when the sea should deliver up the dead that are in it, and
all nations should stand before God and give an account of the
deeds done in the body.
368
He told of Jesus christ coming with his holy angels to execute
judgment on the ungodly. He told of the New Jerusalem that should
descend from God out of heaven as a bride prepared for the
bridegroom.
368
He told of the Millennium, when not only the Saints should burst
the barriers of the tomb, but come forth and live and reign with
Christ a thousand years on the earth, when righteousness and
truth should prevail, and iniquity hide its hoary head, and the
power of God be made manifest; and every nation, tongue, and
people bow to the sceptre of King Immanuel, and all acknowledge
him as Lord over all.
368
How did you know all this, John? "I had the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, that restored this power to the earth, which unfolded
unto me these things; and I have communicated only part of the
things I saw."
368
This power was enjoyed not only by the Apostles, as some suppose,
but it existed among the Saints; and hence Paul, writing to the
Church, says--"Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would
not have you ignorant. But the manifestation of the Spirit is
given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given, by the
Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge by
the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same Spirit; to
another, the gift of healing by the same Spirit; to another, the
working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discerning
of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues; to another, the
interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the
self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For
as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For
the body is not one member, but many," &c. Consequently, this
Spirit extended not only to the Apostles and permanent disciples,
but to the whole Church, the Spirit being given to every man to
profit withal. And what was that? It was the gift of the Holy
Ghost, which Peter told the people, on the day of Pentecost, they
should receive; for on that day he told them to repent and be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and they should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Why? Because,
says he, "The promise is to you and your children," &c.
369
"To us who are Apostles," and to whom else? "To you, and to your
children. Whom else? To all that are afar off, even as many as
the Lord our God shall call." You show me a people that the Lord
our God does not call, and I will show you a people to whom this
promise does not apply.
369
There is the Gospel, as I understand it; and wherever this
principle exists, the principle of revelation and the knowledge
of God exists--a principle wherein the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith to faith--a principle that opens a
communication between God and man. Wherever this exists, the
Gospel exists; and wherever this does not exist, the Gospel does
not exist. It is a principle that places man into a legitimate
relationship with God, who is our Father. Hence, when Jesus
taught his disciples to pray, he said, "When you pray, say, our
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." He is the God
and Father of the spirits of all flesh, and we are told to
approach him as such, and have faith in him. And he says, "Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you; for every one that asketh receiveth,
and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened.
369
Or, what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will
give him a stone? Or, if he ask a fish, will he give him a
serpent? If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in
heaven give good things to them that ask him?
369
By means of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we are brought into a
relationship with God. As one of the ancient Apostles says,
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is." God is our Father,
and a medium of communication has been opened between God and us.
And inasmuch as we live our religion, we shall be prepared at all
times to receive blessings at his hands, and learn to understand
correct principles in regard to our salvation as individuals, and
the salvation of the human family.
369
John said, among other things, "And I saw another angel fly in
the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto
them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred and
tongue and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give
glory to him, for the hour of his judgments is come; and worship
him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters." This angel had the same Gospel to preach that Adam
possessed, and the same that Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus
Christ, and the Apostles preached.
370
Joseph Smith, what did you proclaim? "I called on the Lord and a
holy angel appeared to me, and God revealed his will to me, and
showed me the true position of the world religiously and every
other way; and he told me what I was to do to obtain eternal
life, and he told me what his designs and purposes were
concerning this earth." What did he do besides? "He sent some of
those who existed in former ages, who held the keys of the
everlasting Priesthood, to administer to me and set me apart." We
read in this good book an account of Peter, James, and John being
with Jesus on the Mount--"And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter,
James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high
mountain apart, and was transfigured before them; and his face
did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And
behold there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with
him." How happens it that you are upon the earth, Moses? for we
thought you were dead long ago! "I am not dead, as you suppose;
for I drank of that well Jesus spoke of, the water of which, if
any man drinks, shall be in him a well of water springing up to
eternal life. I hold the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood and
the everlasting Gospel, that administers in time and in eternity;
and after having got through with this world and its cares,
holding still that Priesthood behind the vail, I have come to
administer to you, Jesus, James, Peter, and John, on the earth."
370
In consequence of the same Priesthood, Elias was translated, and
got associated with Moses behind the vail, and became his
companion in bringing a message of comfort to Jesus and his
companions on the Mount. Peter, who held the Priesthood while he
was upon the earth and after he left, could come and administer
to Joseph Smith, and impart to him the same blessings and the
same power, and reinstate those principles and powers upon the
earth that had been lost in consequence of transgressing. What is
it that we have received? We have received the everlasting
Gospel--the same that existed in the days of Jesus; and it is
this that has enlightened our minds, enlarged our capacities, and
given us a knowledge of the past and of the future; and it has
thus revealed to us the purposes of God; and through the order
and organization of this Priesthood we are blessed, saved,
protected, and upheld as we are at this day.
370
Why is it that the world rage? Why is it that the priests of the
day are angry--that politicians are mad? It is because the Lord
has set forth his hand to accomplish his purposes and bring to
pass the things spoken of in the holy Prophets.
370
As one of old has said, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people
imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and
the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his
anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away
their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh;
the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto
them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."
370
The Lord will bring to pass his strange purpose, and accomplish
the thing he has designed. It is for us to live our religion, to
fully appreciate the Gospel we possess, and fully obey its
requirements, submit to its laws, and yield to its dictations,
following the direction of the holy Priesthood, which hold the
keys of the mysteries of the revelations of God, magnifying our
callings, and honouring our God, that we may be prepared to
fulfil our destiny upon the earth, and be enabled to be a
blessing to those around us, and to pour blessings upon our
posterity, and spread forth the great principles of eternity,
which are calculated to bless, enlighten, ennoble, and exalt all
who will yield obedience to their dictates.
370
May God bless you all, and guide you in the way of truth, which I
ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 7 / Orson
Pratt, January 29, 1860
Orson Pratt, January 29, 1860
UNION OF SPIRIT AND SENTIMENT--SUBMISSION TO THE LIVING
ORACLES OF THE CHURCH--A CONFESSION, &c.
Remarks by Elder Orson Pratt, made in the Tabernacle,
Great Salt Lake City, January 29, 1860.
371
I will read a passage of Scripture to be found in Isaiah, 52nd
chap., 8th verse:--"Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with
the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to
eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion."
371
I will, this morning, take the words of the ancient Prophet as
the foundation for a few remarks, applying them more directly to
myself. And if they should be applicable to the congregation
before me, I hope that they, together with myself, will be
benefited by the same.
371
It is very evident from this passage of holy Scripture that there
is a period of time to come in the last days, in which all the
Elders of Israel and all the watchmen of Zion will understand
alike, see alike, and have the same views in regard to doctrine
and principles, and all division of sentiment will be entirely
done away. Then that scripture will be fulfilled recorded in our
Lord's prayer, where he taught his disciples how to pray:--"Our
Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom
come; thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven."
371
When I reflect that in heaven there is a perfect union of spirit
and feeling among the celestial throng,--when I reflect that in
that happy place there is no disunion one with another--no
different views, but that all will have the same mind and feeling
in regard to the things of God; and then reflect that the day is
to come when the same order of things is to be established here
upon the earth; and then look at the present condition of
mankind, I am constrained to acknowledge that there must be a
great revolution on the earth. Where are there two men abroad in
the world that see eye to eye--that have the same view in regard
to doctrine and principle--that are of the same mind? They can
scarcely be found. I doubt whether they can be found in the
world.
371
How is it among us, the Latter-day Saints? One thing is true in
regard to some few of them--shall I say few? No. I will say many
of them: they do actually, in the great fundamental principles of
the doctrine of Jesus Christ, see eye to eye. I cannot suppose
that in our infancy and childhood we can attain to all this great
perfection in a moment, and be brought to see and understand
alike. But there is one great heavenly standard or principle? It
is the restoration of the holy Priesthood, the living oracles of
God, to the earth; and that Priesthood, dictated, governed, and
directed by the power of revelation, through the gift of the Holy
Ghost,--that is the standard to which all the Latter-day Saints
and the kingdom of God must come, in order to fulfil the prophecy
I have read in your hearing.
372
It matters not how much information any man may have before he
comes into this Church; it matters not how extensively he may be
taught in the arts and sciences of the day--how extensively he
may be taught in regard to various branches of learning; it
matters not how much natural wisdom he may be qualified with; it
matters not whether he has occupied a high station in the eyes of
the world, or a low one; it matters not what his prior condition
may have been, when he repents before God and enters into a
covenant with the Father and the Son and with his brethren, and
manifests before them and the whole world that he forsakes the
world and the wisdom thereof, (that is, that which is called
wisdom by the world,)--that he is willing to forsake all things
which are of the world that are inconsistent with the character
of God, his attributes, his word, and his kingdom,--that very
moment he comes to that point and goes forward in baptism he
becomes subject to a different power from what he had before been
subject to. He becomes subject to a certain authority that is
different; he becomes subject to an authority which has come from
heaven--not an authority ordained of man--not an authority which
has been originated by human wisdom or by the learning of
mankind--not by inspired or uninspired books, for books never yet
bestowed authority, whether inspired or uninspired.
372
The authority of Jesus Christ sent down from heaven, conferred
upon man by his holy angels, or by those that may have previously
received Divine authority, is the true and only standard here
upon the face of our earth; and to this standard all people,
nations, and tongues must come, or be eventually taken from the
earth; for this is the only standard which will endure, and this
is the only authority which is everlasting and eternal, and which
will endure in time and throughout all eternity.
372
This brings to my mind a revelation which was given in a General
Conference on the 2nd day of January, 1831, the Church then
having been organized about nine months. All the Saints were
gathered together from various little Branches that had been
established in the house of Father Whitmer, whose sons became
conspicuous in this last dispensation as being witnesses of the
Book of Mormon,--whose house also became conspicuous as the place
where the Prophet Joseph Smith received many revelations and
communications from heaven. In one small room of a log-house,
nearly all the Latter-day Saints (east of Ohio) were collected
together. They desired the Prophet of the Lord to inquire of God
and receive a revelation to guide and instruct the Church that
were then present. Brother Joseph seated himself at the table.
Brother Sidney Rigdon, who was at that time a member of the
Church, having just arrived from the West, where he embraced the
Gospel through the administration of some of the Elders, was
requested to act as scribe in writing the revelation from the
mouth of the Prophet Joseph. I will read a portion of this
revelation:-"And again I say unto you, Let every man esteem his
brother as himself; for what man among you having twelve sons,
and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and
he saith unto the one, Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou
here; and to the other, Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou
there; and looketh upon his sons and saith, I am just? Behold,
this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am.
I say unto you, Be one; and if ye are not one, ye are not mine."
372
This I consider is a very important item--Behold, "I say unto
you, Be one; and if ye are not one, ye are not mine."
372
This is very pointed, plain, and definite language, that no man
can misunderstand.
373
Upon what principle are we to be one? It is by hearkening in
all things to that eternal and everlasting Priesthood which has
been conferred upon mortal man upon the earth. When I say that
Priesthood, I mean the individual who holds the keys thereof. He
is the standard--the living oracle to the Church.
373
"But," says one, "suppose that we hearken to the word of God in
the Old and New Testament--suppose that we hearken to the word of
God in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants--suppose we hearken to
the word of God in the Book of Mormon, and at the same time we
feel disposed in our hearts to lay aside the living oracles, what
then? I would answer, in the first place, that the premises are
false. Why? The very moment that we set aside the living oracles
we set aside the revelations of God. Why? Because the revelations
of god command us plainly that we shall hearken to the living
oracles. Hence, if we undertake to follow the written word, and
at the same time do not give heed to the living oracles of God,
the written word will condemn us: it shows that we do not follow
it according to our profession. This is what I wish to bring home
to myself as an individual; and if the same thing will suit any
other person in the congregation, I hope that he will take it
home to himself.
373
"But," inquires one, "How is it that you are going to apply this
to yourself?" I will tell you. But first let me quote from
another revelation contained in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants. Perhaps I had better read the passage which I wish now
to bring to your understanding:--"Behold, there shall be a record
kept among you; and in it thou shalt be called a Seer, a
Translator, a Prophet, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, and Elder of
the Church, through the will of God the Father and the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay
the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the most holy
faith; which Church was organized and established in the year of
our Lord, eighteen hundred and thirty, in the fourth month, and
in the sixth day of the month which is called April. Wherefore
(meaning the Church,) thou shalt give heed unto his words and
commandments, which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them,
walking in all holiness before me; for his word shall ye receive
as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith."
373
Here, then, we perceive what is binding upon the Church of the
living God, what was binding upon them thirty years ago, and what
has been binding upon them ever since, from the day that it was
given, until the day the Prophet was martyred, down until the
year 1860, and until the present moment of time. All this time
there have been a kingdom and Church of the living God on the
earth, and a man placed at the head of that Church to govern,
direct, counsel, preach, exhort, testify, and speak the truth to
the people, and counsel them in the things pertaining to their
duties and pertaining to the kingdom of God.
373
Now, then, let me get back again.
374
The great subject before me this morning is the words I have been
repeating before you, and how they apply to myself. There have
been a few things wherein I have done wrong, wherein I have
disobeyed these instructions that are here laid down, wherein, no
doubt, I have offended, the Lord, and wherein I have, no doubt,
grieved the feelings of my brethren; and inasmuch as I have done
this, no doubt I have also brought at many times darkness upon my
own mind. I want to make a confession to-day. I do not know that
brother Brigham, or any of the rest of the Twelve who have come
here this morning, except brother Benson, knew of my intentions.
I did tell brother Benson I thought of making a confession this
morning, but the others were not aware of this. There are a few
things which have been a source of sorrow to myself, at different
times, for many years.
374
Perhaps you may be desirous to know what they are. I will tell
you. There are some points of doctrine which I have unfortunately
thrown out before the people.
374
At the time I expressed those views, I did most sincerely believe
that they were in accordance with the word of God. I did most
sincerely suppose that I was justifying the truth. But I have
since learned from my brethren that some of the doctrines I had
advanced in the "Seer," at Washington, were incorrect. Naturally
being of a stubborn disposition, and having a kind of a selfwill
about me, and moreover supposing really and sincerely that I did
understand what true doctrine was in relation to those points, I
did not feel to yield to the judgment of my brethren, but
believed they were in error. Now, was this right? No, it was not.
Why? Because the Priesthood is the highest and only legitimate
authority in the Church in these matters.
374
How is it about this? Have we not a right to make up our minds in
relation to the things recorded in the word of God, and speak
about them, whether the living oracles believe our views or not?
We have not the right. Why? Because the mind of man is weak: one
man may make up his mind in this way, and another man may make up
his mind in another way, and a third individual may have his
views; and thus every man is left to be his own authority, and is
governed by his own judgment, which he takes as his standard.
374
Do you not perceive that this would, in a short time, cause a
complete disunion and division of sentiment throughout the whole
Church? That would never fulfil the words of my text--would never
bring to pass the sayings of Isaiah, that their watchmen should
lift up their voice, &c.
374
In this thing I have sinned; and for this I am willing to make my
confession to the Saints. I ought to have yielded to the views of
my brethren. I ought to have said, as Jesus did to his Father on
a certain occasion, "Father, thy will be done."
374
"You have made this confession," says one; "and now we want to
ask you a question on the subject: What do you believe concerning
those points now?"
374
I will answer in the words of Paul--"I know nothing of myself;
yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the
Lord. So far as revelation from the heavens is concerned, I have
had none in relation to those points of doctrine.
375
I will tell you what I have had revealed to me: I have had
revealed to me that the Book of Mormon is from God; I have had
revealed to me that the Book of Doctrine and Covenants is also
from God; I have had revealed to me that this is the Church and
kingdom of God; I have had revealed to me that this is the last
dispensation of the fulness of times. These things are matters of
knowledge with me: I know them to be true, and I do know about
many things in relation to God and to future events. But, when I
reflect upon the subject, I have very little knowledge concerning
many things. What do I know, for instance, about much of what is
revealed in the last book of the New Testament, called John's
Revelations? What do I know about much written in the book of
Daniel? Some few things are quite plain: but what do I understand
in relation to some few of the predictions in the 11th chapter of
Daniel? I doubt whether there is a person, unless he has been
favoured with direct revelation from heaven, who knows but little
about John's Revelations. What do I know about many things in
relation to the celestial kingdom? Has the celestial kingdom been
opened to my mind? No. Have I gazed upon it in vision? No. Have I
seen God sitting on his throne, surrounded by his holy angels?
No. Have I knowledge of the laws and order and government and
rule which regulate that kingdom? No. If the revelations seem to
apparently convey this or that idea, still I may be entirely
mistaken in regard to the meaning of those revelations.
375
There is one thing I will assure you of--God will never reveal
anything to me, or to any other man, which will come in contact
with the views and revelations which he gives to the man who
holds the keys. We never need expect such a thing.
375
"But," inquires one, "have you not felt anxious that the Church
should follow your ideas as laid down in the Seer?" I have not.
If I had, I should have preached them; I should have tried to
reason with you to convince you of their apparent truth.
375
I have always been anxious the Church should be governed by him
who has the right to govern it, to receive revelations, and to
give counsel for its guidance, through whom correct doctrine
comes and is unfolded to the children of men.
375
God placed Joseph Smith at the head of this Church; God has
likewise placed Brigham Young at the head of this Church; and he
has required you and me, male and female, to sustain those
authorities thus placed over us in their position; and that
authority is binding on all Quorums and individuals of Quorums.
He has never released you nor me from those obligations. We are
commanded to give heed to their words in all things, and receive
their words as from the mouth of God, in all patience and faith.
When we do not this, we get into darkness. God has placed them
were they are, and requires you and me to continue in our faith
and patience to receive the truth at their hands. I am going to
do it. I am going to repent. I arose this morning to unburden my
feelings in regard to these matters.
375
What is repentance? Is it merely to say we will do thus and so,
and then go and do directly to the contrary? When I say I am
going to repent of these things, I mean that I am going from this
time henceforth, through the grace of God assisting me, to try
and show by my acts and by my words that I will uphold and
support those whom I do know God has placed over me to govern,
direct, and guide me in the things of this kingdom.
375
I do not know that I shall be able to carry out those views; but
these are my present determinations. I pray that I may have grace
and strength to perform this. I feel exceedingly weak in regard
to these matters.
376
I know what I have got to conquer. I have to conquer my natural
disposition and feelings, and bring them to bow to the authority
God has instituted. I see no other way. That is the only way for
me and the only way for you. I see no possibility for the words
of my text to be fulfilled and brought to pass in any other
manner. You cannot devise or imagine any other way. The world
have tried for six thousand years to become united, and they
never have been, and never will be able to do it, if they should
continue to remain as nations, kingdoms, and peoples for six
millions of years to come. They never can bring about this
oneness of sentiment and feeling by each man being his own
standard. No: it never was ordained by the almighty to be brought
about in that way.
376
The only way for us is to have a true standard, which must be
from heaven--a standard ordained of God, which we can follow with
the utmost confidence--a standard we can have faith in--a
standard to which all human wisdom and human judgment must give
way. Such a standard only will be eternal, and will prevail when
all other standards will fail.
376
Do my ideas suit anybody else? It matters not whether they do or
not: they suit me, and I am going to put the coat on. I am
preaching to myself this morning. I did not come here to preach
to the world, nor particularly to preach to the Saints: but I
wanted to preach to myself, and see if I could not convert
myself; and when I can get converted myself, perhaps I may do
some good in preaching to the Saints and to the world.
376
Inasmuch as there may have been any feelings in the hearts of the
Later-day Saints that are now before me, I desire to do all in my
power to bring about a complete reconciliation. I wish the whole
Territory were here, and all the good people of England, and all
the Saints that have ever seen any of my writings or read my
views; I would say to them all, Brethren, I make a confession: I
have sinned; I have been too stubborn; I have not yielded as I
ought; I have done wrong, and I will try to do so no more. And if
the whole kingdom of god can be reconciled with me, I shall be
very glad. At least, I will do all I can to obtain their
reconciliation.
376
These are my feelings to brother Brigham. I will make
reconciliation to the Presidency, and to the Twelve, and to the
Church, so far as it is in my power, so far as I have not yielded
to my brethren.
376
I consider these to be true principles. However imperfect I may
have been, it has nothing to do with the principles: the
principles are from heaven. Amen.