Journal of Discourses Volume 21
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21
Journal of Discourses,
Volume 21
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, August 31st, 1879
John Taylor, August 31st, 1879
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR.
Delivered at Logan, on Sunday afternoon, August 31st, 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE OBJECT OF THE GATHERING OF THE SAINTS--CONFLICT BETWEEN THE
POWERS
OF GOD AND EVIL--THE WORLD GROWING WORSE--WORK OF GOD
PROGRESSING--EXHORTATION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE SPIRIT OF
UNION.
1
If the congregation will try to be quiet I will endeavor to talk
to them a little in my way.
1
It is some time since I met with the Saints in this place, not
because I was not desirous to come but because circumstances have
controlled and prevented me. We come here, now, more particularly
to attend to a little affair associated with your Temple. There
seems to have been a little misunderstanding about its
construction, and as we have a Temple Committee and architects
for the Church, we thought it best to have the brethren composing
this committee and the architects, present, that we might confer
with them, so that everything pertaining to this building might
be done properly according to order and correct principles.
1
Elder Truman O. Angell was sustained at the General Conference as
Architect of the Church, and William H. Folsom and Truman O.
Angell Jr., as his assistants, and were therefore the proper
persons to consult, in the adjustment of any matters that might
be in question.
1
I speak of this as one of those things in connection with the
holy priesthood, and with the building of this sacred edifice
that we are erecting to the name of the Lord. We found that a
slight change had been made from the original plan, which however
is not material, and there will no difficulty arise therefrom. I
thought I would mention this because people generally like to
understand things as they exit. It is much better to tell things
right out as they are than to hear of whisperings about this and
the other thing, which in many instances are incorrect.
2
We are pleased to find the progress you are making in the
erection of this temple, the energy and zeal that are being
displayed and the liberality that has been manifested by the
people of this temple district.
3
We are engaged, as has been mentioned by Brother Snow, in a great
work; in the work that prophets and seers have gazed upon and
prophesied of, namely the gathering together of the Lord's elect,
the building of temples for the redemption of the living and the
dead; in the establishment of the kingdom of our God. These
things have been more or less understood according to the power
of the spirit and the light of revelation that has rested upon
his prophets ever since the world began. It is difficult, as has
been remarked, for us sometimes to realize the position we
occupy--the relation we sustain to our heavenly Father--the
responsibility that rests upon us and the various duties we have
to perform in the fulfillment of the purposes of God; in the
interest of a world lying in wickedness; in the building up of
the Zion of our God, in the establishment of righteousness and in
bringing to pass those great and glorious principles which have
been contemplated by the Almighty "before the world rolled into
existence or the morning stars sang together for joy." It is our
lot to be placed upon the earth in this time. It is our lot to
have our minds enlightened by the Spirit, intelligence and
revelation that flows from God. It is our lot to operate and
co-operate with God our heavenly Father,--and with his Son Jesus
Christ,--and with the ancient patriarchs, apostles and men of God
who have lived before; and while they are operating behind the
vail in the interests of humanity in the fulfilment of the
purposes of God and in the establishment of righteousness upon
the earth, we are here to operate with them, that we and they may
act conjointly under the influence and guidance of the Almighty
and the power and Spirit of the living God, in carrying out the
designs of the great Jehovah. This is what we are here for. And
it is necessary that we should comprehend our position; for in
the performance of our duties associated with this work it is not
as some people seem to suppose. We have got something else to do
besides folding our arms and crying "Lullaby baby on the tree
top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock." We have something
to do besides "sitting and singing ourselves away to everlasting
bliss." It is our duty--and God expects it of us, that we should
seek unto him for wisdom, for guidance, for revelation and for a
knowledge of his law, that we may be filled with the Holy Ghost
and the power of God and that we may be enabled to magnify our
calling and priesthood and accomplish that work which God has
designed from before the foundation of the world. It is in
reality a labor. We have gone forth, as many have gone forth to
preach the Gospel of life and salvation to a fallen world. We
have gathered in "one of a city and two of a family;" we have
combated the errors of ages and inveighed against the wickedness,
corruptions and stratagems of wicked and ungodly men, who have
opposed us on every hand; and we have, with the help of the Lord,
succeeded in gathering out many of the honest in heart from among
the different nations of the earth. And we have come here to
carry out the will, purposes and designs of God. I never supposed
that we were to come here to get rich, to increase in worldly
possessions; but we came as I understand it in accordance with an
express command of the Most High, that we may be taught in the
knowledge of God, that we might come to an understanding of his
laws. We are not here to follow the devices and desires of our
own hearts; we are not here to carry out any particular theory of
our own; we are not here to build up any system of man's
creation; but we are here simply to do the will of God in the
establishment of his kingdom on the earth. In many things however
we have not lived up to that high and glorious privilege which
has been presented to us; we have been careless and indifferent,
and it seems as though Satan has been permitted to try and tempt
us in every possible way. For a few years past a spirit of greed
and covetousness has run through the land and cursed as with a
withering blight every thing it has touched. It is as bad in its
effects upon the mind of man as any pestilence or plague upon the
human body. We have begun to run after the things of the world;
our hearts, feelings and affections, in many instances, have been
estranged from God. It is time that something should transpire to
wake us up to a sense of the position we occupy; it is time we
realized how God and angels look upon men who are absorbed in the
things of this world instead of living up to their professions
and the covenants they have made with him.
4
We have many of us however been doing a good work notwithstanding
these grievous evils. It is true it is not always smooth sailing.
Sometimes we seem when a little difficulty comes along to be
struck with amazement, as though something very extraordinary had
happened. There is nothing very strange about these things. "What
are you doing? What is the position of affairs? What are you
going to do? etc." Those words express the kind of feelings that
actuate the minds of the Latter-day Saints. There has been a war
ever since the commencement of the world to the present time
between the powers of light and the powers of darkness. Adam, we
are told, had two sons. One was a covetous man, a wicked man who
did not fear God; the other was a righteous man who feared God.
The wicked son, who was instigated of the devil, said, I will
kill my brother and then I will have his possessions. He did so
and it seems that this kind of feeling existed until in a short
time that influence had so prevailed that wickedness and
corruption made such rapid strides that the world had to be swept
as with a besom of destruction, and only a very few men were
left. And then it seemed necessary that the same spirit and the
same power should continue; and hence a part of this Canaanish
seed came through the flood. Why? That there might still be the
two powers--the power of light and the power of darkness; the
power of God and the power of the devil--that the struggle and
warfare among men might still go on, so that man might be made
perfect through suffering. Hence the servants of God in the
different ages of the world have had to combat with the powers of
darkness. John the Revelator speaks of a great company of people
whom he saw arrayed in white, singing a new song. And on his
inquiring as to who they were, he was told that they were they
that had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb. They were they that had come up through much
tribulation, therefore they were next the throne. It is in
consonance with the fore-ordained plan of the Almighty that a man
should pass through certain trials and difficulties, and be
tested in every possible way, in order to be prepared for an
exaltation in the kingdom of God. It was so with Job. He was
peculiarly situated. It seems that the devil appeared among the
sons of God in heaven, as he does on earth very frequently. When
the sons of God were assembled together, the devil was among
them, and he went, as it appears, to instigate a feeling against
Job. The Lord said to him, "Hast thou considered my servant Job?"
"Yes," said he, "I have considered him." The Lord said that Job
was a perfect and an upright man, etc. "Oh, yes," said he, "I
know all about him. You think that Job is a very good man; but
just let me have a rap at him, and I will show what Job will do."
"Well," says the Lord, "you may try him." He went to work and
concentrated the lightning in one focus and hurled a thunderbolt
against his oldest son's house, where all his children were
feasting, and destroyed them. No sooner had the messenger
reported the result of this catastrophe to Job than the news came
that a certain people--I was going to say "Christians"--had
fallen upon his oxen and asses and killed his servants. They
called them in those days Sabeans and Chaldeans and Hittites, I
think; we call them now-a-days Baptists, Presbyterians,
Methodists, etc. They called things by different names in
different ages, but they are the same class of people. They went
after his camels, his asses, his goats and all his property that
they could lay their hands on, leaving him helpless and
destitute--and he was, it is said, the richest man of the East.
Job, in looking at his changes situation, summed the whole thing
up in these few words: "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and
naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave and the Lord hath
taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
5
Well, the devil did not succeed that time; but like the lawyers
who are after the executors, however, I suppose he thought he
would take another shoot--serve some fresh papers. He presented
himself before the Lord the second time. And addressing him the
Lord said, "Well, what do you think about Job now?" He said his
efforts had not succeeded very well as yet; but "skin for skin,
all that a man hath will he give for his life; let me lay my hand
upon his body and he will curse thee to thy face." "Well, I put
him into your hands, but do not interfere with his life." The
devil then let loose something like small-pox upon him--only it
was called by a different name in those days--covering him with
boils from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, and he
scraped himself with a potsherd wallowing in ashes. And while he
was in this condition some of his friends came along for the
purpose of sympathizing with him; and after offering a great deal
of advice, they came to the conclusion that Job must have been a
very wicked man, or such a calamity never could have come upon
him. And then, to cap the climax, his wife came along, and in her
way says, Job, you are a fool for putting up with all this; you
have suffered enough, and were I you I would not stand it any
longer. I would curse God and die like a man. Job replied, "You
talk like one of the foolish women of old. Have we not received
good at the hands of the Lord, and shall we not also receive
evil? The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away, and blessed be the
name of the Lord." And then he looked around and saw his
desolation, stripped of his children and possessions, sick and
weary, deserted by friends, laughed at by enemies and upbraided
by his wife, afflicted with a loathsome disease, lonely, deserted
and desolate, he cried out, "Though he slay me yet will I trust
in him. The lightning may destroy my offspring, the Sabeans and
Chaldeans may rob me of my possessions, and Satan may be
permitted to lay his hand upon me and smite with this loathsome
disease, and although I may be clothed in sackcloth and have to
wallow in ashes, and go down into the grave, and worms prey upon
this body and crawl and revel in my brain, yet in my flesh shall
I see God; I shall see him for myself, and not for another."
Inspired by the spirit of revelation and the power and light of
the Holy Ghost, he could say, I know in whom I have believed; and
although I do not know--and it matters not--where I may go, or
where my resting place may be, yet I shall stand in the latter
day upon the earth, and shall behold my Redeemer, whom I shall
see for myself and not for another. This is the kind of religion
he had. But we think it very strange sometimes that we should
have a little bother; we think we ought to go along peaceably,
having nothing to disturb our equanimity, that everything should
move smoothly and pleasantly along until we reach the celestial
abode of the Father, to associate with the gods. Some of us would
make curious gods, if such were to be our lot; but we may rest
satisfied that such will not be our lot. The Lord does not do
things in that kind of a way.
6
When we were traveling abroad preaching to the world, among other
things we predicted was that the world would grow worse and
worse, deceiving and being deceived. Thousands of our Elders have
preached among the nations to the effect that God was having a
controversy with them; that he would arise and shake terribly the
earth and vex the nations sorely. Many of you Elders before me
to-day have proclaimed these things; and you have told the people
that empires would be cast down and the kingdoms overthrown and
the nations wasted away, but that the work and purposes of God
would grow and increase until the kingdoms of this world should
become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ. Are you
astonished, then, that these things should begin to be fulfilled?
Quite a favorite theme has been with many of our elders, that the
"little stone" spoken of in the Scriptures has been cut out of
the mountain without hands, and it is destined to strike the
image whose head was of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly
and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet part of iron and part
of clay, upon its feet, breaking it to pieces; and that the
materials, which represent the various nations of the earth,
composing the image should become like the chaff of a summer's
threshing-floor, carried away by the wind until there was no
place found for it. This is exactly as it has been foretold many
thousands of years ago, and you brethren are perfectly familiar
with it from having preached it both to the world and to the
Latter-day Saints. When this little stone, then, as it rolls
forth, strikes the toes of the great image, are you surprised
that there should be a little kicking? You don't like to have
your toes trodden upon any more than anybody else. The fact is,
the same great conflict is going on between the two great powers;
the only difference is that we are in much better circumstances
than many who lived in earlier days who had to wander about in
sheep and goat skins, seeking the dens and caves of rocks as
places of retreat and safety. You, my brethren and sisters, do
not look to-day as though you were pushed to such extremes, do
you? I think it another kind of spectacle. We are an integral
part of this great government of the United States, not a very
large part, but a very small part; and we have assumed a species
of political importance; and every now and then they get after us
without knowing hardly the why or the wherefore. They talk
sometimes quite loudly about our corruptions. Why, as I told
them, some time ago in Salt Lake City, in talking about this
matter, there is more wickedness carried on in Washington, where
they talk so much about purity, in one day, than there is in
these valleys of the mountains in six months, the gentiles and
all thrown in. And yet it is quite important that they should
call upon a number of European nations to help them to correct
the morals of two hundred thousand people in these far distant
mountains. What magnanimity! Well, what about it? Not much. But
there is this much about it--that this nation, nor the powers of
Europe, nor any other power, can overturn the Church and Kingdom
of God that he has established on the earth. It will go on in
spite of all the powers of earth and hell. You have heard that
prophesied over and over again, and I will prophesy it again
to-day. And every power that lift its hand against the kingdom of
God will be wasted away: for God will have a controversy with the
nations who oppose his work, and he will manage them in his own
way; he will put a hook in their jaws and will lead them
whithersoever he will. The wrath of man shall praise him, and the
remainder he has said he will restrain. Hence I feel a good deal
like taking the advice of Jesus: "Fear not them which kill the
body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who
is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
7
The only fear I have for the Latter-day Saints is that they will
not live their religion. And I call upon you here to-day to lay
aside your covetousness, your greed and your avarice, and act
honorably and just one with another as your brethren, humble
yourselves before God and seek unto him for his guidance, and he
will help you, he will bless and sustain you, and he will deliver
you. And I say unto the priesthood, be one; for if you are not
one you are not of God. No contention, no strife, no backbiting,
no hard words; but let us have the love of God dwelling and
welling up in our hearts, and extending to all men. But war
against evil, corruption and iniquity of every kind, wherever
found; stand firm in upholding and maintaining the principles of
truth as they have been revealed to us, before high heaven,
before all men. We want to be united, and, as Paul says, "Put on
the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places. Paul had to maintain the truth as he had received it in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; and we have to do
the same, and God will sustain us in our endeavors. But if we are
trembly and shaky, our religion is not worth much to us. We have
a few among us who say, "Oh, don't! you'd better take it easy!
Keep quiet! You may offend the devil, for what I know. We have a
few dollars somewhere, and we are afraid something will disturb
them, and the property we have made will go!" Well, let it go;
who cares about it? "Love not the world, neither the things that
are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him." We ought to be governed by correct
principles and act wisely and consistently, and treat all men
alike. There are a great many who have the idea that there are
certain classes that have rights which do not belong to others. I
do not know of any such people. We are all the free-born sons of
Zion; we all partake of the holy priesthood, and we all have our
rights and privileges with God. We want to act according to
correct principle, and be governed by the law of God, not one law
for one man and another for another man. But operating together
and maintaining one another's rights upon the pure principles of
truth and equity, as they exist in the bosom of God. When the
things spoken of referring to the last days shall transpire,
righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reigns, and it will be as was remarked by
Brother Richards, and as the Prophet Jeremiah foretold: "I will
put my law in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall
be my people." As we adhere to the principles of law, equality,
justice and right, and are governed by those principles. The man
who is governed by the Spirit of God and lives in the light of
revelation, has the law of God written on his heart and it is
engraven in his enward parts. He feels as Jesus did about these
things. It was said to him on a certain occasion, "Behold, thy
mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with
thee." When he said, referring to his disciples, "Behold my
mother and my brethren; For whosoever shall do the will of my
Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and
mother." That is the kind of feeling. We want to be united in our
hearts and feelings: united to each other; united to the holy
priesthood, bound together by those indissoluble ties that will
unite us in time and through eternity, according to the
principles of the everlasting covenant which we have entered into
which reaches beyond the vail.
8
We have a struggle. Some of the "Amalekites" and Hittites are
abroad. But who cares? Satan works for a little while, and he
will work and no doubt do his utmost as long as he is permitted;
and when the time comes for him to be removed, God will remove
him. We may struggle as we please and do as we please in regard
to these things, but we are all in the hands of God. As has been
remarked, it is quite easy for the Lord to handle us in these
mountains. He can send grasshoppers if he wants to; he can
withhold the snows from coming on our mountains if he wants to,
and thus cause drouth in the summer season and he can send the
moths to destroy our fruit; all of which we have more or less
already experienced. In fact he can do with us just as he pleases
and we cannot help ourselves. Our only resource is in him. We
want to be right ourselves in our families, every man with
himself. Forsake your sins, and cleave unto God. Pay your
tithings and your offerings and comply with the laws of God in
every particular so that you may feel that you are acceptable
before the Almighty, and then teach your families the same thing.
Humble yourselves as families before God. You seventies, high
priests and elders. Do the same thing as quorums and seek for the
guidance and blessing of the Lord. Have you cheated or defrauded
anybody? If you have, then make things right, and try forever
afterwards to be governed by correct principles. And then let
there be perfect union in all the various quorums and among all
the people; and let us all say in our hearts and lives, whatever
the Lord commands us to do that we will observe and do; and let
all Israel do the same, and the devils then may howl and all hell
may boil over, but God will preserve his people he will stand as
our shield and buckler and our strong defence.
8
We have got this kingdom to build up; and it is not a phantom,
but a reality. We have to do it, God expects it at our hands. We
have got to have--now do not tell any body for it is a great
secret; we have got to have political power. What, will not that
be treason? Perhaps so, but no matter; we have got to go on and
progress in these things. We have got to establish a government
upon the principle of righteousness, justice, truth and equality
and not according to the many false notions that exist among men.
And then the day is not far distant when this nation will be
shaken from centre to circumference. And now, you may write it
down, any of you, and I will prophesy it in the name of God. And
then will be fulfilled that prediction to be found in one of the
revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Those who
will not take up their sword to fight against their neighbor must
needs flee to Zion for safety. And they will come, saying, we do
not know anything of the principles of your religion, but we
perceive that you are an honest community; you administer justice
and righteousness, and we want to live with you and receive the
protection of your laws, but as for your religion we will talk
about that some other time. Will we protect such people? Yes, all
honorable men. When the people shall have torn to shreds the
Constitution of the United States the Elders of Israel will be
found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming
liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of
fellowship to the oppressed of all nations. This is part of the
programme, and as long as we do what is right and fear God, he
will help us and stand by us under all circumstances.
8
Therefore, Latter-day Saints, fear God; work the works of
righteousness; live your religion; keep the commandments and
humble yourselves before him; be one, and be united with the holy
priesthood and with each other, and I will tell you in the name
of God that Zion will rise and shine and the power of God will
rest upon her; and her glory will be made manifest, and we will
rejoice in the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel of peace;
and the work of God will go on and increase until the kingdoms of
this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ,
and every creature in the heaven and on the earth and under the
earth will be heard to say, Blessing, and glory, and honor and
praise and power, might and majesty and dominion be ascribed to
him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Joseph
F. Smith, December 7th, 1879
Joseph F. Smith, December 7th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOSEPH F. SMITH,
Delivered at the Funeral Services over the Remains of Elder
William Clayton, Held in the 17th Ward Meeting House,
Salt Lake City, December 7th, 1879.
LAW OF CELESTIAL MARRIAGE--THE RESURRECTION AND
JUDGMENT--EXTENT OF THE MISSION OF THE SAVIOR.
F. Smith
By request of President John Taylor, I arise to make a few
remarks. I deeply and sincerely sympathize with the family, the
wives and children of the deceased, Bro. William Clayton, who
remain to mourn the loss of the society of their husband and
father for a little season. And yet, when we consider all the
circumstances, we may conclude that we have not very great cause
to mourn. For when a man has lived to a good old age, worn out as
it were through toil, passes away, we can realize at least that
he has accomplished his mission, that he has performed his work
on this earth, and is ready to return to the father from whence
he came; behind the vail.
F. Smith
Brother Clayton had reached a ripe age, after laboring
unceasingly among his brethren from his first connection with the
Church.
F. Smith
He has had a long and varied experience among this people. He was
a friend and companion of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and it was to
his pen to a very great extent that we are indebted for the
history of the Church--that is, the history of the Prophet Joseph
more particularly, during his acquaintance with him and the time
he acted for him as his private secretary, in the days of Nauvoo.
We have the journals which he kept during that time, in the
Historian's Office, from which--in connection with those of
Elders Willard Richards and Wilford Woodruff and the Times and
Seasons, a publication of the Church at that time--we have
obtained the history the Church during that period. It was his
pen that wrote for the first time the revelation in relation to
the eternity of the marriage covenant and of a plurality of
wives. Although that revelation had been given to the Prophet
Joseph many years before, it was not written until the 12th of
July, 1843, at which time Elder William Clayton, acting as a
scribe for the Prophet, wrote it from his dictation.
F. Smith
I am happy to say that he has left on record a statement in the
shape of an affidavit, prepared by himself, in relation to this
important subject, for it is a subject that is of the most vital
importance, not only to the Latter-day Saints, but to the whole
world; for without the knowledge contained in that revelation, we
never could consummate the object of our mission to this earth,
we never could fulfill the purposes of God in this estate.
F. Smith
I have this paper in my possession, and have had for a number of
months past. In fact, it was written at my request, and then
given into my care, and I have preserved it with a view, when
thought proper, to have it published. And as it is a sermon of
itself, it would perhaps be more interesting than anything I
could say on the present occasion, and therefore, with President
Taylor's permission, I will read it to the congregation.
F. Smith
[The affidavit was then read by Elder Smith.]
F. Smith
He then continued:
F. Smith
As I before said, I felt to read this document because of the
instruction it would afford, and for the further object of
showing that although "he is dead, he yet speaketh." For this
testimony of Brother Clayton will stand forever, though his body
moulders into dust. And I am, and so was the deceased when
living, at the defiance of the world to dispute those statements.
They are made from personal knowledge derived from personal
associations with the Prophet Joseph Smith himself, not with a
view to gain notoriety, but rather to leave behind him his
testimony with regard to this important principle. He had done
so. And as he has here stated, as having come from the mouth of
the Prophet, this doctrine of eternal union of husband and wife,
and of plural marriage, is one of the most important doctrines
ever revealed to man in any age of the world. Without it man
would come to a full stop; without it we never could be exalted
to associate with and become gods, neither could we attain to the
power of eternal increase, or the blessings pronounced upon
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the fathers of the faithful.
F. Smith
There are but a few witnesses now living in relation to the
coming forth of this revelation; there never were many that were
intimately acquainted with the prophet and his teaching upon this
subject. I look around me and see a number of persons in this
assembly whose hair has grown grey in the service of God, and who
had an intimate acquaintance with our martyred prophet; but few,
if any of them, were so closely identified with him in this
matter as Brother Clayton.
F. Smith
There are, however, enough witnesses to these principles to
establish them upon the earth in such a manner that they never
can be forgotten or stamped out. For they will live; they are
destined to live, and also to grow and spread abroad upon the
face of the earth, to be received and accepted and adopted by all
the virtuous, by all the pure in heart, by all who love the
truth, and seek to serve Him and keep His commandments; they are
bound to prevail, because they are true principles.
F. Smith
Now we are called upon to pay our last respects to Brother
Clayton. His spirit has taken its flight; it has gone to the
Father from whence it came, as is taught in the Book of Mormon.
When the spirit leaves the body, it returns, says the prophet,
immediately to God, to be assigned to its place, either to
associate with the good and the noble ones who have lived in the
Paradise of God, or to be confined in the "prison" house to await
the resurrection of the body from the grave. Therefore we know
that Brother Clayton has gone to God, gone to receive the partial
judgment of the Almighty, which pertains to the period
intervening between the death of the body and the resurrection of
the body, or the separation of the spirit from the body, and
their uniting together again. This judgment is passed upon the
spirit alone. But there will come a time which will be after the
resurrection, when the body and spirit shall be reunited, when
the final judgment will be passed on every man. This is in
accordance with the vision of the Apostle John the Revelator.
F. Smith
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the
books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book
of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
F. Smith
"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell were cast into the lake of fire. That is the second death.
F. Smith
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire."
F. Smith
That is the final judgment, which we will all receive after we
have performed this our earthly mission.
F. Smith
The Savior did not finish his work when he expired on the cross,
when he cried out "It is finished." He, in using those words, had
no reference to his great mission to the earth, but merely to the
agonies which he suffered. The Christian world I know say he
alluded to the great work of redemption. This, however, is a
great mistake, and is indicative of the extent of their knowledge
of the plan of life and salvation. I say he referred merely to
the agonies of death, and the sufferings He felt for the
wickedness of men who would go so far as to crucify their
Redeemer. It was this feeling, and this alone, that prompted him
to cry out in the agony of His soul, "It is finished," and then
He expired.
F. Smith
But his work was not completed; it was in fact only begun. If he
had stopped here instead of his being the Savior of the world,
he, as well as all mankind, would have perished irredeemably,
never to have come forth out of the grave; for it was designed
from the beginning that he should be the first fruits of them
that slept; it was part of the great plan that he should burst
the bands of death and gain the victory over the grave. If
therefore his mission had ceased when he gave up the ghost, the
world would have slumbered in the dust in interminable death,
never to have risen to live again. It was but a small part of the
mission of the Savior that was performed when he suffered death;
it was indeed the lesser part; the greater had yet to be done. It
was in his resurrection from the tomb, in his coming forth from
death unto life, in uniting again the spirit and the body that we
might become a living soul; and when this was done, then he was
prepared to return to the Father. And all this was in strict
accordance with the great plan of salvation. For even Christ
himself, though without sin, was required to observe the outward
ordinance of baptism, in order to fulfill all righteousness. So
after his resurrection from the dead he could return to the
Father, there to receive the welcome plaudit, "Well done, you
have done your work, you have accomplished your mission; you have
wrought out salvation for all the children of Adam; you have
redeemed all men from the grave; and through their obedience to
the ordinances of the Gospel which you have established, they can
also be redemed from the spiritual death, again to be brought
back into our presence, to partake of glory, exaltation and
eternal life with us." And so it will be when we come forth out
of the grave, when the trump shall sound, and these our bodies
shall rise and our spirits shall enter into them again, and they
shall become a living soul no more to be dissolved or separated,
but to become inseparable, immortal, eternal.
F. Smith
Then we shall stand before the bar of God to be judged. So says
the Bible, so says the Book of Mormon, and so say the revelations
which have come direct to us through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
And then those that have not been subject and obedient to the
celestial law will not be quickened by the celestial glory. And
those that have not been subject and obedient to the terrestrial
law will not be quickened by the terrestrial glory. And those
that have not been subject and obedient to the telestial law,
will not be quickened by a telestial glory; but they will have a
kingdom without glory. While the sons of perdition, men who had
once been in possession of the light and truth, but who turned
away from it and deny the Lord, putting him to an open shame, as
did the Jews when they crucified him and said, "Let his blood be
upon us and upon our children; men who consent, against light and
knowledge, to the shedding of innocent blood, it will be said
unto them, "Depart ye cursed, I never knew you; depart into the
second death, even banishment from the presence of God for ever
and ever, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched,
from whence there is no redemption, neither in time nor in
eternity." Herein is the difference between the second and the
first death, herein man became spiritually dead; for from the
first death he may be redeemed by the blood of Christ through
obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel, but from the
second there is no redemption at all.
F. Smith
We read in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that the devil
tempted Adam and he partook of the forbidden fruit, and
transgressed the commandment, wherein he became subject to the
will of the devil because he yielded unto temptation, and because
of this transgression he became spiritually dead, which is the
first death "even that same death which is the last death, which
is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I
shall say, depart ye cursed!"--Book of Doc. and Cov. p. 147.
F. Smith
But who will receive such punishment? Only those that deserve it,
those that commit the unpardonable sin.
F. Smith
Then there is the banishment of the transgressor, (not the sons
of perdition) into the prison house, a place of punishment, with
no exaltation, no increase, no dominion, no power whose
inhabitants after their redemption may become servants of them
that have obeyed the laws of God and kept the faith. That will be
the punishment of such as reject the truth, but sin not unto
death.
F. Smith
But as touching the terrestrial kingdom, as the stars differ from
each other in lustre, so those who enter into the telestial
kingdom differ in glory.
F. Smith
"Well, now, how is it with Brother Clayton? He was not without
faults in the flesh?" But what were they? Were they such as
partook of a deadly character? Did he ever deny the Lord? Did he
ever deny the Prophet Joseph, or did he deny the truth or prove
unfaithful to his covenants or to his brethren? No, never. I can
in all truthfulness before God and man bear that testimony of our
departed brother, for I have known him from my youth. Yet, he was
not without his failings? but then, they were of that nature that
injured nobody perhaps except himself and his own family. But
notwithstanding his unflinching integrity, and his long life of
fidelity and usefulness, let me say to you, that for his faults,
however trivial, or important, he must answer. But he will be
able to pay his debt and to answer for his failings, and he will
come forth and all that has been pronounced upon his head by
Joseph Smith and by the Apostles, will be confirmed upon him
through all eternity; and there is no power on the earth or in
hell that can deprive him of them. For as it is said--and,
indeed, I need not refer you to the revelation on celestial
marriage; but will quote from the words of Christ, as given in
the New Testament. "Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin
and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy
against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto me, * * *
neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Our
departed friend and brother whose remains are now before us, has
not sinned unto death. I would not have it understood for a
moment, that I or any of the Elders attend funerals to smother
over the weaknesses of the departed dead, trying to make it
appear that they were without faults, and therefore will not have
to answer for any. We know that every man will be judged
according to the deeds done in the body; and whether our sin be
against our own peace and happiness alone or whether it affects
that of others, as the Lord lives we will have to make
satisfaction or atonement; God requires it, and it is according
to his providences, and we cannot escape it. We must comply with
the provisions of the law, which Brother Clayton in my belief, is
abundantly able to do. And when this shall have been done, he
will come forth to receive his crown, his glory, dominion and
kingdom, and the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob which have
been pronounced upon his head.
F. Smith
Then let me say to the family of our deceased brother, Follow in
the footsteps of your husband and father, excepting wherein he
may have manifested the weaknesses of the flesh; imitate his
staunch integrity to the cause of Zion, and his fidelity to his
brethren; be true as he was true, be firm as he was firm, never
flinching, never swerving from the truth as God has revealed it
to us; and I will promise you, in the name of the Lord, that you
will rise, to meet your husband and father, in the morning of the
first resurrection, clothed with glory, immortality and eternal
lives. Which may God grant in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, February 8, 1880
John Taylor, February 8, 1880
A FUNERAL SERMON BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Preached over the Remains of Joseph M. Cain, Son of Joseph and
Elizabeth Cain, in the 14th Ward Assembly Rooms,
Salt Lake City, February 8, 1880.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
14
We are met here to-day, as we frequently have to do, to pay the
last tribute of respect to the departed dead. Time with all its
changes and mutations brings us face to face very frequently with
the kind of thing that is now present before us. We come into the
world, we struggle a little while with the affairs incident to
human nature, and by and by the struggles of the present are
over. The weary wheels of life stand still and we go into another
state of existence. As wise, prudent and intelligent men it
behooves us really to comprehend the true position we occupy in
relation to the past, in relation to the present, as well as to
the future.
14
Speaking of the past, we all of us have had our ideas about a
pre-existence. We consider that God is Father of the spirits of
all flesh, not only of those that fear him, but of those who do
not fear him, and who disobey His laws. He is the father of the
spirits of all, and as is spoken of in the Scriptures, "We are
His offspring" and emanated from him. We came into this world to
attend to certain things which are designed by the Almighty and
which in the programme of the Lord it was necessary that we
should take our part in. We had very little to do with our coming
here; all things move along naturally. But we have something to
do, however, with our affairs while we are here, in a state of
probation. But about our leaving, in ninety-nine cases out of a
hundred, or more than that even, we have little to do with it.
15
There are certain inscrutable purposes associated with the divine
programme which men generally do not comprehend. We know a very
little of the world in which we live, and of its inhabitants. But
what and how little do we know in relation to the past, or in
regard to anything pertaining to the future? Who can comprehend
the purposes of God pertaining to the organization of the earth,
say to commence with, and the peopling of it, and the maintaining
of it, or in regard to the position of the nations and their
destiny; or in regard to the world itself and the various changes
yet to transpire upon it. And then, who of us knows anything
definite pertaining to ourselves, or about the impulses by which
we are governed and actuated, or of the powers of darkness, or
the powers of light, as the case may be, with which we are
surrounded? How many of us comprehend these things? Very few
indeed. It is the design of God, as I understand it, in our
coming here, to give unto us bodies, that the spirits that were
created before, might have tabernacles wherein they might live
and exist, and move and act, as corporeal substances, if you
please; and that according to certain inscrutable laws of God
pertaining to the human family and the future destiny of man, and
the world in which we live; that through the union of the body
and spirit, and their obedience to certain laws which the great
Eloheim has given for the guidance of His people, that they might
be more exalted, more dignified, more glorious than it would be
possible for them to be, had they not come here to sojourn in
these tabernacles, and combat with the various evils to which the
flesh is heir.
15
Under these circumstances, from time to time, he has made known
his will to men. He has in different ages raised up men with whom
he communicated, and to whom he revealed his will, and under
certain circumstances to whom he committed his law, and he has
made them his mouthpiece to the human family, and through them
has revealed life and its principles, and has unveiled the
heavens and given man a knowledge of the future, and has shown
his condemnation, or evinced his hatred to evil and iniquity of
every kind, and has shown through them the evil effects of
pursuing this course. These men, in the different ages in which
they lived, warned the people and the nations in regard to evil,
and have tried to incite them to good, and held out to them the
principle of lives, eternal lives hereafter to be obtained in the
celestial, terrestrial or telestial kingdoms. These men and these
principles, which have been introduced by the Almighty, have had
their effect more or less among the human family. But there has
been associated with this a spirit of antagonism to God to
virtue, to truth, to purity, to holiness, and to those principles
that were calculated to elevate and exalt humanity through time
and through the eternities that are to come. Thus two influences
have been at work among the nations and among the various peoples
of the earth in the different ages. Sometimes it seems mysterious
to the human family that things should be as they have been. They
do not comprehend the meaning or the purposes or designs, or even
the law of God in fact, some of these laws have not been made
known generally to mankind. Permit me to say there are eternal
laws that exist with the Gods in the eternal worlds, and from
which they cannot depart, and to which they are bound in all
their acts, I was going to say as we are, but I will say not as
we are, but as we ought to be, subject to the law of God in all
our acts, and that it is absolutely necessary that men should be
placed in a state of trial, in a state of probation. It was just
as necessary that Satan, if you please, would exercise his power
as that God should exercise his. This is a thing that is not
always understood by men, and, in fact, they understand very
little about it. We are told, however, that "It must needs be
that there is an apposition in all things," good and evil, light
and darkness, happiness and misery, corruption and incorruption,
life and death, heaven and hell.
16
We talk about a futurity and about heaven, of which men have
certain vague ideas. Some think heaven is beyond the bounds of
time and space. It is a kind of poetic thought, which sounds very
well; but where is such a place? When we reflect upon it in our
sober moments, we naturally conclude that it is nowhere. But men
have entertained singular notions and ideas pertaining to the
future, many of which have been erratic, foolish and ignorant;
and the fact is, it is impossible for man, unaided by the
revelations of God, to comprehend anything about him. Job says:
"Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the
Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst
thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou know?"
16
We are told emphatically that no man knows the things of God but
by the Spirit of God. And how are they to become acquainted with
these things, unless they are in possession of that light and
that spirit which is capable of imparting to them that
intelligence? A knowledge of God is out of the ken of uninspired
humanity. Who can draw aside the vail of the invisible world? Who
can penetrate into the future and look, as some men have, through
the dark vista of future ages and see the purposes of God roll on
with all their majesty and glory to consummation; of which, they
nor we, nor anybody can know anything about, except by and under
the influence of that spirit? They cannot know it; it is out of
their reach.
16
Well, what then in regard to the things of men? We see men
bickering and quarreling over religious matters, over things
really that they are just as ignorant of as babes are. They
contend about certain principles, dogmas and theories, and get up
debates about them, oft times causing troubles in families, and
neighbourhoods; often persecuting one another and even putting
one another to death concerning things that they knew nothing
about themselves. This is all very foolish.
17
How does God feel towards the human family? He feels that they
are his children. What, all? Yes; the white, the black, the red,
the Jew, the Gentile, the heathen, the Christian and all classes
and grades of men; he feels interested in all, he has done so
from the beginning, and will continue to do so to the end. He
will do all that lies in his power for the benefit, blessing, and
exaltation of the human family, both in time and eternity,
consonant with those laws and those eternal principles that I
have referred to: from which he himself cannot deviate. We
sometimes get up feelings about parties that do not think as we
do, and do not believe as we do, and we are apt to cast
aspersions upon them. Why, these are their affairs. What! would
you allow everybody to worship as they please? Certainly. What?
If you knew they were in error? Certainly? I would not wish to
control the human mind; I would not control the actions of men,
God does not do it, he leaves them to their own agency to combat
with the trials, temptations, adversities and evils of every kind
that are in the world, to which humanity is, or can be incident.
He put within their reach, however, certain principles and would
like to lead them to himself if they would be led. If not, he
then does the very best with them that he can. In some instances
he has had to come out, as it is said, "in his fierce wrath,"
upon the peoples and upon the nations of the earth; and many
other things have been in his programme; because this life, with
its few years is only comparatively, as it were, a few moments in
the estimation of Jehovah. It is but a span, a dream, or a tale,
that is told and passed away. But in regard to the eternities
that are to come, and the realities we have to do with hereafter,
that is another affair. I have heard men talk about the cruelty
of God, just like some foolish people talk about their fathers.
Who knows anything about God? Did you ever see him? Some think it
was very cruel in him to destroy the world at the flood. How do
they know but that it was the greatest boon he could confer upon
that wicked people? How do they know but that it was one of the
richest blessings he could pour out upon their heads in sweeping
them off the earth and sending them into another existence and
then shutting them up in prison after that. How do you know?
Certainly you do not know that it is not the case.
18
Let us reason for a few moments and look at things about as they
are; I will tell them as they are and as they were. Satan before
the days of the flood obtained the ascendancy over many men and
brought them under his rule and dominion. He started in with Cain
and made a murderer of him the very first thing he did and taught
him many principles of evil, and he was called the great Master
Mahon. Under the influence and power of Satan he operated to
thwart the designs of God and to stop the purposes of Jehovah.
Satan first started in the heavens, but was cast out and
succeeded in obtaining a great ascendancy over the minds of the
people, whom he caused to corrupt themselves, leading them into
evil, folly, vanity and corruptions of every kind, so much so we
are told that the "imaginations and thoughts of their hearts were
only evil and that continually." What had to be done then? There
were other parties interested besides those upon the earth. There
were innumerable hosts of spirits in the heavens that had to come
and take tabernacles. Was it proper and righteous, was it
equitable, was it according to the principles of justice that
those that were pure with their Father in the heavens should come
and take bodies and be forced to enter into tabernacles, that
were the offspring of those corrupt beings who were then peopling
the earth? If I or you had been there should we not have spoken
to our Father and said, "Father, do you see the corruptions that
exist upon the face of the earth?" Yes, I know it." "Is it just
that we should have to go into these corrupt, contaminated, evil,
wicked bodies to receive our earthly parentage from them; and be
subject to that power and iniquity in all its phases for
thousands or millions of years to come?" "No," says He, "It is
not, and I will sweep them away, I will destroy them; they
possess the power, while living to propagate their species, but I
will deprive them of that power. I will send in the floods upon
them, and then I will shut them up in prison." Did he do it? He
did. But before He did it, he had the Gospel preached to them as
it is now being preached, and men clothed upon with the
priesthood were sent forth among the peoples to proclaim to them
the great principles of life, and they had the Gospel and the
revelations of God and communion with their heavenly Father.
Enoch was a preacher of righteousness, and numerous Elders at
that time were sent forth among the people and proclaimed the
principles of eternal truth and gathered the people together so
that every man who would fear God and obey his law and be
governed by the principles of righteousness, might have the full
blessings of the everlasting Gospel; and He gathered them
together before destruction came. They were gathered unto Zion,
and that Zion was caught up, by the power of God, away from the
earth, and then the avenging hand of God came upon the corrupt
inhabitants that were left because of their iniquities. Would it
be proper to allow corruptions and wickedness to predominate, and
the powers of Satan to have the presiding influence, and God to
be left out of the question? No. Therefore He accomplished what
He did. Did He injure them? No; they would only have lived a few
years longer anyhow; but He did not want them to perpetuate that
kind of folly, wickedness, and corruption that then prevailed,
and said "I will stop it," and he stopped it. Now, what about the
future of such people. We may have curious ideas about them. Some
think that they are going to remain in hell for ever and ever.
But they were in the hands of God, and He did right by them. By
and by when Jesus came, what did he do? As soon as He got through
with His short mission upon the earth, "He was put to death in
the flesh, and was quickened by the Spirit, and went and preached
unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient when
once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah;" that
they might be placed on the same plane and in the same position
that others were; that they might obtain their proper status in
the eternal worlds, and be rewarded with all that was possible
for them to enjoy, according to the eternal laws and inscrutable
justice of Jehovah. Thus justice was satisfied, the law
vindicated, the wicked punished, the unborn and pure protected
and provided for, and finally, the imprisoned released from their
bondage and salvation extended to the prisoners. Was there
anything wrong in that. "Yes," says the ignoramus who does not
know anything about it, "it was very cruel." Well, the greatest
cruelty there is about such men is that they are cruelly ignorant
and do not know what they are talking about.
18
Now in regard to other things. The Gospel has been sent from time
to time among the people. And what does it do? It brings life and
immortality to light. Has God ever given up his idea in relation
to the inhabitants of the earth? No; but He has in the different
ages given certain laws and principles to certain classes of
individuals. It is said that God has made of one blood all
nations of the earth, yet there are certain classes of men among
the nations just as much as there are certain classes of metals.
Everything is not gold, everything is not silver, everything is
not brass; everything is not iron; all hold their proper position
and have their relative value. So in regard to the heavens. There
are bodies celestial, there are bodies terrestrial, there are
bodies telestial. We are told there is one glory of the sun,
another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars, and that
as one star differs from another star in glory so also shall it
be in the resurrection. This distinction arises from the acts of
men, as it is said "ye are servants to whom you yield yourselves
servants to obey."
19
Now what are we here for? What are the things we profess to do? I
will ask what did Jesus seek to do when he was here? Did he come
to curse mankind? No, but to bless them; he came to seek and to
save those that were lost; He came to unfold the principles of
eternal truth, to bring life and immortality to light by the
Gospel. He came, according to the eternal decree of the Almighty,
to offer his life as a sacrifice, as an atonement for the sins of
the human family. He came to introduce principles that emanated
from God to organize his church upon the earth, and to endow his
disciples with authority that they might go forth as His
messengers to proclaim the principles of eternal truth to the
human family. Hence says he, "Go ye into all the world and preach
the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." This
is one of those eternal decrees that you cannot get away from.
And then we talk about the damnation of hell; and people have as
strange notions about that as they have about other things. I
have read statements from men which were really terrible when
depicting the state of the damned. It is bad enough, but it is
not the kind of thing they represent. I remember, too, reading a
piece of poetry, which ran something like this:
19
Infinite years in torment must I spend,
And never, never, never have an end.
Ah! must I lie, in ruinous despair,
As many years as atoms in the air;
When these are past as many thousand
more,
As grains of sand upon the ocean shore.
When all these doleful years are spent in
pain,
And multiplied by millions yet again,
Till numbers drown the thought, could I
suppose
That then my dismal years would have a
close,
This would afford a hope; but ah! I shiver
To ponder on this dreadful word, forever;
I in this burning gulf blaspheming lie,
Time is no more, but vast eternity."
19
This may be poetic. It is certainly grim and terrible; but it is
not true. Is there justice? Yes. Eternal justice? Yes. These men
that I have referred to suffered eternal justice; they were
destroyed by the Almighty, and at last were saved again by the
Almighty. Have we eternal punishment? Yes. What is it? It is
God's punishment. Are there everlasting prisons? Yes. What are
they? God's prisons. Do people stay in them forever? No. Not in
all of them. We have prisons upon the earth, penitentiaries, in
which to confine people for one, five, ten or twenty years, as
the case may be; and when their time expires they come out; but
the prison is there still. Is it an everlasting prison? You may
call it so if you please; but people do not stay in it always.
Has God a way to manage his affairs? Certainly; the judge of all
the earth ought to be at least as capable in the management of
his affairs, as mortal men are in theirs.
20
We have come upon this stage of action, and are called to preach.
And God has revealed his will, and some people seem to be very
angry about it. Joseph Smith had revelations from God. Do I know
it? Yes, I do. Could he help it? Suppose the Lord were to speak
to any of you, could you help it? or if an angel were to come to
you, could you help it? No, you could not. Now, you might do what
they tell you, or not; that is optional. If you did what they
told you, however, the world and the devil would say you were a
fool; and they have always said so in every age of the world; and
the devil and the world have always been opposed to God and his
law, and they would persecute you as they persecuted him. Very
well, do we have need to fight? I do not. I thank God for the
light and intelligence he has revealed unto us, through the
medium of the everlasting Gospel. Could we have it if God had not
revealed it? No. Who knew that God lived? Nobody until Joseph
Smith came, and the Lord spoke to him pointing out to him his
son, saying, "This is my beloved Son, hear him." Who knew
anything about it? Nobody on the wide earth. Could he have helped
it if he wanted to? I do not think he wanted to much; I do not
think anybody need want to much, if God would condescend to
reveal his will; I do not think they would be very desirous for
him to hold his peace. It is true a number of the children of
Israel did when they heard the thunderings on Mount Sinai. They
said to Moses, speak to us; but do not let the Lord speak to us,
lest we die. The fact is, they were not prepared for it.
20
Now then, this Gospel is introduced for what? To spread life and
salvation to the world. God blessed Abraham in the same way. What
for? In thee and thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. I will give unto you my law, I will reveal unto you the
principles of eternal truth; I will open the mysteries of heaven
to your view, and you shall gaze upon me and upon my purposes. I
will instruct you in the principles of life and salvation, and I
will tell you what to do with those principles when I shall have
committed them to you. As he spake unto Moses, he told him to
select a man to be his mouth-piece; and said, Moses shall be a
God unto you, and I will speak through him. That is it. Now, he
has done the same in this day, and restored the same principles,
and has sent forth a message to the nations of the earth, and
gathered together men who had the manhood, integrity and desire
to carry out the purposes of God, and who would be valiant for
those principles which he had revealed; and he prepared them for
his purpose; and if he had not sustained them they would not be
here to-day. Are these men enemies to the world? If teaching men
the truth is enmity, they have done that; if going without purse
or scrip, traveling among the nations to proclaim to them the
glad tidings of salvation is enmity, they may possess it. But
impelled by the spirit of eternal truth and enlightened by the
spirit of the Almighty and comprehending the position they
occupied, they have gone forth among the people of the earth and
proclaimed to them the glad tidings of salvation, and God has
taken care of them. Very well. Anything great about this? No; it
is simply performing a duty. I have traveled hundreds and
thousands of miles in this way myself, trusting in God. Was I
ever forsaken? No. Did I ever need anything? No, not that I did
not get. Did I ever have to go hungry, naked or destitute? No,
the Lord always provide and raised up means in every kind of way,
and I did not beg either. I would like anybody to tell me when I
ever begged anything from them either here or anywhere else. But
I have begged of the Lord, for my religion teaches me to go to
him.
21
Now then, we have a work to do. Do we wish to vilify anybody in
our midst? No. Do we see wicked, corrupt and abominable men among
us? Yes. What will we do with them? Leave them in the hands of
God, he will manage them; it is for us to do right, to work
righteousness and pursue a course right before the Lord. I see
that time is passing. My mind has been led rather discursively on
some of these matters, arising partly from circumstances with
which we are surrounded. How is it with this young man here?
Well, I wish it were otherwise; I wish he had lived a very good
Saint, which, however, he did not do. We have not come here to
indulge in any kind of false sentimentality. He was a drunkard;
that is a truth and many of you know it. When you have said that,
can you say anything worse? That is bad enough, but I do not know
anything evil about the young man further than that. I knew his
father. I baptized him thousands of miles away from here, in the
neigbourhood of 40 years ago, when he was a much younger man than
he (his son) is now. His father lived up to the Gospel, and died
strong in the faith; and his mother has been a very good woman,
so far as I know; I have never known anything against her. This
boy has caused her a great deal of trouble; and I have been sorry
for him. Well, should we tell things? Yes, always; that day is
not far distant when the coverings will be taken from the face of
all people, and we shall all stand naked, as it were, before
God--both you and I and this young man. Well this boy,--I call
him a boy, he is a young man, and is a nephew of mine by
marriage; and I would not want to say anything about him on that
account, neither would I falsify the young man on that account;
but let us tell things and understand them as they are. Let me
call the attention of the youth present. Would you like to be
lying in this position, under these circumstances? You would not?
Then let us look at thing as they are. What next? We will do the
best we can; and what is it? There is a curious saying that Paul
made on a certain occasion, in speaking about the Jews and the
Gentiles:
21
"What advantage hath the Jews? or what profit is there of
circumcision?
21
"Much every way; chiefly, that unto them were committed the
oracles of God.
21
"Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh
Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever," etc.
21
It is a sorrowful thing to see our youth pass away as he has
done? Yes. He did not die drunk? No, but that was the cause of
it. We may as well talk honestly about him. What next? He has
gone. Has he hurt anybody? No, only by his example. Has he hurt
his mother? Yes. I do not think he did sin while his father was
living; but since then he has caused his mother many a sorrowful
hour? Did I feel sorry when he died? No. Why? Because I knew it
was much better for him to leave the earth than to be in the
position he has been.
22
Now, what about the future in relation to these things! What
advantage has the Jew over the Gentile? Much every way. Their's
were the fathers; and unto that people were committed the oracles
of God. Their's were the fathers--we have fathers that are living
in the eternal worlds; fathers that are interested in our
welfare; fathers that are associated with the beings that exist
behind the vail; fathers who are operating with us in trying to
bring about the great purposes of God and the salvation of the
human family. Can anything be done? Yes, and all that can be done
will be done, but the future has got to be left with the Almighty
in regard to these matters. But we can do a great deal according
to principles that God has revealed to us, and these things will
be done, as far as they can be.
22
I would say, I do not utter these things to cause any unpleasant
feeling in the bosom of the family; they cannot help it. If I
could have helped it, I would; if the mother could have helped
it, she would; if the sister could have helped it, she would; if
the friends could have helped it, they would. But we cannot
control circumstances.
22
We are now talking not to the dead, but to the living. I would
say, Let us avoid these evils, they lead down to death; let us
seek to live our religion, to obey the laws of God and keep his
commandments. And in regard to the future, we leave that in the
hands of the Almighty who doeth all things well; and we will do
all we can to promote the comfort of the living and the dead. We
are doing a great deal for the accomplishment of this object; we
are building temples and administering in them, and we are doing
it in obedience to the law of God and in consonance with the
feeling of the patriarchs and apostles and men of God who have
lived before. And we will try to go on and live our religion and
keep the commandments of God that we may rejoice together
hereafter. And I would say to the mother, Let your heart be
comforted for you shall be blessed both in time and in eternity.
And I say unto all of you, Live your religion, keep the
commandments of God, for in that only there is safety. God bless
you in time and in eternity. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Erastus Snow, October 1879
Erastus Snow, October 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered at Brigham City, on Sunday Morning, October 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
REST SIGNIFIES CHANGE--TIME AS RELATED TO ETERNITY--WONDERFUL
MECHANISM OF THE HUMAN BODY--INTEGRITY IN THE FACE OF OPPOSITION.
23
I feel somewhat weary in body from the effects of labor and
infirmities; and were I to consult my own feelings I would be
inclined to waive this privilege, and sit and listen to my
brethren. Indeed, I may say I rather counted upon a rest in
coming to Brigham City; yet I never allow myself to shrink from
bearing that portion that properly attaches me in life to the
calling and duties devolving upon me. I feel that we are all here
in a school, that we have a work to perform; and if when we shall
have done that work we shall be satisfied with it, we will not
regret having worn ourselves out in accomplishing it. But on the
contrary we shall rejoice at our success in having got safely
through and entered into the "rest" which is prepared for the
people of God in the future state. This is a scriptural phrase,
implying that there is a rest beyond for the people of God. But I
have sometimes thought that strictly speaking rest was only a
change, and that a change was rest; because to be absolutely at
rest, to be entirely free from labor and care would be
inconsistent with our existence; in such a condition our being
would be a blank, a nonentity. The course of God, we are told by
the prophet Nephi, is one eternal round; that, like eternity, it
has neither beginning nor end, and is illustrated in the Book of
Abraham by the hieroglyphic of the circle. You may start upon
this ring at any given point, and in traversing it you will come
to the same point--it is without beginning, without end.
23
We sometimes speak of eternity in contradistinction to time; and
often say, "through time and into eternity;" and again "from
eternity to eternity," which is simply another form of expressing
the same idea, and "pass through time into eternity." In other
words, time is a short period allotted to man in his probationary
state--and we use the word time in contradistinction to the word
eternity, merely for the accommodation of man in his finite
sphere, that we may comprehend and learn to measure periods. And
for this purpose the Lord gave unto Adam his reckoning after the
movements of the planets, which would appear to him stationary,
or at least comparatively so, making a suitable standard by which
man in his mortal state may measure periods and count out the
days and the months and the years and the cycles.
24
The Scriptures speak of a time "when time shall be no more." And
the Apostle John in his visions, while banished to the Isle of
Patmos, heard the angel say, "time shall be no more." We may not
fully comprehend the meaning and the purport of this expression.
All phrases or expressions whether used by men, angels or God
have a relative meaning, as one thing is compared with another;
and to understand the full force of them, we must understand that
to which it has reference by comparison. I simply understand by
this, that so far as we are concerned, time will be no more when
we shall be merged into eternity, and we cease to reckon our
periods by the diurnal revolutions of the earth, and the changes
of the moon, etc.; when we shall enter into a sphere where we can
mingle with the gods and become acquainted with their reckoning,
and the eternal periods or cycles of revolutions of numberless
creations in space, which to-day the most profound astronomers of
the earth are unable to fathom or mark their place of beginning.
And this is called eternity by man, and, as far as man is
concerned, is in contradistinction to other periods and modes of
reckoning known and in use among the Gods. For they have their
periods and reckoning as well as we, only on a vast and, to us,
incomprehensible scale. We are in a state of progression, very
small beginnings, but onward and upward for a more exalted
sphere, in which they move. But I conceive of no stopping place;
I conceive of no absolute resting place, but only, as before
remarked, a change, a change in our circumstances and conditions,
and consequently a change in our labors.
26
I speak now of man as an immortal being, having no reference to
this earthly house of our tabernacles; for this mortal house
which we occupy for the period of a few short years upon the
earth, will not be associated with the immortal man--the god in
embryo. The clothing we wear covers the nakedness of the body; it
answers a good purpose for a little season--until it becomes worn
out, when it is cast aside as of no further use for that purpose.
So with the outer house of our tabernacles. This mortality serves
the purposes intended for a few short years until it is worn out
with use, like the farmer's agricultural implements, like the
machinist's or mechanic's tools, or any other piece of
machinery--for the human body is one of the finest and most
perfect pieces of machinery known upon the earth; there is none
superior. Indeed, most of the mechanism employed by men in
various branches of industry is founded on the anatomical
structure of the human body; the angles, the joints, the
tendrils, the cords by which they are bound together; the
wonderful construction not only of the outer portions of the
body, but the very fine mechanism of the nervous system, and also
that of the eye, the ear, and of the means of sensation, and that
by which knowledge is communicated from one part of the body to
the other. If the finger be abused or injured, a telegraphic
communication is made to the seat of knowledge--the government of
the body; conveying the information that a finger is in danger;
and wherever pain is felt, in whatever part of the body, it is
but the ringing of the bell of alarm, giving notice of a hostile
attack, and to make preparations for defense, lest the enemy
making the assault take possession of the citadel and destroy it.
The wonderful mechanism of the nervous system, through which the
spirit makes its impressions upon the body, is, as it were, an
intermediate organism between the fine spiritual body and the
coarser elements of our tabernacles. And those who have given the
most time and study to this wonderful machine are lead to fully
appreciate and endorse the saying of the Psalmist, "I am
fearfully and wonderfully made." Its adaptability to the uses and
purposes intended, with its remarkable endurance when suitable
guarded and protected against disease and what we term accident,
is in itself sufficient to call forth the admiration of all
intelligent beings. We look upon an aged person, say, 70, 80, 90
or 100 years old, and realize that there is a machine, a
mechanical structure--shall we call it a model representing
perpetual motion? Not exactly, but a machine that has been in
motion say, 100 years; a double action pump that has been
constantly going, distributing the fluids of the system by way of
keeping up a constant circulation of the blood; sometimes working
very hard to remove obstructions arising from colds and other
causes to keep the channels from becoming stopped up, and at
other times working slowly. And the functions of the body are
ofttimes kept in such constant use for such a period of time
without the touch of the mechanic to repair a break unless it
may, perchance, be the surgeon's saw to remove a disabled limb
that threatens to encumber the whole body, or the tying up of a
broken artery to prevent the escape of the vital fluid. But
otherwise the most skillful physician is unable to make a single
repair or improve any part or portion of it; and the most he can
do is to give something to be taken into the stomach to effect a
chemical change on the fluids of the system, to neutralize
perhaps an excess of the acids, thus working a change in the
quality of the blood, and consequently a change in the deposits
that are being made in all parts of the system by the circulation
of this fluid. But this wonderful machine is kept in motion by
what power? We say it is the power of God; we say it is in Him we
live and move and have our being. And, yet, He always works
through means, all His wonderful works being performed by agents;
but He is not confined to one agent nor any special method in
performing His works. But there is a spirit in this earthly
tabernacle of ours that is relative to our Father and God, and
who is the owner of this tabernacle, and for whom the tabernacle
is organized as his dwelling house. It is this spirit that keeps
the functions of this tabernacle in motion; when this spirit
leaves the body, it is either because the Father calls it away,
wishing to use it in another sphere, considering the time it has
spent in this tabernacle sufficient for the purposes required,
and therefore takes it to a higher school, through special design
to do a special work; or it may be, it has used its tabernacle
until it is so worn out that it has become like a bow which has
been long and constantly bent,--it has lost its elasticity; its
bones impaired in strength, its muscles stiffened, and the whole
frame ready, like our old clothes, to be thrown aside; and the
spirit comes to the conclusion that it has had its run with this
old tabernacle and that it is time this old garment were laid
aside for a new one. Our Father comes to this conclusion and
gives the spirit a ticket of leave, and removes it into another
sphere. But this is all necessary as a school for us. The various
pains and sorrows to be endured in life are all necessary in
their time and place; the trials as we term them, are all
necessary in their place, they are all a part of the scheme of
education or training to prepare us for the future. One of the
sacred writers, in speaking of Jesus, said: "For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin." And again: "For God giveth not the spirit by
measure unto him." It is measured out to you and me in the
providence of the Lord; but for him there was a storehouse to
draw upon, as it were, without measure. He could continue to heal
the sick and raise the dead and perform great and marvelous
things, and yet the supply of vitality was not in the least
abated. Mortals less gifted and less favored who should be the
means of healing many sick by the power of God, would feel that
in taking their infirmities upon them, they were sinking under
the weight, and would want to hie themselves away to rest and
recuperate their exhausted frames. Jesus was an exception in this
respect; he took upon himself our infirmities and bore our
sickness, as had been predicted by Isaiah the prophet. He truly
did heal the sick wherever he went; and some found that if they
could even touch the hem of his garment the disease from which
they suffered could be rebuked; and one instance is given where
this was done, in which case we are told, virtue went out of him.
But notwithstanding the great burden that he bore, together with
the vast amount of vitality that was at various times
communicated from him to others, he did not faint under the load;
his mortality did not give way. But no man, unsupported as he
was, could have done it without sinking under this weight; none
other could have grappled with devils and cast them out of
individuals and held them at bay, as he did, without suffering
from bodily exhaustion, and therefore had to seek retirement and
rest. He, however, waged war constantly, and was well prepared
for this work, having an inexhaustible source of strength to draw
from, the Spirit having been given to him without measure. But at
length the time came when the Father said, You must succumb, you
must be made the offering. And at this dark hour the power of the
Father withdrew itself measurably from him, and he was left to be
taken by his enemies, and, like a lamb, was led to the slaughter,
but he opened not his mouth, because his hour had come. And when
he was led to exclaim in his last agony upon the cross, My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me? the Father did not deign to
answer; the time had not yet come to explain it and tell him. But
after a little, when he passed the ordeal, made the sacrifice,
and by the power of God was raised from the dead, then all was
clear, all was explained and comprehended fully. It was necessary
that the Father should thus measurably forsake his Son, leaving
him to his enemies, otherwise they never could have fulfilled
what had been prophesied concerning him. So we may say with
others, it is only a sample for us to reflect upon, that may be
equally applicable to us all in our times and seasons.
26
It is not necessary, in the providence of God, that we should all
be martyrs; it is not necessary that all should suffer death upon
the cross, because it was the will of the Father that Jesus
should so suffer, neither is it necessary that all the Saints of
this last dispensation should perish because our prophet
perished, but yet it may be necessary that some should, that a
sufficient number of faithful witnesses of God and of his Christ
should suffer, and even perish by the hands of their enemies, to
prove and show unto the world--the unbelieving and
unthinking--that their testimony is true, and that they are ready
not only to bear testimony in word, but in deed, to sustain and
honor their testimony through their lives; and also in their
death; and greater love than this no man can have for his friend
or for his bosom companion, not even David and Jonathan, whose
love for each other is said to have surpassed the love of woman.
No one can give a stronger assurance of his devotion to the
principles he has received and which he teaches to his fellowman,
than to patiently endure suffering, for their sake, and, if need
be, to continue that suffering and endurance even unto death.
27
In the economy of heaven, it has been deemed necessary, at
various periods of the world's history, that such witnesses of
Christ should suffer death for their testimony's sake, and that
others may yet have to suffer in our own time is probable. Nay,
the Scriptures give us clearly to understand that such will be
the case, that more or less will suffer, but to what extent the
servants of the Lord may be called upon to thus suffer is not
given us to know, nor is it necessary we should. For what
difference does it make when we have performed a good work or so
far completed it that the Lord accepts of it and is willing for
us to pass behind the veil, and perhaps given his consent whether
we go by a bullet or through violence at the hands of our
enemies, or whether it be by a lingering sickness? In most cases
the former would be preferable, so far as we are personally
concerned, for in such the pain and suffering would be slight,
although it would be calculated to shock the sensibilities of
living friends who would mourn over us.
27
In philosophising upon these things, I scarcely have a tremor or
thought or care in relation to the death I may suffer, or when it
shall come, or how it shall come. It matters not when or where or
under what circumstances it may be, my feeling is as it always
has been--it will be all right. I take no more thought or care of
this matter than the infant child does about the preparation of
its food. The Lord cares for us and such matters, and will order
them in their time and season.
28
But there is a principle involved. When a man is faced by his
enemies, when the wicked conspire against the righteous,
threatening death and destruction if he do not turn truant and
deny our God and obey their behests; all this is calculated to
try the faith of the people and put them to the test, as to
whether they have more confidence in God and his promises, than
in his satanic majesty and the host of his servants upon the
earth, who in many instances offer them what they have not power
to give. They remind me of the devil when he took the Savior into
a high mountain and showed him all the riches of the earth,
promising to give him all he could see if he would only fall down
and worship him. The Savior replied: "It is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." He did
not revile him by telling the poor devil that he did not own
anything, that he had not the power to give what he proposed to;
but merely quoted the Scripture referred to, which was applicable
and suitable for the occasion. And I for one propose to obey the
command; and this is all we need say to our enemies when they
place us in similar circumstances. They may say, "you are a very
great people in your way; you are a very economical and frugal
people in your way, and are predisposed to be peaceful. You have
redeemed the desert from sterility, and built up fine homes, and
made roads, railroads, and telegraph lines, and you possess all
the elements and natural advantages calculated to make a people
prosperous and happy, and a nation great; and there are many good
things to commend in you. But then, you have one evil exiting and
encouraged among you which we deplore and which we are desirous
and determined to eradicate. Now, if you will renounce that and
cast it from you, we will give you the right hand of fellowship
and be friends, and all the fullness of the earth is yours; and
we will welcome your delegate, your representatives and your
senators to Congress, and we will give them a seat by our side,
and we will even call off our dogs of war, and withdraw our
governor, and judges and marshals and attorneys whom we send to
harass you, and also the little cur dogs that follow along
barking at your heels; we will call them off, and let you possess
the earth in peace if you will only deny your principles and lay
aside those which we pronounce to be evil, and fall down and
worship God as we do." Whether we will be true in all these
things; whether we have the same confidence in God, the God we
serve, who has led us all our lives and been true to us in all
conditions and circumstances, and to the promises made to us up
to the present time; whether we will still trust in him, and face
the cannon's mouth, if need be, or face death in any form it may
come, or imprisonment, if that form of treatment is preferred, or
anything that they have power to inflict upon us, rather than
deny our God. "How far will they go," says one? I answer, just as
far as our Father permits them, and no farther. He has set bounds
to the waves of the ocean, and he has also set bounds to the
wrath of the wicked. He controls the elements that war in the
heavens,--the fearful thunderstorm--that darkens the firmament
and that shakes the earth with its roar, the vivid lightnings
that add terror to the scene, the tumultuous waves that leap and
dash in the fury of the gale, and the earthquake that bellows
forth its lurid flames, which make men tremble at the gaze. But
He speaks, and all is still; the thunders are hushed, the clouds
dispersed, the lightnings cease and the belching of the
earthquake is heard no more; all is peace and quiet. So with the
wrath of man and of nations that may be heard raging in the midst
of the wicked, under the control of the prince and power of the
air, who works and controls in the midst of discordant kings and
rulers who array themselves against each other. Nations are at
loggerheads, and war is proclaimed; the energies of war are set
in array, and misery and death stalk in their wake. And again by
some slight means, the Lord changes the fate of nations and turns
the fortunes of war, and changes the tide of events, and all
human calculations fail. He causes some angel of his to put some
obstruction in the way of the march of some general and his army
so that he arrives, perhaps, at the scene of battle five minutes
too late; he causes a chariot wheel to fall off or some slight
accident to happen to an engine of destruction, and the best
calculations of the shrewdest officer and the proudest king fail
and their works come to nought. He sets up and pulls down men and
nations at his pleasure. He did this in the case of the first
great and proud monarch of the world--the King of Babylon who
swayed universal sceptre upon the earth. He was a strong-minded,
and strong-willed and haughty monarch; but God taught him by an
extraordinary and humiliating experience to know that the Lord,
the Most High God rules in the heavens and also controls the
affairs of men as it pleases him. And his bitter experience God
caused to be written as a warning to kings and rulers and the
great ones of the earth; and they are lessons of warning equally
appropriate to every human soul.
29
I have occupied more time than I intended or thought I could. I
pray God to bless us in all our labors, that union, peace and
love may abide in your midst and in your habitations, and that
prosperity may attend you in your business, that the difficulties
which annoy you and impede your progress may be removed and the
dark clouds that to-day seem to hang over your heads, be
dispersed and the genial warmth of the sun's rays again be felt
among you, that the hearts of the Saints may be cheered, and
those who feel the weight and responsibility of carrying on the
work you have so nobly undertaken, be encouraged and relieved
from any apprehensions they might have felt in consequence of the
misfortunes and losses you have recently sustained, which may God
grant, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, April 9, 1879
John Taylor, April 9, 1879
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at the Semi-Annual Conference, Held in the Tabernacle
Salt Lake City, April 9, 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
ALL TEMPORAL CONCERNS NEED THE ATTENTION OF THE SAINTS--WE SHOULD
PREPARE FOR THE EVILS COMING UPON THE EARTH--CO-OPERATION AND THE
UNITED ORDER--FUNCTIONS OF THE TWO PRIESTHOODS--HOME
MANUFACTURES.
30
It has been very properly remarked that we are becoming a great
people, and there are a great many interests of a temporal, as
well as spiritual nature, that must necessarily be attended
to--in fact it has been so contemplated from the beginning. We
talk sometimes of earthly things: at other times we speak of
heavenly things. Sometimes we speak of things pertaining to time,
and at other times of things pertaining to eternity. We have to
do with both or we could not have been here. And being here it is
proper we should come to a right understanding in regard to the
position we occupy; and especially that we should comprehend our
duties relating to our temporal affairs and by acting truthfully,
honorably and conscientiously avoid so much annoyance, trouble,
litigation and difficulty that so frequently exists. In relation
to the Gospel of the Son of God, it gives us information
pertaining to our existence and to our general relationship to
God and to each other, pointing out our various duties and
responsibilities. Associated with it is a priesthood which among
other things is to promulgate the will of God to the ends of the
earth; it has taught us principles pertaining to our future, both
in relation to the living and the dead, relative to the present,
past and future. We talk a great deal about our Gospel, about our
spiritual affairs; we have our church organized according to
certain principles associated therewith. We have a priesthood
organization, embracing our Stake organization; we have
organizations pertaining to spiritual things, if you may so call
them, and also for temporal things, for we have to do both with
time and with eternity, both with earthly and with heavenly
things, and consequently it is necessary we should be interested
in all. When we reflect upon our position, there is something
peculiar associated with it. At first the Elders of this Church
were told to go forth and preach the Gospel to every creature;
then they were instructed to gather together those who believed.
According to the Scriptures, "I will take you one of a city, and
two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give
you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with
knowledge and understanding." We are gathered together; but being
gathered together there is something more than spirituality
associated with our existence. We brought our bodies with us when
we came, and we necessarily have to eat and drink and to have
houses to live in, etc.; in fact, we require the common
necessaries of life just as much as any other people. And then,
if we have children, as Bishop Hunter says, "there are none of
them born with shoes and stockings;" but these things have to be
provided. Furthermore, being gathered together, we necessarily
form a body politic, if you please, and we cannot help ourselves
if we would; but we do not want to. We frame laws according to
the usage of the nation we are associated with; for being here
and finding ourselves in the territory of the United States, we
necessarily have had to organize a government which has assumed a
territorial form; and that means a legislature with its
enactments and all the various adjuncts of a government. Laws
have to be made, officers must be created to execute those laws;
and we necessarily become an integral part of these United
States, and have to perform all the political functions
associated therewith.
30
These things naturally flow unto us, and they will continue to
grow and increase, if it be true what the Scriptures say, and if
it be true what many of our brethren have preached to you since
the assembling of this Conference. Then it becomes a matter for
us to reflect upon that we understand our true position, how we
can best sustain ourselves religiously, socially, politically and
financially, and among other lessons learn to produce at home
those articles we stand in need of.
31
We have been brought up in the world, and have imbibed many ideas
in common with mankind generally pertaining to commerce, trade
and manufactures. But we need the inspiration of the Almighty in
all of the affairs of life; for we profess emphatically to be the
people of God, and as it is with us in our religion so it ought
to be with our politics, our trade and manufactures. They ought,
in all things, to be subservient to one grand principle, and that
is the acknowledgment of God and his laws. Permit me here to
state that before the revelations of God to man in these last
days, there were no people that had a correct knowledge of God,
that we have any knowledge of, anywhere upon the earth. All were
without prophecy, without revelation, without a knowledge of the
doctrine or ordinances of the Gospel. And to whom are we indebted
for a knowledge of these things? Certainly not to ourselves, and
as assuredly not to any earthly body or system in existence. We
are indebted alone to God for a knowledge of these things;
through His revelations made first by himself and by his well
beloved Son, and then by the ministering of holy angels, by
communication from the heavens to the earth. We are indebted to
him for all the light and intelligence we possess in relation to
these things. What did we know about the first principles of the
Gospel? Nothing. What did we know about the gathering, or about
Zion, or about the ordinances of the Gospel or about the holy
priesthood? Nothing at all. Nor did we know anything about the
building of Temples, or about the mode of administering in them
until directed by the Almighty; it was He who revealed the
necessity of the construction of those sacred edifices and the
mode of administering therein. What does the outside world know
about these things? Nothing. And if they had our Temples they
could not administer therein. We are indebted to God alone for
the light and intelligence we have received.
32
Again in regard to political matters, where is there a nation
to-day, under the face of the whole heavens that is under the
guidance and direction of the Lord in the management of their
public affairs? You cannot find one. It is true that the founders
of this nation, as a preliminary step for the introduction of
more correct principles and that liberty and the rights of man
might be recognized, and that all men might become equal before
the law of the land, had that great palladium of liberty, the
Constitution of the United States, framed. This was the entering
wedge for the introduction of a new era, and in it were
introduced principles for the birth and organization of a new
world. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that "The Constitution of
the United States was given by the inspiration of God." But good,
virtuous and holy principles may be perverted by corrupt and
wicked men. The Lord was opposed by Satan, Jesus had his Judas,
and this nation abounds with traitors who ignore that sacred
palladium of liberty and seek to trample it under foot. Joseph
Smith said they would do so, and that when deserted by all, the
elders of Israel would rally around its shattered fragments and
save and preserve it inviolate. But even this, good as it was,
was not a perfect instrument; it was one of those stepping stones
to a future development in the progress of a man to the
intelligence and light, the power and union that God alone can
impart to the human family. And while we acknowledge, as citizens
of the United States, the laws and institutions thereof (which by
the way are very easily complied with), we have a higher law,
more noble principles, ideas that are more elevated and
expansive; principles that reach to the whole human family, and
which he will continue to reveal to us. Does that prevent us from
obeying the laws of the land? Certainly not. But then, is that a
prefect system? I do not think that many of you will say it is,
nor do I think that the people of the United States of any
political party will tell you it is. I do not wish to cast any
reflections or refer to any events that have taken place; I am
merely speaking on religious principles, and principles too in
which we as Latter-day Saints are interested. We are united,
then, as a body politic, as an integral part of this Government,
and it becomes our duty to submit to the laws and institutions of
that Government--to all that are constitutional, framed and based
upon correct principles, and not in violation of what the fathers
of the country instituted.
32
But have we any higher aim than this? We have. Do any object? If
so why should they? Do we in anywise interfere with any man's
rights, Government, or make war upon any parties? No, but we are
interested in the preservation of justice, equality and the
rights of man in the development of peace, the further
establishment of correct, more elevated, refined and exalted
principles, in placing ourselves in a position more in accordance
with things as they exist in the heavens, for the welfare and
happiness of the human family. God has given unto us certain
principles which we feel bound to observe. Is there anything
wrong in this? I think not. We have all kinds of institutions
here in the United States and in other nations, such as Odd
Fellows, Free Masons, and others; and they have a right to their
ideas and manner of doing things as long as they observe the
laws, and so have we, and have a right to be protected also in
those rights. But to say we must stand still is a thing not
connected with our creed. If others do not desire to accompany or
keep pace with us, we must still go on under the guidance of the
Lord. As was said of ancient Israel, "The Lord is our God, the
Lord is our King, the Lord is our judge, and he shall rule over
us," so we say. We need information and revelation in regard to
out religious matters, we also need information, intelligence and
revelation in regard to our political, social and all temporal
matters. If we humble ourselves and purify ourselves, and magnify
our callings as the Elders of Israel, according to the
Scriptures, we will yet teach the princes of this world wisdom
and their kings knowledge and understanding; for these things
that are spoken of will assuredly come to pass when "out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
The purposes of God shall yet be fulfilled in relation to these
matters; God's work will most assuredly progress, until "the
kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and
his Christ, and he will rule for ever and ever," not in war, not
in confusion and strife and discussions, not in evil and
corruption; but in the interests of humanity, according to the
laws of life and in accordance with the intelligence that dwells
in the bosoms of the Gods, and in the interests of a fallen
world.
32
Now we come to other matters pertaining to our mercantile
associations, I might talk further about our social relations,
etc., however, these are subjects we hear a good deal about; we
are pretty well informed in relation to them. The information we
have pertaining to our associations with our wives, and wives
with their husbands has been revealed to us by God, and we are
striving to carry out those eternal principles,--principles that
will exalt us, our progenitors and our posterity in the celestial
kingdom, where we can enjoy the presence of God and that of the
celestial hosts who have gone before.
32
We come again to our temporal interests. Has the world been our
exemplar with regard to any of these things that I have
mentioned? No, the Lord has been our teacher, He has been our
guide and director; without him we could have accomplished
nothing, for we knew no more naturally than anybody else did.
33
In relation to temporal things. Are we capable, as Latter-day
Saints, of fulfilling our destiny on the earth, and procuring a
full temporal salvation and sustaining ourselves, on temporal
principles without the interposition of the Almighty? I tell you
no, we are not, no more than we are in regard to any other
things. We read in the Scriptures of a time that is coming when
there will be a howling among the merchants in Babylon, for men
will not be found to buy their merchandise. This is in accordance
with the prediction of John the Revelator. And the gold and the
silver and the fine linen, etc., in Babylon will be of no avail.
But before that time comes, we as a people must prepare for those
events, that we may be able to live and sustain ourselves when in
the midst of convulsions that by and by will overtake the nations
of the earth, and among others, this nation. The time that is
spoken of is not very far distant. "He that will not take up his
sword against his neighbor, must needs flee to Zion for safety."
And Zion herself must flee to the God of Israel and hide herself
in the shadow of his wing, seeking for his guidance and direction
to lead her in the right path, both as regards spiritual and
temporal affairs; things social and things political, and
everything pertaining to human existence. We are not prepared as
a people to-day for the accomplishment of this object; we need
the interposition and guidance of the Almighty. It is just as
necessary that we be under his guidance in relation to these
matters, as it is in regard to any other matters. Who made the
earth? The same being that made the heavens. Who made our bodies?
The same being that made our souls; and it takes the "body and
the spirit to make the soul of man." We need not arrogate to
ourselves any particular intelligence, whether of mercantile,
manufacturing, chemical or scientific nature, for if there is
anything good or intelligent, it is the Lord who has imparted it,
whether man acknowledge it or not. We want to acknowledge the
Lord in all things, temporal as well as spiritual.
33
I wish now more directly to touch upon some other principles
associated therewith. Some of us seem to be very much confused in
our minds as to how we shall operate in regard to temporal
affairs. We have brought with us the feelings, views and ideas of
the people from whence we came, which are conflicting, and which
tend to disintegration and division, and lead to covetousness and
fraud, which ought not to have an existence among the Saints of
God. We have advertisements published in our newspapers by the
Latter-day Saints too, things that are infamous, that are untrue,
that are a shame and a disgrace among honorable people, and stand
as a living lie. The community at large should not countenance
such things as we see daily in our papers to attract the
attention of the unwary and bring what they call grists to their
mill, in the interest of the individual. We as a people are not
called together to act in individual interests; we are called
together as Saints of God to operate in the interests of the Zion
of God, for the welfare of Israel, and not let ourselves float
along with the balance, and all swim together, or all sink
together. We ought to be governed by principles of union,
fellowship and right feeling, carrying out honorable and upright
principles that should be acknowledged before God, the holy
angels and all honorable men.
34
Now after speaking so much upon general principles, let me touch
upon some things referred to here about these reports, etc. We
have long talked about the united order and about co-operation;
and we have started in a good deal like some of our little boys
when they begin to run--we have made a great many stumbles in
this matter. Little Willie and Annie often think they can manage
things better than Daddy and Mammy; and we, like them, have
assumed to ourselves strength, and the first thing we know are
pulling this way, that way and the other. Then, have the
institutions been exactly right? No, all kinds of foolishness and
all kinds of blunderings have occurred in their administration.
But shall we quit? I think not; that is just what the devil would
like, just what many of our merchants want, and it would be the
very thing that would suit the world, and the devil would laugh
at us. What we want to do is to purge out the things that are
wrong, and correct them and place them upon a correct basis, and
then adhere to them as we would any other part of our religion.
In the Church, if a man lies or swears, or commits adultery, or
does anything wrong, we deal with him according to the laws of
the Church. But because men do wrong, we do not abandon our
principles, nor leave the Church, but we turn such individuals
out that will not be righted, and we aim to adjust all things and
place them on a proper basis. Why not do the same in temporal
things? We have, for instance, Zion's Co-operative Mercantile
Institution; it is called the Parent Institution, and it ought to
be the parent of all these institutions and act as a father and
protector and benefactor, doing all it can to promote the welfare
and prosperity of the people. And then the people, on the other
hand, ought to protect it and sustain it by doing their business
through that institution and act prudently, wisely, orderly and
unitedly in regard to these matters, that we may be one; for our
revelations tell us, If we are not one, we are not the lord's.
And if we are not the Lord's, whose are we?
34
We talk sometimes about the United Order. I do not propose to
read to you on this occasion from any of the revelations bearing
on this subject, but will quote to you in substance from one of
them. The Lord has told us that those who would not comply with
the requirements connected with this order should have their
names erased from the book of the law of God, and their
genealogies must not be found on any church records or history,
their names shall not be found nor the names of the fathers, nor
the names of the children written in the book of the Law of God.
These words are to us, Latter-day Saints; they are true and are
binding upon us.
35
Another thing; what did we do when President Young was among us,
urging these things upon us? Did we not enter into covenant by
re-baptism to be subject to the Priesthood in temporal as well as
spiritual things, when we took upon ourselves the obligations of
the United Order? Let me ask you, what do we mean by doing this?
Is it a mere form, a farce, or do we intend to carry out the
covenants we made? I tell you in the name of Israel's God they
will be carried out, and no man can plow around these things, for
God has decreed that they shall be accomplished; and any man who
sets himself in opposition to these principles which God has
established, he will root him out; but the principle itself will
not be rooted out, for God will see that it is accomplished. And
in the name of Israel's God we will help him to do it; and all
who feel to do it, say amen. (The large congregation responded
with a loud, "Amen.")
35
We have started co-operative institutions, and I will touch on a
principle now, showing how they ought to be governed. God has
ordained two priesthoods upon the earth--the Melchizedek and the
Aaronic. The Melchizedek presides more especially over the
spiritual affairs of the Church, and has done in all ages when it
has existed upon the earth. You will find this provided for in
the Doctrine and Covenants; you can hunt it up at your leisure, I
do not wish to stop to make the quotation now. The Aaronic
priesthood is presided over by the presiding bishop. If we had a
literal descendant of Aaron he would have a right to preside over
the bishopric, and to operate and manage and direct these things
without the aid of counselors. In the absence of such men the
Lord has directed us to take men from the high priesthood and set
them apart to be bishops to administer in temporal things. This
Aaronic priesthood is an appendage to the Melchizedek priesthood,
and its province is to administer in temporal affairs. One reason
why we want men of this class to administer in temporal things is
because there is a special provision made for it. Nevertheless a
High Priest that is after the order of Melchizedek may be set
apart to administer in temporal things, having a knowledge of
them by the Spirit of truth. And before a man attempts to
administer in Zion in temporal things, he ought to obtain a
knowledge of that spirit of truth to administer according to the
intelligence which that spirit of truth imparts. Thus we have the
Aaronic priesthood in its place; the Melchizedek priesthood in
its place. And in all the various functions it is necessary to
enter into all the various organizations. It is on one or two
particular points that I wish to speak now.
35
In the first place the Lord requires certain things to be done to
meet his approbation; and everything has to be done under the
direction of the presidency of the Twelve, both temporal things
and spiritual things. The bishops and the presidents of Stakes
and all the officers in the Church of God are subject to this
authority and they cannot get around it. And when any officer of
this Church who by virtue of his calling does things without
counselling with the proper authorities of the Church, he takes
upon himself things that he has no right to do, and such a course
cannot be acceptable before God and the Priesthood.
36
Now then, we come to the bishopric. Ought the bishops to be
consulted in regard to temporal things? Yes, they ought. And as
an example, let me tell you that for the last year Bishop Hunter
has associated with the Council of the Twelve whenever they have
met to consider temporal matters. And I may say we have been
pleased to have his company, because it was his place to
understand the position of temporal things, that we may know his
feelings, and counsel with him and he with us, that everything
may be done according to the order and laws of God, that there
may be perfect unanimity. With this view he was placed as one of
the counselors to the Trustee-in-Trust--because the
Trustee-in-Trust thought it belonged to him to hold that
position, and thinks so to-day. But then, does he preside over
the Melchizedek Priesthood? No, he does not. Who and what is he?
A high priest ordained and set apart to the bishopric. By whom?
The Presidency. Does he control the Presidency? No, he is set
apart by them; as bishop he is an appendage to the higher
priesthood, and does not control it. No man controls it. I
remember a remark made on one occasion by Joseph Smith, in
speaking with Bishop Partridge, who was then Bishop. He was a
splendid good man, as Bishop Hunter is. But he got some crooked
ideas into his head; he thought he ought to manage some things
irrespective of Joseph, which caused Joseph to speak rather
sharply to him. Joseph said, I wish you to understand that I am
President of this Church, and I am your president, and I preside
over you and all your affairs. Is that correct doctrine? Yes. It
was true then and it is true to-day.
36
Well, it is necessary that we should have an understanding of
these things, that we may make no mistakes in our administration.
I want, then, in all our operations to confer with our bishops.
And if this institution of ours is "Zion's Co-operative," then it
should be under the direction of Zion, under the direction of the
Priesthood; and if it is not "Zion's" Co-operative, then it is a
living lie. But do we wish to interfere with them? No, we do not.
Do we wish to interrupt them in any of their operations? No, we
want to help them; we want to unite them and all the people into
one, with God at our head, governed by the holy priesthood. Have
they rights? Yes. Do we respect them? Yes. Have the people
rights? Yes. Shall the people be respected in their rights? Yes,
they shall, all the people in all the Stakes; and while we
sustain them they must sustain us; and if they expect to have our
support, they must give us theirs.
36
Having said so much, I will tell you that I believe sincerely
that the men managing our Co-operative Institution are doing just
as well as they know how. And I will state further, that I don't
know of any persons in this community who know how better than
they do. And I have been now for some time associated with them,
and am acquainted with their proceedings.
37
There are other principles besides this; we want to learn to
manufacture our own goods. And while on the one hand we use the
best talent and financial ability we can get to attend to our
mercantile institutions; on the other hand, we need to cherish a
spirit to encourage home manufactures of every kind, and we want
to get this institution to help us do it. If we manufacture
cloths and boots and shoes or anything else, we want the
institution to dispose of our goods. If we need encouragement in
regard to the introduction of any manufactures of any kind, we
want them to help us, and we have a right to expect this of them
so far as is wise, prudent and legitimate, I will state that the
directors of Z.C.M.I. feel interested in the very things that I
am talking about, and I say it to their credit and for your
satisfaction. I do not think there is an institution in the
United States in a better condition than that is to-day; and it
is improving all the time, not after any fictitious manner, but
on a solid, firm, reliable basis. Now then, I have proposed to
these brethren, which they quite coincide with, that when they
shall be able to pay a certain amount as dividends on the means
invested, after reserving a sufficient amount to preserve the
institution intact against any sudden emergency that may arise,
which is proper among all wise and intelligent men, that then the
profits of the institution outside of this, should be
appropriated for the development of the home manufactures, the
making of machinery, the introduction of self-sustaining
principles and the building up of the Territory generally, and
they acquiesced in this feeling; and I say it to their honor and
credit. And I will tell you again that the Church has got a large
interest in that institution, consequently we wish to see
everything go aright, not on any wild erratic principle, but on a
solid, firm, reliable basis, that can be carried out and that
will elicit the admiration and confidence of all good and
honorable men.
37
Sometimes little difficulties have arisen outside through
interested individuals who have resorted to a good deal of
trickery; other times perhaps from just causes. And I will say
too that complaints have been made that we have not sufficiently
sustained our home manufactures. I will say however that the
Institution has stood in a very delicate position. We have been
struggling with the financial crisis that has cast a gloom over
all this nation for the last number of years--since 1873. But we
are now getting into a solid firm position, and when we declared
3 per cent for the six months dividend, it was because the
Institution was able to do so. And when we are able to extend
this a little farther we will be quite willing to do so.
37
Some of the complaints that have been made against the
institution we have heard; and we have thought best to have a
board and refer to that board any complaints that might be made
from any part of the Territory. This board that has been
temporally organized has given us these various reports which
have been read in your hearing, which indicate their views and
feelings in regard to these things. We wish a board of that kind
to be organized upon a correct basis according to the order of
this Church and Kingdom of God; and then as the people throughout
the Territory send to purchase their goods from them, let the
people that make these purchases be represented; and if there is
anything not straight in their operations let them be made
straight. And this is what this committee is for, that the people
may be protected as well as the Institution.
37
Then Stake organizations are recommended, with a representative
from each Stake at the general or central board, and it will make
it much more pleasant for the management of that Institution to
have a criticism of that kind. And it will also tend to allay
many of these foolish things which are frequently put in
circulation in different parts of the Territory. The object then,
of this Board is that the people may be represented, and that
Zion's Cooperative may also be properly represented, that it may
serve as a balance wheel to adjust and correct any matters of
difficulty that may arise.
38
I am happy to say that in many parts of the Territory they are
introducing the manufacture of leather and boots and shoes and a
variety of other articles. And suffice it to say that, according
to these reports, the Parent Institution has sustained the
manufacturers of these home-made articles quite liberally; and we
want it to be in that position that everything we use can be
bought there. This is, too, the feeling in relation to this
matter. And when we get things into a proper fix we will pull
with a long pull and a strong pull and a pull altogether. We will
strive to be one; and if we cannot go so far as to sustain
co-operation in regard to these things, how in the name of common
sense are we ever going into the United Order? But we will begin
with this, and then co-operate in all the different Stakes, not
only in your merchandising, but in your manufacturing affairs and
in your producing affairs; and in every thing it will be the duty
of this general Board of Trade to regulate the interests of the
whole community, honestly and faithfully, at least we will do it
according to the best ability we have; and if there should any
mistakes arise, we will try to correct them; if they are on the
part of the people, we will talk to them about it, if on the part
of the institution, we will talk to its management about it. And
we will keep working and operating until we succeed in
introducing and establishing these things that God has desired,
and until Zion shall be a united people and the glory of all the
earth.
38
God bless you and lead you in the path of life, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Henry
W. Naisbitt, November 23rd, 1879
Henry W. Naisbitt, November 23rd, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT,
Delivered in the 13th Ward Meeting House, Salt Lake City
November 23rd, 1879.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
SALVATION DEPENDENT UPON EFFORT AND PROGRESS--WE SHOULD
NOT BE DISCOURAGED BY DIFFICULTY.
38
My brethren and sisters: I can say that I have had some very
pleasant and interesting reflections while listening to Brother
Fowler's remarks, and think the purpose for which we have met
this evening has been a success. I have felt that I have been
fed, that I have been blessed, and that I shall carry with me
more or less of the influence and spirit of those remarks, and
upon reflection we all understand that this is really the purpose
for which we come together.
39
Mormonism, in a sense, is opposed to formality. All that there is
associated with it is meant for use, and there are results
expected to accrue from all the practices of the Church that have
been established by revelation, and everything is intended to aid
in the great work which we call salvation. To be sure, that is a
very common word, it is a word that we are all familiar with, it
is something that we have heard from the time that we were
children, from the time that we went to Sabbath school, and
before we went there, and after we attained to youth and manhood.
But in the light of the Gospel how narrow and contracted and how
offensive the word in its sectarian sense becomes to us, so much
so that many of us scarcely like to use it; we would prefer to
use another expression which more thoroughly carries with it all
the ideas associated with the reception and practice of the
Gospel.
39
Our memory has been cited to the fact that during the history of
this Church, and during the history of the primitive church,
there were those who possessed the spirit of unbelief, there were
those who became more or less indifferent and negligent in regard
to that which they received, and we have been referred to the
history of those who have fallen from this Church--men who have
seen great things, men who have had wonderful experiences, men
whom we might have considered as stable as the eternal hills by
virtue of that experience. Now what is the difficulty in such
cases? What is the difficulty in any cases, in your case, and in
my case, when we lose an interest in the things pertaining to the
kingdom of God? Is it a healthy sign? or is it not rather, if
continued, a sign of approximating death? Is the man or the woman
who are alive to their duties--are they those who apostatize? Is
it the faithful man or the active, stirring woman, who are
laboring earnestly, following the practice and principles of the
Gospel, that leave the Church? No, it is not, but it is those
who, from some cause or other, become cold, heartless,
indifferent, and neglectful of their duties.
40
Salvation, in its largest aspect, consists in the proportion of
truth received; men and women only are saved in proportion to the
truth which they appropriate. An ignorant man will only obtain
the salvation which belongs to the ignorant. The idler will only
obtain that salvation which belongs to an idle man. Is it not
"the hand of the diligent that maketh rich?" and there are
parallels running through all the actions of the Saints in a
religious sense similar to those which run through the actions of
men in a social sense, even down to the lowest details of human
life, into every avenue of life, in every direction in which
human happiness is involved, constituting as they do in their
entirety that which is spoken by the Apostle Paul, "how shall we
escape if we neglect so great salvation?" I presume, if I am to
judge by my experience, that every man and every woman realizes
that it is just in proportion to our experience, our use of the
opportunities of life, our understanding of the principles
involved, that we are successful. If you find a man who essays to
be a merchant, who desires the accumulation of wealth, you will
find a man who points his energies in that direction. He is a man
who not only looks at things in general but at things in detail;
he not only looks at his business as a whole but he looks at it
in its parts; and if he were to abstain or refrain from a
consideration of the details which insure success the probability
is that he would find himself in the courts of liquidation. Many
a man, fortunate in a mercantile sense, has gone to the wall
through carelessness in regard to little things as boxes, paper,
time, etc., through trivial waste that every prudent man would be
disposed to notice; but the successful merchant in almost any
instance--and these instances are the exception and not the rule,
is the man who is economical, prudent and careful of the details
of his business. If you go into our houses, and you take our
girls that are grown up, and they are unable to bake bread,
unable to cook a potato, unable to wash and attend to all the
duties which belong to domestic life, how much of a domestic
salvation will they receive? What attraction will there be for
the husband, working away in the battle of life, when he comes
home to find that rest which is so desirable? Our domestic
salvation depends upon attention to the details which lie at the
foundation of domestic happiness, and there can be no peace in
the domestic circle where there is a lack of intelligence, there
can be no success only where the good housewife masters the
details of her daily life.
41
As it is in these two every-day yet diverse instances of life, so
also it is in all other directions, and the same principle is
just as prominent and just as applicable to the details of our
most holy faith. You go out into the missionary field and preach
the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After you have
finished your discourse some one may come up to you and say, "my
friend, I believe the doctrine which you teach, I acknowledge the
existence of the Deity, I believe in the message of his son, I
understand the necessity of obedience to the first
principles--including baptism." But mark when a man has been
baptized if he becomes careless and indifferent and says "Well, I
am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to
this extent." In your estimation now, what would be the amount of
salvation that man would receive? Why, he might receive the
remission of his sins and that is all he is entitled to, but he
salvation which belongs to the ordinance of the "laying on of
hands" would form no part of his blessings. But supposing he
advances a step further and says: "Having done so well I would
like to enjoy a little more of the blessings," and he goes and
receives the laying on of hands. He feels the promptings of the
spirit of intelligence from above, he rejoices in its influence;
it suggests, persuades counsels, and advises. Supposing that
under the operations of this spirit he should turn a deaf ear to
its promptings--suppose that it prompts him to go in one
direction and he feels to run the other, suppose that he should
resist this influence, how much of a salvation in that respect
would he receive? For instance, you are all aware of the power of
the spirit, or rather the impulse it gives to gathering. We have
all felt this. It has been apart of our experience when we have
been under the influence of that spirit; we desired to associate
with the Saints in a local capacity, in their general assemblies,
and in a larger sense we have been desirous of gathering with
them to the great gathering place wherever that may be. Suppose
that spirit of gathering is resisted, and a man says "Well, I
have got a good situation here, a nice little home, I enjoy the
society in which I mingle"--and he continues in that course, how
on earth or heaven or any where else, can that man get the
special and particular salvation which belongs to gathering? It
cannot be done; it is not in the nature of things. If he would
enjoy that salvation he must absorb the principle of gathering
until it grows and blossoms into life. And there are those even
in this Territory who, when they get among the Saints believe
that all the purposes of their holy religion have been served in
their experience, and they set themselves down and say, "Well
now, I will endeavor to get for myself a good home; I will try to
make myself comfortable; I will spread out on the right hand and
on the left; and as for some duties which pertain to my
religion--well, I have not time to attend to them, they absorb
too much of my attention, and I will give my life to making
myself and family comfortable." They think that because they have
been baptized, because they enjoy the spirit of the Lord through
the laying on of hands, because they have forsaken fatherland and
come to the mountains, that, therefore, they are sure of "the
great salvation" which the Gospel brings. Why, it is all a
mistake. They will get the salvation which is necessary
consequent upon the truth which they have absorbed and put into
practice; no more and no less.
41
Again, we find that some of our people when Christmas comes round
will begin to make excuses in regard to their tithing. Now,
tithing is one of the eternal principles which pertains to the
order of God. But a man goes up to his Bishop and says, "Well
now, it's all I can do to make both ends meet; the necessities of
my family, the responsibilities and cares that belong to the
position in which I move, compel me to use all the income I
receive, and it scarcely suffices to serve my wants." Do you
believe that that man will ever enjoy that particular portion of
salvation which belongs to those who promptly pay their tithes to
the Lord? No, it cannot be done; that man never can enjoy the
special and peculiar blessing that belongs to all those who pay
their tithing.
41
You go into a man's house and you find there disorder, children
disputing, the wives--two or three as the case may be--at
loggerheads (to use a rather vulgar expression) in fact the
spirit of peace has fled from the hearthstone, what salvation in
a domestic sense does that man enjoy? Is that the outcome of the
order of family government, or rather was it not instituted to
promote peace and harmony, so that we might have a type of the
great heaven which we desire to enjoy in the not far distant
future? The man who would have domestic salvation has got to work
for it. He must understand the nature of the element with which
he deals, he must so manipulate that it will bring forth the
domestic salvation which he earnestly seeks. But supposing a man
has got the peace he desires in this respect, yet in the morning
as in the evening the song of prayer or praise is never heard in
his house. Now there is a certain position of domestic salvation
which pertains to the carrying out of these ideas and principles
which we have received that cannot be secured by any other
process, and the man who neglects to have family prayers, and to
induce and persuade his family to join in, has lost one of the
great elements which operate and secure for him and his, domestic
salvation.
42
Well, now, there are some who attend to all these duties; but
still there are a great many other principles that require to be
observed. A man, for instance, has got the wife of his youth and
a little family growing up, yet there is a principle in the
Church of Christ called patriarchal marriage, and many a woman in
regard to this will say to her husband, "Now let us be satisfied
to leave well enough alone. If your family circle is enlarged,
you will increase your responsibility, and there is great risk
connected with the introduction of a foreign element in your
family. It is true there may be peace, but it is far more likely
that there will be contention or division." Now, is there any
advantage in the practice of the patriarchal order? That is the
question. If there is--and I know there is, in spite of any
difficulty connected therewith--how can you expect to enjoy any
benefit which accrues from the practice of this eternal principle
and yet remain in neglect or disobedience of that principle. It
cannot be done. A great many think that it can, and they will
employ all manner of subterfuge to back up their position. They
will read the revelation on the subject, and they will construe
and misconstrue all that it says, in order to justify themselves
in the position which they have assumed; but every man and every
woman may rest satisfied that the blessings which flow from this
order of the Church of Christ cannot be secured by any other
process than the one pointed out by Divine authority. "But," says
one, "I have known in my experience where difficulties have
originated through the practice of this principle." Very true.
Have you never known of difficulties originating in any other
direction or arising from the practice of any other principle?
Were there no difficulties set before you when you were baptized?
Were there no difficulties presented before you when you thought
of gathering? Were there no difficulties in your way when you
endeavored to make your feet fast in the valleys of the
mountains? Is it not difficulties that make the man? Is it not
difficulties that make the woman? Is it not those circumstances
and changes of life that call forth every energy and arouse us to
continued action to that we may ensure success? In the common
walks of life we are accustomed to notice men and women who pride
themselves in the assurance that where others have failed they
have brought forth success. The same idea is applicable to many
in the direction of the patriarchal order. Where a man has failed
in one or some other given direction, that failure should be an
impetus to his neighbor, requiring and stirring him to use all
his ability so as to secure success.
44
Now when I was in the old world I met a great many of the
brethren there who were engaged like myself in the work of the
ministry, and whenever I met a man of the character I have
described I invariably found that he was shorn of power, that he
did not carry with him that full influence which a missionary of
the Gospel should carry; at all events he had not that influence
which practice and experience gives in this direction and I have
imagined a case to myself sometimes. In going into any small town
or country village, into the midst of those peculiar influences
which exist in England, you will find an audience congregated on
the village green or elsewhere listening to the missionary. After
he is through with his discourse a man steps up and says, I have
heard the remarks you have made; I believe in the principles that
you advocate; but I am at the mercy of the squire, or of the Lord
of the Manor' here, or the owner of this coal pit, or the one who
runs this factory, and if I should embrace the doctrine that you
preach I should be turned out of my cottage; I should lose the
opportunity of earning my bread, my boys and girls would be
thrown out of employment, and I should soon be all astray in a
financial and industrial sense." What does the elder say in a
case of that kind? He says, "My friend I hear all your argument.
It is very good, that is so far as it goes, but the Lord has
promised to take care of his Saints; he has promised that when
one door shuts another shall open; and he has declared by
revelation that it is his business to provide for his Saints; and
now if you will go down in humility and be baptized and associate
yourselves with the church and kingdom of God upon the earth your
way will be opened before you." The elder believes what he is
advocating. The man goes down and is baptized, and sure enough
directly it comes to his employer's ears, he receives a week's
notice to quit his work, or quit his cottage, as the case may be.
He pulls a long face when the elder comes round again, but the
elder says, "never mind, all will come out right; exercise your
faith; trust in Providence; do what is right and let the
consequence follow." Soon after this the man gets a good
situation and an advance of a few shillings per week probably;
the Lord has blessed him, he has opened up his way before him,
and the words of the servant of God have been fulfilled. By and
by through this increase he gets to Zion, and arriving there he
goes to visit the house of this missionary and be introduced to
his family. After awhile he takes the elder to one side and says,
"How long have you been in Utah?' And the answer is ten, fifteen,
or twenty years, as the case may be. "You are pretty comfortable,
nice little house well furnished." "Oh yes, first rate." Is this
all the family you have got?" "Yes, this is all I have got; never
had but one wife; I could not maintain any more families." "But
says the man, "did you not tell me when I got baptized to keep
all the commandments of God; did you not tell me it was the
Lord's business to provide for the Saints; did you not make the
assertion that the path of duty was the path of safety?'" "Yes"
says the elder, "that may do very well for Babylon, but it won't
do here in Zion." Now there is something not right here; there is
surely a weak point somewhere. If the principle is good in the
midst of the nations, it is good at home, and if men are honest
and honorable in the practice of that which they know to be right
in the valleys of the mountains, the path of success will as
surely open before them as it did to the man who received the
Gospel in a foreign land. A great many of the brethren think they
cannot afford to keep any more families. I remember when I was a
lad I used to think and say I should not be able to keep myself,
and on remarking this to my landlady she replied" "I have often
found that a man who thinks he cannot keep himself can keep a
wife and five or six children." Why? Because the responsibility
called forth his energies; he became speculative and energetic in
order to secure success. There is a blessing, there is an element
of salvation, there is something which tends to progress in the
obedience to every principle that has been received, so far, in
connection with the church and kingdom of God, and every man and
every woman will receive only that amount of salvation for which
they work. Our measure of salvation, then, consists in the
absorption of the truth we hear. Truth neglected, truth
unemployed, truth unappropriated, is as valueless as the snows of
ten winters ago are for the irrigation of our fields in the
coming summer. But where the spirit of life is, where the spirit
of vitality exists, where throughout the whole organization of a
man there burns the spirit of intelligence, the spirit of
advancement, he will lead out continually in the right direction,
and his wives and children will follow after him, they will catch
his spirit, his neighbors will feel his influence, the ward to
which he belongs will feel after and emulate his example, and
society generally will be the better for his presence; but when
this coldness, this indifference, this negligence comes in, why,
the blessings that belong to obedience will not be received any
more than the blessings that belong to our attending meeting on a
Sunday can be received if we stay at home. I recollect a person
saying to me once, "Well, who preached to-day?" "Oh brother so
and so." "Well, I know all he can say; and besides when such and
such persons preach I can stay at home and read the Bible"--and
not much of that I think--"I can read the Book of Mormon,
Doctrine and Covenants, DESERET NEWS, and any of the books
published by the Church and I enjoy myself better than I do in
going to meeting." Now is that a fact? A man may think so; but is
it a fact that a man can increase in the knowledge of the things
of God if he absents himself from the services of the sanctuary
as established by divine appointment? I say, no. The meeting
house is the place where the table is spread, where the food is
prepared by the eternal spirit, and when we go there and hear men
speak to us under the influence of that spirit, and we are in
possession of the same spirit--we are fed, we grow and increase,
and the roots and fibres of our being run deeper, and so enable
us to "bring forth more fruit."
44
I presume the time is exhausted. I desire to continue faithful to
the appropriation of truth, wheresoever it may originate; no
matter where, for all truth is divine. It is my privilege to
enjoy the spirit of inspiration, to feel the flow of revelation
from above; and that God may grant us peace and wisdom and save
us in his kingdom is my prayer, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Charles W. Penrose, November 29th, 1879
Charles W. Penrose, November 29th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE,
In the Tabernacle, Provo, Saturday Morning,
November 29th, 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE WORD OF THE LORD TO THE CHURCH GIVEN THROUGH THE
AUTHORITIES--AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE SUSTAINED--POWERS
OF THE PRIESTHOOD--SPHERE OF WOMAN.
45
I feel thankful to meet with the Latter-day Saints in this house
to participate in the enjoyment of this Conference; for it is
really enjoyment to me to listen to the instructions imparted to
the Saints by the power of the Holy Ghost through the covenants
of God. It is not supposed that when we come together as we do
this morning, that we wish to be treated to the views and
opinions of men. The Lord has instructed his servants to speak as
they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and it has been shown to
us that it is our privilege when we assemble on such occasions to
receive instructions, not in the enticing words of man's wisdom,
but in the demonstration and power of the Holy Ghost; and this
will be the case when we assemble in the right way and unite our
faith and our attention and our spiritual energy so as to call
down upon us the blessings of the Almighty, and to have the
presence of those influences, those ministering spirits who are
sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. It is our
privilege in these public gatherings appointed for the worship of
God, to have the presence of these holy ones in our midst, and to
have the power of the Almighty to rest upon both speaker and
hearer, that we may be fed and nourished by the bread of life
that comes down from heaven, and that when we part and go to our
respective callings and places of abode we may each carry with us
"a live coal from the altar."
47
We meet here to-day to manifest that we are willing to sustain
the brethren appointed of God in their several callings and
offices of the holy priesthood. It may seem rather a dry and
formal matter to some of the people to come together and lift up
their hands to sustain the authorities of the Church, but it is a
necessary duty and, if we look at it properly, we shall take
pleasure therein. It may seem a little monotonous, but, as I have
said, it is necessary, for it was designed by the Almighty in the
organization of this Church, that the voice of the people should
respond to the voice of the Lord. It is the voice of the Lord and
the voice of the people together in this Church that sanctions
all things therein. In the rise of the Church the Lord gave a
revelation which said that "all things shall be done by common
consent." And the Lord designs that every individual member shall
take an interest therein, shall bear a part of the
responsibility, and shall take upon him or her the spirit of the
Church, and be an active living member of the body. It is
designed that this Church shall be alive in its parts; that every
individual particle shall be influenced by the spirit thereof.
When the human body is in a healthy condition, the spirit that
dwells therein animates every portion; but when the body gets
into an unhealthy condition, there are parts of it through which
the spirit does not circulate. So with the Church that the Lord
has established upon the earth. There are plenty of dead forms in
the world; religious institutions that are not alive, but are
forms without the power. The Lord is building up a society, a
kingdom, if you will, which he designs to animate by his power in
every part of it. And this is necessary for the good of the whole
that every individual member of the Church may be inspired by the
spirit that dwells in the body, and that the inspiration thereof
may not only rest upon the twelve apostles, upon the various
presidents of Stakes and the bishops who take charge of the
various wards, and upon the teachers who minister among the
people, but that it may go to every individual member of the
Church, that the whole body may be filled with life, and all be
in unison with the highest powers. Therefore, we are called
together from time to time to manifest our willingness to sustain
the men presiding over us, through whom comes the word of the
Lord to us in an organized capacity. It is our privilege
individually to receive the word of the Lord direct. The twelve
apostles stand to communicate the word of the Lord to the Church
as a whole. The word of the Lord to the Church comes through its
presidency. In the various stakes it comes through the
authorities appointed there, and is given to the wards through
the bishops. But it is our privilege also to receive the word of
the Lord direct to ourselves each in our individual sphere and
capacity, for we hold a relationship to God as individuals, as
well as a community. It is our privilege if we live aright, each
one for himself to receive direct from the fountain of life,
intelligence, wisdom and knowledge for our individual guidance,
inspiration to direct us in all things that we are called upon to
perform. The father of a family has a right to receive the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost to direct him in all things
pertaining to his house-hold, to give words of wisdom and counsel
to his wives and his children and all within the sphere of his
authority and influence. It is the privilege of every mother to
have the spirit of the Lord to direct her in the course she shall
take with her children. And it is the privilege of every boy and
girl, who has been baptized into the Church, to receive the Holy
Ghost for their guidance, so that the whole Church may be
quickened, bodily and spiritually, with that life that comes from
above; so that God may be able to impress us as individuals with
desires and intelligence for the accomplishment of his purposes.
And we should so live as to be in harmony with the authorities of
the Church; in harmony with those who preside over us, that we
may be able to see as they see, and act as they desire us to act
when they give us the word of the Lord. But we cannot do that
unless we possess this spirit. And not only should we be in
harmony with those men, but with the powers behind the vail; and
we should be so tuned that our whole natures will be in perfect
accord with the influences that come from on high, and be
sensitive to the impressions God intends to make upon us.
48
We sustain our brethren of the twelve, as prophets, seers, and
revelators; and I have heard it remarked by some brethren, that
they could not see any need of doing so, and that holding up
their hands does not make those men prophets, seers and
revelators. That is true enough as far as it goes. But by
sustaining these brethren in our customary way, we manifest to
God and the powers behind the vail, who work with the brethren in
the flesh, that we are willing to receive any revelation that the
higher powers may see fit to communicate through them in that
capacity. We have a great deal of principle and doctrine given to
us through the means of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the
Doctrine and Covenants, etc., with which we ought to make
ourselves thoroughly familiar. At the same time we have men
presiding over us in this Church through whom the word of the
Lord will come in our present circumstances for our guidance and
for the guidance of the whole Church in its onward march, as the
exigencies of the case may require. And when we lift up our hands
to heaven to sustain them, we manifest that we hold ourselves in
readiness to receive the word of the Lord whenever he sees fit to
impart it to us. They are the legal channels; they are the
appointed receptacles to receive the words of the Lord for us as
an organized body; and by lifting up our hands to heaven in this
way, we show to God and to angels, that we are ready at any time,
if the Lord has a word of revelation to communicate to us, to
receive it, no matter how it may come; whether by the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost, or otherwise; by means of the Urim and
Thummim, if he sees fit to restore it to the Church, which he
will do as sure as we are gathered here to-day, and a man will
stand up like unto Moses, who will communicate the word of the
Lord unto us, line upon line and precept upon precept, until God
brings forth everything needed for the building up of his work;
and the things kept hidden from the foundation of the world will
be brought forth, and all the ancient records that have been lost
will be brought to light, by men through whom God shall operate
by means of the Urim and Thummim as well as by the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost. We manifest to him by our uplifted hands that we
will receive his word by inspiration, by the Urim and Thummim, or
by revelation, or the ministration of angels, or in any way he
may be pleased to communicate. It is fitting then that we should
do this. We do not know when the Lord may have some new word for
us. I am sorry to say we do not all know what is placed on
record, for we do not often read it. Nevertheless the Lord may
see fit to impart to us something not placed on record, and we
should be ready and willing to receive every word of counsel, or
instruction, or command, or rebuke that he may see fit to impart.
It is necessary also that we should show to our brethren who are
called to these various offices that we are willing to sustain
them. For they have not called themselves, neither do they run
for office; we are not office-seekers in this Church. It is very
generally the case that a man who seeks and office is not a fit
and proper person to occupy it. But we are willing to receive any
appointment or calling the Lord may see fit to place us in; we
are on hand, we are ready; but we are not office--seekers. As I
have said the men whom we voted to sustain this morning, the
presidency of the stake, bishops, home missionaries, etc., did
not call themselves, but have been called to act in those
positions; and they are not paid for it either, that is in
worldly wealth. Of course they are blessed and paid, as every man
is paid when doing good, in the blessings pertaining to his
calling. For every man called to occupy any position can, if he
seeks aright, obtain the spirit of that calling, and in that
there is peace and joy and satisfaction, so that he is paid in
his labors in any office which he may be called to fill. But our
brethren do not thrust themselves forward to seek for position.
Somebody else calls them, and we, to-day, manifest our
willingness to sustain them in those callings, and to give them
the benefit of our faith and prayers, and to assure them that so
far as we are placed under their counsel we will accept it and
act upon it. So this is a good work we do. It does not take a
great deal of time or labor; and it is a fitting duty for
Latter-day Saints to perform, and I feel that we are privileged
in so doing.
48
As the children of God, we need to rally around our brethren who
are acting in the various offices in this Church, and be one with
them; and not only manifest this by lifting up our hands, but by
really sustaining them in the positions they are called to fill,
so far as lies within our power, each one taking an interest in
these things, each one feeling that he has a part in this matter.
For this work does not rest altogether upon those required to act
in official positions, but upon every individual called by the
name of Latter-day Saint. Some people think that the sphere of
labor they are called to occupy, is not a great one, that if they
were called to occupy some office in the Church they could
accomplish more good and have something more to live for. But I
think we shall discover that if we are all anxious to fill our
sphere of action, we can find ample opportunity for the exercise
of those powers with which God has endowed us; every man and
woman can find a sphere of usefulness if they are desirous; each
one can find his or her own place, and we will all come to it by
and by. I believe it to be one of the powers and authorities of
this priesthood that God has revealed from heaven, to find out
the place for which every individual in the church is adapted,
and to get them into place.
48
"
A place for everything, and
Everything in its place."
49
And the time will come when the Lord shall have established his
Church perfectly upon the earth, and all things move in their
proper course, that God will find a place adapted to every
person, in which each will have more joy than in any other place
and be able to do more good to the community than in any other.
And we can find this measurably to-day if we are desirous to do
so. For there is an ample sphere of labor for every man, and also
for every woman, in this Church. Every man in this house, this
morning, whether bishop, teacher, or missionary to preach the
Gospel, can find something to do for the exercise of the powers
with which he is endowed, magnifying his office or calling in the
priesthood--for we nearly all have some portion of the
priesthood. If we seek for the spirit of that calling, we shall
find plenty of opportunity for the exercise of its duties. But
the great difficulty is, many of us are content simply to be
ordained to the priesthood. "I am a high priest, or seventy, or
an elder, as the case may be, and am satisfied with my calling;
and do not seek for anything further." Now, my brethren, there
are privileges and powers pertaining to these callings--and we
can read about them here in this book (Doctrine and Covenants),
and what the various duties are of these different callings in
the priesthood. The powers of the Aaronic priesthood reach out a
great way, for we are told that that priesthood holds the keys of
the ministration of angels. I wonder how many there are who
obtain such a blessing as this? I do not know whether we are fit
for communion with the higher powers, the beings sent forth to
"minister unto the heirs of salvation." But we read that the
Melchizedek priesthood contains greater powers than that. It not
only holds the keys of the ministration of angels, but of
communion with the heavenly Jerusalem, the general assembly and
church of the first-born with Jesus Christ the Mediator of the
new covenant and God the highest and holiest of all. And the time
will come when under this priesthood to those who hold this
authority and calling, and have the spirit of it and minister in
that spirit and obtain the power thereof, the Lord will unveil
his face and they shall gaze upon his glory. That time will come,
for there is no word of the Lord revealed but what will come to
pass. It may not come in the time and season we expect it, or
when we are looking for it; but we may be assured that everything
that God has promised by the power of the Holy Ghost through his
servants will come to pass in his due time. The time will come
when the servants of the living God will purify themselves before
him until they will be fit to receive these blessings. When that
holy temple is built in Zion God will take away the veil from the
eyes of his servants; and the day is yet to dawn when the sons of
Moses and Aaron, having become sanctified to the renewing of
their bodies, will administer in that holy house, and the veil
will be taken away, and they will gaze upon the glories of that
world now unseen, and upon the faces of beings now to them
invisible; but it will be when they have purified themselves from
the evils of this world, and are really the servants of the
living God, and temples of the Holy Ghost.
50
We can get a measure of the spirit of this calling to-day, and by
the power thereof we can have communion with our Father. Not only
through the living oracles in a Church capacity, but as
individual members of the Church we can come near unto the Lord,
so that there will be no barrier between us and him, and so that
his Spirit can come upon us freely, and the light of God can
illuminate our souls and so direct us that we may have the life
and strength of this eternal priesthood. For this priesthood is a
reality and not a mere name; it is not a mere calling in word,
but an office which confers upon us power and influence that
comes from the Almighty. I know that men holding the priesthood,
and who magnify it and receive the spirit and power of it, are
different from other men, their influence and motives are
different, their feelings are different and the spirit and
influence they carry with them are different. Such men can go
forth in the midst of the wicked, enwrapped in the power and
influence of their priesthood, like the garments they wear, and
be separate from the world, and they can carry an influence in
the world which other men cannot carry. There is force in it,
there is power and salvation in it; and every man called to hold
this priesthood should be a minister of salvation in the midst of
the earth. If he is not called to minister abroad in the world,
he can be a minister of peace and righteousness at home; he can
strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees, and drive
away doubt from the sceptical mind; bear testimony to the truth
which he has received and understands, and wherever he goes he
can carry the Spirit and blessing of God that will build the
people together, and thus help to build up the kingdom of God.
And he will not spread contention or encourage any spirit which
would prompt men to speak evil of each other; he will not
encourage anything that savors of contention and strife and
disunion, but, on the contrary, will encourage all that tends to
unite the people together. And any man holding the priesthood has
power to do that much in the sphere which he is called to occupy.
And also of speaking a word in due season, and of standing in his
calling and of being a representative of the Most High God.
52
And the sisters, too, have also a good, wide sphere. I was
pleased to see that the presidency of the Relief Society was
presented and sustained at this Conference. The sisters are one
with the brethren in their labors, and have duties peculiar to
themselves, in carrying on the work which God has given them to
do. It has been well said, that "Man is not without the woman,
nor the woman without the man, in the Lord." And we shall find
that through all eternity the sexes go together, and that the
female portion of God's children have a part and a lot in this
matter as well as the male. These Relief Societies give
opportunity for our sisters to do much good, and even those who
do not belong to the society have frequent opportunities for
doing good. Every mother has a field of usefulness at home among
her own children; this is her peculiar sphere. Do not let me be
understood to mean that woman should be a fixture in the house,
to be tied up to a table leg, or to a wash-tub. I think many of
our sisters stay at home too much. If they would make it their
business to take more out-door exercise they would find it a
relief to the monotony of household work. I do not believe that
women should be tied up at home; but I say that home is woman's
peculiar sphere. She reigns there as queen; she can make that
home comfortable, peaceful and pleasant for the husband, so that
he would rather come there than any other place on earth; and
that woman is foolish, I think, who does not do this. Women
should make their homes as comfortable as they can, with the
means at their command, that the husband, the children and all
that belong to the family may be glad to come home to enjoy the
society of the family circle. Right there is where a woman can
exercise the great power God has given unto her. What a blessing
it is when the Lord gives to a woman children, boys and girls
born heirs to the covenant, heirs to the holy priesthood, that
they may grow up with natural rights to the blessings of the
priesthood; to become servants of the Most High; to become
vessels for the Holy Spirit to dwell in; to become
representatives of the Lord upon the earth; to become ministers
of salvation for the living and the dead! What a sphere for the
labors of these sisters, to train up the minds of their children
in the fear of the Lord; to teach the boys good principles; to
teach them as well as the girls to be virtuous, pure, chaste, and
holy, for those that are unholy cannot receive the fullness of
the blessing and power of God, that is, like those who keep
themselves pure before him. And the brethren can plant these
ideas in the minds of their boys, and if not fully at first, by
and by they will be enabled to comprehend their full meaning.
Fathers should take all the time they can in instructing their
children but the mothers are with them so much more and have so
much greater influence over them in a certain direction, and
therefore they should seek to exercise their powers by training
up their children in the way they should go. And we are not
required to train them up by word and precept alone, but by
example. If we do not want our children to use strong drink, it
will not do to for us to use it. Try therefore to set our
children examples which we would feel perfectly willing that they
should imitate. Our sisters can work in this way both by precept
and example, and above all things by the spirit they carry; they
can impress the minds of the young and rising generation so that
they may grow up with a natural tendency to that which is holy.
Let girls be brought up by a mother who is full of kindness and
love and charity--which are much more beautiful adornments than
the glittering show of jewelry; earthly jewels are nothing in
comparison to those precious jewels of eternity, and all the
finery that woman could put on is nothing to the adornment of the
mind which peculiarly shines out in the mothers and daughters of
Israel--let a mother be embued with this good, kind, teachable
spirit and she can surround her children with it, she can have
that spirit in the home where she resides. And although she may
have a great many cares and tribulations and trials which may
tempt her to anger, yet, she can conquer all the passions that
will rise up in her nature and subdue them, and can train up her
children in the midst of these adverse circumstances, in the fear
of God, and her tribulations will be turned to her good, and it
will be easy for her children to walk in the way of God, and they
will grow up with a natural repugnance for the things which are
evil, and a natural desire to receive in their hearts everything
that is good. The Lord is saying to the north, "Give up; and to
the south, keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my
daughters from the ends of the earth." He has brought us to this
place from the nations of the earth that we may become a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people
zealous of good works. This is why he has given unto us laws with
regard to the marriage relations, that Israel shall not marry
Gentiles; that Israel shall wed Israel; that the daughters of God
shall marry the sons of God, etc., in order that our children may
be heirs to the blessings pertaining to the everlasting covenant,
that by and by there may be a race of men and women upon the
earth who will be holy unto the Lord, born with natural desires
in them to do right, which they have inherited from their
parents, who shall train them up in the way they should go, with
that holy atmosphere surrounding them, that they may be
thoroughly under the influence of the spirit that comes from on
high, that their whole natures may be sensitive to the
whisperings of Almighty God, that they may grow up, his sons and
daughters, and that it may be a mark of honor that such and such
men were "born in Zion." The Lord will give honor unto such
people. And their sons will go to nations afar off and the earth
will tremble under their voice, and evil spirits that are
deceiving the sons of men will flee before them, for the power of
the priesthood will be with them. And they will search out the
seed of Israel wherever they preach to them the Gospel in their
own tongue by the power of the Almighty--for this the gift of
tongues was designed--and they will gather in the seed of Israel
to the Zion of our God. And he will be their strength; he will go
before them and be round about them. And our daughters will grow
up pure and virtuous, and the angels of God will be round about
them. And the Lord will multiply his people upon the earth until
all things are fulfilled, his kingdom will be built up, the Lord
Jesus Christ will come, and all that has been spoken by the
prophets will be brought to pass.
52
Now, these things are right before us. God expects us to be a
different kind of people from those in the world. He does not
expect us to be of the world, worldly. We have come here to be
separate from the world, that we may purge ourselves from the
spirit of Babylon. We must have different motives from the world,
we must not have the same desires as the Gentiles, for their
hearts are set upon the things of this life. They worship the
wealth of the world. I hope to see the time when every Latter-day
Saint will have plenty, and the time will come when God will give
unto his people all the wealth they desire, but that will be when
they know how to use it aright, and when their hearts are right
and set upon the law of the Lord and upon the counsel of his
will, and when they will be willing to use it for his glory and
the blessing of their race. We must remember we are Latter-day
Saints, having come here to serve the Lord, to learn his ways and
walk in his paths, and to unite ourselves together, that we may
be a solid, compact body, a living body filled with the spirit of
life and light that comes from God, ready at any moment, as
individuals or as an organized church community to move forward
in any direction required, that the word of God may be
proclaimed, that Israel may be gathered and the Kingdom of God
built up, and the power taken out of the hands of the wicked and
vested in the hands of the servants of God, who will rule in
righteousness in the midst of the earth.
53
I bear my testimony to this congregation, many of whom are
strangers to me, and some of whom I have met, conversed with and
labored with in foreign lands; I can say to you all that I know
this work is true. I know by the revelation of the Holy Spirit
that the Lord has commenced the great work of the latter days
spoken of by the prophets. I know it will remain, and will
prevail; though all the world rise up against it--as they will do
some day, not only this nation, but others--and will say, "Let
her be defiled." But they know not the Lord, neither do they
understand the counsels of his will. For he will say unto Zion,
"Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn
iron, and I will make thine hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in
pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the
Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth."
Though all nations oppose, this work will roll onward to
completion; for the power of God will be in our midst and we
shall be able to accomplish with greater ease and facility
everything we are directed to do. This kingdom will prevail, and
this work will roll on and accomplish everything predicted. And
the time will come when the pure and good of every clime will
gather up to Zion: and the Temple will be built in the centre
city of Zion, the New Jerusalem, and the glory of God will rest
upon it, and the purposes of God will be developed and his
kingdom roll on, while the kingdoms of this world, with all their
pomp and splendor, will be brought low; and God through his
priesthood, will rule from the rivers to the ends of the earth.
And Christ our Redeemer will come and bring his reward with him.
53
May God help us to be faithful in this work, so that when he
shall come, we may as individuals and a church be purified and
prepared to enter into the joy of our Lord to receive the
fullness of the blessings of the Gospel of peace. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, September 21, 1878
John Taylor, September 21, 1878
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at the Regular Priesthood Meeting of the Weber
Stake of Zion, Held at Ogden, on the 21st September, 1878.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
CO-OPERATION AND THE UNITED ORDER--THE SAINTS SHOULD BE GOVERNED
BY THE LAW AND WILL OF GOD--THE APPROACHING CALAMITIES UPON THE
WORLD--SHOULD BE WILLING TO FORSAKE EARTHLY INTERESTS FOR THE
GOSPEL'S SAKE.
53
I have been desirous to meet with the priesthood of this Stake,
and I have invited a number of the presidents of Stakes within
this district of country to be present at this meeting, for the
consideration of certain questions that have been pressing
themselves upon my mind for some time, that I want to lay before
the people here.
55
We have met here in a capacity of the holy priesthood, and all of
us profess to be elders in Israel, and to be disposed at least to
walk according to the order of God, and to seek to establish the
principles of righteousness as far as lies in our power, and to
try to build up his kingdom on the earth. That, at least, is our
profession, and I believe is the sentiment of the hearts of most
of the brethren now assembled. At the same time we have different
ideas about many things, particularly things of a temporal
nature, so called, We go in a good deal for what is called "free
trade and sailor's rights"--we want to enjoy a large amount of
liberty. All these things are very popular and very correct. But
in our acts and doings it is necessary that we be governed by
certain laws and principles which have been given unto us by the
Lord. We all concede to this. But there are some things we seem
to be very much confused about, in regard to our temporal
matters. During the lifetime of President Young--several years
ago, it seemed as though he was wrought upon to introduce
co-operation and the United Order, to quite an extent. He told us
at the time that it was the word and the will of God to us. I
believed it then; and I believe it now. And yet, at the same
time, every kind of idea, feeling and spirit has been manifested.
In many places co-operation and the United Order have been
started under various forms; in some they have succeeded very
well, and in other places people have acted foolishly and
covetously, seeking their own personal, individual interests
under the pretense of serving God and carrying out his designs.
Others have been visionary and have undertaken things which were
impracticable, while others have not acted in good faith at all.
There has been every kind of feeling among us as a people, that
is possible to exist anywhere. And I have thought sometimes in
regard to our co-operative institutions, that some of those who
are engaged in them and sustained by them are as much opposed to
co-operation and United Order as any other class of people we
have. At least, I have noticed feelings of that kind. I do not
say they are general. But there are certain reflections in
relation to these matters that have been pressing upon my mind
for some time. And let me here ask myself a question--a question
not of a personal nature; I have not come here to talk about any
personal matters at all, but upon principle and upon some of
those principles that we as Later-day Saints, and as elders in
Israel, profess to believe in. The question would be and my text
would be to-day, if I wanted to take a text: Shall we sustain
co-operation and the United Order, and work with that end in view
in all of our operations, or shall we give it up as a bad thing
unworthy of our attention? That is where the thing comes to, in
my mind. At any rate, we wish to act honestly and honorably in
this matter. If we believe that these principles are true, let us
be governed by them; if we do not, let us abandon them at once,
conclude that we have made a mistake and have no more to do with
them. For we, all of us, profess to be at least honest men, and
to act conscientiously. If there is anything wrong in these
things, let us know the wrong; and if it is not a command of God,
and not binding upon us, let us quit it. And then the question
naturally arises, Are we prepared to do this? And, on the other
hand, if we believe that these are principles that are inculcated
by the Lord, then let us be governed by them. In fact, whichever
way we decide let us carry out our decisions in good faith, and
not have our sign painted on one side in white and on the other
black or some other color. But let us feel as the prophet Elijah
did on a certain occasion, "If the Lord be God, follow him; but
if Baal, then follow him." There was a disposition in ancient
Israel to have a part of God and a part of the devil or Baal--an
idolatrous god which was worshipped by them. I sometimes think
that in some respects we are a good deal like them. Do we believe
our religion? Yes. Do we believe in the holy priesthood and that
God has restored it to the earth? Yes. Do we believe that God has
established his kingdom? Yes. And do we believe that the holy
priesthood is under the guidance of the Lord? O, yes; but still
we would like a good deal of our own way. If we must introduce
something that the Lord has commanded, we would like to put it
off just as far as we can, and if we cannot do it any other way
we will fight against it, according to circumstances, and how
things move and operate. We often wish the Lord would not exact
certain things of us; we would rather have our own way. But let
us look at things calmly and dispassionately. As I understand it,
the Lord has gathered us together to do his will, to observe his
laws and keep his commandments. And we have certain obligations
devolving upon us in the holy priesthood which God requires at
our hands. He requires, for instance, of the Twelve to go, when
called upon, to the nations of the earth and preach the Gospel to
those nations. If they were not to do it, would they be
justified? No, they would not; God would require the blood of the
people at their hands. That is the way I figure up these things.
I do not know of any half-way house. As one of the Twelve, I do
not want to dodge any of these questions, but meet them fairly
and squarely. And I think I have done it; and I think the Twelve
generally have. They have always been on hand to go anywhere when
the Lord has required them to go, whether in sickness or health,
in poverty or abounding in means; no matter what their
circumstances, or what individualism would have to be sacrificed,
their object has ever been to do the will of God. And so it has
been with a great many of the seventies, high priests and also
with a great many of the elders. Their feelings have been: Let
the Lord speak, and here am I, ready to do his will and carry out
his designs. And this feeling exists to-day in the hearts of a
great many; but there are also a great many who do not feel so,
who want to dodge these questions. Here is Brother Eldredge, who
is one of the presidents of the seventies; he knows how extremely
difficult it is to get men, as we used in former years--"at the
drop of the hat," as it was termed, to go on missions. However, I
do not wish to dwell upon that; I merely refer to it in passing
along.
57
We are here, as I understand it, as Jesus was, "Not to do our own
will, but the will of our Father who sent us." If God had not
felt after you, and his spirit operated upon you, you would not
be here in these mountains to-day. What does Jesus say about
these things in speaking of them? "I pray for them: I pray not
for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they
are thine." You have been in the same situation; you have seen
the elect of God gathered together through the medium of the holy
priesthood, by the opening of the heavens and the revelation of
the will of God to man and the restoration of the holy Gospel.
You have been gathered together in this way, and we all have.
What to do? Is it, as they used to say in the Church of England,
to follow the devices and desires of our own hearts? Is it to
follow out some petty scheme of our own? I do not so understand
it; I understand that it is to build up the Church and kingdom of
God upon the earth, and to prepare the earth and the people of
the earth for the things that are coming on the earth; and to
prepare ourselves, as a people, to receive further intelligence,
wisdom and knowledge from God, that he may have a people in whom
he can place confidence, and whom he can bless, and through them
confer blessings on mankind. He expects us to build up his
kingdom, and that is the first consideration with us. And this is
what he told his disciples in former days "Seek ye first the
Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these
things"--referring to our temporal concerns, which comparatively
are like so many chips and whetstones--"shall be added unto you."
But these things, too, enter into our daily life and our
intercourse one with another, and into the purposes of God
associated with the gathering of his people together, that they
may be one, that through them he can communicate his will to the
human family, that there may be a nucleus formed around with the
honest in heart form all the world may rally; and be in
possession of the word and will of the Lord, and the light,
intelligence and revelations of God our Father; that the secret
of the Lord might be with those who fear him, and that they might
fear him and understand the things which are approaching, and
prepare the earth for those things that are coming. We appear
here, as it were, in a normal school, to prepare ourselves to
carry out the purposes of God upon the earth. Can you find a
people anywhere on the earth that will listen to the word of God?
No, you cannot; neither can you find anybody to whom God could
communicate his will. We talk a good deal, and often preach a
good deal, about the judgments which are to come upon the earth:
wars, pestilence, famine, and distress of nations, and testify
that a calamity will follow so continuously that by and by it
will be a vexation to hear the report thereof. We have talked
about these things for years. I have myself for upwards of forty
years; and as I have said before, so I repeat, that these things
which await the world, are forty years nearer than they were
forty years ago. God did not mock us when he told us of these
things; but all that he has said concerning them through ancient
prophets and through Joseph Smith are true, and as sure as God
lives they will take place. I will prophecy that they will take
place as sure as God lives, and they are approaching very rapidly
upon us. We are told that the day will come when he that will not
take up his sword against his neighbor must needs flee to Zion
for safety. And is that true? Yes, it is. If that should take
place today, are we prepared for it? I think not. If we should go
on for years as we are now going on shall we be prepared for it?
We are not, to-day, all of us, preparing for these things. We can
hardly manage a few miserable apostates and a few Gentiles, and
we feel very creepy sometimes about anything that transpires, not
knowing how or what may be the result; instead of being clothed
upon with the spirit of God and being filled with the Holy Ghost,
the light of revelation and the power of God. But we do not have
this kind of feeling, and we are divided up in our interest, one
man pulling against another, so much so, that we have to-day all
kinds of Gentilism among us. Even our newspapers give circulation
to certain classes of advertisements which are a living lie, and
it is a shame and disgrace that such things should be seen in
Zion. Some call it Gentile trickery, the tricks of trade etc.,
but I call it chicanery and falsehood, and it is so in regard to
many other things. Does this comport with the position we occupy
as men holding the holy priesthood? I do not think it does. I
think we ought to occupy a more elevated and honorable position;
I think we ought to be governed by other influences, and be
actuated by other motives. I think that our lives, our desires,
our feelings and our acts ought to be to try to build up Zion and
establish the kingdom of God upon the earth; that we should be
united in our temporal as well as in our spiritual affairs, for
God says: "If you are not one you are not mine." Do you believe
it? You elders of Israel, do you believe that saying? And if we
are not the Lord's then whose are we? We have our own plans, our
own notions and our own theories; and as one of old expressed it,
we are seeking for gain, every one from his own quarter. And we
are governed to a very great extent by selfishness, and too much
by our own personal feelings, and allow these things to influence
us instead of being governed by those high, noble, dignified and
glorious principles that dwell in the bosom of God, which
emanated form him, and which dwell also in the bosoms of those
who in sincerity fear God and keep his commandments.
58
Now, I know what many of you will say, in speaking of
co-operation: "there has been a great many abuses." Yes, I admit
it--numbers of them. "What and under the name of the United Order
also?" Yes, any quantity of them. Joseph Smith in his day said it
was extremely difficult to introduce these things because of the
greed, covetousness, selfishness and wickedness of the people. I
wish here to refer to one or two things connected with this
subject. I spoke about the Twelve, the seventies, the elders and
the high priests; and stated that a great many of them had been
out preaching the Gospel, and that some of them felt as though it
is hard work. It is, no doubt, very up-hill business for a man to
be a Saint if he is not one; and if he has not the principles of
the Gospel in his heart, it must be very hard work, I may say an
eternal struggle, for him to preach. But if a man has got the
pure principles of the Gospel in his heart, it is quite easy for
him to expound the truth. Well, now, I will take the words of
Jesus: "Except a man can forsake father or mother, wife and
children, houses and lands, for my sake, he cannot be my
disciple." And let me say to you, my brethren, that that Gospel
is just as true to-day as it was then, that except a man is
prepared to forsake his earthly interests for the sake of the
Gospel of the Son of God, he is unworthy of it, and cannot be a
true Saint. Now, this is where the hardship comes in and it also
accounts for this eternal rubbing and bumping. "How much can't I
do, and how little can I do to retain fellowship with the Church;
and how much can I act selfishly and yet be counted a disciple of
Christ?" Did you never feel as Paul describes it--the spirit
striving against the flesh? I guess you have, and you doubtless
know all about it; for these are plain matters of fact. This is
the position the Gospel has placed us in; and it is a very
difficult thing to serve two masters, in fact it is useless for
any man to attempt to do it, "for (as the Savior says) either he
will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to
the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
And therefore Jesus said: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of
me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
59
But to return to the principles of co-operation and United Order.
Supposing a man had come to you elders, when you were out on
missions, requesting baptism at your hands, without having
repented of his sins, would you have baptized him? No, you would
not. But supposing he claimed to believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ, but not in baptism; would you receive him into the
Church? No, you dare not do such things. But supposing again that
he believed in baptism and in the Lord Jesus Christ, and had
repented of his sins, but did not believe in the laying on of
hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost; would you baptize him?
No. And further supposing he had complied with all these
requirements, and he had the opportunity to gather to Zion but
did not improve the opportunity, would you consider him a very
good Saint? No. Now, beside all these, the Lord has given us a
law pertaining to tithing; and if he did not comply with that
would you consider him a good Saint? No. And we are told to build
temples, and the man who would refuse to do this work, you would
consider a very poor specimen of a Latter-day Saint. Referring to
the United Order, the Lord has given us to understand that
whosoever refuses to comply with the requirements of that law,
his name shall not be known in the records of the Church, but
shall be blotted out; neither shall his children have an
inheritance in Zion. Are these the words of the Lord to us? I
suppose there are none here to day but would say, Yes. How, then
can I or you treat lightly that which God has given us? It is the
word of God to me; it is the word of God to you. And if we do not
fulfil this requirement what is the result? We are told what the
result will be. These things have not taken place now; but we
have been wandering about from place to place, and the Lord has
blessed us in a remarkable degree. And we are gathered together,
as I have said, for the purpose of building up Zion, and we are
supposed to be the servants of God having engaged to perform this
work; and individually, I would say, I do not want to profess to
be a Saint, if I am not one, nor if the work we are engaged in is
not of the Lord; if the principles we believe in are false, I do
not want anything to do with them; on the other hand, if they are
true then I want to be governed by them, and so do you. We must
carry out the word and will of God, for we cannot afford to
ignore it nor any part of it. If faith, repentance and baptism
and laying on of hands is right and true and demands our
obedience, so does co-operation and the United Order. Some may
say, here is such and such a man has been connected with the
United Order, and how foolishly he has acted, and others have
gone into co-operation and made a failure of it. Yes, that may be
all very true, but who is to blame? Shall we stop baptizing
people and make no further efforts to establish the kingdom of
God upon the earth, because certain ones have acted foolishly and
perhaps wickedly? Do the actions of such people render the
principles of the Gospel without effect or the doctrines we teach
untrue? I think you would not say so. What do we do with such
cases? We purge them out, we cut them off according to the laws
God has laid down; but we do not stop the operations of the
Gospel, such a thought never enters our minds, for we know the
work already commenced is onward and upward. Shall we then think
of putting an end to these other principles because men have
acted foolishly and selfishly and done wrong? No, I think not; I
do not think we can choose one principle and reject another to
suit ourselves. I think that all of these things, as we have
received them, one after another are equally binding upon us,
Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word
that proceedeth out from the mouth of God." This is as true
to-day as it was when spoken.
59
I have seen a disposition among many of the brethren to pull off
in every kind of way, and this spirit and tendency is spreading
and growing in every part of our Territory. We have co-operative
stores started, and we have the eye of God painted over the
doors, with the words "Holiness to the Lord" written overhead. Do
we act according to that? In a great many instances I am afraid
not. But what of that? Shall we depart from these principles? I
think not. What was the principle of co-operation intended for?
Simply as a stepping stone for the United Order, that is all,
that we might be united and operate together in the interest of
building up Zion. Well, having started, what do we see? One
pulling one way another pulling another way; every one taking his
own course. One man says: Such a one takes his own course, and I
will take mine. Using the same line of argument, because one man
commits a wrong unworthy the calling of a Latter-day Saint, his
doing so is to be an excuse for my doing the same thing. As I
understand it, I am called to fear God, whether anybody else does
it or not; and this is your calling just as much as it is mine.
We may indeed shirk it and violate the covenants we have made.
The Lord has blessed us with endowments and covenants of which
the world know nothing, neither can they know anything about it.
And he has given unto us these things that we might be brought
into closer union with God, that we might know how to save
ourselves, our wives and children, as well as our fathers and
progenitors who have gone before us. Having done this, what next?
God has revealed certain things to the children of men now as he
formerly revealed the Gospel to the children of Israel. But could
they stand it? No, they could not. Moses succeeded in leading
seventy of the elders of Israel to the presence of God; he would
have lead all Israel into his presence, but they would not be
led; they turned to idolatry, to evil and corruption, and hence
they became disobedient and unmanageable. And when the Lord spake
to them they became terrified and said, "Let not God speak unto
us lest we die." God wants to bring us near to him, for this
purpose he has introduced the Gospel with all its ordinances. Has
he been true to us? Yes. And when you elders have been out
preaching and baptizing people for the remission of their sins,
and when confirming them members of this Church, you have said,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost, have they received it? They have, God
bearing witness of the truth of your words and of his ministry
conferred upon you.
61
Now then, he calls upon us to be one. What for? Because we are
associated with his kingdom. With what? With his kingdom. What is
his kingdom? It is his government, rule, authority, dominion,
power, etc. God has introduced his kingdom after his order, and
it is for him to guide that kingdom and direct it, and manage it,
and manipulate it in the interest of the honest in heart, and of
all nations. He has commenced it among us that he might have a
little nucleus where he could communicate and reveal his will,
composed of such as would carry that will out, and do his bidding
and obey his behests. That is what we are here for, and not to do
our own will, any more than Jesus came to do his will, but the
will of his Father. What do we know about building up the kingdom
of God? What do we know about the calamities that are to come? I
can tell you that while we have peace to-day and everything runs
smoothly and quietly on, the day is not far distant before the
Lord will arise to shake terribly the earth, and it will be felt
in this nation more keenly and more severely than any of you have
seen it by a great deal, and I know it, and I bear testimony to
it. We have no time to experiment in following our own notions
and ideas; we have something else to do, we have got to build up
the kingdom of God; and in order to do this we must of necessity
unite ourselves together, and seek to know the mind of God to
carry it out. And all that we do should be done with this object
in view. We have all kinds of individual interests and
enterprises among us; some men are operating quite considerably
one way and another, and some are not. Brother Jennings, for
instance, who is present with us to-day, besides owning stock to
the extent of $90,000 in Z. C. M. I., is, with others, engaged
with other pursuits of a manufacturing nature, which are very
laudable. Such enterprises tend to give employment to the people,
and this is what we want, and what we must have sooner or later.
There is one thing, however, I would here say about forming
unions and partnerships in any line of manufacture: Let them be
formed with the understanding that when the proper time shall
arrive they can merge into co-operation, or the United Order. It
is very important that in all of our undertakings we should have
at heart this feeling and work to this end, and then we may
reasonably expect that it can be but a question of time to bring
out a grand consolidation of all individual interests. I have
been impressed in my feelings upon these subjects for some time,
therefore I speak about them as I do. How many years is it since
this was started, and how little we have done! I tell you if we
go a little further in our drawing off, and each taking his own
course, God will leave us to ourselves. But he will not leave us
as long as we manifest a desire to do right; and I am pleased to
say there is a feeling generally among the brethren to listen to
counsel, yet at the same time we are apt to get confused,
forgetting the object we have in view, amidst the variety of
things that present themselves. Shall we, my brethren, give up
co-operation? or shall we consider men in good fellowship who are
pulling off in either direction, or shall we not? What shall we
do? Shall we be true to our religion, true to our faith, true to
the principles that God has commanded; or shall we forsake them?
We will not forsake them, and the brethren generally do not feel
like doing it; but there are a few now and then who get off the
track. We want to get together and untie our hearts and
sympathies into one, placing ourselves under proper direction,
holding ourselves in readiness to perform any work required by
God at our hands. I will tell you in the name of Israel's God
that if you keep his commandments you will be the richest of all
people, for God will pour wealth upon you; but if you do not, you
will have to struggle a good deal more than you have done for the
Spirit and blessings of God will be withdrawn from us, just in
proportion as we withdraw ourselves from God. We are living in an
eventful age, an age in which many wonderful changes are to be
wrought. We are told many other things of a similar nature, that
he who will not take up his sword against his neighbor, must
needs flee to Zion for safety. The Latter-day Saints will see the
day when people will flock to Zion, and many of them will say, we
do not know anything about your religion, but you are an
honorable, just, industrious and virtuous people, you administer
justice and equity, and the rights of man are protected and
maintained. You maintain good government, extending protection to
everybody, and we want to live with you and be one with you. We
want to prepare ourselves for these things, for they are coming
as sure as God lives. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, January 4th, 1880
John Taylor, January 4th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, at the Quarterly
Conference, Sunday afternoon, January 4th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
COMPREHENSIVENESS OF THE LORD'S PRAYER--THE RULE AND GOVERNMENT
OF GOD--THE REVELATION OF THE FATHER AND SON TO JOSEPH SMITH, AND
THE BESTOWAL UPON HIM OF THE PRIESTHOOD--DEVELOPMENT OF
THEOCRATIC
LAWS AND PRINCIPLES--OBJECT OF GATHERING--RELIGIOUS FREEDOM--OUR
RELATIONS WITH THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT.
62
I have been very much pleased and interested in the proceedings
of this conference and in the teachings that we have had from
those who have addressed us, and I take very great pleasure in
performing my part in these exercises in which we are now
engaged. It would seem that this building is rather too small for
us at present; I do not know that we can stretch it any;
consequently we will put up with things as they are. However it
will only be on extraordinary occasions that we shall have the
amount of people in it that there is to-day. By and by the storms
will be over and the winter past, and we have got a larger
building close by, that we can go to. I am very much pleased
however, with the exertions that have been made in preparing this
building so far, it is true that it is in an unfinished condition
for the assembling of the Saints at this conference; but I
suppose that it will be quite gratifying to the priesthood and to
all who have assembled together on this occasion, to possess the
privilege we now enjoy.
62
There are a few thoughts that have passed through my mind in
hearing the remarks of some of my brethren. I was much pleased
this morning in listening to the remarks made by Brother Pratt
and the brethren who succeeded him, particularly in regard to the
subject that they seemed to have their minds upon, that is in
relation to the observance of the word of wisdom; and although,
like Brother Pratt, I should have to make an acknowledgement that
I have not fulfilled that always, yet, I heartily sustain and
coincide with every principle that God has revealed for the
temporal or spiritual salvation of his people. There were some
remarks associated with those made by some of the brethren that
also bore a little on my mind, namely, that our religion did not
consist simply in one principle but in many, agreeable to what
has been spoken in ancient days that "man shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that procedeth out of the mouth of God."
But we are none of us justified in repudiating or ignoring any
one of those principles which God has given unto us, and if we
have been negligent in these or other matters the proper way for
us to do is to reform, to begin anew, or, at least if we have let
down any stitches, as the sisters sometimes say when they are
knitting, gather them up again and put things in proper position
that we may be able, not only in that but in everything else, to
honor our God in all sincerity, fidelity and integrity; that we
may be able to present ourselves before the Lord in a manner
which shall always have his acceptance.
63
We need teaching continually, line upon line, precept upon
precept, here a little and there a little. Hence we have our
various organizations of the priesthood, calculated to oversee to
manipulate, to regulate, to teach, to instruct, and to enter into
all the ramifications of life whether they pertain to this world
or the world to come. We need continually not only the guidance
and the teachings of the apostles, the presidents, the bishops,
priests, teachers, deacons and the various organizations of the
priesthood; but we need individually to look unto the Lord for
wisdom to direct us in all the affairs of life, that we may speak
aright, that we may think aright, that we may act aright, and we
may perform the various duties devolving upon us to attend to in
all of the avocations of life, and in our prayers, in our various
devotions in a family capacity, in a church capacity and in every
position that we occupy, we need the guidance and direction of
the Almighty. And it is with individuals as it is with families
and branches and portions of families, we need to seek unto the
Lord and obtain wisdom from him. There is one fact, and that is a
great many people--scarcely any of us--know what is good for us.
We may have our ideas about that; but we need continually the
guidance and direction of the Almighty. The disciples, that is
the apostles of old, understood this principle and they asked the
Lord to teach them how to pray and in a very few words he uttered
one of the most comprehensive forms that has ever been penned or
spoken. He said when you pray say "Our Father, which art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is done in heaven; give us this day our daily
bread; forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass
against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil; for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever
and ever, amen." That is a most comprehensive prayer. In the
first place the God of the universe is recognized, our Father who
is in the heavens, the God and the father of Jesus christ. And
what else? The God and Father of the spirits of all flesh. We
recognize and reverence him as "Our Father, which art in heaven,"
we bow before him and seek unto him for his guidance and
direction. We hallow and reverence his name. And then what next?
"Thy kingdom come." What kingdom? All those things branch out
into great and important principles, that can only be understood
by revelations from the Most High. "Thy kingdom come." Why? That
"thy will may be done on earth as it is done in heaven."
64
I wish to refer a little to some of these things, those ideas and
principles that are developed in this saying, in part, because
these things can only be done in part. We talk a good deal about
the church and kingdom of God. I sometimes think we understand
very little about either. The kingdom of God means the government
of God. That means, power, authority, rule, dominion, and a
people to rule over; but that principle will not be fulfilled,
cannot be entirely fulfilled, until, as we are told in the
Scriptures, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of
our Lord and his Christ, and he will rule over them. And when
unto him every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is
Christ, to the glory of God, the Father. That time has not yet
come, but there are certain principles associated therewith that
have come, namely, the introduction of that kingdom, and the
introduction of that kingdom could only be made by that being who
is the king and ruler, and the head of that government, first
communicating his ideas, his principles, his laws, his government
to the people; otherwise we should not know what his laws were.
The world has been governed in every kind of form; we have had
every species of government. Sometimes we have had patriarchal
government, at other times we have had unlimited monarchies or
what may be called despotic governments, where the power to rule
is in the hands of one individual. At other times we have had
limited monarchies such as exist in many places now upon the face
of the earth. In other places and at different ages we have had
what is termed republican governments where the voice of the
people has ruled and governed and managed the people's affairs.
There have been various forms independent of these, which I do
not wish to enter into at present, but nowhere have we had the
government of God. It is true that for a limited period among a
very small people in early days, among the Jews, they professed
to be under the guidance of God for a certain length of time. But
they were continually departing therefrom. They had their
priesthood, they had their prophets, they had their Urim and
Thummim, and through these mediums they sought the wisdom and
guidance of God in regard to many of the prominent enterprises in
which they engaged. The law given by Moses was one of those
things that emanated from God. Moses received from the Lord the
ten commandments written upon tables of stone--written by the
finger of God--and this people, who were then quite a small
people comparatively speaking, received the commands of God and
professed, at least, to be governed thereby. The Lord gave them
commands and they were proclaimed to the people, and when
proclaimed it was usual for all the people to say "Amen. These
laws we will observe and do." But this was among a very limited
people. Very soon they desired to have a king to rule over them,
but the idea that was then considered proper among them was: "The
Lord is our king, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our
lawgiver, and he shall rule over us." We see the feeling which
they had and entertained as a people, but they departed from it
and they sought a king and were led astray from correct
principles--led into folly, darkness, ignorance--until they were
scattered abroad to the four winds of heaven.
67
There has been a time spoken of by all the holy prophets since
the world was, when God should govern his people, and the Jews,
when the Messiah come, expected that he was come to reign over
Israel as a temporal king, that he was going to take possession
of his kingdom to overthrow all other kingdoms, empires,
dynasties and powers, and declare himself the king of Israel and
of the world. But they did not understand many things associated
therewith, and they do not now; and the world does not, and we
ourselves understand very little about them. But the Scriptures
say that "till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled." Now then, if
the kingdoms of this world have never yet become the kingdoms of
our God and his Christ they will be, and it is necessary that
there should be a commencement to this as well as to every other
thing. This is a matter that has been looked forward to by
prophets and apostles, patriarchs, and men of God in the various
dispensations of time. It is called "the dispensation of the
fullness of times" when God will gather together all things in
one whether they be things on the earth or things in the heavens.
Now there must of necessity be a starting point for this, and the
question is how is it to originate? Who among the nations of the
earth knew or comprehended anything about the government of God?
None did; nowhere; no king, no emperor, no potentate, no
president, no power upon the face of the earth; no divine or
theologian, no scientist, no philosopher, understood anything
about this matter. It is indeed the kingdom of God, and being his
kingdom, it must originate with him, it must receive from him its
teachings, its forms, its principles, its laws, its ordinances,
its institutions, and everything connected therewith must emanate
from God, and as it was necessary that it should originate with
him, it is also necessary that it should be upheld and sustained
by him and that those who should operate in this kingdom should
be governed by the same spirit that you heard Brother Pratt talk
about this morning. It became necessary also that a medium should
be introduced whereby man might be placed in communion with God;
that they might comprehend him, that they might understand his
laws when he gave them, that they might be acquainted with the
principles which he had to develop; for there is one great
principle that men very little understand, viz: "The things of
God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God," and if they don't
know only through his wisdom it would be in vain for God to
communicate with a people who could not comprehend him, who had
not the capacity to receive these principles which he had to
communicate. The same principle holds good everywhere among all
the principles with which we are acquainted or know anything
about. You cannot teach a child algebra, nor arithmetic, until it
has gone through a certain system of training. You cannot teach
the arts and sciences without necessary preparation for their
introduction, nor can you teach people in the government of God
without they are placed in communication with him, and hence
comes the Church of God, and what is meant by that? A school, if
you please, wherein men are taught certain principles, wherein we
can receive a certain spirit through obedience to certain
ordinances. And we, having received this spirit through those
ordinances, were then prepared to take the initiatory steps in
relation to other matters, and hence as a commencement the Lord
appeared unto Joseph Smith, both the Father and the Son, the
Father pointing to the Son said "this is my beloved Son in whom I
am well pleased, hear ye him." Here, then, was a communication
from the heavens made known unto man on the earth, and he at that
time came into possession of a fact that no man knew in the world
but he, and that is that God lived, for he had seen him, and that
his Son Jesus Christ lived, for he also had seen him. What next?
Now says the Father, "This is my beloved Son, hear him." The
manner, the mode, the why, and the wherefore, he designed to
introduce through him were not explained; but he, the Son of God,
the Savior of the world, the Redeemer of man, he was the one
pointed out to be the guide, the director, the instructor, and
the leader in the development of the great principles of that
kingdom and that government which he then commenced to institute.
What next? The next step was that men having held the priesthood,
that had ministered in time and eternity and that held the keys
of the priesthood came and conferred them upon Joseph Smith. John
the Baptist conferred upon him the Aaronic priesthood, and Peter,
James and John the Melchizedek priesthood; and then others who
had operated in the various ages of the world, such as Moses and
Enoch, appeared and conferred upon him the authority that they
held pertaining to these matters. Why? Because it was "the
dispensation of the fullness of times," not of one time only but
of all the times; it was the initiatory step for the development
of all the principles that ever existed, or would exist
pertaining to this world, or the world to come. What next? He was
commanded to set apart other men, to baptize them that believed,
that had faith in God and in his kingdom, and in his revelations
and in this government. After they were put in possession of
these principles, they were commanded to baptize those who
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who repented of their sins,
that they were to be baptized for a remission of their sins and
to have hands laid upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost.
What then? There was a priesthood organized, a First Presidency,
the Twelve, a High Council, Patriarchs, quorums of High Priests,
Seventies, Elders, Bishops, Priests, Teachers and Deacons, to
carry on the purposes of God, and to instruct men in the laws
pertaining to his kingdom, even the laws of life. Men were sent
forth in the name of God to preach the principles of truth which
had been revealed, and a great many believed and were baptized
and were initiated into the Church of God, and we may say into
the initiatory or preparatory steps necessary for the
establishment of the kingdom of God. They then received the
Spirit of God, which is "no cunningly devised fable;" it did not
originate with man, it was the gift of God to man. The Elders,
for instance, were told to go forth and call upon men to repent,
to be baptized, and they were to lay their hands upon them that
they should receive the Holy Ghost. And what should that do? Take
of the things of God and shew them unto the people. This is one
of the greatest developments of power that ever existed among
men. You Elders, hundreds of you that are now listening to me,
have gone forth to preach this Gospel. You have called upon men
to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and they have done it. You
have called upon men to repent, and they have done it. You have
told them to be baptized and you have baptized them. You have
then laid your hands upon their heads and said "receive ye the
Holy Ghost," and they have received it. And you know, and this
congregation knows, that what I say is true, and by that
principle, through obedience to the law of God that he had
introduced in his gospel. What for? To prepare men to be placed
in communion with God. To prepare them to be members not only of
his Church but of his Kingdom, and to prepare them to take part
in this great event that had to transpire in the last days. Now
these are facts that you cannot controvert, nor anybody else. You
know that these things are true. What does it prove? That it is
God's kingdom, he has introduced it, and as it was said in former
times, "Ye are my witnesses," as well as the Holy Ghost that
beareth witness of us. Now, then, could you have received this
without the interposition of the Almighty and his Son Jesus
Christ? No you could not. Could you have received it without the
keys of the priesthood being restored and which some men affect
to despise so much? No you could not. Hence we trace out the
order of these institutions as they dwelt in the mind of God, and
as they were made manifest among men. Have those elders that
perform these ceremonies their weaknesses? Yes just as much as
Elder Pratt and I have our weaknesses. Have they their
infirmities? Yes. Was it a rich treasure that was conferred upon
us? Yes, but we received it in earthen vessels, surrounded with
the infirmities of man. But God knew these infirmities; he was
acquainted with all our weaknesses. Nevertheless, he conferred
upon us this priesthood, this power, and this authority, and when
we went forth in his name and by his authority. God sanctioned
our acts. Is God with us while these things take place? I think
so. What do you think about it? It is a principle that is clear,
and plain and demonstrable. Well, what next? Then we began to
gather together. And why do we gather together? Some of us can
hardly tell why, and I am often surprised when I read letters
importuning us in regard to this matter. I get letters time and
again praying that some means may be devised that the Saints may
be delivered and gathered to Zion, and be enabled to live with
the Saints of God. What is the reason of it? Why do they want to
gather? Because there was a spirit and influence associated with
this Church and this kingdom which led and propelled them to this
action, and you who hear me have felt this influence; you felt a
desire together, and you came, and those that are not here now
feel as strong a desire to gather as you did. And when you have
gathered, many of you think it is a curious kind of Zion, don't
you? It is; for while the net gathers in the good, it brings in
all kinds as well, good and bad. We have some very good fish, and
some very bad ones, and some a kind of half and half, and some
feel like saying "Good Lord and good devil," as they do not know
into whose hands they may fall. Nevertheless, this is the order,
and the wheat and tares, I suppose, have got to grow together
until the harvest comes, and that is not quite here yet, and
hence we are jostling one against another, and some of us hardly
know whether it is us or somebody else. Difficulties and trials
beset us, and we are amazed. But we are here, and we are here
according to the command of God and according to the operation of
the Spirit of God that rests upon us, and did rest upon us, and
led us here, and I was going to say, we are here because we could
not help it.
68
Well, what next? Who are we, and what are we when we are here?
Some good Latter-day Saints, and some, as I have said, half and
half, some one thing and some another. But how do we stand in the
position we occupy as a Church and as other people stand? We
believe in God. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe
in virtue, purity, holiness, integrity, honesty. We believe in
good citizens and good Saints. We believe in keeping the
commandments of God, and carrying out his purposes. We believe in
spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We believe in
gathering together the honest in heart. We believe in building
temples and administering therein for the living and for the
dead, and we believe in acting as saviors upon Mount Zion
according to the word of the Lord. All these things and a great
many more are leading principles which we as Saints profess to
believe in. Well, we have a right to do that, although there are
others who do not believe in those things. They have just as much
right not to believe in our principles as we have to believe in
them. And we sometimes feel angry and out of sorts with others
because they do not believe as we do. Well, we do not believe as
they do. Some of them think we are very foolish, very
enthusiastic, very superstitious, and very wicked. Those that
know us do not think we are so bad after all. We have our
weaknesses and imperfections, yet we are quite as good as the
balance of them, and a little better, and we ought to be, for we
make great pretensions. But they think these things about us.
They think we are deluded. Now the only difference between us and
them is that we know they are superstitious and corrupt, and that
they violate those laws they profess to believe in and those
principles which they profess to be governed and guided by. But
we have no right to expect everybody to submit to our doctrines,
our views, our principles, it is a matter of free-will with them,
and as I said they have just as much right to believe as they
think proper and to worship as they choose as we have. These are
some principles that are really correct. Well, they try to
prevent us from worshipping as we believe? Now that is--what
shall I call it? a doctrine of devils, it does not come from God,
he is more free and generous in his feelings than that. He does
not control the consciences of men nor force them to obey his
behests; it is a matter of free grace, it is a matter of free
will. Well, though they think they have a right to interfere with
us, we do not think we have a right to interfere with them. And I
do not think we do. There is a number of institutions here in
this city, Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists,
Baptists, etc., and I do not know how many more, quite a pile of
them. If they think they are right I am quite willing they should
think so. I do not wish to interfere with them. Who interferes
with their building meeting houses? Who interferes with their
worship? If there is anything of this sort I do not know of it; I
hope I shall not know of it; I hope never to hear of such things.
I believe that all men have the privilege of worshipping God
according to the dictates of their own consciences and then I
think we possess just the same right; and when they depart from
this principle and wish to curtail us of our rights they are
violating the spirit and genius of the institutions of our common
country, and also those of the kingdom of heaven with which we
are associated. They are also violating those good feelings that
ought to exist between man and man, brother and brother, and they
are interfering with things that in no wise belong to them.
68
Now then, here is the ground that we stand on in a religious
capacity. If I can find a way and you can find a way, whereby we
can approach our God and have him for our guide, our teacher and
instructor, if they cannot do it, it is none of their business
what we do. They have nothing to do with it, it is none of their
business in any way whatever, and any interference is an
interference with the legitimate rights and inherent principles
that belong to humanity.
68
Well, so far as they stand on their platform and we on ours, they
may be Methodists, they may be Presbyterians; all right. They may
get up their revival meetings and think they are doing a great
deal of good; all right, and so far as they teach good moral
principles, and do not depart from truth, all right. So far as
they obey the laws of the land, all right; we have nothing to do
with them? Have you? Has the city? Has the Territory? No.
69
Well then, we will go a little further. By being here we become
an integral part of the government of the United States, as a
Territory. Very well. Here is another thing we are talking about.
Is that the government of God? Not quite, but it is the
government we are living under, and if they treat us right and
extend to us any kindness we appreciate that. If they treat us
wrong, we think it is not according to correct principles. We
think as American citizens we ought to receive all the privileges
equally with other people; we think we ought to be allowed to
worship God according to the dictates or our consciences and be
protected in our worship. So far, then, as I have said before, we
are on a level. Now then, we are on the same ground in regard to
political circumstances. We are under the United States, but the
United States is not the kingdom of God. It does not profess to
be under his rule, nor his government, nor his authority. Yet we
are expected as citizens of the United States to keep the laws of
the United States, and hence we are, as I said before, an
integral part of the government, Very well, what is expected of
us? That we observe its laws, that we conform to its usages, that
we are governed by good and wholesome principles, that we
maintain the laws in their integrity and that we sustain the
government, and we ought to do it. But there is a principle here
that I wish to speak about. God dictates in a great measure the
affairs of the nations of the earth, their kingdoms and
governments and rulers and those that hold dominion. He sets up
one and pulls down another, according to his will. That is an old
doctrine, but it is true to-day. Have we governors? have we a
president of the United States? have we men in authority? Yes. Is
it right to traduce their characters? No, it is not. Is it right
for us to oppose them? No, it is not. Is it right for them to
traduce us? No, it is not. Is it right for them to oppress us in
any way? No, it is not. We ought to pray for these people, for
those that are in authority, that they may be lead in the right
way, that they may be preserved from evil, that they may
administer the government in righteousness, and that they may
pursue a course that will receive the approbation of heaven.
Well, what else? Then we ought to pray for ourselves that when
any plans or contrivances or opposition to the law of God, to the
Church and kingdom of God, or to his people, are introduced, and
whenever we are sought to be made the victims of tyranny and
oppression, that the hand of God may be over us and over them to
paralyze their acts and protect us, for as it is written, the
wrath of man shall praise him, the remainder of wrath shall he
restrain.
69
Now, we in Utah here are under the government of the United
States; we are a very little portion of it. It is true we have
our legislators, we have our probate judges, we have our
marshals, constables, etc., we have our city charters etc., etc.,
and certain immunities and privileges of this kind. Well, shall
we be governed by them? Yes. Shall we obey the law? Yes. Shall I
as a citizen of this city obey the laws of this city? Yes. Shall
I cause trouble or speak evil of the mayor or city council or any
of the administrators of the law? No, I ought to pray for them
that they may lead aright and administer justice equitably and
act for the welfare and interest of the community wherein they
live and for whom they operate. Am I a citizen of the United
States? Yes, and I ought to feel the same toward them.
70
Well, now, there are some important points come in here. As I
have said, we are a very small portion of this government. Now,
do we wish to overthrow the government. I think not. I think we
do not. Do we wish to cause them trouble? Not that I know of. I
know we are accused of that; but it is not rue. These statements
are not correct. Our religion, however, differs from the religion
of many others, and as I have said before, while they look for
liberty to worship God as they please, they do not want us to
possess the same privileges. There is nothing new in this; but
because of this have they a right to interfere with the
institutions of which we have become a part? Do not our
legislators, our governors, and all men here swear fealty not
only to the Territory, but to the United States, and say they
will support the Constitution, laws, and institutions thereof?
They do. This is the position we occupy. But we are placed in a
peculiar position in some things. They--I was going to say in
their wisdom, but I will say in their folly, and I hope they will
excuse me, for I look upon it in that way--have passed certain
laws trying to interfere with us in our operations in religious
affairs. Well, we cannot help that. I told you a while ago--you
believe me, this congregation believes me with very few
exceptions--that God had introduced and instituted this Church,
that he was the founder of it, that it emanated from him, the
doctrines, ordinances, principles, government, priesthood,
authority, and all that pertain to it emanated from him; we had
nothing to do with it. Joseph Smith had nothing to do with it,
only as a passive worker in the hands of the Lord. Brigham Young
had nothing to do with it only acting in that capacity. I have
nothing to do with it, nor my brethren of the Twelve. God
revealed it. I can not help it. Can you? Can any one? Now, then,
this people have been received into this Church in the way that I
have spoken of, and have actually received communication from God
by the laying on of hands, received the Holy Ghost, and have a
hope within them blooming with immortality and eternal lives, and
are in possession of a hope that enters within the veil whither
Christ has gone. Can you uproot that from the minds of this
people? No, no power on earth, no power in heaven, nor all the
combined nations of the earth can do it; God planted it there,
man cannot take it away, and men are foolish in trying to attempt
it. Very well. But they do try to interfere with us under a
pretence that we are very wicked here. Well, it is enough to make
a person laugh sometimes, when we think about these things, and
enough to make us sorry when we know of the hypocrisy,
lasciviousness, crime, murder, bloodshed that prevail in this
nation and other nations, to hear them talk to us about our
morality. We know when they talk in what way that they are
hypocrites. We know that they know better when they tell these
things to the world.
71
Now, then, the United States pass a law that a man shall not
marry wives according to the order that God has revealed. Now it
is a fact that we should like to obey the laws of the United
States, if we could do it. If they could only tell us how to get
out of the dilemma they have placed us in we should be very much
obliged to them, we really should like to get out of it. But we
have had no hand in either of thee things. We had no hand in
making the commandment that God has given to his people, and we
have had no hand in making the law of the United States
pertaining to these things. We fell very desirous of keeping the
laws of the land if they would only let us; but we should pray
out Father in heaven that he might preserve them from making laws
that we cannot conscientiously keep without violating our
consciences and transgressing the law of God. And if they do we
shall be under the necessity of leaving them in the hands of God
for him to deal with them as he may deem proper, and we will put
our trust in the living God and risk the consequences let them be
what they may.
71
Now, these are our feelings on this point. Is it well to tell
these feelings? Yes. We want to be frank and open and candid and
free from hypocrisy of every kind, and feel as though we were the
children of our Father in heaven without guilt, without
treachery, without fraud of any kind. Let us be sincere
worshippers of God and believers in him and in his law. But do we
propose to govern, interfere with, or rebel against the
Government of the United States? No, we do not. That is not in
the programme. Has God given us a law? Yes. All right we will get
along and do the best we can, but we won't forsake our God. All
who are willing to abide by the laws of God signify it by raising
the right hand (unanimous vote). Now try and keep them. But will
we fight against the United States? No, we will not. Well, how
will these things be brought about? Don't you expect that the
kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and
his Christ? Yes, I do, as much as I believe I am speaking to you
and you are hearing me, and I not only believe it but know it.
Well, now, how will that be brought about if you do not pitch in?
We need not do this. There is plenty that will pitch in; there
will be plenty of trouble by and by without our interference,
when men begin to tear away one plank after another out of the
platform of constitutional liberty; there will not be much to tie
to. And how will you get along with them? We will leave them to
get along with themselves. And how will that be? We are told the
wicked shall slay the wicked, but says the Lord: "It is my
business to take care of the Saints." God will stand by Israel,
and Zion shall triumph and this work will go on until the kingdom
is established and and all nations bow to its standard.
71
May God bless you, may he lead you in the path of light, is my
prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / George
Q. Cannon, October 5th, 1879
George Q. Cannon, October 5th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEO. Q. CANNON.
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, October 5th, 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
SPIRITUAL GIFTS ATTAINABLE--UNCHANGEABLENESS OF GOD--UNIVERSALITY
OF THE RIGHT TO REVELATION--THE SAINTS GLORIFY THE GOD OF
REVELATION--NECESSITY OF SELF-GOVERNMENT.
72
In standing up to address this congregation there is one feeling
that rests upon me, and that is, my inability to instruct so
numerous a people unless God shall pour out his Holy Spirit upon
me and upon you.
72
We have come together to-day according to our custom to be
instructed in those duties that devolve upon us and also in the
principles of our holy religion. These meetings are to me
exceedingly precious; they are seasons of great rejoicing. And
having the opportunity as we have to-day of assembling in peace
and quietness without any to molest or make afraid, we should
feel thankful, to that God who has brought us here; who has
preserved and protected us since we came.
73
The instructions which we have had to-day since we have assembled
together, if fully obeyed by us and carried out in our lives,
will make us a people who shall be worthy the name we bear, the
name of Latter-day Saints. And as was remarked this morning the
great object in teaching the people and impressing upon them the
counsels that are given from time to time, is to have us carry
out practically in our lives the principles of that religion
which we have espoused. This is the great labor devolving upon
us. It is not to be theoretical alone; it is not to dwell with
great interest and with great eloquence upon those heavenly
doctrines that God has revealed and to become enraptured over
them while listening to them, but it is to make a practical
application of them to our thoughts, to our words and to all the
actions of our lives. And in this way alone can we acceptably
serve the Lord our God, whose name we bear and whose people we
profess to be. There is no reason why this people called
Latter-day Saints should not have all the powers and all the
gifts and all the graces that ever characterized the Church of
God upon the earth at any time; there is no reason, I say, why
they should not have all these if they themselves are true to the
principles which have been revealed, and seek to carry them out.
Who is there of this congregation, who is there that belongs to
this Church in any part of this Territory, who does not have a
desire in his or her heart for those blessings and those gifts
and qualifications that were promised to the ancient Saints and
which have been renewed in our day to those who embrace the
Gospel with all their hearts? The Lord is the same yesterday,
to-day and forever. This is the corner-stone, it may be said, of
our faith. It is upon this foundation we have built; that he is
an unchangeable God; that he does not manifest his mind and his
will in plainness and simplicity to one people, and hide the same
from a succeeding people who are equally faithful. But the great
truth has been impressed upon us; the great truth that runs
through all the writings of every man of God concerning whom we
have any account from the beginning down to the last revelation
that has been given, that God is no respecter of persons, that he
is to-day as he was yesterday and as he ever was, and that he
will continue to be the same being as long as time endures or
eternity continues. And we have been impressed with this as I
have said, by every man who has spoken concerning God and spoken
by authority from him. I say, therefore, there is no reason why
the Latter-day Saints to-day should not obtain and enjoy the
gifts and graces and blessings of the Gospel the same as they
were enjoyed in ancient days by the ancient servants and people
of God.
73
Has God grown old? Have God's ears become heavy? Has his sight
become dim? Has his arm become shortened? Has age affected him or
the lapse of time detracted from his powers? Has it had the same
effect upon him as upon mortal beings who are subject to decay
and death? Is this the kind of being concerning whom the prophets
and apostles have spoken and written? Certainly not. We worship
him, we adore him, we lift upon our eyes to him, we rely upon him
as the Supreme Being, the Creator of the heavens and the earth,
the founder of the universe, the builder of the planet which we
inhabit and which we tread, the being over whom centuries have
passed without making any change to his injury; eternity has
rolled and continues to roll and will continue to roll without in
the least affecting his power or his capacity for good, his eye
does not grow dim by the laps of ages; his ear does not become
heavy by the passage of time neither does his arm become short or
feeble. He is the God whom we worship. When we call upon him,
though he may be remote from us, dwelling in his holy habitation
in the midst of the eternities, the very thoughts of our hearts,
the very conceptions of our minds, the feeble whisperings of our
voices, they ascend to him, are carried to him, his ear
comprehends them; his bowels of compassion are moved towards us
his children, his all-piercing eye penetrates eternity, and the
glance of his vision reaches us.
73
There is not a single thought of our hearts which he does not
comprehend; there is nothing connected with us he does not know.
We may hide ourselves in the bowels of the earth, but we cannot
conceal ourselves from his all-piercing sight. We may climb the
highest mountains or descend into the deepest valleys or we may
go to the uttermost parts of the earth, but wherever we may go he
is there, his power is there, his vision is there to hear and to
comprehend the desires and the wishes of our hearts.
74
This being the case, why should we not approach him in faith?
What reason is there that men and women living in this the 19th
century should not approach him with the confidence of those who
lived in the 15th century of the world, or the 20th or the
4,000th year of the world? If he could hear their cries, if he
could answers their prayers and if he could grant to them the
desires of their hearts; if he could open the heavens to them and
reveal his mind and will unto them when they called upon him in
faith, believing that he would do so, is there any reason why we
should not have that same faith and exercise it and obtain those
same blessings and receive them at his hands? Who is there that
can stand up and say there are reasons why this should be the
case? If we admit, as we must do, that he is this being which I
have attempted so feebly to describe; if we admit that he is the
God of gods, the Lord of lords, the creator of all, the father of
all, the sustainer of all; if we believe this, why cannot we
believe that if he bestowed his blessings upon other generations
and other people, he will do so to us, also that he will hear our
prayers, that he will grant unto us the desires of our hearts?
74
Now, my brethren and sisters, I look upon these conferences and
these assemblages as having for their object the enforcement of
these great truths upon us and upon our attention; the object of
them as I understand them, is to make us Latter-day Saints not in
name alone but in word and in deed; to be men and women of God;
to place us in communion with God; to receive communication from
him; to have our false tradition, our improper ideas, our
unbelief, our hardness of heart, and those feelings that surround
us, that grow up with us, to have them removed from us. Is there
any reason why this should not be the case? No reason except that
which may be found in ourselves. There is no reason outside of
this. God is willing, he has made promises, and he has fulfilled
his promises so far as we have placed ourselves in circumstances
to receive them. When we have complied with the conditions he has
never from the beginning up to the present time failed in his
part, he is incapable of failing. If there be failure it is due
to us, the fault is our own, we are the guilty ones. Let me ask
of you, when did you ever, any one of you, humble yourselves
before God, when did you in secret call upon him in the name of
Jesus and ask him for his Holy Spirit and the blessings thereof,
and fail to receive an answer to your prayers? If there are any
Latter-day Saints in this condition then there is something wrong
with them. God has made promises unto us that if we will do
certain things, if we will obey certain commandments and
ordinances, he will bestow his blessing and he will answer the
prayers of those who take this course. But how many are there of
us who go on from day to day and from week to week and from month
to month careless upon these points, failing to live so as to
receive the blessings that he has promised, until it would seem
when they bow down to call upon him that their prayers scarcely
ascend higher than the tops of their heads.
75
As I have said, God in ancient days was a God of revelation; God
in our day is a God of revelation, and he communicates his mind
and his will unto those who seek after it, not to the President
of the Church alone; not to the apostles of the Church alone; not
to the high priests or seventies or any of the officers or all of
them alone, but he communicates his mind and his will to all who
seek after him in humility and meekness and lowliness of heart,
obeying his commandments. To the latter-day Saints alone? No, not
even to them alone for there is no human being that is born of
woman, there is no son or daughter of Adam that has ever lived
upon the face of the earth who has not the right and who has not
obtained at some time or other in his or her life, revelations
from God, but who may not have understood what those revelations
were. The Latter-day Saints are not so cramped in their feelings
as to imagine that they are the only and peculiar people above
all others who have, in this sense received revelation. They
believe themselves to be the people of God and the only people
who have obeyed the commandments of God; but they do not think
that, of all the children of God, they are the only recipients of
his blessings.
75
God has revealed himself at various times and in various ways to
many people. The heathen have had communication from him. All the
light that exists; all the truths that are taught and all the
correct principles and knowledge that have been communicated and
existed among the children of men, have come from God; he is the
author of all. Socrates, Plato, Confucius, the heathen
philosophers who knew nothing about Jesus Christ and the plan of
salvation, received important truths from him, and so did many
other people to a greater or less extent, according to their
abilities in improving upon the knowledge communicated to them.
But the difficulty has been concerning these matters that mankind
have not recognized God in all this. A man has a dream. It is
most wonderfully fulfilled. He has a presentiment; his
presentiment is fulfilled, and he relates it to his friends as a
most remarkable thing. A man has a truth communicated to him
after study and research. He communicates it to his friends as a
wonderful discovery. Does he acknowledge God in it? Sometimes;
but in many instances he does not acknowledge God; but, on the
contrary, he thinks it is the product of his own thought, of his
own mind. If it be a dream or some remarkable manifestation that
partakes of the supernatural, instead of giving God the glory and
praising God for having made the communication, some other
principle is glorified or some other thing is talked about, the
remarkable character of it is dwelt upon without the person
thinking that God has anything to do with it.
76
Well, there is, as I have said, no human being but that has, at
some time or other, had communication from the Almighty Father.
Some have recognized God and have given the glory to him for it;
others have not done so. The remarkable discoveries that are
being made in the world of science; in fact, all the remarkable
discoveries that have been made from time to time are produced by
the operations of an unseen influence upon the mind of the
children of men. For instance, it has frequently happened in
astronomy and other branches of science that when an important
discovery has been made two or three men about the same time
widely separated from each other have received the communication;
and disputes have arisen as to which of them was entitled to the
credit. This was the case as to the application of steam and the
principles of telegraphy and also many discoveries in astronomy
and other sciences. Disputes have arisen in various nations upon
these points; whereas the truth is that God is the Author; it is
God that moved upon the minds of those individuals. It was God
that inspired them to do as they did; it was he who led on from
step to step until they achieved the results which have made them
famous, and sometimes quite unexpectedly to themselves.
77
What is this which has led these famous men in the path of
discovery? The Latter-day Saints call it the spirit of
revelation; the spirit of revelation resting down upon the
children of men. Some men possess it to a greater extent than
others. Some have the gift in one direction and they are capable
of receiving communication from God in a direction that others
are not, their minds are better prepared to receive revelation
upon a given subject, than are the minds of others. Some will
receive great moral truths, and these men differ in their
organisms; but the light they receive all comes from our heavenly
Father; it is he who gives the inspiration. And so man has
progressed from one degree of knowledge to another, from the rude
canoe of the Indian, with which he navigates the stream, to those
mighty steam ships whose keels plough every sea and
circumnavigate the globe.
77
Now, in what respect do the Latter-day Saints differ from the
rest of mankind in relation to these matters? In this: We
acknowledge God as supreme, the fountain of all knowledge, the
fountain of all power, the fountain of all intelligence, the
fountain of everything that is good. Who are men? The creatures
of his workmanship, if you please, his descendants, his own
children begotten by him, descended by lineal descent from the
God we worship. The same being whom we worship is our God, is our
Creator, is our Father. When I worship him I worship him as my
Father. That which I possess, if there be anything godlike in it,
I attribute it to him, as having come from him by lineal descent.
Every aspiration, every noble thought, every pure desire,
everything that is good and holy and pure, elevating, ennobling
and godlike comes from our Father, the God of the universe, the
Father of all the children of men. In him we move, in him we have
our being. He can extinguish life; he can create life; he can
perpetuate life. There is no power that human beings can conceive
of which he does not possess. The light that now shines comes
from him. The revelation we may get, imperfect at times because
of our fallen condition and because of our failure to comprehend
the nature of it, comes from God. The Latter-day Saints glorify
him for it. If there is anything good or great or noble, if there
is anything to be admired it comes from God, not man. Man is but
the medium, but the instrument, is but the conduit through which
it flows. God is to be worshipped; God is to be adored; God is to
be glorified, and he will be. And when we are saved, when we are
delivered from death, hell and the grave, we will glorify God,
not man. Man will receive no glory; it will be the eternal
Father, through Jesus Christ, who will receive it all.
77
This is the position occupied by the Latter-day Saints. We
believe in revelation. It may come dim; it may come indistinct,
it may come sometimes with a degree of vagueness which we do not
like. Why? Because of our imperfection; because we are not
prepared to receive it as it comes in its purity; in its fullness
from God. He is not to blame for this. It is our duty though to
contend for more faith, for greater power, for clearer
revelations, for better understanding concerning his great truths
as he communicates them to us. That is our duty; that is the
object of our lives as Latter-day Saints--to live so near unto
him that nothing can happen to us but that we will be prepared
for it beforehand. And I know many, many Latter-day Saints who
are in this condition, who do live so that there is nothing of
any importance that can occur for which they are not prepared,
and the mind and will of God is made known to them, and they walk
according to it, and seek earnestly and humbly to have it
revealed to them; and in taking any important step they seek to
know the will of God concerning it. Are they perfect? Far from
it. They are mortal, full of weaknesses, and nobody is better
aware of the character of earthly weaknesses than the man or
woman who thus lives.
77
It is the duty of all to live in this manner, and if the
inhabitants of the earth could comprehend it as they should do
they would seek to know the mind and will of God concerning
themselves. But what is the spirit of the world to-day? Let a
preacher in the world deliver a fine discourse and who thinks
about giving God the glory for it? Who thinks of the Holy Ghost
under such circumstances? God is removed far from them, he does
not exist in their thoughts, the preachers who attempt to preach
Christ and him crucified, they are glorified. Who gives glory to
God for Henry Ward Beecher's discourses? Who gives glory for Dr.
Fotheringham's or Mr. Talmage's or any of the popular preachers
of to-day? Do men glorify God for Spurgeon's? No, he himself is
glorified. Beecher himself is glorified, and Fotheringham is
glorified. Is God glorified? No, he is not thought about. Morse
discovered the principle of telegraphy. Who gave the glory to
God? I was in the hall of the House of Representatives when a
grand meeting was held. What for? To glorify Morse, the
discoverer of that great principle and who practically applied it
and made it useful. Now, I do not mean to say that there are none
who have God in their thoughts. I am speaking now of the general
feeling that prevails, of the general course that is taken.
Inventions, no matter how grand they may be, are not attributed
to the Father of them all, the Creator and Fountain of all
knowledge. But man, whom he has chosen to be his instrument, he
has blessed with knowledge concerning all these things, as the
result of his earnest study and his untiring efforts to obtain
knowledge. The Being who does this is very seldom thought about
by man.
77
Latter-day Saints, is this the course for us to take? Shall we
glorify the creature at the expense of the Creator? As a people,
I believe we are tolerably free from this. But we have to make a
degree of progress much greater than we have in these things. We
have got to seek after God with an earnestness, a fervor and
devotion that we at the present time cannot comprehend. It is our
duty as Latter day Saints to seek for knowledge. Will God bestow
it upon us if we do not seek for it? He may in his condescension
at times do this. Brother Rich said this morning that he believed
some people were too lazy to think. It is a truth plainly
expressed. There are too many too lazy or too indifferent--it may
be indifference and not laziness in every instance, to think, to
feel after, to seek for and receive the blessing of God, although
they make the profession of being Latter-day Saints.
78
Now, I do not think a man's religion amounts to anything if he
only makes a profession of it and does not practice it. I would
rather have an intelligent heathen, if he is honest and
determined to do the best he can, living upon to the light he
has, than a Latter-day Saint who is careless and indifferent, who
does not seek to enjoy the spirit of his religion.
78
I am in hopes that after awhile we will begin to realize as we
never have yet, that there are practical duties resting on us
Latter-day Saints; that there is something more than being
members of the Church required of us. How is it with a great
many? Why, every evil thought, every wrong speech that comes in
their hearts, either to think or to utter, they entertain and
express, and then take credit to themselves for not being
hypocrites. Is not this great folly? Men and women think evil
thoughts, they give place to angry feelings; and they think it a
meritorious act, and pride themselves upon their conduct because
they give them utterance instead of quenching them! Is not this
extraordinary? Lacerate the feelings of their brethren and
sisters and friends, because they think they would be hypocrites
if they did not utter their evil thoughts, however unfounded or
repulsive they might be! What right have I to do this? If my
heart is wicked does that justify me in giving utterances to its
foul conceptions? Certainly not. If my heart were such that I
could not think good thoughts nor entertain good feelings; if I
were possessed of anger and could not contain myself, than it
were better for me to sew up my mouth and stop my utterance. It
is no merit in a man or woman because he or she thinks an evil
thought or indulges in an angry spirit to give utterance to it;
and they are not hypocrites because they do not do it either. It
is not hypocrisy to quench the evil thoughts that arise in our
minds. Our hearts are evil in consequence of the fall. As the
prophet Jeremiah says: "The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?" There are a great many
things that are conceived in our hearts that it would be well for
us to stifle before they received shape. What is frequently the
result of these evil conceptions? Innocent people suffer
wrongfully; injury is done; slanders are circulated; while those
who start them justify themselves, because forsooth they
concerned them. Just as well might the counterfeiter, the
bogus-maker, say that because he makes a bogus bill he has the
right to circulate it. There is not any of the Spirit of God
connected with such conduct.
79
It is my duty and your duty to think pure thoughts to have holy
desires, to be charitable, to be kind, to be long suffering, to
be full of love, and not any of those evil influences. Why, the
devil would have no power on the earth if it were not for some
people who allow him to use their tabernacles. I have often
thought of this valley when we first come here. There were a few
Indians; but who witnessed the devil or his power here? If there
were no wicked men nor women here how could the devil manifest
his power here? Who heard tattling? Who heard backbiting? Who
heard of litigation? Who heard of fighting? Such things were
never heard of. But no sooner did men come and the adversary
obtain power over them, than all the evils we now witness
throughout this land and in this city, which grieves us so, began
to manifest themselves. And the more there are who will yield to
the influences of the evil one, the more there are who will be
guided by him, and the worse the conditions become. There are
those who would have here gambling houses and liquor saloons and
houses of ill-fame and other deplorable evils which abound in the
earth. Why? Because they are willing to yield themselves to the
devil, I speak it plainly, it is the truth. If such people who
practice these and kindred evils would not lend themselves to the
devil he would have no power here. What is our duty? It is not to
lend ourselves in any particular to the devil, but it is to obey
God; to let the fruits of righteousness be manifested in our
lives. If we are Latter-day Saints, let us live up to the
profession and be that in truth and in deed, and not think that
we have no labor to perform in the controlling of our thoughts
and our evil desires; neither to allow ourselves to imagine that
because we have become members of the Church God will do it all
without any efforts on our part.
79
There is a work devolving upon every son and daughter of Adam;
there is a fight that we have to fight against--the evils of our
own natures, for the heart of man is deceitful and desperately
wicked. The natural man is at enmity with Christ and with God;
and unless he seeks to conquer his nature by bringing it into
subjection to the mind of God, he is not a son, or she is not a
daughter of God. This is the labor that devolves upon us. This is
why we meet together at conference; it is to impress upon the
people the character and the magnitude of this work that rests
upon each individual man and woman. As I have said once before in
this Tabernacle, we may be heralded through the earth as famous;
but unless we conquer ourselves it is in vain that our names are
known and that our deeds resound through the earth. I care not
how famous a man in this Church may be--he may be an apostle, he
may be a high priest, a bishop, or hold any other important
office or position; but unless that man conquers himself and
carries on the work within himself of self-improvement, and
brings himself and all there is within him in subjection to the
mind and will of God, I tell you his fame is as empty as the
sound of a trumpet when it passes away. We hear it; it strikes
the ear, but it presently dies away, and that is the end of it.
So it is with fame of this character. Therefore I say to you that
that which is applicable to the individual is applicable to us as
a people. Our fame may go forth for great works and mighty things
that we have done; but unless we ourselves bring forth the fruits
of righteousness in our lives; unless we conquer our evil
passions, our evil habits, our evil inclinations, our evil
desires, and bring them under complete subjection to the Spirit
of God our labor is comparatively profitless, for that is the
object of preaching the Gospel to us.
80
I would like to have the power to impress upon your minds the
importance of this great truth. There is nothing so important to
me as an individual, as my own salvation. This is the most
important thing to me that can be--that I myself shall be saved;
that I myself shall so live as to be counted worthy by the
Almighty to receive an exaltation in his kingdom. This is of the
utmost importance to me individually. As Brother Rich said, if
all the rest did certain things, and he did not, he could not
receive the blessing, the reward of such works; or if he did, and
all the others did not, they could not have the blessing. That is
a great truth; and it should be impressed upon us.
80
You may think it a grand thing for men to go on missions. I
remember the time, and probably the feeling still exists--I hope
it does--when it was deemed a great honor for a man to go upon a
mission, especially a foreign mission. It is right that we should
value these labors. It is a great thing to preside as a bishop or
president of a stake, or to act in the calling of an apostle. All
these things are great in and of themselves, and they reflect
honor upon those who bear these offices, and especially when they
seek to magnify them. But after all, the great labor, the most
honorable labor that any person can perform is to do that which I
have attempted to describe to you--to improve ourselves; to be
Latter-day Saints in deed and in truth, to live our holy
religion. When we arise in the morning, to examine ourselves, to
see if there is anything that is in opposition to the mind and
will of God within ourselves; and through the day to pursue the
same course of self-examination. And at night before we retire to
rest, to bow ourselves before our Father and God in secret, and
pour out our souls in prayer before him, supplicating him to show
unto us wherein we have done wrong during the day, wherein we
have come short in thought, word and deed; and then repeat of the
same before we lie down to rest, and to obtain from him a
forgiveness of our sins. And then, going on day after day, week
after week, and year after year until the end shall come. If we
do this, the promises of God are sure, and they cannot fail.
80
That it may be our happy lot to attain to an exaltation with our
Father, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Charles W. Penrose, April 25th, 1880
Charles W. Penrose, April 25th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, Sunday Afternoon,
April 25th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
INSUFFICIENCY OF MERE BELIEF IN CHRIST--EXTENT AND APPLICATION OF
THE
ATONEMENT--NECESSITY OF DIVINE AUTHORITY TO ENABLE MAN TO
ADMINISTER
THE GOSPEL--JOSEPH SMITH CALLED OF GOD.
81
The Latter-day Saints are often accused by the people in the
Christian world of been very much deluded. Our religion is
counted a delusion and a snare. I was thinking, however, during
the meeting this afternoon about the great number of Christian
preachers who today are standing up in various parts of the world
informing the people who listen to them that simple belief on the
Lord Jesus, who died on Calvary, is all that is necessary to save
them and exalt them in the presence of God the Father. And it
seems to me that if there is one delusion more pernicious than
another it is that very doctrine, which seems to be fundamental
principle of all the various Christian sects. You will find, go
where you will in the Christian world and listen to any of the
great preachers of the day, that this is the common topic of
discourse. Jesus Christ is preached--which is quite right, I am
very glad that he is--as the Savior of the world. So we testify
as Latter-day Saints. In connection, however, with this great
truth which is proclaimed to the inhabitants of the earth by men
professing to be sent of God, is preached the great error that
mere belief in the work which Jesus Christ wrought out is
sufficient for the salvation of the people. The inhabitants of
the earth are informed that it is not by any works of
righteousness which they may perform that they can gain any favor
whatever in the sight of God, but it is the righteousness of
Christ alone which is acceptable to the Father and which they can
gain the benefit of if they simply believe in him.
82
When we search the Scriptures and read the sayings of Jesus
Christ, and of his servants whom he sent forth to preach the
Gospel, we do not find any such statement as this. We find, it is
true, that the apostles of the Lord Jesus preached Christ and him
crucified to the world wherever they had an opportunity; they
directed the attention of the people, Jew and Gentile, wherever
they went, to Jesus of Nazareth who was slain on Calvary as the
Redeemer of the world, and faith in him was declared to be
absolutely necessary. But we do not find that in proclaiming
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to that generation they informed
the people that a mere belief in Christ was all that was needful;
we find that, in addition to teaching the principle of faith in
God and in his Son Jesus Christ, they taught the people it was
necessary to observe certain rules, and commandments, to obey
certain forms and ordinances, to comply with certain conditions
that they might obtain the benefit of the shedding of Christ's
blood. We find by searching the New Testament, which contains
some of the teachings of the apostles and some of their letters
to the churches, that the doctrines was held forth by them that
"the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin." We find that
this applied, as they taught it, not only to what is called
original sin, but also to actual sin. The sin which our first
parents committed in the Garden of Eden is called original sin;
and the sins committed individually by the inhabitants of the
earth, are called actual sin, for "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God." The apostles sent forth to preach the
Gospel by our Savior himself, taught the people that through the
shedding of Christ's blood remission of sin might come to all and
that mankind might be redeemed from sin, original and actual. But
we find this distinction in their teaching in regard to original
sin, and their teaching in regard to individual sin; that the
blood of Christ redeems mankind from the effects of the fall and
will eventually bring up all who died in Adam--for "as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive,"--but that
while people had nothing whatever to do with the sin which Adam
committed and therefore have nothing whatever to do with the work
of atonement for that sin, yet for their own sins there is some
action required on their part that they may obtain redemption
therefrom, inasmuch as the blood of Christ was shed for original
sin unconditionally, but for the remission of actual sin
conditionally.
82
God, when he placed our first parents in the Garden of Eden put
before them a certain tree, the fruit of which he said "they
should not partake of, if they did they should surely die." They
partook of that tree in disobedience to the divine commandment,
and planted the seeds of death in their bodies, and that death
has passed upon all their posterity. "It is appointed unto men
once to die." This act of our first parents introduced death into
the world. Death came by sin, and death has passed upon all the
posterity of Adam and Eve. Jesus came in the meridian of time as
"the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," to
bring mankind up from the effects of the transgression of our
first parents. Hence he is called "the Second Adam," and we are
told that as in the first Adam all die, even so in Christ, the
second Adam, shall all be made alive again. And he himself
proclaimed that the time should come, "in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of
damnation," or in the words of the inspired translation, "they
that have done good in the resurrection of the just, and they
that have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust." It is
through the transgression of Adam that we have to suffer what is
called the temporal death. Through that transgression our spirits
have become separated from our bodies; our immortal spirits held
by these mortal tabernacles must be taken out, and our bodies
must return to the ground and crumble into dust; but by the
atonement wrought out by the Lord Jesus Christ the time is to
come when all who lived in the body shall live in the body again.
Christ was raised from the dead and became "the first fruits of
them that slept;" afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming
will be brought forth. This is the first resurrection. "Blessed
and holy," says the Apostle John in his vision, "are they that
hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death
hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of his
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." After that
John saw, that "the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they
were judged every man according to his works."
83
The atonement wrought out by the Lord Jesus Christ for original
sin will apply just as far as the effects of the sin are felt. As
all the posterity of Adam died through that sin, even so all the
posterity of Adam will be raised up again through the atonement.
"But every man in his own order," says the apostle, "Christ the
first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming;"
and then after the thousand years have passed away, the rest of
the dead, as John said, will be brought forth and judged each one
according to the deeds done in the flesh. All must give an
account unto the great eternal Father. We are responsible for the
acts done in the flesh, for like as it was in the case of our
first parents, good and evil, truth and error, are placed before
us, and every individual is left free to choose the good and
refuse the evil, or to choose the evil, and refuse the good, as
he please. Both are set before us and, if we yield to either, it
will lead us in either direction. There is, however, a spirit in
man, born in him, which comes from God, the fountain of light and
truth. This light is planted in the breast of every man and every
woman who breathes the breath of life. It is the true light that
lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and if people
would listen to the whispering of that still small voice, be led
by that natural light and natural inspiration, they would be led
up to God. By this natural light, by this general inspiration, if
people would listen to its whisperings, and be guided thereby,
they would be led up to the fountain of light. "Every good gift,"
says the Apostle James, "and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights in whom there is no
variableness neither shadow of turning." But on the other hand
there must be, as the Book of Mormon says, "an opposition in all
things," and there is a spirit of evil, a spirit of darkness,
which draws downward to death, and a spirit of light which leads
upward to life; the one leads to Satan and his works, the other
to God and to righteousness. But the inhabitants of the earth
generally have been more prone to listen to the inspiration of
the spirit of darkness as did our first parents, than to listen
to the still small voice of light and life in their souls.
83
All people must give an account of the deeds done in the body
according to the measure of light they have received, and the
opportunities they have had of obtaining that light, while they
dwelt in the flesh. Some people have lived on the earth when God
has sent his servants inspired of him to make plain his ways,
while others have tabernacled in the flesh when no inspired voice
was heard, when no communication was open between the heavens and
the earth. And he who is just, who is the embodiment of the
eternal principles of justice, will deal out to all according to
their light and according to the opportunities they have had of
obtaining that light, but all must be judged, all must appear
before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account for their
individual works.
84
Now, we will take the case of an individual who has broken all
the laws of God and perhaps all the laws of man, and finally has
shed the blood of a fellow-creature, and is condemned by the laws
of man to die; he is, in fact, unfit to live, unfit to associate
with mortal beings, therefore, they must needs thrust him out of
the world that he may mingle with immortal beings. Where do they
send him to? A minister will come and preach to him, and tell him
that all he has to do is to cast his soul on Jesus; that he has
just to believe that Christ died for him and the righteousness of
the pure, immaculate, sinless, Christ will be grafted into that
rotten branch, so that he will have the fruits of righteousness
and peace. That is according to the modern Gospel. The man
believes this, he confesses Christ with his lips and acknowledges
him with his tongue, and straightway is strung up between the
heavens and the earth, and choked to death; his spirit is forced
out of his body, and ushered into the presence of the eternal
Father to stand before his spotless throne, and is deemed fit to
dwell in the society of the pure and holy ones on high. That is
according to the modern Gospel, but not according to the ancient
Gospel of Jesus Christ, the everlasting Gospel which says "no
murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
84
But some one may ask, "Is there no efficacy, for actual sin, in
the atonement wrought out by Jesus Christ? Is there no method by
which people can obtain a forgiveness of their individual sins?"
Yes, there is a way, and that is the plan of the true Gospel, but
it does not consist in mere belief in the righteousness of
another; mere belief in the righteousness somebody else will not
make us any better ourselves. What is to be done then? Here the
Gospel is very plain and simple, when pointed out by one who
understands it. But "how shall they call on him in whom they have
not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have
not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how
shall they preach except they be sent?" It is men who are not
sent who preach the nonsense we hear in the world. It is men who
are not sent who deceive mankind with their strong delusions, and
then turn round and call the Latter-day Saints deluded. If they
were sent of God they would not preach such nonsense, they would
not deceive mankind and thus become the cause of so much sin and
evil in the world. For while people believe that at the last
moment, at the last gasp of their existence, they may cast their
souls on Jesus, and by believing in his virtue escape the penalty
of their sins, they will continue to sin on, like many of these
false teachers who revel in sin up to their very eyes, and will
die in their sins and go down into the pit where they must wait
until they are released, in the time and way of the Lord. The
doctrine of belief without works is a strong delusion. There is
more to do, according to the Gospel, than merely to believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is
necessary. That is the foundation, it is the root of the matter,
but it is not all the matter. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved." Why? Because if you have true faith in
Christ, if you really believe on him, you will believe in his
sayings and keep his commandments. Hear him: "If ye love me, keep
my commandments." "Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven." "Therefore, whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man which built his house upon a rock: And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon
the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was
the fall of it."
85
When Jesus Christ sent his apostles unto all the world after he
had risen from the dead, he commanded them to "teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of
the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you." They were to go out and preach to all the
world, baptizing those that believed, and then proceed to teach
all things whatsoever he had commanded them. Christ taught his
disciples many principles while he tarried with them in the
flesh, and after he had risen from the dead he continued his
instructions from time to time. He also told them that when he
went away the Comforter should come to reveal unto them the
things of the Father and the Son, and to guide them unto all
truth; for it is only by receiving truth and living it that
people can be saved and exalted. "Sanctify them through thy
truth," prayed the Savior, "thy word is truth." The Holy Ghost
the Comforter, was to come, therefore, to make plain the truth,
and to reveal things past, present, and to come. It is necessary,
however, to have faith in Christ. Why? Because every blessing
that flows to the inhabitants of the earth from God the eternal
Father comes through Jesus Christ. We must first of all believe
in God, then believe in Jesus Christ, and if we really do believe
in God and in Jesus Christ we will find out in ourselves that we
have broken the commandments of God and of his Son Jesus Christ,
and the desire will enter our hearts to turn away from sin. Thus
it is said "whosoever heareth these sayings, and doeth them, I
will liken unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock."
It is taught by some that repentance is the first principle of
religion, but if a man does not believe in God, will he pray unto
him? What has a man to repent of except the breaking of the
commandments of God? And how shall he feel anything to repent of
if he does not believe in God? It is necessary therefore to have
faith first, and then comes repentance, a determination to
forsake evil, and this is what the ancient apostles taught.
86
What next? We find that wherever the apostles went, whenever they
found a people who believed in Jesus and repented of their sins
they baptized them. By sprinkling a little water in their face?
Or by making the sign of the cross upon their foreheads? No. They
were taken down into the water and buried there in the likeness
of Christ's death and burial and raised up in the likeness of his
resurrection, that henceforth having "put off the old man with
his deeds" they might walk in newness of life, observe his laws
and keep his commandments, and follow his footsteps, for he "left
us an example, that we should follow in his steps." Then the
apostles laid their hands upon those that were baptized, and we
read that they received the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the spirit
of truth, which opened up a communication between each individual
soul and the fountain of light and eternal truth, which testified
that they had been washed clean from their sins. How washed? By
water? Yes, and no. Water does not wash away sin, but if people
desire remission of their actual sins they must be baptized. Thus
it must be, "to fulfil all righteousness." Even Christ himself
had to be baptized to fulfil that commandment, and if he had not
obeyed it there would have been no manifestation of the Holy
Ghost resting upon him in the sign of a dove, and a voice from
heaven declaring, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased." Christ left us this example, and his apostles followed
in his footsteps, baptizing according to the commandment for the
remission of sins. John the Baptist also taught this same
doctrine when he went out to preach in Judea, and when the people
came to him confessing their sins he baptized them in Jordan for
the remission of sins. "I indeed baptize you," says John, "with
water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes
I am not worthy to loose; he shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost and with fire."
86
Baptism for the remission of sins! "Why," says one "I thought the
blood of Christ redeemed us from our sins." And so it does. Water
itself will not wash away guilt. If a person has no faith in
Christ, and has not repented of his sins, baptism will be of no
avail. But baptism properly administered by one who has a right
to administer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost, will avail. The person to be baptized must go
down into the water and therein be buried for a remission of
sins, having repented, and having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
and in his atoning blood, for the blood of Christ was shed "for
the sins of the whole world." But the "whole world" will not
receive the benefit of the atonement unless they comply with the
conditions laid down, namely: faith, repentance, and baptism.
They who do not receive this ordinance cannot enter into the
presence of the Father, for "except a man be born of water and of
the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." So said
Jesus. This is a little different from the teachings of modern
divines, is it not? Yes, but it is according to the teachings of
Christ and his apostles.
87
Now, then, in regard to the administration of this ordinance. Men
must have right to administer before they do anything in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. I ask who
has that right? There are a great many ministers standing up in
the various chapels and churches to-day administering in the name
of this holy trinity. You can see men in the Christian world
stand up before a congregation and sprinkle a little water upon
an unconscious babe, and call it baptism, and actually do it in
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Who sent them? Who
told them to do this sprinkling? Did God the Father, or the Son,
or the Holy Ghost? No. Did any person to whom God has spoken,
having authority from God to ordain, appoint them to that office?
No. Why! Because for hundreds of years communication with the
eternal world has been shut off, inasmuch as the people who
profess the Christian religion have not even believed in the
doctrine of present communication with God. They have been
contented with the old revelations contained in the book we call
the Bible, which contains a few of the things that God revealed
hundreds of years ago. They do not believe in having
communication with the heavens. How did they get this authority,
then? When did a man ever get authority from God to sprinkle and
call it baptism, or to baptize and infant in any form? It is not
to be found in the Bible. "He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved," so Christ said. And you will find that wherever
the apostles went, faith was the first principle they taught. "If
thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest," said Philip to
the eunuch who sought to be baptized. Baptism without faith and
repentance is valueless, it is void; and baptism administered by
one who has not the right to attend to that ordinance in the name
of the holy trinity is also void. Supposing men were to come to
us with as groundless claims in temporal things as they do in
spiritual. Supposing a man came from Germany to this country and
professed to be a minister from the German court. We would ask to
see his credentials, and if he had been sent as an ambassador for
that people, he would be able to show his authority. Supposing
all that he had to prove his right to represent the German Empire
was, he felt called in his heart to do so. We should consider him
a fit subject for a lunatic asylum. But there are men
administering in these sacred things (administering in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost), ordinances
to which God never appointed them, for they say there is no
communication between them and God, nor has there been among the
inhabitants of the earth for hundreds and hundreds of years. They
say the canon of scripture is full; God talks no more with the
inhabitants of the earth. Where, then, do they get the right to
administer in the name of the Lord? I tell you as sure as they do
this they will be called to account and held guilty of taking the
name of the Lord in vain. How did the apostles of the Lord Jesus
Christ get the authority to baptize? Christ gave it to them. How
did Christ get the authority? Did he assume it himself? No. Jesus
said, "I come not to do my own will, but the will of the Father
which hath sent me." It was his Father in heaven who called him
to be a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, and Moses and
Elias who had previously held that priesthood, administered to
him in the mount. Thus Christ received that holy priesthood,
after the order of Melchizedek, which embraced all the higher
powers and comprehended the lesser or Aaronic priesthood (for the
greater includes the less), and he ordained his apostles to that
priesthood. "As my Father hath sent me," said he, "even so sent I
you." They obtained their ordination from Christ, and therefore
had a right to baptize and also to call others as the Holy Ghost
directed.
88
"But," says one, "there are many people who have felt called in
their hearts, they have had the spirit of the Gospel. Have they
not a right, seeing they believe in Christ, to administer in
these ordinances?" Certainly not, not a particle of right. Let us
look at Paul and his history, related by himself, Saul, of
Tarsus, who went to persecute the Saints and was smitten to the
earth by the light from the glorious presence of the lately risen
Jesus. He was led blind into the city to which he carried letters
intended to be used in the persecution and annoyance of the
Saints. Says Paul: "And one Ananias came unto me and said,
Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up
upon him. And he said the God of our fathers hath chosen thee,
that thou shouldst know his will, and see that Just One, and
shouldst hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his
witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now
why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins,
calling on the name of the Lord." Saul attended to the ordinance
and was baptized. "Well, now," says one, "surely Saul had a right
to preach the Gospel. He had seen Jesus and heard his voice. A
miracle had been wrought upon him and he was told that he should
be a witness unto all men." No, he had not yet the right. The
hands of the servants of the Lord had not yet been laid upon him.
But we read in the thirteenth chapter of Acts, that while certain
prophets and teachers were waiting before the Lord, "the Holy
Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto
I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed and laid
their hands on them, they sent them away." It is written, "No man
taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as
was Aaron." Aaron was called by Moses, who received divine
authority by direct communication from God. Aaron, it appears,
could talk better than Moses, but Moses was the man called to
hold the keys of the ministry. If any man desires to act in the
holy ministry he must first be baptized for a remission of his
sins and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, otherwise he cannot
be a teacher unto others. And even then, although he may have had
visions, although he may have seen the Lord and had the glories
of heaven opened unto his view, though the curtain that hides the
future may have rolled up before him like a scroll, so that he
could gaze into the glories of the eternities,--all this would
give him no authority whatever to administer in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. He must be called,
he must be ordained, he must receive the authority of the holy
priesthood.
89
Well, what condition has the Christian world been in for
centuries? Just the same in a great many respects as the heathen
world. The people have been in the depths of error. Darkness has
covered the earth and gross darkness the people. "Stay yourselves
and wonder," says the Prophet Isaiah, speaking of the latter
times, "cry ye out and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine;
they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured
out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes:
the prophets and your rulers the seers hath he covered." And the
Lord said that in that very time, when the people should be in
this condition, when they should draw near unto him with their
mouth, and honor him with their lips, while their hearts were far
from him, "I will proceed to do a marvelous work among the
people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of the
wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men
shall be hid. * * * * And in that day shall the deaf hear the
words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of
obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase
their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in
the Holy One of Israel." Just as the prophet predicted so it has
been in the age in which we live. Out of darkness has come forth
light. God, from his holy dwelling place, looked down upon the
world and beheld that all had gone astray, that none were doing
good, no not one. They were divided and contentious, jangling and
quarrelling about creeds. Men were crying lo! here, and lo!
there; in fact the blind were leading the blind and both were
failing into the ditch together. The Lord beheld this from his
holy habitation and again restored the truth from the eternal
world. He sent his holy angels and revealed anew the everlasting
Gospel. Truth came out of the earth, and righteousness looked
down from heaven and both joined in one, gave joy to the meek,
and became a power among men in the earth. God called Joseph
Smith to the great work of ushering in the last dispensation. He
made manifest to him the truth, sent angels to him, enlightened
his mind and gave him the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, and
as Moses and Elias came to Christ in the Mount, so also did
Peter, James and John ordain Joseph Smith to the Melchizedek
priesthood. The authority of that priesthood is here now, and the
servants of God who are called by that authority go forth and
preach the Gospel to every creature, for a witness unto all
nations, declaring that the end is near, and that the second
advent of the Lord is close at hand. People are called upon
everywhere to repent of their sins; to be baptized for the
remission of sins, and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by
the laying on of hands, and whenever people have received the
Gospel and obeyed its ordinances his blessings have come to them.
The Holy Ghost, the Comforter, which speaks direct to their
souls, has borne witness that their sins are remitted, that they
are raised to a newness of life, and that it faithful unto the
end they will be received back into the presence of the Father,
to dwell in his society and glory. This is a privilege offered to
all the inhabitants of the earth who will believe in this Gospel
of the latter-days. Yet it is no new thing. It is the old Gospel
restored. Not a doctrine, not a principle, not a precept therein,
but what may be found in the old Scriptures. And this is what
people call delusion! The Gospel came to us in the various
nations of the earth, some belonging to the various religious
sects, and some belonging to no sect whatever, and when we
received and obeyed it a power took hold of us superior to
anything we have ever experienced before, and witnessed to us in
an unmistakable manner the truth of this work. It is not a
phantom. It is not something imaginary, but it is a solemn fact,
as certain as the fact of our existence. No one can reason us out
of it, or force us out of it. Why? Because it is stamped upon our
spiritual nature, it is a part of our very being. God Almighty
has revealed this truth to our souls, and we know it as we know
we live. That is why we are here.
90
Now, our business is to live this religion, to learn further of
the ways of God, and to do his will in all things. The matters I
have been speaking of are only the A B C of the Gospel. We must
learn "line upon line and precept upon precept," and continue to
grow and increase in a knowledge of the truth, living by "every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Now I would ask
whether this is the case? Having been redeemed, or having had our
individual transgressions remitted, are we walking in the
straight and narrow way? Are we learning of God? Are we seeking
to understand more distinctly and clearly the things that pertain
to our salvation? Are we performing the task allotted to us? For
we are living in an important day. The day of the second coming
of the Savior is nigh at hand, and when he comes shall we be
found, as in the parable, among the wise or among the foolish
virgins? How is it with us this afternoon? Have we oil in our
lamps to guide us on our path? There is no need for us to do
anything in the dark. We should be the children of the light. We
are accused of following our leaders in "blind obedience." There
is no such thing in the Gospel. We have in our midst those who
give us the word of the Lord in a church capacity, "for the
perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry and for
the edifying of the body of Christ," but it is our privilege to
have the same light. "The manifestations of the spirit are given
to every one to profit withal." The Holy Ghost is conferred upon
each individual and it is our privilege to see our way. When the
true Saints hear the word of life, there is an echo within their
hearts and a spirit which testifies to its truthfulness. When the
word comes through our inspired leaders it proceeds from the
spirit of light which guides us unto all truth. It is the
privilege of every Saint to have this light for themselves, the
light of God, the light of truth, "the light that is in all
things and through all things and round about all things, and is
the law by which all things are governed." It is our privilege to
be in possession of that faith that we may ask and receive, that
we may seek and find, that we may knock and have the door opened
unto us. Well, are we doing this? If so, then we rejoice in our
religion. The world compared therewith is as nothing; all things
are as dross compared with the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ. If we are living our religion it is everything with us
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these things shall be added unto you." Earthly things perish with
the using and when we pass away we must leave them behind, but we
will carry with us the Gospel, and every one of its truths we
have made our own. We will carry with us the holy priesthood and
its gifts and powers, if we have been faithful, and will be
permitted to mingle with the spirits of just men made perfect,
and rejoice in the hope of a glorious resurrection.
90
Now let us strive to walk in this path that we may gain this
great glory. Let us attend to the duties we are required to
perform. There is nothing in the Gospel that is non-essential.
Every principle that has been revealed unto us is necessary for
the salvation of man, for I tell you before we are fit to dwell
in the presence of God and enjoy the fulness of his glory we must
become like him. Latter-day Saints, the ordinances of the Gospel
will not save you, they are only aids to salvation. What, then,
will save us? A knowledge of truth and the practice thereof,
nothing else. We must learn the ways of God. We must walk in his
paths. We must be Saints in every deed, and walk in the footsteps
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then, by-and-by, where
he is we will be also. If we turn our backs upon the truth we
will go down to death; we will be beaten with many stripes, we
must suffer the consequence of our guilt, and after we have gone
through the depths of suffering and sorrow in the due time of the
Lord we may get some kind of salvation and glory, but where God
and Christ are we cannot come, worlds without end.
91
I would say to my friends who are here this afternoon, that I
know this work is true. God Almighty has made it known to me. I
bear this testimony to you, and I am willing to meet it before
the great judgment seat. God has spoken from the heavens in this
our day. He has restored the Gospel of Christ and the authority
to preach it. It will go forth to every nation, kindred, tongue
and people. The wise and the prudent will not receive it, but
"the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."
This work will go on to this end and purpose. Zion will be built
up, Jerusalem will be redeemed, and the time will come when
Jesus, our Redeemer shall descend in power and great glory to
reign upon the earth. I bear my testimony that this is the work
of God, that he requires our whole heart, and that we should love
our neighbors as ourselves. let us put away our follies and our
errors. Let us not drink into the spirit of the world. Let us not
pattern after the wickedness that is creeping into our midst.
Come out from among them and be ye separate, and touch not the
unclean thing! Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. It
is only by the practice of righteousness and personal purity,
that we will be made fit to dwell in the presence of the Lord. A
doctrine contrary to this is the worst kind of delusion.
91
May God help us to live the life of a Saint and finally save us
in his kingdom, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, April 13th, 1879
John Taylor, April 13th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Ephraim, Sanpete County, on Sunday Morning,
April 13th, 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
EFFECTS OF THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL--OBJECT OF THE
GATHERING--MANIFESTATIONS OF THE ANCIENTS TO JOSEPH SMITH--THE
GOSPEL TO DEPARTED SPIRITS--DUTIES OF THE SAINTS TO EACH
OTHER--THE KIND OF MEN WANTED TO GO ON MISSIONS.
93
I am pleased to have the opportunity of meeting with the brethren
and sisters of this place, and of looking at your faces; and I
would like to hear more of the brethren speak to you, but I know
you want me to talk awhile; and as I have to leave this afternoon
I will occupy the time now, and we will leave some of the
brethren to preach to you then. I desire your faith and prayers,
for we are all dependent upon the Lord;none of us can do or say
anything that is good or useful or beneficial to society unless
we are under the aid, guidance and control of the Lord. A man
cannot speak aright unless he speaks under the inspiration of the
Almighty; and then the people cannot hear aright, nor understand
aright unless they have a portion of the same Spirit. And hence
there was something peculiar in the expression made by Jesus upon
this subject. He understood this principle very well, and in
speaking on it, says, "My sheep hear my voice, and know me, and
follow me; but a stranger they will not follow for they know not
the voice of a stranger." And hence when the elders were sent out
to preach the Gospel at first, they were told to go forth and God
would go with them, and his Spirit would accompany them and his
angels should go before them. The Lord had his sheep scattered
all over the face of the earth; and those sheep, when they heard
the sound of the Gospel, understood it; there was something that
bore testimony to their hearts, which they could not well
describe, and that something directed you, my brethren and
sisters, to those who brought the everlasting Gospel; and when
you heard it you said, "That is true." And people might say what
they pleased, still you believed and felt that it was true. You
experienced this feeling, but you could hardly account for it.
This was the Spirit that Jesus alluded to when he said, "If I be
lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me." He has
his own way of accomplishing that object, and it takes time, a
great deal of time to do that. But he was not going to drive them
nor force them, nor in any way to coerce them; but he would
present to their minds such beautiful principles, such lovely
sentiments and develop such glorious things among them, that they
could not but see and appreciate them, nor could they find them
anywhere else. And then when those principles were confirmed by
the influence of the holy priesthood through the revelations of
God to the people, it produced the effect upon them that we have
seen. And hence you have gathered here, left your homes in the
old world--the major part of you from Scandinavia. I was one of
those brethren that started out in an early day with this message
of glad tidings; and Brother Erastus Snow found his way to you
folks, while I went to others in a different part of the world,
and still others of the brethren hunted up other sheep in other
places. What was the result of our preaching? We see it here
to-day; the result is that you have been brought to a knowledge
of the truth, and through obedience to the ordinances of the
Lord, you have received the Holy spirit of God, which has led you
into the truth, so that you, as did the ancient Saints before
you, sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You no longer
experience the kind of uncertainty you used to be afflicted with,
but you have a certainty, an abiding reality. You do not care to
die; that is a matter of very little importance. Jesus said to a
woman on a certain occasion, whom he had asked to give him water
to drink, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that
sayeth to thee: Give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of him,
and he would have given thee living water." We have drunk of that
stream which makes glad the city of our God. And we want to
realize and appreciate the position we occupy before God, and the
great blessing and privileges that are within our reach. We have
just commenced, as it were, in the great work. We have received a
great many precious principles, and have seen and experienced a
great many things. But how was it? Simply through a glass,
darkly; and we yet, in many instances, see them through a glass,
darkly--at least very many of them; and sometimes we can scarcely
perceive the difference between ourselves and the rest of
mankind, or between the religion we have embraced and that which
other people have. If we could only reflect upon it, there is as
much difference as there is between light and darkness. But we do
not always comprehend these things, and hence we labor under
difficulties pertaining to this matter; because we do not see, we
do not comprehend the position and relationship that subsists
between us and our God. God is our Father; we are his children.
He has brought us into his covenant, and it is our privilege to
go on from wisdom to wisdom, from intelligence to intelligence,
from understanding of one principle to that of another, to go
forward and progress in the development of truth until we can
comprehend God. For we are his children, we are his sons and
daughters, and he is our Father. He has organized this Church in
order that we may be educated in the principles of life, that we
may comprehend those principles that exist in the bosom of God,
that we may be able to teach our children correct principles, in
order that we may be placed in a position whereby we can be
assimilated into the likeness of our heavenly Father, and have a
communication opened between angels and us, that we may feel that
we are of the family of God and of the household of faith, and
that we can operate with them; and that while part of his family
who have lived upon the earth and who live again in another state
of existence behind the vail, are operating with him and with the
angels of God and with the whole of the Holy Priesthood in
developing his purposes in the heavens, that we may be prepared
to operate with him on the earth in carrying out his purposes
here; that his people may be preserved from the powers of
darkness, that the light, intelligence and revelations of God may
be upon us, that we may comprehend our true position to him, to
each other, to his Church and kingdom, and to the living and the
dead; that we may realize the position we occupy in relation to
all the various duties and the responsibilities of life. And then
after realizing them, magnify our callings, unite ourselves
together as the heart of one man under the influences of the
Spirit of eternal truth as the family of God upon the earth, and
purge out everything from us that is evil, corrupt, low and
degrading, and elevate our minds and feelings to a higher
standard of intelligence, morality and obedience to his laws, and
thus prepare ourselves to carry out the things of God in relation
to the earth whereon we dwell, and each of us take a part in
bringing to pass his purposes here upon the earth, not by any
intelligence we may have; but by the wisdom and intelligence that
God shall impart from time to time, until we shall progress in
every principle that is calculated to elevate and ennoble
mankind, until finally we shall see as we are seen and know as we
are known.
94
We are now gathered together to Zion. For what? To build up Zion,
and to accomplish the purposes of the Lord pertaining to the
human family upon the earth. And being gathered together we are
organized with apostles and prophets, with presidents and their
counselors, with bishops and their counselors, with elders,
priests teachers and deacons. We are organized according to the
order of God, and these very principles that look small to us
emanate from God. We have seventies and high priests, and all
these men hold certain positions which it is expected of them
that they will fulfill and magnify, here in the flesh, in the
interests of truth and righteousness; in the interests of the
kingdom of God and in the establishment of correct principles
among the Saints of the Most High. We are here to co-operate with
God in the salvation of the living, in the redemption of the
dead, in the blessings of our ancestors, in the pouring out
blessings upon our children; we are here for the purpose of
redeeming and regenerating the earth on which we live, and God
has placed his authority and his counsels here upon the earth for
that purpose, that men may learn to do the will of God on the
earth as it is done in heaven. This is the object of our
existence; and it is for us to comprehend the position.
95
For instance, Joseph Smith in the first place was set apart by
the Almighty according to the counsels of the gods in the eternal
worlds, to introduce the principles of life among the people, of
which the Gospel is the grand power and influence, and through
which salvation can extend to all peoples, all nations, all
kindreds, all tongues and all worlds. It is the principle that
brings life and immortality to light, and places us in
communication with God. God selected him for that purpose, and he
fulfilled his mission and lived honorably and died honorably. I
know of what I speak for I was very well acquainted with him and
was with him a great deal during his life, and was with him when
he died. The principles which he had, placed him in communication
with the Lord, and not only with the Lord, but with the ancient
apostles and prophets; such men, for instance as Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Noah, Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and the Father, and the
apostles that lived on this continent as well as those who lived
on the Asiatic continent. He seemed to be as familiar with these
people as we are with one another. Why? Because he had to
introduce a dispensation which was called the dispensation of the
fulness of times, and it was known as such by the ancient
servants of God. What is meant by the dispensation of the fulness
of times? It is a dispensation in which all other dispensations
are merged or concentrated. It embraces and embodies all the
other dispensations that have existed upon the earth wherein God
communicated himself to the human family. Did they have the
Aaronic priesthood in former times? Yes. So have we. Did they
have the Melchizedek priesthood in former times? Yes. So have we.
Did they have a gathering dispensation in former times, when
Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt? Yes. So have we,
just as it was predicted by the prophet Jeremiah: "I will take
you one of a city and two of a family, and I will bring you to
Zion." And what will you do with them when you get them there?
"And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall
feed you with knowledge and understanding." We have that
dispensation. Moses, when he appeared to Joseph Smith, committed
to him "the keys of the dispensation of the gathering of Israel
from the four quarters of the earth and the restitution of the
ten tribes." Read it in the Doctrine and Covenants: it is there
plainly written. Why are you here to day, from Scandinavia and
other parts of the world? Because God has, among other
dispensations, restored the dispensation of the gathering.
95
In relation to other matters. Was there a time to transpire that
Elijah should come to "turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers?" That
Elias has come, and has introduced that dispensation; and in that
are associated the very things you are engaged in and which we
have come to attend to, namely the laying of the foundation stone
of the Temple. Now, I will ask, whoever thought of building
Temples until God revealed it? Did you? If you did, I wish you
would tell us of it. And did you know how to build them? No. And
did you know how to administer in them after they were built? No,
you did not. We are indebted to the Lord for these things. And
when Elijah the prophet appeared to Joseph Smith he committed to
him the keys of this dispensation; and hence we are at work
building Temples; but some of us hardly know why. We go at it the
same as we follow plowing, sowing, planting, reaping and such
kinds of pursuits. There are other things behind that. There are
ordinances associated behind these things that go back into
eternity; that are the offspring of God, that are intended for
the welfare, the happiness and exaltation of mankind; for those
who are living and those that are dead and for those that will
live hereafter, pertaining both to our progenitors and our
posterity. And that is one of those keys that have been turned.
Do you think that the elders who brought the Gospel to you in far
off lands could have gathered you here if they were not the
bearers of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and if this had
not been a gathering dispensation? I think not. As I have said,
the elders went to different parts of the earth, for we have
preached a great deal. I, myself, have traveled hundreds of
thousands of miles preaching the Gospel; and without purse or
scrip, trusting in the Lord. Did he ever forsake me? Never, no
never. I always was provided for, for which I feel to praise God
my heavenly Father. I was engaged in his work and he told me that
he would sustain me in it; he has been true to his trust, and if
I have not been true to mine I hope he will forgive me and help
me to do better. But the Lord has been true and faithful, and I
have never needed anything to eat or drink or wear, and was never
prevented for want of means of traveling where I pleased.
97
Well, to return. After you received the Gospel and the spirit of
the same, the great desire of your hearts was to go to Zion. And
in order to accomplish this you put away your little savings and
you began to contrive how to dispose of your little properties,
and many of you were almost ready to sell yourselves to get to
Zion. You could not tell why you had such feelings, but you did
have them, and you could not get rid of them until you were
brought here. You would not have come here had it not been for
that, would you? I have no idea that you would. When you were
told to build Temples, what made you build them? Because you had
received the Gospel in your hearts, associated with which was the
mission of Elijah which was to turn the hearts of the children to
the fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children. I
wish I could tell it to you as I understand some of these things,
and I wish you could understand those principles. Suffice it to
say that Satan has tried from the beginning of the world to
overturn the works of God, and in some instances he has
apparently succeeded admirably. He was the cause at one time of
all the people of the earth being destroyed except a little seed
which was saved to propagate the human species. Probably the
devil would laugh pretty heartily over that thinking that he had
accomplished his purposes. However that was not the end. It is
true that the judgments of God overtook them; it is true they
were destroyed by a flood in the flesh, and were shut up in
prison in the spirit; but it is also true that the same Savior
who is our Savior, when he was put to death in the flesh, was
quickened by the spirit, and that he visited those spirits in
prison, opening up the door of salvation to them that they might
be redeemed and come forth and accomplish certain purposes which
God had designed; and hence we find the Savior operating among
all that body of people that the devil thought were destroyed,
but through this visitation were placed within the reach of
deliverance. But has Satan prevailed to a great extent? He has.
Has darkness spread itself over the earth? Yes. Have people
wandered away from God and forsaken him and his laws? They have.
But them the Lord will be merciful towards them, they not having
received the light that we have, hence he feels towards them as a
father feels towards his children, being desirous to promote
their happiness as far as it lays in his power; and if he could
not save them while in the flesh, he understands certain eternal
laws and principles whereby they may hereafter be redeemed. The
Judge of all the earth will do right. And while the priesthood
behind the vail are operating and preaching to the spirits that
are in prison that have been there from the different ages, he
calls, upon us to build temples that we may administer for the
bodies of these people that have died without the Gospel, that
they may be judged according to men in the flesh and live after
God in the spirit. At the commencement of the dispensations he
sends out his elders generally to all the world to preach the
Gospel to every creature. In this dispensation he not only does
this; but as we live in a gathering dispensation, he also gathers
in the people, and when they learn a little of his law, there are
many ordained to the priesthood and sent out as messengers, and
we keep sending them out to preach the Gospel and to gather in
the elect; and we send them to their own people to tell them what
God has done and is doing. And they keep coming and going. And
whom do we send? If we send to England we send Englishmen, or men
who can speak the English language; if to Scandinavia, we send
Scandinavians: we send generally their own people, accompanied
with men of experience, after the Gospel has been introduced to
them. Why? That they may go and teach their own people the way of
life and salvation. What then? They come back again and build
Temples. And what then? They and their people from the various
nations of the earth go into these Temples and administer for
their fathers, and grandfathers, their uncles and aunts, their
friends and relatives, and thus reach back, back into distant
times to redeem and save others. And who are these men? Just such
as the ancient prophets talked about. They are saviors upon Mount
Zion, are they not, saving and redeeming their people--and those
men who are quarrying and hauling the rock, and those who are
engaged in laying up these terrace and temple walls, and those
who are otherwise engaged in making the necessary preparation for
the building of the temple are all laboring in the same
direction. The Lord requires this work at our hands in order to
test us, to see whether we will carry out his laws or not. And
when we build our temples and he accepts of them, we will then
enter into them and administer in the name of God; and
administering in them we become saviors upon Mount Zion, as it is
written, "And Saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the
Mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's" Don't your
Bible read so? The one I have does. Who shall they save? These
men become saviors of their own nations; they administer and
operate in their interests and in the interests of their fathers
and their friends and associates. Hence this is one thing we are
engaged in, and is part of the dispensation of the fulness of
times.
97
Then what does one of the prophets say? "Behold, I will send you
Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord." And what shall he do? "And he shall turn the
heart of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the
children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a
curse." And what shall be done? Saviors shall come up on Mount
Zion; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. It is written, they
shall all be taught of God, but the kingdom shall be the Lord's
not man's. We do not want to lean upon man nor put our trust in
man. While we are obedient to every ordinance of man that is
proper and right, and which does not conflict with the law of
God, while we are obedient to these things we do not want to sell
our selves to the wicked and ungodly. We do not care much about
their ways or their theories or ideas. "The Lord," says one,
"shall be our judge, the Lord shall be our king, the Lord shall
be our law-giver and he shall rule over us." And we, under the
inspiration of the Almighty, will introduce the laws of God that
exist in the heavens and upon the earth, and form a nucleus of
truth, of virtue and intelligence, of law and order, of
principles pertaining to morals, to philosophy, to politics, to
religion and to everything that is pure, exalting and ennobling,
and the kingdom will be the Lord's. And we will operate together,
we will try to frustrate the works of darkness and the powers of
the adversary, to save the living and redeem the dead, have our
hearts turned towards our fathers who have lived before us who
have been ignorant of the principles of life and salvation which
God has been pleased to confer upon us, while the brethren behind
the vail are feeling after us who are their children. The Lord
will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
hearts of the children to the fathers through Elias who was to
come, which if not accomplished, it is written, "the earth would
be smitten with a curse."
99
Hence we are operating with the ancient patriarchs, apostles,
prophets and men of God who lived on the continent of Asia and
America, and we will gather together all things in one according
to the words of God, gather his Israel in one from the four
quarters of the earth and also the ten tribes before we get
through; and Judah will listen to the words of life, and the
principles of eternal truth will go forth and spread and grow,
"until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God
and his Christ; and to him every knee will bow and every tongue
confess that Christ is God to the glory of God the Father." And
we are here for that purpose. Do you think we are going to fail?
Do you think the Lord is going to back down? I think not. Men may
combine against us ignorantly, for many of them are very
ignorant. I do not cherish the least feeling of wrath in my heart
when I see the courts, legislators or Congress take steps
inimical to us. They do not know what they do, hence we should
feel charitably disposed to those who seek our injury. David
prayed that God would send his enemies to hell quickly. Jesus,
when he was being crucified, suffering the pain of a cruel death,
said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." I
like that prayer much better than the other one. Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do. They are thy children,
though in the dark. Thou hast enlightened our minds, for which we
feel thankful; but, O Lord, forgive them and lead them, if thou
canst, in the way of life. This is the feeling we ought to have.
We ought to have it one towards another and treat one another
with kindness and not get up hard feelings. Talking about people
giving away to passion and giving expression to hard words; such
things do not belong to the Gospel, to no part of it; they come
from beneath. This has been pointed out and made very plain to
us. Every spirit, says one, that tends to good is of God; and
every spirit that tends to evil is of the wicked one and comes
from beneath. I hear a man say sometimes "I hate such a man." Why
I do not know of a person that I hate in the world. The command
is to love one another. When Jesus was about to leave his
disciples, the burden of his prayer was, "Father, I pray for
these whom thou hast given me; thine they were, and thou gavest
them me. I pray for them, Father, that they may be one, even as I
and thou art one, that they may be one in us." What, a sister or
a brother, a citizen of the kingdom of God, a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one who has received
peradventure of the ordinances of the house of God, and who
expects to associate with the Saints of God, quarrels with his
brother about peanuts and baby toys and then talk about your
honor being infringed upon! I tell you if you take care of
yourselves, your honor will take care of itself and you need not
be concerned about it. Treat one another aright. Have you sinned
one against another? then go and make restitution. Have you
defrauded one another? go and make it right. Have you spoken
unkindly to your brother or sister? then go and acknowledge your
wrong and ask to be forgiven, promising to do better in the
future. And then he or she might say, on the other hand "Yes, and
I said so and so the other day, won't you please forgive me?" How
much better and how much more in keeping with the calling of a
Saint of God such a course would be than to harbor hard feelings
in the heart. And you parents, get your families in the morning
and evening and call upon the Lord, and ask his blessing upon
your families, your flocks and herds, and upon everything that
you have, and do not be quarreling one with another because you
are scarce of water. I tell you in the name of the Lord God that
if you will do your duties, God will do his, and furnish you with
what water is necessary. Try me "and prove me herewith saith the
Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and
pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to
receive it." Husbands, treat your wives right; treat them with
kindness and with sympathy; try to make them comfortable, and
make their houses and surroundings comfortable and do all you can
to make them happy. And you wives, treat your husbands right; try
to make their homes a little heaven, and seek earnestly that the
blessings of the Lord may abide in your dwellings. And parents,
treat your children aright; train them up in the fear of the
Lord, they are of more importance to you than many things that
you give your attention to. And you, children, obey your parents;
respect your fathers and mothers. Your mothers have watched over
you, and your fathers are desirous for your welfare, and their
hearts and feelings and affections are drawn out towards you. Do
not give them pain by departing from correct principles; but walk
in the paths of life. And parents, and children, husbands and
wives and all people, fear God and put your trust in him and
carry out the principles of your holy religion which God has
revealed to us.
99
I would speak a few words of praise of many of our brethren; I
think it would apply to many of you here. I have no disposition
to find fault, but I have a disposition to speak kindly of many
of my brethren and sisters in many of their operations. In the
tithing operations, for instance, I think that during the last
year there has been paid some 50,000 dollars more than the year
before. This speaks well for the Latter-day Saints; not but what
the Lord could get along very well without these things, but he
wants to test his people. This, however, proves that there is an
increase in the right direction, and a proper feeling that ought
to exist among the Saints. Hence, says the Lord, "Bring ye all
the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine
houses, and prove me now herewith, if I will not open the windows
of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it." The Lord wants to prove his people and he
will have a tried and proven people, and this is one of the ways
he has chosen to do it. In addition to this tithing there has
been expended on this temple and the Temple in Logan in the
neighborhood of 250,000 dollars; this is very creditable, besides
a very fair tithing on the back of that. I think I can speak good
in the name of the Lord to a people that will do that, that is,
if we will lay aside all evil things. Let us keep doing good. You
have done about as much here as they have done in Logan, and they
expect to get their Temple up to the square this summer. But then
they did not have to make the foundation you have had to make
here. They made some mistake in fixing up the mountains here;
they do not seem to be in a right shape; but then we can put them
in a right shape, you know. The scriptures talk about the
mountains being thrown down. Well, you have done considerable
towards levelling this down. God is pleased with you, and
everything is going on right, and I speak this for your
encouragement.
100
I am pleased to see the sisters take the part they do in
their Relief Societies. They are doing a good work and their
labors are a credit to them. And then there are our Young Men's
and our Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations; they are
going on very well. And then your educational interests are doing
pretty well. Do I not so understand you, Brother Petersen?
[President Canute Petersen--Yes, Sir; pretty well.] We do not
want outside folks to teach our children, do we? I think not. We
do not want them to teach us how to get to heaven, do we? If we
did, it would be of no use, for they do not know the way. Well,
then, we do not want them to tamper with the minds of our little
ones. You will see the day that Zion will be as far ahead of the
outside world in everything pertaining to learning of every kind
as we are to-day in regard to religious matters. You mark my
words, and write them down, and see if they do not come to pass.
We are not dependent upon them, but we are upon the Lord. We did
not get our priesthood nor our information in regard to his law
from them; it came from God. The world profess to know a little
about what they call science, literature and the arts. Where did
they get their knowledge of these things from? And what is it
they really do know? They know something about the laws of
Nature. Who made those laws? God made them; and he knows how to
govern them; and it is by his almighty power that they are
governed.
100
I remember talking with some celebrated scientists from Europe
some time ago, and I explained to them some of the principles
relative to the heavenly bodies that were revealed through the
Prophet Joseph Smith. They were astonished to know that ideas so
grand could be developed through one that was comparatively
unlearned. One of them remarked that they were the most
magnificent principles he had ever heard of; another one said
that he had red and studied a great deal, but he had a good deal
more yet to learn. We are, as the French would say, enrapport,
with God. Let us live so that we can keep that up, so that angels
can minister to us and the Holy Spirit dwell with us. We have
received his guidance and instruction. It is for us now to go on
from truth to truth, from intelligence to intelligence and from
wisdom to wisdom. And while nations shall crumble and thrones be
cast down, and the God of heaven arise and shake terribly the
earth, while the elements melt with fervent heart in fulfilment
of ancient as well as modern prophecy; while these things are
going on he will whisper, peace to Zion. But the judgments will
begin at the house of God. We have to pass through some of these
things, but it will only be a very little compared with the
terrible destruction, the misery and suffering that will overtake
the world who are doomed to suffer the wrath of God. It behooves
us, as the Saints of God, to stand firm and faithful in the
observance of his laws, that we may be worthy of his preserving
care and blessing.
101
Now a word about other things. We want elders to go and preach
the Gospel. But some people will say, "Here is such a young man
who is a little wild; if he were to go abroad perhaps he would
reform." Brother Peterson, we do not want such folks to go as
representatives of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I say to you,
Presidents of States, we do not want such an order of things; we
want men that have got within them the gift of the Holy Ghost,
men who have the gift and power of God in them. We do not want
men to go abroad to be reformed. They are not fit to live in Zion
if they cannot reform themselves at home. We must have men filled
with faith and the Holy Ghost. And you seventies and high
priests, wake up to a sense of the responsibility of your
callings, and purge away your follies and nonsense and feel that
you are indeed the servants of the living God; for God will hold
you responsible for the priesthood you bear. Then honor the Lord
and magnify the priesthood, and when you go forth to the nations
bearing precious seed, angels will go with you and the gift of
the Holy Ghost will accompany you in your administrations and
though you may go weeping, bearing the precious seed of the
Gospel, you will return rejoicing bringing you sheaves with you.
101
I do not know but what I have talked enough. Brethren and sisters
God bless you. And God bless the relief societies and the young
men's and the young ladies' societies, and God bless your
president and this counselors, and your bishops and their
counselors, and all that fear God, and work righteousness. And
the Lord God put a hook in the jaws of our enemies that seek our
injury and overthrow, that they may not have power against the
Israel of God. And God bless all Israel, that Zion may arise and
shine and the glory of God rest upon her. I ask it in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Henry
W. Naisbitt, March 7th, 1880
Henry W. Naisbitt, March 7th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT,
Delivered in the 16th Ward Meeting House, Sunday Afternoon,
March 7th, 1880
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE PRINCIPLE OF REVELATION AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE SEVERAL
PHASES OF LIFE--HOW THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN SHALL BE EVOLVED.
103
I presume we all understand that the Spirit of the Lord is in the
congregation of the Saints. If we do not understand it and if
there is any one that does not realize the necessity of enjoying
it, it would be a good thing perhaps for him to get up here a
while. When a person is called upon to address a congregation and
notices the upturned faces before him, waiting, wishing, very
likely praying, for the blessings which they particularly desire,
I think that no man can look upon such a sight unmoved, he must
feel his own ignorance and weakness, and dependence, and when he
does this I believe that all public administrations will be an
advantage and blessing both to the speaker and hearers, and I am
sure that is my object this afternoon. I have no personal
ambition to serve, but I do want to bless and I do know that I
need to be blessed. And this is the place appointed (so far as
this ward is concerned) for the reception of those blessings
which pertain to the public services of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is the place where there should
be intelligence. Here is the place where there should be wisdom.
Here is the place to expect revelation, and that not in any
vague, misty, half understood sense,--not lost or covered up by a
multitude of words, but divested of everything that will deprive
us of knowledge as to the essential principles which belong
really to revelation. The world, however, holds very peculiar
ideas in regard to this. Every elder in Israel who will look back
upon his experience, if it reaches even to the early history of
this Church, will comprehend how odd and mythical the ideas in
regard to revelation were as then held by mankind. It is true
that the masses of the people as well as the teachers believed
that in the ancient times there had been some communication with
the intelligences who dwell behind the vail. They all agreed--all
Christians did at all events--that the Spirit was made manifest
and its utterances recorded in a book. They believed that without
that book the world was in a lost condition, that men were left
to grope in darkness and to wonder in ignorance, but with that
book it was believed that every man and every woman could
understand themselves; they could understand something of their
origin and the purpose for which they were dwelling upon the
earth, the destiny which belonged to the human family, and also
the process by which that destiny could be best secured. But it
is astonishing what a little light will do for a man. It is
astonishing how our minds expand when we receive the key to the
situation. And when we look at the vast difference there is
between the community who inhabit these mountains and the
communities of the nations from which we have been
gathered--probably most can see and are aware that between the
two there exists a great and ever widening gulf. Men who reject
the principle of revelation in any direction must inevitably
become stunted, they must inevitably cease to live, because
revelation is the element of life, it is the secret of growth, it
is the power of increase, and it is only in proportion to the
receptive ability of a man, or woman, or child, that they can
increase in intelligence. Now, divested of all extraneous or
outside ideas, divested of all the mystery that has been thrown
around the idea of revelation by man-made teachers, divested of
all traditions and thoughts that have been written in regard to
it, what is the essential idea involved in revelation in its
significant simplicity. What is there that is difficult of
comprehension? What is there that it should need men of classical
education to explain it; what is there that there should be these
large colleges and this immense army of ministers in order that
the world may be enlightened in regard to the principle of
revelation? Why when you come to probe and to reach the
foundation of the idea it is nothing more nor less than the
communication of intelligence possessed by one to another who in
regard to that subject remains in ignorance. That is all there is
involved in revelation, and whenever you find a human being who
is ignorant of any subject pertaining to any direction of human
thought, or in regard to any useful field of human experience,
there revelation is an absolute necessity.
104
Now, then, revelation may vary in degree; it may vary in
character, according to the necessities of the case, according to
the intelligence of individuals. The mother who guides the
destiny of a family and endows it with all the comforts of
domestic and social life finds herself surrounded by a few crude
men and women, or, as we call them, boys or girls. You consider
the character of this offspring. When they were born they were
helpless, and in infancy they possessed no intelligence save
those animal instincts which lead only to the preservation of
life. But in a few weeks or months the spirit of intelligence
begins to dawn. The mother watches the growing spark and seeks to
fan it to a flame; to point out the remedy where difficulty
occurs in early experience; to explain the educational process
through which the child must pass from man or womanhood; and to
show that when the first efforts are made, and even when they are
comparative failures, that these only stand as sentinels or
pointsmen in the great highway of success--prompters to ultimate
and final success. The probability is that every young woman who
has learned to make bread has had an experience of this
character. And it is true that many of the first trials, unless
the mother watched very closely, would not be successful, the
bread might be heavy, or it become sour. Now it is the mother's
duty to reveal, to give from her intelligence to one
comparatively ignorant, a solution or remedy for the difficulty.
The young girl is expected to listen to the mother. She has the
faculty to receive the intelligence that is communicated, and to
put that intelligence into practice. And when the bread was heavy
the mother showed the cause which brought about that condition.
If the bread was sour, a little neutralizing element had to be
put into the dough, in order that the acidity might be removed a
little soda or something of that kind; and this is a revelatory
process from the mother to the child. If you take one of our good
mothers in Israel who has grown grey under the weight of
experience, you will find that she possesses a vast fund of
information, and in every direction in domestic or social life
she is the great standard of appeal, and even when the daughter
has become a married woman, when she passes into the
responsibility of motherhood, when sickness takes hold of the
darling that God has given her, she instantly appeals to the
higher or wider intelligence and experience of the mother, and
that which the mother, by the advantage of years, by the
experience through which she has passed, has gained, she
communicates unto the daughter, and thus the daughter becomes the
recipient of revelation. And as it is with the mother and the
daughter, so also it is with the father and the son; so also it
is with those who are learning a trade, so also it is with those
who attend our daily or our Sabbath schools, and the very fact
that we are so constituted that we can receive revelation in
these channels is a revelation in and of itself, written in the
fundamental organization of the human character, that revelation
is not only possible and desirable, but that it is also a
necessary and inevitable element pertaining to the highest
welfare and the grand destiny and future of those who submit to
its varied processes from day to day! Now, this character of
intelligence may be said to mark the very lowest phases of human
life; but while man is an animal, while he has his physical
necessities, while he is surrounded with domestic life, while he
is subject to and is a member of the social arena of life, there
are also attributes of character which are beyond this physical,
this animal, and this social cast. There is something in every
man and in every woman which savors of the divine, in all the
circumstances of life there is a reaching out after something
which is beyond the grasp; there is a soaring of the spirit, a
seeking after something to which the present surroundings gave no
clue. Man feels that he is. He not only feels that he is, but
thousands and millions of the human family have an inkling of the
great fact that they have been, and millions and millions more
have an inkling of the other great fact that when they leave this
stage of existence they will continue to be. And it is the
realization of such things which establishes the idea outside of
any other special revelation that our origin is divine as well as
human. When we sense these ideas, when they become interwoven
into the fabric of our lives when we instinctively feel that we
do possess this characteristic, there must be certain elements
and certain principles which will minister to the growth of such
ideas; just as there are elements of and in nature which minister
to the welfare of the lower, so there are elements which minister
to the higher, and fitted for the cultivation of every attribute
of the human character, no matter how low we may esteem it to be,
or how lofty we may conceive it to be, there are resources in the
economy of God for the development and growth and glory of that
characteristic. Hence when a man realizes that he has a
pre-existence, when he realizes that the present existence is but
a transitory condition, when he realizes that there is a vast and
illimitable future before him, he desires to comprehend how he
shall best minister to his individual welfare in that future. And
here steps in the necessity of revelation based upon philosophy,
based upon human necessities and human needs. The only way that
we can be educated in this direction is by revelation coming to
us from outside sources, from higher intelligences, from those
who have passed through the self-same experience as we ourselves
have and will for ever pass.
105
Now, then, as a fundamental process for our education in this
respect we have given unto us the Gospel. That Gospel is just as
systematic and just as orderly as are the details of education in
a school. It is just as orderly and systematic as are the methods
by which our boys are taught and trained in the various branches
of education or trade. It is just as orderly and systematic as
the education our wives give to their daughters, or that mothers
give to their married girls. You never find a mother, in training
her children for domestic life, begin to tell them in the first
place how to make one of those very rich cakes that we sometimes
make ourselves sick with at Christmas. You would scarcely find a
man who took an apprentice, begin to teach him in the first place
some higher branches of his trade. You would scarcely find a
teacher begin to teach his pupils the advanced principles
pertaining to a classical education. There is an order; there are
steps and processes in every educational direction, which we take
in their order and in their time and place. Now one of the most
startling revelations that has been given to the human family in
the day and age in which we live, by the elders of Israel, to a
dark and benighted world, is the great fundamental idea of "the
fatherhood of God." Now, this may not appear so startling to the
American citizen whose mind is impregnated with the idea that the
human family are equal,--that one man is as good as another, but
in the Old World there exists conditions of class and of caste.
You who have come from England or from any European nation, will
realize what I mean by class and caste. There is the charmed
circle of the royal blood, into which the plebeian never enters.
There is the larger circle of the aristocracy, or, as we call
them, the "upper ten," and into the precincts of that circle,
jealously guarded as they are, a stranger scarcely ever enters.
Then you were surrounded in England by what is called the middle
classes, and even they look upon the lower classes as being made
of some material distinct and different from themselves; but when
the elders of Israel landed in Old England and proclaimed "the
fatherhood of God," and laid the axe at the root of caste and
class, they were preparing for the foundation of a kingdom that
should recognize the essential unity of the human family and of
necessity the brotherhood of man. It is quite true that under
some social, religious or political circumstances, we hear of a
certain unity and equality among the human family; but if you
attempt to put that unity and equality into practice, what are
the results that inevitably flow from such a course? You are
surrounded with obstacles on every hand, and it is only perhaps
after the lapse of two or three generations that a man in his
posterity is able to make his way from the ranks and associate
with the higher class. It is true there are those here and there
who do this, and they do it by virtue of inherent genius or some
chance legacy, and when they are accepted into this higher class,
it is by virtue of this chance, etc., but as a rule they are
looked upon as intruders. Take the Prime Minister of England,
Lord Beaconsfield. There is a man who has made himself a
necessity to the government of the country, to Her Majesty, to
the higher classes; he has done this by virtue of the inspiration
of the Almighty, and yet with all his grand attainments, that man
is looked upon more or less as an intruder because he was not
nobly born! And so I might multiply illustrations which would be
familiar to you all. But the Gospel sets out in the first place
with these two ideas, twin ideas, that never can be put asunder,
the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of the human family.
106
Now, then, if we are one in our origin, if we are really one in
destiny, we must all reach that destiny by the self-same process,
and that process is to be found in the ordinances of the Gospel,
in the power of inspiration and revelation resting upon those who
initiate men and women into that order. And in connection with
this, wherever and whenever you comprehend this higher
intelligence that bears rule in the eternities, controlling the
destinies of these great orbs that we see from time to time in
the midnight heavens--wherever you find those that have graded
from a fallen world you will find those who graded up and through
the instrumentality of the self-same Gospel that is given to you
and me. There is no other Gospel. There is no other way to that
exaltation which pertains to the Gods only through the revelation
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So that there is "no royal road"
to heaven; no matter what a man's condition, no matter what the
class to which he may have been known in social life on earth by
virtue of birth or by virtue of wealth; no matter what position
he may occupy because of his ignorance or lack of information; no
matter whether he may live in a hovel or dwell in a palace, or
though he may have but a crust to eat or his table be laden with
all the good things of the earth, he must submit to the self-same
spirit of revelation, and reach the final issue through the
self-same channel.
106
Now, then, what is it that we expect through the Gospel? Why,
that it may develop in you and me, from our crude, ignorant,
unlovable condition--the results of many a fearful fall--the
appearance and the characteristics of the eternal father. This
self-same idea animated the Saints in ancient times. They had
faith that by obedience to righteous laws there would be evolved
in and from them, through the attributes which they already
possessed, measurably dormant or measurably active as the case
may be--that they would be able to produce the likeness of God
the eternal Father. Now, at first view this may appear
surprising, but suppose we reason upon it for a moment or two.
107
Here are some of you good brethren; you go to work this spring
and you set out an orchard of apple trees, and by and by the time
for fruit arrives and you go and look for pears, or plums, or
cherries upon the apple trees! Now, what would be thought of your
intelligence? Why everybody would say you have certainly made a
mistake; they were apple trees that you planted, and apples are
the fruit; if you want pears you must plant pear trees. Men don't
gather grapes off thorns nor figs off thistles. Then, if we are
the children of our Father you can see at a glance by that
illustration that if we submit to the process of education which
he had pointed out and laid down, we must become like him. Well,
now, this may seem incredible to some that a human being, defiled
and deformed as he is by sin and transgression, the result of
ages--I say it may seem almost incredible that a human being
should be able to rise to the characteristics and attributes and
appearance of the Father; but it is not only possible but it is
inevitable, and all the ancient Saints had this idea. One of the
old prophets, for instance, when under the inspiration of the
Almighty, has said, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy
likeness;" and in the New Testament, one of the apostles said,
looking forward to the time of the resurrection, that "When he
shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he
is." We shall have an opportunity of demonstrating our likeness.
We shall be able to make the contrast, "We shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is." And of Jesus it was said that "He was
the brightness of his Father's glory and the express image of his
person. He was like his Father, and this likeness was in him by
virtue of the fact that he lived in possession of the inspiration
of revelation; his course was marked out by that spirit. It
animated every faculty, controlled every action, prompted every
motive, and because that spirit was poured upon him "without
measure," he became the glory of his Father and exhibited in
himself the "express image of his person," and he, in speaking to
his disciples, declared that they should become "like unto him
even as he was like his Father," by the reception of "line upon
line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little."
Now, probably I might illustrate this from the facts of everyday
life, the possibility, I mean, of a change in the features of
those with whom we are familiar. Did you ever notice a man and
wife who had lived happily together, whose thoughts were one, who
had become assimilated to each other in their tastes and feelings
so far and to such an extent that when you see them white with
the snow of years you would say of them, "I never saw a couple so
much alike; they are positively like brother and sister." Did
that ever come under your observation? It has come under mine
many and many a time. Now, what was the secret of that? Why the
wife had become assimilated to the husband and the husband to the
wife; they were actuated upon in a great measure by the selfsame
impulses, until they had become similar in their habits of life,
so thoroughly one that they were like each other even in their
facial expression, and when death claimed one or the other, but a
few hours or days would pass before they were again and for
evermore united. And this is a characteristic in which we glory.
But to illustrate this in another direction. Here is a mother,
now, or a young wife. Her heart overflows with affection for the
husband of her youth. God has blessed the union that was made by
the authority of the priesthood. She passes along until she
attains to the condition of motherhood, and in the fulness of her
heart she brings the babe to the assembly of the Saints that by
the authority of the priesthood it may be dedicated to the
service of God and to the building up of this kingdom. The
mother's heart is full. It bursts almost with gratitude for the
great boon she has received. She breathes many a prayer of the
child that God has given, and by and by, even when the cup seems
full to the very brim, some of her sisters come along and say,
"what a beautiful baby you have got; how very like its father;"
and that is the last drop needful to make the mother's soul and
ambition full to overflowing. To say that the babe was like
herself would perhaps have been quite as correct; but when it was
pronounced to be like his father, more especially if its father
was a good husband, if he was everything that he should be in
regard to character--there was no limit to the love and affection
she could bear for her husband and their child.
*
109
There is an illustration we can apply in another direction. We
have all come down from the eternities of the past to this period
of probation. I think the probabilities are that while we dwelt
there we were in possession of a good deal of intelligence. There
were many facilities, I expect, for the acquisition of such
intelligence as was adapted to our condition. I believe that we
were there taught the necessity and advantage of taking a
probation upon the earth. I believe that there we exhibited a
great many of the attributes of our Father, the Father of our
spirits; but we came down here and we took upon us tabernacles;
these tabernacles are given to us by our earthly father and by
our mother. And they came to us corrupted, they came to us
contaminated by the vast variety of evils with which our fathers
have afflicted themselves during many generations. When we
consider the exalted character of our first father, when we
consider the position that he occupies, and when we consider his
offspring on the earth subject to the infirmities of the flesh,
it is not unlikely that many are lead to say, "how can we be the
children of our father who art in heaven? And if we are his
children how can we renew or be restored to his image and
likeness, how can we develop the attributes which he possesses,
how can we become like him in our spirits and more or less in our
tabernacles." Why we shall have to do this by the reception of
his spirit, and by cultivating the principles of life that come
through revelation. When we come to look at each other as we are,
we see stamped in our countenances selfishness, we see
exhibitions of sensuality, we see the evidences of a thousand and
one conditions to which we have been subjected and our fathers
before us. Now, the Gospel has been given us to do away with sin
and death; it has been given to develop in us the attributes and
characteristics of our Father in heaven from faculties we already
possess. Well, now, we will suppose that one of those angels of
intelligence surrounding the throne of God comes down to the
streets of Salt Lake City. He goes up one of the principal
thoroughfares and peers into the face of everyone that passes. He
marks our plainness, or, in some instances, ugliness. He can
detect at a glance where the faculties are perverted, and where
they are in their normal condition. He can see in a moment how we
have been beclouded by sin, how we have been subjected to evil
influence, how we have given way to temptation, and how we are
the subjects of the conditions which surround us. But as he
passes along he meets one of a little different stamp. A man may
be dwelling in a hovel on the bench or in the low wards of the
city, and the steps up to such a one and says, "how do you do."
"Why," says the person addressed, "you have the advantage of me,
I do not know that I ever saw you before." "Well, now, probably
you never did, but," says he, "I know you although I never saw
you." "Well, how do you know me." "Why, I am from the eternities
that are beyond the vail, I am come from where your Father dwells
and I can see in the lustre of you eye, I can feel by the aura or
influence which surrounds you as you move from place to place,
that you are animated by the spirit of your Father's house, I can
discern in your physiognomy the lineage of your progenitors."
Well, what is the secret? Simply that there is a man living his
religion. He is filled with the Spirit and power of God. It is a
lamp to his feet and a light to his path. It actuates him in all
the circumstances of life; as a father, as a member of the Church
to which he belongs and as a citizen. It is this which gives
lustre to the eye and elasticity to the step, even when the body
is bent with wight of years, and the stranger who has come direct
from the eternal worlds can see that there is a man who has been
with Jesus and has learned of him. Will it glorify a man and
woman in this respect while they are in the flesh? Yes, it will,
and when men and women in general come in contact with them, they
will be prepared to bear testimony that they are in the enjoyment
of a good, or as we may say, right spirit. While they are
tabernacling in the flesh they are preparing for the more exalted
condition and state which belongs to them in the future, and many
and many a man and woman have exhibited some of the
characteristics which were exhibited by the individual who came
to the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos. John fell at his feet
to worship him, "See thou do it not (said he), I am thy fellow
servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus.
Worship God." John thought from the glory surrounding him that he
must be God himself, and he began to bow the knee to him. "See
thou do it no." And when we see a man whom we recognize as
faithful in all the conditions of life, as "a man whom we can tie
to"--to use a common expression, a man who is on hand all the
time, who is living his religion, we feel involuntarily to lift
our hats to such a one, and this intuitive reverence which we pay
to human character, is testimony of God within the vail of flesh,
and also an evidence of the spirit of revelation and inspiration.
111
Now, this is the purpose of our religion, and although our
receptive faculties may be comparatively dormant, yet they can
become enlarged. You and I have a right to enjoy revelation and
inspiration. It is not confined to officials or to the ordained
elders of Israel, it is not confined to the first presidency to
the twelve apostles, to the seventies or the high priests, but it
is within the reach of every man and woman in Israel, and we can
bring that spirit of revelation to bear upon our duty, in our
social as well as our religious life. Now, I know there are a
great many who think that the spirit of revelation and
inspiration is of no use in the details of every day life. This,
however, is a mistake, for the self same inspiration and
revelation can qualify a man in business, it can help his
faculties, enlarge his reason, and make him more noble and
godlike and intelligent in all the directions he may be called
upon to act in. To be sure there are those who say that our
religion has nothing to do with our business. I recollect one of
our leading men asserting that President Young might direct in
spiritual things, he might direct in matters pertaining to the
Gospel, "but, when it came to business, he knew what business
was!" Now, that is a mistake because the object of this Gospel is
to minister to our spiritual and also to our temporal wants and
interests. Take our bishops as an illustration. Are they not
called to administer in the temporal affairs of the kingdom? What
is their office? They are fathers to the people. They are to see
that every man becomes self-sustaining. They are called upon to
open up industries for the growing youth of our Territory. We
sustain them in that office. Thus our religion enters into
temporal things and they are ordained and set apart for this.
When Brother George Q. Cannon goes to represent us in Congress he
is set apart for that office, and the priesthood lay their hands
upon him in order that he may be blessed in that capacity. When
Brother Staines goes down to New York, he goes there to attend to
those duties which are temporal, but he is set apart by the
Authorities of this Church to officiate in that character. The
Gospel therefore interferes in our temporal arrangements. And
this is no new theory. It is as old as the everlasting hills; it
pertains to eternity, it will exist throughout all the eternities
of the future. If you turn back in the old book to the history of
the tabernacle in the wilderness, you find that, under the
jurisdiction of Moses, there were certain men who labored on that
building that were inspired of God. He caused his Spirit to rest
upon them, and you will notice it in a greater degree when you
come to the building of the temple of Solomon. You will find
there were men inspired to work in that direction. And that which
was good in the years of the past is good in the day and age in
which we live, and the day will yet come in Israel when men will
be set apart to act in more temporal capacities than many in
Israel dare to think of now. When a man shows that he has
received a gift from God, no matter about its character, whether
it is a gift of wisdom, or whether it is a gift leading into
mechanics, science or literature--whenever that man exhibits
these attainments, and he is taken and set apart by the servants
of God, you will see that spirit enlarge his faculties, increase
his judgment, and when that day comes, you will see a good spirit
in the midst of Israel. It will glow and grow and increase in
every direction that will minister to the welfare of the kingdom
as a whole. Why, even now, in the building of our Temples,
Brother T. O. Angell and others are sustained as architects. Now,
what has religion to do with building a house? Much. Has it to do
with teaching a school? Yes. Has it to do with domestic economy?
Yes; I know it has; and wherever you find men and women who will
cultivate that spirit and follow its counsel, you will find that
they will become famous in the direction in which they act. They
are inspired of God, lead by his spirit, and have access to the
intelligence that lies behind the vail, and those who have had
experience there will minister to our wants, so that when Zion
begins to grow she will fairly shine. She will support everything
that will contribute to the welfare and glory of the greatest
kingdom that was ever set up upon the earth, until men shall say,
"Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the
house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and
we will walk in his paths." Now, this is the purpose for which
you and I have come from the Old World, from the different States
in the New World, and from the different parts of Europe and the
islands of the sea, to be taught of God, to enjoy his Spirit, to
be educated in his Church, to be subject to his authority, and to
grow and increase in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now
that is something worth having, something that is worth living
for, something that outshines and outdistances all the
organizations and systems which men may have introduced. It is
the Gospel of the living God. It is the Spirit of the living God
burning in the hearts of the Saints. But far too many of us
neglect this Spirit, we grieve it, we do not listen to its
admonitions. How many in Israel have bartered their homes and
sunk their means in a "hole in the ground," because they would
not listen to the counsels of God through his servants? How many
failures in life, because of our ignorance, notwithstanding the
fountains of intelligence are open at which we can drink? How
many of us lose our children because we fail to apply to these
great fountains, so that all could operate and understand how to
resist adverse influences, while we are in the flesh. Now, if we
would cultivate this spirit, if we would listen to its teachings,
it would come to us in many ways, in visions, in dreams and
manifestations of the power of God. We could have the
ministration of angels, and many of us probably the ministration
of the Son--as some have done in the history and experience of
this Church--and this is the position to which we will all arrive
if we are faithful to the great trust that is laid upon us; we
shall not only enjoy the society of "an innumerable company of
angels," not only come "to the general assembly and church of the
firstborn," but we shall also be privileged to go to Jesus, and
to God the Father of us all and there bask in his presence and be
educated in his ways and sit down to the glory which awaits the
just.
111
Now, may God bless us with his Spirit, may he lift us from the
grovelling condition in which we find ourselves placed; may he
infuse into and surround us with the influence of his Spirit,
that we may live indeed a new life, and so glorify God "in our
bodies and spirits which are his," is may prayer in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, November 28th, 1879
John Taylor, November 28th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at American Fork, Friday, November 28th, 1879
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
ETERNAL NATURE OF THE GOSPEL--THE PRINCIPLE OF LIFE AND
INCREASE--THE SOURCE OF ALL INTELLIGENCE--RIGHT OF THE
CREATOR TO GOVERN THE CREATURE--DUTIES OF THE SAINTS.
112
I have been much interested in the remarks made by Brother Joseph
F. Smith this morning. They are true and are a part of the Gospel
of life and salvation which embraces all truth. While he was
speaking this passage of Scripture occurred to my mind. Jesus
said, "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and
beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a
rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth
them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and
great was the fall of it."
112
There is not a principle associated with the Gospel of the Son of
God but what is eternal in its nature and consequences, and we
cannot with impunity trample upon any principle that is correct
without having to suffer the penalty thereof before God and the
holy angels, and in many instances before men. The principles of
the Gospel being eternal, they were framed and originated with
the Almighty in eternity before the world was, according to
certain eternal laws, and hence the Gospel is called the
everlasting Gospel. It is like God, without beginning of days or
end of years, and, as the Lord says, "I am the Lord and I change
not." The Gospel is eternal and does not change; it is eternal in
its principles and consequences.
112
And the angel who was to come in the last days flying in the
midst of heaven was to proclaim the everlasting Gospel--the same
Gospel that Adam had, the same Gospel that Noah had, the same
Gospel that Abraham had, the same Gospel that the prophets had,
the same Gospel that Jesus had, also the same Gospel that the
Nephites had here upon this continent, and which Jesus revealed
to them, and that they had indeed before he was in the flesh. It
is the everlasting Gospel which brings life and immortality to
light, and which enters into all the ramifications of human
existence and to the existence of the Gods, and to the existence
of this world and of all other worlds.
112
As Brother Joseph F. Smith has justly said, the first command
given was, "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and
subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowls of the air, and over every living thing that moveth
upon the earth."
112
There is a principle of life associated with the Gospel--life
temporal, life spiritual and life eternal. Hence men are called
to be fathers of lives and women are called to be mothers of
lives. We are fathers and mothers of lives. And there is
something different associated with the order of God from any
order of men that exists upon the earth.
113
When God created the earth and placed man upon it, and the fishes
of the sea and the fowls of the air, and the grasses and plants
and trees, etc., he placed in them the principle of life, or, in
other words, the power of propagating their own species. And if
it were not for that, what would you farmers do? Men can
accomplish a great many things. They can build houses, railroads
and steamboats, and can do a great many clever things whereby
they can command, to a certain extent, the forces of nature; but
they cannot give vitality to any of them. They cannot even
furnish material to make a grain of sand, the wisest of them. But
God has ordained that this principle of vitality exists within
themselves. You take a single grain of wheat, for instance, and
put it into the earth and you will see the principle of life
begin to manifest itself, it is very small apparently, but
contains within itself the power of increase. The same is also
true with regard to the grasses, shrubs, plants and flowers, and
the various things that exist in creation. They spread, they
extend, and they have spread over the face of the earth as man
has spread, and the rain descends and the sun shines and nature,
as we term it, operates; but I would call it the power of God
which operates according to eternal laws and principles that he
has ordained. He gives vitality to all creation and sets life
into motion and controls it, in the heavens as well as in the
earth; not only among men, but among the beasts of the field, the
fowls of the air, the fishes of the sea, and all the grasses,
plants and flowers and herbs etc., everything possessing the
principle of life within itself. You farmers know that, and hence
you store up your different seeds and in the proper season take
them and plant them and they grow and increase and spread; these
things look very small. It is very little to look at a grain of
wheat, but then if you don't have it you never could raise wheat.
Can you farmers make one solitary grain of wheat without the
seed? It is apparently a small thing but you can't do it. You can
try it if you please, but you will not succeed. You cannot make a
peppergrass seed; but if you take one of those seeds or a grain
of wheat and sow it and water it you may by its increase spread
it over all the face of the earth; but if you did not have the
seed you could not accomplish anything. I do not care how smart
you are or what rules of philosophy or science you may have come
across, all I ask of you is to make a grain of oats or wheat. But
then, we will stop at the wheat. If we cannot do that we are not
so very important, are we? There needs a superior power to give
this vitality. You look at it. You see to-day the trees are
leafless, there are no flowers in bloom, everything is seared and
withered and apparently gone to decay. By and by according to the
principles of nature, or the laws of God, spring comes along, and
the birds begin to sing and feel happy, the grass begins to shoot
forth, the flowers begin to bud, the trees begin to blossom. And
who gives this vitality and maintains it? God. Could you do much
without him? No. Why, you cannot even make your grain to grow
after it is provided for you without water. You try it sometimes
but you make a poor out of it, and withal we need the revivifying
heat of the sun. The grass begins to shoot up and by and by we
have the wheat and corn, first the blade and ear and then full
corn in the ear. We have apple threes, plum trees, and the
various fruit trees budding, blossoming and bearing fruit, all
these things are provided by whom? By the omnipotent, omniscient
hand of the Almighty according to certain eternal laws that he
has provided for man and for every creature that exists upon the
face of the earth.
113
But we will come back to the things spoken of by Joseph F. Smith.
This principle of life is the origin of our world, not only of
his world, but of others; and this propagating and multiplying is
ordained of the Almighty for the peopling of these worlds. And
this production of life that I have briefly alluded to is another
principle that exists to supply the want of another kind of life
that exists here upon the earth. And without this there could be
no world; all would be chaos, all would be darkness, all would be
death, and the works of God would amount to nothing if it were
not for this life and vitality.
114
Now, I want to speak further on a principle associated with this
subject, that is, that in the providence of God, or according to
the eternal laws of God and the eternal fitness of things as they
exist with him in the eternal worlds and as they exist here upon
the earth, all of us are or should be as much under the guidance
and direction of God, and are as much obligated to listen to his
law and be governed by his counsels and advice--and I should
think a little more so--than we would be in making that grain of
wheat to grow or ten thousand million of them to grow, for we
could not do it without being governed by those laws requisite to
produce the increase. Furthermore, we all are the offspring of
God, are we not? I think the Scriptures read that "We are all his
offspring; that he is the God and Father of the spirits of all
flesh;" and being the God and Father of the spirits of all flesh,
and having made a world for all flesh to inhabit, and having made
provision for the sustenance of that flesh, for their food,
clothing, comfort, convenience and happiness, and given them
intelligence and told them to go forth and manipulate the
abundance of nature to their use, has he not a right to lead and
direct us, to ask obedience to his law? Would not that be a
legitimate right, when we reflect upon it? The world says, No, he
has no right; I am my own master, etc. Some of the Latter-day
Saints almost say the same thing; not quite, but they would like
to get near it. "I am a free man; I will be damned if I don't do
as I please," etc., Well, I will tell you another part of that
story. You will be damned if you do act as you please unless you
please to do and to keep the laws of God. We cannot violate his
laws with impunity nor trample under foot these eternal
principles which exist in all nature. If all nature is compelled
to be governed by law or suffer loss, why not man?
116
Now, then, he has revealed unto us the Gospel. He has gathered us
together from among the nations of the earth for the
accomplishment of his purposes. For this he has used higher
measures and more exalted principles than are associated with
some of the lower orders of nature, some of these things that
exist in nature. But who can comprehend them? The world with all
its wisdom knows very little about them. The world with all its
wisdom knows nothing about God. What is the acme of the
perfection of knowledge that exists anywhere today? What is the
highest step of the ladder they can reach? To discover some
principles or laws of nature and become acquainted with them and
then they make terrible blunders at that. But this is the acme of
perfection that any philosopher or scientist or intelligent man
professes to reach--to understand some of the laws of nature. But
how much of these do they know. Why, in my time, in order to show
how much they know and how little, I will mention some things
that have not existed in my day. They did not know of the oil we
burn in this room. I can remember that in some of the large
cities of the earth all they had to light then was tallow or wax
candles or whale oil, which was just about enough to make
darkness visible. And after all the thousands of years that men
have existed upon the earth they cannot even make the oil you
burn to-day, and they did not have it when I was young. But did
that principle that exists in the oil always exist? Yes. Why
didn't they find it out? Because they only understood a few of
the principles of nature notwithstanding all their philosophy and
intelligence. Again, who knew anything about gas in those days? I
can remember the time when the streets and shops were first
lighted up with gas. What did they have before? Tallow candles;
those in common use we used to call dips. You old people know
about this and whale oil, but you did not know anything about
gas; but did not gas always exist? Yes. Why did they not know it?
Because they were like us, didn't know much. Again, what did they
know about the power of steam? I can remember the time when there
was no such thing as steamboats, when we who lived in England had
to come to America in sailing vessels. They had, it is true, some
small vessels that were used on the rivers propelled by steam,
which they could not trust in the ocean, and a little time before
that they had no steamers of any kind. And then what about our
railroads? Did they know how to apply steam to locomotives? No. I
remember riding on the first railroad that was built, and here is
Brother Robinson, who was one of the conductors of that same
railroad that ran between Liverpool and Manchester. I think he is
now nearly the first railroad conductor, and the oldest living.
Why didn't men find out these things? We have had intelligent men
and philosophers in all ages to the present time, but none could
understand these things. Yet the principles are eternal in their
nature and always existed, and all it needed was to bring them
out. And when men discovered them they thought they were some
great beings. And what did they discover? Simply something that
God had already made long ago, only they didn't know it. In
talking about these things I am reminded of a little baby. You
sisters have your babies, and you are aware how little they know
at first, and we ourselves do not know very much; we are only
babies of a bigger growth. One of the first things they find out
is that they have a foot, and they try to put it in their mouth.
They look at it in astonishment. Why, they always had that foot
since their birth. Why did'nt they know it before? Another thing
they find out they have a hand and they think what a curious
thing it is, and they look at it and the motion of their fingers
with astonishment, and they think they have made a great
discovery. But there is not much difference between the world of
mankind and the babies when we come to look at it. The child had
nothing to do with the making of its hands, neither have we had
anything to do with originating any of these principles. God made
them, and we have simply discovered some of the powers of what is
termed nature, and when we have found out a little of these
things we take the glory to ourselves; we feel very much like the
king of Babylon when he said, "Is not this Great Babylon that I
have built?" The Lord, however, started him off to eat grass like
an ox. He had to live on it until seven years had passed over
him, when the Lord restored him to his natural state, and he then
knew that there was a God who lived and ruled in the heavens and
on the earth. It is for us to learn this lesson and to find out
that there is a God who rules in heaven, and that he manages,
directs and controls the affairs of the human family. We are not
our own rulers; we are all the children of God; he is our Father
and has a right to direct us, not only us, but has a perfect
right to direct and control the affairs of all the human family
that exists upon the face of the earth, for they are all his
offspring. Now, he feels kindly towards them and know what kind
of people they are, and also what we are, and he would do
everything he could for them even if in his almighty wisdom he
has to kill them off in order to save them. He destroyed the
antediluvian world on that account, because they were not filling
the measure of their creation. They had corrupted themselves to
such an extent that it would have been an injustice to the
spirits in the eternal worlds if they had to come through such a
corrupt lineage to be subject to all the trouble, incident
thereunto, and therefore God destroyed them. He cut off the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in consequence of their corruptions,
and by and by he will shake all the inhabitants of the earth, he
will shake thrones and will overturn empires and desolate the
land and lay millions of the human family in the dust. Plagues
and pestilence will stalk through the earth because of the
iniquities of men, because of some of these corruptions that
Brother Joseph F. Smith has briefly hinted at, namely, the
perversion of the laws of nature between the sexes, and the
damnable murders that exist among men.
116
Not long ago, I was called upon by some intelligent, or those who
profess to be intelligent men, who asked me something about
polygamy. "How is it with you," said I; "do you know that in this
land of yours you are murdering hundreds of thousands of infants
every year? Do you know that you have among you people who are
considered the most fashionable and honorable that are murderers,
who destroy the life that God has given before and after birth,
and interfere with the laws of the Almighty. Do you know that
they are doing that? "Yes, we believe they are doing it." "Do you
know that you are wallowing in corruption and degradation, and
that your social evils and other damnable corruptions that exist
are spreading and permeating through all our society?" "Yes."
"Well, you please go and attend to your own affairs. It certainly
does not look well for you who hail from these sinks of infamy
and degradation to preach morality to us. Please attend to your
own affairs first and get them straightened out before you come
to correct us." Yet these very people, these lascivious men
sitting upon the bench and pleading in the courts will arraign
honorable men for obeying a law of God. Will we obey it? In the
name of Israel's God we will. (The congregation said "Amen.") We
will carry out his purposes, we will obey his behests, we will,
with his help, abide his law, and our persecutors cannot help
themselves, for God will put a hook into their jaws and he will
lead them whithersoever he will and put a stop to their career by
and bye. But he will look in kindness upon Zion and honor those
who honor and obey his law.
117
Now these are my feelings in relation to these things. We ought
to observe the laws of God. The Lord has taken a great deal of
pains to bring us where we are and to give us the information we
have. He came himself, accompanied by his Son Jesus, to the
Prophet Joseph Smith. He didn't send anybody but came himself,
and introducing his Son, said: This is my beloved Son, hear him."
And he permitted the ancient prophets, apostles and men of God
that existed in different ages to come and confer the keys of
their several dispensations upon the prophet of the Lord, in
order that he should be endowed and imbued with the power and
Spirit of God, with the light of revelation and the eternal
principles of the everlasting Gospel, and that the keys committed
to him might, through him, be conferred upon others, and that the
principles of eternal truth as they exist in the heavens, might
extend to the nations of the earth, that these degrading
loathsome, damning principles might cease, that his people might
be gathered to Zion from the four corners of the earth, and learn
his laws. Says Jesus in his parable of the good shepherd, "and
the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name,
and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep he
goeth before them and the seep follow him; for they know his
voice." Now, he has brought us together here. Whose sheep are we?
Says Jesus, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for
them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. ***
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." He has
gathered us together here for what? To teach us his law through
the medium of the Holy Priesthood. Jesus, in sending forth his
disciples in former times said unto them, "He that receiveth you
receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent
me."
118
Now, God has ordained his Holy Priesthood upon the earth with
presidents, apostles, bishops, high councils, seventies, high
priests, and the order and organization of the Church and kingdom
of God in its fulness and completeness, more complete perhaps,
than it ever was since the world was framed. Why? Because it is
the dispensation of the fulness ofttimes, embracing all other
times that have ever existed since the world was, and he has
gathered us together for that purpose. Is it to sow and plant and
try to make ourselves comfortable and to follow the customs of
the world in their corruptions and to wallow in infamy and rob
and plunder one another, acting deceitfully and impurely without
any regard to virtue or any of the laws that govern the Church
and kingdom of God? No. But that we might be a peculiar people
full of the light of truth and intelligence and revelations of
God; that we might be a people having no longer need of the oral
law or the written law, but a people upon whose hearts the law of
God shall be written and engraven as in characters of living
fire, being under the inspiration and guidance of the Almighty,
walking according to the principles of eternal truth, and being
led in the paths of life; being united with God and his Son Jesus
Christ and with the ancient patriarchs and apostles and men of
God, operating with them in the building up of Zion, in
establishing the kingdom of God upon the earth, and in spreading
salvation to the ends of the earth. This is what he has brought
us here for. And also that we might build temples to officiate in
them for the living and the dead, and that we might go forth to
the nations of the earth, carrying the glad tidings of peace; and
that we might be as a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid;
and that being in unison with God and the patriarchs and
apostles, we might draw down the light and intelligence of heaven
upon the earth to enable us to operate with them according to the
principles of justice and equity and the laws of life and every
principle connected with the salvation of the human family, and
that we might go on from strength to strength from intelligence
to intelligence, until we shall be capable of enjoying a
celestial glory and shall be prepared to enter therein; and until
all that shall be prepared to have a celestial glory shall enjoy
that, and those who are prepared for the terrestrial glory to
have that, and also the telestial to enjoy what belongs to them,
and that we may co-operate with God in the eternal worlds and the
intelligences of heaven for the accomplishment of this object.
And that while they operate in the heavens, we may operate for
them upon the earth. This is what we are here for as I understand
it.
118
What else? Make settlements; break loose. Some of you are crying
"give us room." There is plenty of room, and in making thee
settlements we want to carry with us the principles of the Gospel
and plant them in different places. We are sending out persons
into the north-east of this Territory, and we want them to go
filled with the Holy Ghost and the spirit of the living God. And
we are sending some to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and other places,
and we will stretch out further and further. Zion's cords shall
/:%e lengthened and her stakes shall be strengthened until her
armies shall become mighty and numerous and until God shall say
to the Gentiles, it is enough, and then God will give the
government into our hands.
118
We have come to see you and to talk with you. We want to see you
at your own homes. These railroads whisk us by at such a rapid
rate that many times we have not time to stop and visit with you.
But we thought this time we could come with our own carriages to
visit the people in their own homes and talk with them and see
how they feel and that they may judge of our feelings with regard
to the building up of the kingdom of God upon the earth. You
elders of Israel--and there are many in this congregation--let me
ask you--Do you have prayers in your family? (Turning round and
addressing Bishop Harrington, the speaker said): May I act as
teacher for a little while?
118
The Bishop--Yes, we will be glad to have you.
118
The speaker--Well, then, I will repeat the question--Do you have
prayers in your family? (A voice in the congregation. Yes.) And
when you do, do you go through the operation like the guiding of
a piece of machinery, or do you bow in meekness and with a
sincere desire to seek the blessing of God upon you and your
household? That is the way that we ought to do, and cultivate a
spirit of devotion and trust in God, dedicating ourselves to him,
and seeking his blessings.
119
Here is one brother says he does. But how is it with the balance
of us? I am talking to all of you. Husbands, do you love your
wives and treat them right, or do you think that you yourselves
are some great Moguls who have a right to crowd upon them? They
are given to you as a part of yourself, and you ought to treat
them with all kindness, with mercy and long suffering, and not be
harsh and bitter, or in any way desirous to display your
authority. Then, you wives, treat your husbands right, and try to
make them happy and comfortable. Endeavor to make your homes a
little heaven, and try to cherish the good Spirit of God. Then
let us as parents train up our children in the fear of God and
teach them the laws of life. If you do, we will have peace in our
bosoms, peace in our families and peace in our surroundings. Have
we any difficulty with our neighbors? Why, Gentiles strive to
avoid that. Cannot we pass by some of these hard words, as the
old man used to say when a child would come to a big word,
119
"
Pass it by, my dear, and call it a hard word."
W
hen you come across a hard word, pass it by;
d
on't utter it.
N
ay, speak no ill;
A kindly word can never leave a sting
b
ehind.
119
Let us treat one another with kindness and one another's
reputation with respect, and feel after one another's welfare,
treating everybody as we would like God to treat us. And then,
when we come to the Lord, we can say, "Father, forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us;" for if
we do not forgive our brother, how can we expect our heavenly
Father to forgive us? If we have had any difficulty with our
neighbor, let us endeavor to make it right. Say, "Brother or
sister so and so, my conscience rather troubles me about
something I said about you or did to you, or some deal I had in
which I got the advantage of you, and I have come to make it
right, for I am determined to do right, no matter what other
people do." And let us all seek after one another's welfare. If
we can help one another, let us do it--financially or
socially--and don't betray one another. Some people, some poor,
miserable--I don't care to say a hard word--I will call them
sneaks, they will try, because a man has married a wife according
to the laws of God, to bring an accusation against him. Such men
will be damned and such women will be damned. Do you know that,
when these miserable sneaks come into your house on every kind of
pretence, perhaps to sell wagons or machinery of some kind, in
the midst of their conversation they are known to ask such
questions as "how many wives has your husband got?" Poor, low
miserable sneaks. Kick them out of your house, have nothing to do
with such low, infernal trash. While we treat good men aright,
kick such villains out of your house, they have no business among
decent people. We do not want them. Tell them to attend to their
own affairs and let our business alone. Tell them to go back
where they came from, we do not want them among decent people.
These are my feelings. That's saying a pretty hard word. It is
such a word, though, as suits such people, for there is no decent
word that's appropriate for such contemptible beings.
119
Be true to one another, respect another's reputation. And then,
you elders, treat one another as gentlemen with courtesy and
kindness. And you ladies treat one another as ladies, and, old
gentlemen, treat ladies as ladies, and you, old ladies, treat the
gentlemen as gentlemen.
120
I feel to tell a little story about Bishop Hunter. Most of you
know Dr. Sprague. He was sent by President Young to see brother
Hunter, when on the frontier many years ago. The doctor had a
squeaky kind of a voice. He says (imitating the doctor), "Does
Brother Hunter live here? Bishop Hunter replied (the speaker
imitating the Bishop's voice), "My name is Hunter." Doctor
Sprague: "President Young has sent me to see if you were sick,
and if so he wanted me to administer to you." Bishop Hunter:
"Physician heal thyself." Doctor Sprague: Well, sir, I feel just
like two clap boards stuck together." Then he says, "Is this your
old woman, Brother Hunter." Bishop Hunter: "This is Mrs. Hunter.
Mrs. Hunter is a lady, she is not an old woman, sir." When you
meet with women, treat them as ladies, and have everybody else do
the same. We can afford to treat everybody right, that is, every
decent body, but these sneaks we do not want anything to do
with--poor miserable beings who go around pretending to do
business, but whose real purpose is to obtain information that
they may inform upon you, to whom? To men who are as wicked,
treacherous, lascivious and degraded as the devil in hell. What
for? To destroy you. Will you receive such miserable sneaks in
your midst? Tell them to go about their business.
120
Let us live our religion, keep the commandments of God, pursue a
right course, and God will bless us. I ask God the eternal father
to bless you and lead you in the paths of life. I say to you,
respect the counsels of those over you; Brother Smoot as your
president; listen to him, listen to the counsels of the bishop
and pray for him. And then your president and bishops should pray
for the people. Treat one another with kindness and courtesy, and
let us all feel we are the sons and daughters of God, living our
religion and obeying his commandments, following the counsels of
the holy priesthood, and seek for the blessings of God upon us
and upon our posterity. Never mind what other people do. We will
go on and take a course in everything calculated to promote the
happiness of the human family, and Zion will grow and spread
until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord
and his Christ, and the laws that God has introduced will prevail
and his will be done upon the earth as it is done in heaven, and
every creature be heard to say, "Blessing and honor and glory and
power be unto him that siteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb
for ever and ever," and we will join in the universal chorus. God
help us to be faithful in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Wilford Woodruff, June 6th, 1880
Wilford Woodruff, June 6th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
June 6th, 1880
(Reported by John Irvine.)
NO MAN CAN BUILD UP THE CHURCH OF CHRIST WITHOUT THE
PRIESTHOOD--RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD--CHRIST
COMING IN THIS GENERATION--GREAT CHANGES AND JUDGMENTS
APPROACHING--EXHORTATION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
121
I have a desire to be heard in what I say to this assembly. I
know the difficulties there are in speaking here. It requires not
only attention, but quietude among the people.
124
I feel disposed to read a few verses from the good old book the
Bible--some of the sayings of Isaiah and Ezekiel. [The speaker
then read from the 12th chapter of Ezekiel, from the 21st to the
end of the chapter.] I have (the speaker continued) a few
reflections upon my mind that I would like to lay before the
Latter-day Saints, especially those who bear the holy priesthood.
Among the lessons which we are learning in our day and time is
this one truth: that we all of us need the spirit of revelation
in order that we may teach mankind of the things of God. I do not
believe myself there ever was a man lived in the flesh on the
earth, in any day or age of the world, no matter what his
position, calling, name, or age might be--I do not believe any
man ever had the power to do the work of God, to build up his
kingdom or to edify the souls of men, without inspiration and
revelation; for the Lord has never called any man in any age of
the world to do any of this kind of work, whether to preach the
Gospel, to prophesy, or to declare the word of the Lord to the
inhabitants of the earth, or to administer in any ordinance in
any temple or in any tabernacle, without the holy priesthood.
There are no ordinances acceptable in the sight of God of any
force after death or in the eternal worlds except those
ordinances that are performed by men bearing the holy priesthood.
Our heavenly Father himself has officiated by this principle in
the creation of all worlds, in the redemption of all worlds, and
in all the work which he has performed; it has all been done by
the power of the Godhead and the holy priesthood, which is
without beginning of days or end of years. This priesthood has
power with the heavens. It has association with the heavens. The
heavens are connected with this priesthood, let it rest upon the
shoulders or head of any man, whether it be Jesus Christ, or
those fishermen, or the ancient patriarchs or prophets or Joseph
Smith, or any other man who is called of God as was Aaron, by
revelation, and prophecy to bear record of the name of God in any
know I need the Spirit of God. I know you do. I know any man does
who rises on this stand, and attempts to teach the people. You
give a man the inspiration of Almighty God and the eternal truths
of heaven and he can instruct and edify the children of men upon
the principles of life and salvation; without this he cannot do
it. And in order to present to my brethren and sisters and
friends the subject that I have on my mind, I will just refer a
little further to some words of the Lord to the Prophet Ezekiel,
[The speaker again referred to the Book of Ezekiel, and quoted
from the 9th, 14th and 33rd chapters, all of parts quoted having
reference to the dealings of God with the wicked.] Continuing,
Elder Woodruff said: Now, having quoted all these passages of
Scripture, I want to say to my brethren the apostles, the high
priests, the seventies, the elders of Israel, who bear the holy
priesthood, upon whose shoulders the God of heaven, in this day
and generation has placed the responsibility of the Melchizedek
and Aaronic priesthood; has placed the responsibility of this
great and last dispensation, the fulness of times, and the
building up of the great kingdom of God which Daniel saw by
revelation, vision and inspiration in his day and generation as
proclaimed by all the prophets and apostles who have written in
this book, in the stick of Judah as well as in the stick of
Joseph and other revelations given to us through the mouth of the
prophets and apostles in our day and generation--I want to ask in
the face of all this--and I take it home to myself--what position
are we in before high heaven, before God the Father, before his
Son Jesus Christ, before the heavenly hosts, before all justified
spirits made perfect from the creation of the world to this day?
What condition are we in as the servants of the living God, men
holding the holy priesthood into whose hands the God of Israel
has given this kingdom. Are we disseminating the mighty flood of
revelation and prophecy in these records and these books which
are now to rest upon the generation as in the days of Noah and
Lot. In this respect are we justified in the sight of God, in the
sight of heaven, in the sight of angels, and in the sight of men?
Can we fold our arms in peace and cry "all is peace in Zion,"
when, so far as we have the power of the priesthood resting upon
us, we can see the condition of the world? Can we imagine that
our garments will be clean without lifting our voice before our
fellow-men and warning them of the things that are at their
doors? No, we cannot. There never was a set of men since God made
the world under a stronger responsibility to warn this
generation, to lift up our voices long and loud, day and night so
far as we have the opportunity and declare the words of God unto
this generation. We are required to do this. This is our calling.
It is our duty. It is our business. We have had to perform this
work for the last 50 years of our lives. When the Lord called
Joseph Smith to lay the foundation of the Church he called him in
fulfilment of many revelations given in other dispensations to
men. He was preserved by the hand of God to come forth in the
last days, even in the dispensation of the fulness of times. He
was a prophet of the living God. He was a prophet, seer and
revelator. The Lord called upon him to do the work for which he
was ordained before the foundation of this world. He did all that
was required of him, and he was surrounded with thousands of men
who were acquainted with his life, and with the Spirit and power
of God which rested upon him, and who sustained him in life and
in death. We know he was a prophet of God, and we know he brought
forth the stick of Joseph, the Book of Mormon, which was given
unto him by the angel of God. This Church and kingdom has been
organized by the command of God and by the revelations of heaven.
It has continued to grow and increase, and has been upheld by the
Lord Almighty, from its organization until the present hour. And
when I look at this Tabernacle and think of the words of the
prophet Isaiah, "that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be
established in the tops of the mountains;" when I look at these
everlasting hills and the land given by promise to Father Jacob
and his posterity; when I see this barren desert peopled by
150,000 Saints of the living God who have been gathered from
nearly every nation under heaven through the proclamation of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ--what can I say about it? Can I say it is
a dream? Can I say that it is a vision? Can I say that this work
is of man and not of God? Can I say these are revelations and
prophecies which belong to some other generation? I tell you no.
This is the kingdom of God. Here are the Saints of God. These
mountains are being filled with the Latter-day Saints from every
nation under heaven, and with these things before me I know that
it is my duty to preach the Gospel, to warn Saints and sinners
wherever I have the opportunity. The Lord told Joseph Smith that
he would prove us in all things, whether we would abide in his
covenant even unto death, that we might be found worthy. The
prophet sealed his testimony with his blood. That testimony is in
force upon all the world and has been from the day of his death.
Not one word of the Lord shall pass away unfulfilled. The
unbelief in this generation will make no difference with regard
to the building up of the kingdom of God. As it was in the days
of Noah so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Therefore,
I desire to ask my brethren, the elders of Israel--and I ask
myself at the same time--do we understand our position before the
Lord? Ezekiel has passed away. He is in the spirit world. He has
received his resurrected body and stands at the right hand of God
with other prophets and apostles who lived in days gone by. They
had their day and generation. All these patriarchs and prophets
and apostles had a time to prophesy, to preach, to labor, and to
administer in the ordinances of life and salvation. Now, in this
last dispensation, ye elders of Israel, this work has been put
into your hands. Therefore what shall we say, and what shall we
do? Are we acting as watchmen upon the walls of Zion? If we are,
are we justified in closing our mouths, in closing our ears, or
in setting our hearts upon anything else excepting the building
up of the kingdom of God? I do not think we are. In my view our
responsibility is very great. We should live our religion. We
should practise ourselves what we preach. We should treasure up
the words of life. We should search the records of divine truth.
We should seek to comprehend the day and age in which we live.
This is the way I look upon our situation to-day. I do not look
upon the revelations recorded in these books, touching the
dispensation of the fulness of times, as something that will pass
away unfulfilled. We live in a generation when great changes are
about to take place. We live in a time when darkness covers the
whole earth and gross darkness the people. The world are a great
way from the truth. Infidelity overwhelms the earth, in fact it
is a hard matter today to get either priest or people, sect or
party, of any name or denomination under heaven to believe in the
literal fulfillment of the Bible, as translated in the days of
King James, which contains the revelations given from the days of
Father Adam down to our own time, and which point out to us the
signs of heaven and earth indicating the coming of the Son of
Man. We live in the generation itself when Jesus Christ will come
in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. We live in
the generation when the Gospel of Jesus Christ will go to the
House of Israel, to the descendants of Lehi, in fulfilment of
that which is recorded in their records in the 9th, 10th and 11th
chapters of the last book of Nephi. These prophets spake by the
power of God and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and as the
apostle says, "No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private
interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will
of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost." I feel therefore to say to my brethren who bear the holy
priesthood, and I say it to myself and to all--I do not think we
have much time to lie down and slumber. We have no time to
speculate in trying to get rich in trying to accumulate gold and
silver. What we have got to do is to build up the kingdom of God.
As apostles, high priests, elders, seventies and the lesser
priesthood, we are bound together by this new and everlasting
Gospel and covenant; we are called to perform the great and
mighty work of building up Zion, of building temples wherein we
may labor for the living and the dead, and we should live in that
way and manner that we may be governed and controlled at all
times by the Holy Spirit.
124
I know very well how the world look at these things. As I said
before, the world is far from the Lord. We ourselves are too far
from the Lord as a people. We ought to draw near to the Lord, and
labor to obtain the Holy Spirit, so that when we read the
revelations of God we may read them by the same Spirit by which
they were given. Then we can understand their purport when given
to the children of men.
125
The Lord has said by the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah, that he
would proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder; and when I
look at the rise and progress of this Church, when I behold the
great work the Lord has performed, it was a marvelous work and a
wonder indeed. There never has been, in my view, any generation
in which the same amount of prophecies and important events have
to be fulfilled as in the generation in which we live. Joseph
Smith, an illiterate boy, was raised up by the power of God. His
teachers were the angels of heaven. He was administered unto by
the Son of God. He received the Aaronic priesthood of John the
Baptist, who was beheaded for the testimony of Jesus Christ. He
received the apostleship and Melchizedek Priesthood under the
hands of Peter, James and John, who were also put to death for
the word and testimony of Jesus Christ. He made use of these
ordinances by the commandment of God. He organized the Church and
kingdom of God; he did that which all the wisdom of the sectarian
world could never have comprehended. He established the only
church on the face of the earth according to the ancient order of
the Church of Jesus Christ, with apostles, prophets, teachers,
gifts, helps, governments, baptism for the remission of sins, the
laying of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost--an
organization which has not existed on the earth from the day the
ancient apostles were put to death, and the holy priesthood taken
from the earth, until the present. This Church has continued to
rise. It is the only true church upon the face of the whole
earth. Its history is before the world. It has continued to grow
and increase from the day it was organized until the present
time. This is the Zion of God. We see an embryo of it in these
valleys of the mountains, and it is designed by the Most High God
to stand on the earth in power and glory and dominion, as the
prophets of God saw it in their day and generation. This is the
kingdom that Daniel saw, and it will continue to roll forth until
it fills the whole earth. These are eternal truths, whether the
world believe or disbelieve them, it matters not, the truths
cannot be made of non-effect. This is certainly a strange work
and a wonder. There has been every exertion made to stay it.
Armies have been sent forth to destroy this people; but we have
been upheld and sustained by the hand of the Lord until to-day.
126
And now I desire to bear my testimony. I have no fears, my
brethren and sisters--and I say the same to our nation, to all
kings, queens, emperors, presidents and governments of this
world--I have no fears with regard to "Mormonism," and the
ultimate triumph of the kingdom of God; because the Lord Almighty
has said that the nation and kingdom that will not serve him
shall perish and be utterly wasted away. If this had not been the
Zion of God it would not have stood so long as it has done. This
kingdom, however, has not been organized by the power of man but
by the power of God, and whatever God undertakes to do he will
carry out. I have therefore no fear of this kingdom. It was
ordained to come forth before the world was made; and the Lord
never undertook a dispensation of this kind without due
preparation before he commenced. He had material in the spirit
world who would in time be raised up to carry on this kingdom. I
have no fears about this work being accomplished, but I have
fears about many of the Latter-day Saints; because if we have the
holy priesthood upon our heads and do not live our religion, of
all men we are under the greatest condemnation. We have baptized
a great many into this Church and kingdom--not many, certainly,
when compared to the twelve hundred million inhabitants of the
earth--but a great many have apostatized. What! Latter-day Saints
apostatize? Yes. I tell you people will apostatize who have
received the holy priesthood and Gospel of Jesus Christ, if they
do not honor God, if they do not keep his commandments, obey his
laws and humble themselves before the Lord; they are in danger
every day of their lives. Look at the number of devils we have,
round about us! We have I should say, one hundred to every man,
woman and child. One third part of the heavenly host was cast
down to the earth with Lucifer, son of the morning, to war
against us--which I suppose will number one hundred million
devils--and they labor to overthrow all the Saints and the
kingdom of God. They even tried to overthrow Jesus Christ; they
overthrew Judas, and they have succeeded in overthrowing a
good-many Latter-day Saints, who had a name and standing among
us, who undertook to build themselves up instead of the Kingdom
of God and when men having this priesthood--I do not care whether
it was in the days of Adam, in the days of Moses, in the days of
Joseph Smith, or in the days of Brigham Young, I care not in what
day they lived--if they bore this priesthood and undertook to use
it for any other purpose than the building up of the kingdom of
God, then amen to the power and priesthood of such men.
126
The Lord will have a people to carry on his purposes who will
obey and serve him. He has a good many people in this day and age
of the world, who will be faithful unto death, whether called to
seal their testimony with their blood or not. He has a people who
will maintain his work while they are here. But here is the
danger, ye Latter-day Saints, and the Savior saw it very plainly,
and has left it on record in the earth: He compared the kingdom
of God unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to
meet the bridegroom. "And five of them were wise and five were
foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil
with them; But the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and
slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the
bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins
arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the
wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the
wise answered saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and
you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that
were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was
shut. Afterwards came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord,
open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I
know you not." Now, those who have got oil in their lamps, are
men who live their religion, pay their tithing, pay their debts,
keep the commandments of God, and do not blaspheme his name; men
and women who will not sell their birthright for a mess a pottage
or for a little gold or silver; these are those that will be
valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
126
This is the way I feel to-day. I feel to warn my brethren and
sisters, the Latter-day Saints, to live their religion, to trim
their lamps, because as the Lord lives, his word will be
fulfilled. The coming of Jesus is nigh at the door. These
judgments that I have read will come to pass, and though Brigham,
Joseph, Noah, Daniel and Job, or anybody else were in the land,
they could not do more than deliver their own souls by their
righteousness. The man that is righteous cannot save the wicked.
We have got to live our own righteousness, that is keep the
commandments of God.
127
We are approaching changes. There are judgments at our door.
There are judgments at the door of this nation, and at the door
of Great Babylon. How do the world feel to-day? How does our
nation feel? Something similar to Belshazzar, the king. On the
night that he drank out of the golden and silver vessels, with
his princes and his wives, he thought, "Well, I made this
country. I made this city. I am the god of this country;" but
when the Lord Almighty manifested his displeasure by the writing
on the wall, the scene was changed. His kingdom was broken up and
given to the Medes and Persians. His greatness, his gold and
silver did not save him. In the same way the Lord in ancient days
swept away great cities when they were ripened in iniquity.
Jerusalem was overthrown in fulfilment of the words of the Lord.
Jeremiah and Isaiah prophesied what would come to pass, and it
was fulfilled to the very letter. So I say to the Gentiles, so I
say to the Latter-day Saints. What the Lord has spoken concerning
our nation, and concerning the nations of the earth,
notwithstanding that the unbelief of the world may be great,
notwithstanding that they may reject the word of God and seek to
put the servants of god to death--will all be fulfilled. War,
pestilence, famine, earthquakes and storms await this generation.
These calamities will overtake the world as God lives, and no
power can prevent them. Therefore I say to the elders of Israel,
be faithful. We have had the priesthood given to us, and if we
fail to use it right, we shall be brought under condemnation.
Therefore, let us round up our shoulders and bear off the
kingdom. Let us labor to obtain the Holy Spirit--and power of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ--which has been put into our hands, and
inasmuch as we do this, the blessing of God will attend our
efforts.
127
We have been here a number of years. We have preached the Gospel
and labored to build up this kingdom. Many have been associated
with this Church almost from the beginning. Many have been taken
away. Joseph and Hyrum sealed their testimony with their blood.
Many have passed to the other side of the ail, and many others of
us will soon follow them; but I do not want when I get there to
have it said, "When you were in the flesh you had the priesthood,
you had the power to rebuke sin, but you were not man enough to
chastise the ungodly." Neither do I want my relatives to rise up
and say "You had the power to do a work for the redemption of the
dead, but you have neglected these things." I do not want these
things to rise up against me. As for gold and silver, they are of
very little account compared with eternal life. When we die we
must leave the riches of this world behind. We were born naked
and we will go out of the world in the same condition. We cannot
take with us houses, gold, silver, or any of this world's goods.
We will even leave our tabernacles for somebody to bury. Our
spirits must appear in the presence of God, and there receive our
reward for the deeds done in the body.
127
Therefore, I pray God my heavenly Father to enable us to live our
religion, to labor for light and truth that we may not work in
the dark; to live nearer and nearer the Lord and be prepared for
that which is to come, and eventually gain eternal life, is my
prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, September 7th, 1879
Orson Pratt, September 7th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, September 7th, 1879.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
ON THE BOOK OF MORMON--DESTINY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE
SAINTS.
128
It is with feelings of thanksgiving to my Father who is in
heaven, that I stand before you this afternoon, after having been
absent from this place for some nine months that are past.
128
I suppose that the Latter-day Saints who are congregated here,
understand the object of the mission which was given to me, to go
to Great Britain, and there get the pages of the Book of Mormon,
and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, electrotyped, with double
sets of plates, for the purpose of spreading forth copies of
these works, among the inhabitants of the earth by hundreds of
thousands. I therefore, feel very much pleased to have the
privilege of bearing testimony to you, that I have, through the
blessing of the Lord, been enabled to finish or complete the work
that was given me to do, in relation to these two standard works
of our Church.
129
Had it not been for the Book of Mormon this territory would not
be occupied by a people called the Latter-day Saints. That lies
at the foundation of the work of the last days, in which we are
engaged. All of you are acquainted, if you have endeavored to
exercise your judgment and your capacities as intelligent beings,
with the nature of that book. If you are not acquainted with it
you certainly ought to be. We all ought to inform ourselves
concerning every principle that is contained in that record. We
ought to make ourselves very familiar also, with the Book that is
called the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, given by divine
revelation in the generation in which we are permitted to live.
These two books, we as a people, esteem to be as sacred as any
other revelations which were ever given to the human family. We
look upon the Book of Mormon as a very precious record,--a
precious blessing to the people who live in this dispensation, a
divine work,--a divine revelation. It has now been before the
world almost 50 years, being published over 49 years; and the
whole world, if they had seen proper to inform themselves,
concerning the nature of the work, could have been blessed with
the privilege. It is a work which the Lord our God has commenced
by his own power. The book was not written by the wisdom of man,
by the inspiration of man, but it was written by the commandment
of the Most High God. It was written as revealed to a young man,
the founder of this Church, under the divine influence of the
Holy Spirit. This young man being inspired of God, and having
revelations granted to him from heaven, had the privilege of
bringing forth this sacred record to this generation. The record
was translated, as the Latter-day Saints understand, and as the
world generally have been informed, by revelation, by the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, through the aid of an instrument
that was used anciently and called the Urim and Thummim. The Lord
did not, in revealing this work to us, require us to receive it
blindly and enthusiastically, but to receive it on good,
substantial, sound evidence, such as we cannot controvert, such
as we cannot contradict--evidence that no reasonable person,
having the common reasoning faculties of man, can consistently
reject. The Lord did not raise up this Church--did not commence
its foundation, until he revealed this Book; and in the
revelation of this Book, he fulfilled many predictions, made in
ancient days, by the mouth of the Jewish prophets, and also the
apostles that succeeded the Jewish prophets. They spake as they
were moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and they predicted that such a
work would come forth in the latter times; and if this is not the
work, as the world say it is not, then we are to look forward to
the day when a similar work will be brought forth by the power of
Almighty God; for the events predicted by the mouth of the
prophets, recorded in the Jewish Bible, never can be fulfilled,
never can be brought to pass, unless a work of a similar
description, to the one that has been presented to the people of
the nineteenth century shall come forth.
129
The Book of Mormon, we say, is just as sacred as the Bible--the
Old and New Testaments. We cannot see any reason why we should
exclude all other books from the compiled books of the Jewish
Bible. We have nothing in the compiled works of the Bible (King
James' translation), we have no declarations in this Book, that
the canon of Scripture should be full at the close of the fourth
century of the Christian era. We have no declarations in this
Book, that about 400 years after Christ there should be a church
or people on the earth that should collect together manuscript
books and call them the Bible, and that that should be a complete
revelation of God's will; or that there were no other sacred
books in existence, only what the Catholic church, at the close
of the fourth century, happened to collect together.
135
We believe that God is the God of all nations, as well as the God
of the Jews. We believe that he did not confine his divine power
and the inspiration of his Spirit to one little spot of our
globe; although he did work wonderfully, and in a marvelous
manner, in the land of Palestine among the Jews, and did shew
forth his power by raising up prophets, and revelators, and
apostles. Yet we cannot, in our views, limit the Almighty, as the
Christian nations do, and say that he has never spoken to any
other people. We cannot, with the intelligence and light that God
has given to us, say that the Bible is the only revelation of God
to man. We believe that he made all nations, and all the
inhabitants of the earth. We believe that he had as much regard
for the ten tribes, after they revolted from the house of Judah
and separated themselves into a distinct nation--when they
wrought righteousness, as he had for the Jews who dwelt in
Jerusalem, and in the vicinity of that great capital city. Indeed
the Lord has shown to us that he was no respecter of persons. So
far as the ten tribes were concerned, he had revealed himself to
them. Some of the greatest prophets that were raised up in days
of old, before the coming of the Messiah, were prophets that
lived among the ten tribes, who were not Jews: not included in
the house of Judah, or the two years and a half. For instance,
Eloijah, who had such great power given him from God, that he
could call upon His name and the heavens would be shut up so that
there would be no rain fall upon the earth, according to his
prayer, for three and a half years. A man with such faith, that
after three and a half years of great famine, he prayed for the
Lord to send rain, and rain was given immediately. A man with
such power that when a captain of fifty with his fifty came to
take him--who mockingly called him a man of God--he said to the
captain, "If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven
and consume thee and thy fifty," and it was done, according to
his word. He was not a Jewish prophet; he was a prophet of the
ten tribes. A man also that had such great faith in God, that he
was taken away from the earth, in a chariot of fire, and wafted
to the abodes of immortality, among the immortal beings. Here
then was a prophet raised up among another branch of the house of
Israel. Here was also Elisha, another prophet, not of the Jews
but of the ten tribes. Were not their revelations just as sacred
as the revelations of the prophets of Judah? They certainly were;
and were incorporated in the Jewish Bible. Were there any other
branches of Israel besides those ten tribes, who dwelt in the
northern parts of the Land of Palestine, and the Jews? Yes, we
read in various parts of this Bible, that many of the house of
Israel were taken away from the main body who dwelt in Palestine,
and scattered to the four quarters of the earth. Did God forget
them and their generations after them, after they were thus
skittered? I think not. He did not forget them; and in the days
of their righteousness, he revealed himself to them and to his
prophets. And this great and choice American continent was once
peopled by the seed of Israel, not the ten tribes or Jewish
nation especially, but a small remnant of one tribe, namely the
descendants of Joseph who was carried into Egypt. These American
Indians scattered over this great continent of ours, are the
literal descendants of the chosen seed. Now, do you suppose that
the Almighty, who desires the salvation of the children of men,
would take a company, however great or small it might be, and
locate them upon such a great and vast continent as ours, and
leave them without any guidance by revelation from him?--leave
them from generation to generation without prophets and without
revelators? Such an event is inconsistent to my mind. God, who is
no respecter of persons, who loves all people of all nations, of
all kindreds and tongues, surely would not thus lead away the
chosen seed, and plant them upon such a vast continent as ours
and obscure or withdraw himself, leaving them in total ignorance,
without any revelation from heaven. What is the Book of Mormon?
It is their record, their Bible, their revelations, their
predictions, their doctrines, their manifestations and visions,
and their history, the same as the Bible is the record and
history of the Jews. Why then should it be thought inconsistent
with the character of God that he should bring forth records, so
sacred, so great, so important to join with the testimony of the
Jewish record that the nations of the last days might have the
testimony of two hemispheres that God is the same God, that his
doctrines are everlasting, the same unchangeable Gospel and plan
of salvation, and that his people Israel were as precious to him
on the western hemisphere as they were on the eastern, and that
the great atonement which we are now celebrating in this house,
should not be shut out from the minds of the people in the
western hemisphere? Is it consistent that this should be the
case? There is not a man living, who will free himself from the
traditions of false doctrines that have prevailed for many
generations, but what will say it is godlike, it is consistent
with the character of the Almighty to reveal himself to the
western hemisphere as well as to the great eastern hemisphere,
and if he did this would there be anything inconsistent that
these records should be brought to light in the last days? Is God
limited in his power? I appeal to the whole of Christendom, do we
as Christians believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and in his Father,
as being limited in their power, and that people should be left
without divine knowledge, without information from heaven, when
it is so easy for them to reveal? Is not the knowledge of God to
cover the earth, according to the prediction of Isaiah the
prophet, as the waters cover the great deep, before the end shall
come? Are not many, in the last days, to run to and fro, and
knowledge be increased, and when I speak of knowledge I mean that
knowledge which is of God, the knowledge revealed from heaven,
concerning the great plan of salvation. It is reasonable, it is
consistent, it is in accordance with the Jewish Bible, that God
should reveal himself and the plan of salvation to the people of
the latter days, that the knowledge of God may truly cover the
earth as the waters cover the great deep. In revealing this
additional knowledge, will it do any harm? Is there any church on
the face of the whole earth that is in the least degree harmed by
the additional revelations sent from heaven? I think not. What
harm is there in the Lord's making manifest to the people in this
western hemisphere, that the same Gospel was preached to the
inhabitants of this land as was preached to the Jews and the
people of the eastern continent in ancient days? Who is harmed
among all the religious denominations of Christendom, the four
hundred millions of Christians, so called, by the addition of
further revelation? Did it harm any of the branches of the church
that were anciently Christian, after they had the Book of Matthew
revealed to them, to be permitted to have a testimony from
another inspired man, called the Book of Mark? I think there was
no harm in Mark's writing his Gospel, after Matthew had written
his. It did no harm to the ancient Christians that Luke should
write his testimony of the Gospel; that John should write his,
that John should be permitted to receive a great prophecy and
revelation on the isle of Patmos. Did that close revelation from
God? No, because we find that the Lord inspired John to write his
testimony of the Gospel, showing that the canon of Scripture was
not closed up when John left Patmos. What harm is there for
another nation to know about the Prophet Moses, the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the atonement that he made by his own suffering and
death? Would it not be a privilege and blessing for the ancient
inhabitants of America to be informed concerning the only way by
which they could be saved in the kingdom of God? The Book of
Mormon records the fact that Jesus did appear on this American
continent, after his resurrection from the dead; that he did
administer in person, in his immortal body, after his
resurrection, for several days, in the midst of this remnant of
Israel, the forefathers of these American Indians. What Gospel
did he teach? Did he teach one Gospel in Asia and another in
ancient America? No. If the same Gospel then is taught, who is
harmed among the four hundred millions of Christians, by having
the information concerning it? It seems to me as if I could
imagine the feeling of the strangers that may be present this
afternoon. I can imagine some one saying, "Oh, it would be a very
beautiful theory, if we could only believe it; if we only had
testimony sufficient to believe what you Latter-day Saints
declare, that the Book of Mormon is actually a divine revelation
of the Gospel as it was preached in ancient America; if we knew
this fact we could not denounce it as something that was
calculated in its nature to destroy the peace and happiness of
Christendom, but we should consider it a great blessing to the
human family if we only had the evidence and testimony that the
facts are as you state them." Now I expect these thoughts are
running through the minds of some individuals here. Well, now,
what must be the evidence? What would you naturally suppose would
be the kind of evidence that the Lord Almighty would give to
substantiate the divinity of a book that is almost two-thirds as
voluminous as the Jewish Bible? Can you imagine any testimony
that ought to be given to convince the children of men? "Well,"
says one, "if we could only have it confirmed by the ministration
of angels, that would be an evidence, a great evidence or
testimony." The inhabitants of this generation, for nearly fifty
years, have had the testimony of three men, besides the boy that
translated the Book of Mormon--the testimony of three witnesses.
The Lord would not suffer his Church to be organized, would not
suffer his servants to build up this kingdom on the earth--this
ecclesiastical kingdom, until he gave sufficient evidence unto
three chosen witnesses, as well as the boy that translated the
work. Their testimony is given, in connection with the book, and
there is no man living that can contradict their testimony or can
prove it to be untrue. The witnesses themselves have never denied
their testimony; and not only three other witnesses who saw the
angel, heard the words of his mouth, saw the glory of his
countenance, and saw the plates--the original plates from which
the Book of Mormon was translated, but also eight other witnesses
who saw the plates, but did not see the angel; saw the engravings
upon the plates, handled them with their hands, and have recorded
their testimony. Hence we have the testimony of the young man
that was called by the angel to translate and bring forth the
book, and then the testimony of eleven other witnesses besides.
In the mouth of two or three witnesses, we are told in the Jewish
record, every word shall be established. But God saw fit to give
twelve witnesses before the Church of the Latter-day Saints ever
had an existence on this earth. That certainly ought to be
sufficient to begin the work with, to begin to enlighten the
minds of the children of men, concerning what God was about to do
upon the face of the earth. But are we confined to these twelve
men and their testimony? Are there no other means by which we may
for ourselves come to a knowledge that this work is divine? I
will tell you how the Lord has provided in a godlike
manner,--just as we would naturally expect he would do--that the
children of men, however weak, frail, and imperfect in their
judgment, if they have the common sense and common attainments
that the children of men generally have, may not only have a
faith concerning the truth of this work, founded on the evidence
of others, but also a knowledge for themselves. And how is this?
How can people get a real knowledge that this Book is divine?
Says one: "I should like to embrace it, but then you are so
unpopular. Still if I knew it to be true," perhaps some stranger
may say in his heart, "If I knew that God was the author of it, I
would not mind anything about the contumely, or anything about
the unpopularity of the people called Latter-day Saints." There
is a way to know whether this work be true, if you will follow
the conditions. And what are the conditions that God has pointed
out, by which we may receive a knowledge now as well as they
received a knowledge in ancient times, concerning similar
doctrines and principles? It is by obedience to the Gospel of the
Son of God. The Lord, before he suffered this Church to be
organized gave authority to his servants to preach the Gospel and
to organize his kingdom on the earth in fulfilment of the ancient
prophecies. In connection with this authority, he gave them
authority to administer the ordinances of the Gospel to those
that would repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. He gave them not only power and authority to
baptize--that is divine authority to baptize--for the remission
of sins, but also to lay their hands upon the heads of baptized
believers and pronounce upon them the blessings of the Holy Ghost
as they did in ancient days. This was placing the people of this
generation in a condition to prove whether this work was divine
or not. The elders were sent forth in the early rise of this
Church, saying unto the people, "If you will repent of your
sins--if you will turn from everything that is evil, if you will
with all your hearts enter into a covenant with the Almighty to
obey the Lord of righteousness, to keep his commandments, to do
right all your future days, and will be baptized by the authority
that God has given from heaven, and also be confirmed by the
laying on of hands, God will give you the Holy Ghost, and by this
gift of the Holy Ghost you shall know that the Book of Mormon is
a divine revelation, and that this is the Church and the kingdom
of the living God." Very many honest hearted people in the
American Union, in the nation of Great Britain, in the various
nations of Europe, and upon the islands of the Sea, have tested
the truth of this commandment of God give unto his servant in the
first rise and beginning of this Church. Did they receive the
Holy Ghost? They testify that they did. They say, that 'by
obeying that message which you brought to us, which you testified
that God had sent you to preach, the promises you made to us are
fulfilled. You stated that we should receive the Holy Ghost. We
have received it because we have humbled ourselves before God. We
have been baptized by you. You stated you held authority. We
believed it from testimony that you gave us, that such was the
case, but we did not know it. We went forth and acted upon our
faith, and now we can testify we know you are the servants of
God; for God has fulfilled the promise which he has given to us
through your word." Thus scores of thousands have proved the
divinity of this work. You marvel that this people are so well
united. You marvel that we come out from the nations of the earth
and assemble ourselves in one. You marvel what it is that prompts
this people called Latter-day Saints to come from the lands of
their forefathers, from the islands of the Sea, from distant
nations, and assemble themselves here in this great basin of
North America. It is not man that has accomplished this work. It
is because you have received the Holy Ghost that you are here in
these valleys. It is because God witnessed unto you in your own
lands, before you started upon your journey that he had again
spoken to the inhabitants of the earth as in ancient days. You
there learned that this was his true Church, his true kingdom
established upon the earth as he predicted by the mouth of his
servants, and you felt anxious to be gathered with the rest of
the Saints that had the same testimony with you. Hence you gather
not only from choice, but by actual commandment. We do not gather
here merely for the sake of being together, but it is because the
same God who revealed the Book of Mormon by his servant Joseph,
the youth of whom I have spoken--that same boy received another
revelations which is published in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, which I now hold in my hand, commanding the Latter-day
Saints to gather out of all nations of the earth, to this
American continent. Hence you came here because you had received
the Holy Ghost. You have come here because you had received the
Holy Ghost. You have come here because you knew this work was
true. You have come here that you might fulfil the commandment
which God gave near the time of the rise of this Church in
relation to the gathering of his Saints from among all the
nations and kingdoms of the earth. Has God fulfilled that which
he spoke when we were but a little handful of people, not
numbering one hundred souls? He told us that his people should be
gathered from all quarters of the earth into one place upon the
face of this great continent. Has he fulfilled it? The testimony
is before the eyes not only of the Latter-day Saints, but the
eyes of all people, nations and tongues, and among the most
distant nations of the earth concerning the gathering of the
people called Latter-day Saints. God has fulfilled his word--this
word, which was given nearly fifty years ago, as to the gathering
of his people from the four quarters of the earth. Now this great
work of the last days never could be accomplished without this
gathering together of the Saints. There are no other people
fulfilling it. For instance, take the Roman Catholics; they were
not gathering from all parts of the earth. Take the Greek Church;
they do not come out from the nations from which they receive
their doctrine. Take all the Protestant denominations, and who
among them all are assembling themselves together in one? If they
should issue a proclamation by human wisdom and by human
commandment, requiring their members to gather together, they
could not accomplish it. Why? Because there is not enough unity
amongst them; the Holy Ghost has not been given to them in its
fulness, as given to the ancient Saints; hence they could not
gather the people together. But the Lord has done it through this
people. And what will he yet do? Permit me to prophecy, not in my
own name nor by my own wisdom, but on the strength of that which
God has revealed to this Church since the year 1830, and that
also which is given in the Book of Mormon--I prophesy that this
is only just the beginning, as it were of the great work of the
gathering of the Latter-day Saints.
135
[I would say that some of our friends that have called in this
afternoon are obliged, in consequence of the cars leaving, to
retire. May the Lord Bless them, pour out his Spirit upon them,
may he manifest the truth unto them that they may be blessed in
common with all those who keep the commandments of God.]
136
The Lord our God has therefore fulfilled that which he spoke; and
as I said this work, instead of being nearly accomplished, nearly
fulfilled, and all things brought about according to the purposes
of the Almighty, only the foundation, as it were, is now laid,
and instead of being gathered in a little company of 150,000, by
and bye we shall be gathered in hundred of thousands and even
millions. Now do you believe it? I not only believe it but know
it will come to pass just as much as a great many other things
which have already been fulfilled since the promises were uttered
and published in this book. I knew they would come to pass, for
God has revealed these things to me, and given me a knowledge of
them, and I also know concerning the future of this people, as
also do a great many of our brethren that have received
testimonies concerning these matters. Is God limited to this
little narrow spot, called the great basin of North America? Why,
no. It is only for the present, for the time being that we dwell
here. Where will we dwell in the future? What is our future
destiny? It is not on the Sandwich Islands, it is not in New
Zealand, it is not in Australia, it is not in any of the islands
of the sea, but I will tell you the future destiny of this people
in a very few words. Not many years hence--I do not say the
number of years--you will look forth to the western counties of
the State of Missouri, and to the eastern counties of the State
of Kansas, and in all that region round about you will see a
thickly populated country, inhabited by a peaceful people, having
their orchards, their fruit threes, their fields of grain, their
beautiful houses and shade threes, their cities and towns and
villages. And you may ask--Who are all these people? And the
answer will be--Latter-day Saints! Where have they came from?
They have come from the nations of the earth! They have come from
the mountains of Utah, from Arizona, from Idaho, and from the
mountainous territories of the North American Continent, they
have come down here, and are quietly cultivating the lands of
these States! Now, this will all come to pass, just as sure to
come to pass as there is a God that reigns in yonder heavens, and
not many years hence either. Thus you see that for some time to
come, our future destiny is not to build up this kingdom upon any
of the islands of the sea, but to be located where God has
decreed, by his own power that his people shall dwell. "Oh, but,"
says one, "you have to get the land first." But I would ask is
there any breaking of the Constitution--is there anything
calculated to take away the rights of American citizenship by
emigrants going from one part of this nation to another,
peacefully and quietly, purchasing the land and locating upon it?
I think not. "But," says one, "perhaps they will not allow you to
purchase the land." The Lord will take care of that; that is in
the hands of the Lord. That same being who will assist in the
building of a great city on the western boundaries of the State
of Missouri, has all power; and when we purchase the land, and go
and take possession of it, I do not think we will be driven from
our own lands, if we mind our own business and do not meddle with
our neighbors' business, and do not undertake to injure them in
their rights and privileges, guaranteed to them by the
Constitution of our country. If we conduct ourselves in a
peaceable manner, I do not see why we may not dwell there as well
as other citizens. We have the strongest assurance that such will
be the case. These were promises made to us, before there were a
hundred persons in this Church. It was promised that we should
have a land as an inheritage; but we were commanded of God, to
purchase the land. Now, when the time comes for purchasing this
land, we will have means. How this means will be brought about it
is not for me to say. Perhaps the Lord will open up mines
containing gold and silver, or in some other way as seemeth to
him best, wealth will be poured into the laps of the Latter-day
Saints till they will scarcely know what to do with it. I will
here again prophesy on the strength of former revelation that
there are no people on the face of the whole globe, not even
excepting London, Paris, New York, or any of the great mercantile
cities of the globe--there are no people now upon the face of the
earth, so rich as the Latter-day Saints will be in a few years to
come. Having their millions; therefore they will purchase the
land, build up cities, towns and villages, build a great capital
city, at headquarters, in Jackson County, Missouri. Will we have
a temple there? Yes; will we have a beautiful city? Yes, one of
the most beautiful cities that will ever be erected on the
continent of America will be built up by the Latter-day Saints in
jackson County, Missouri. Consequently, when congressmen and
statesmen, and the great men of our nation, want to know what the
future destiny of the Latter-day Saints will be, let them
remember the words of your humble servant, who has addressed you
this afternoon; for they will come to pass--they will be
fulfilled. We have see too many revelations fulfilled, already,
to be mistaken in regard to these matters. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Charles W. Penrose, April 11th, 1880
Charles W. Penrose, April 11th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, Sunday Afternoon,
April 11th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS AND ALL OTHER
PROFESSING CHRISTIANS.
137
I am thankful to-day for this opportunity of meeting with my
brethren and sisters in this fine hall to worship God and spend a
little time in reflecting upon the principles of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, and I am thankful also for this opportunity of
bearing my testimony to the truth of the work in which we are
engaged. I trust that during the short time I shall stand before
you I may be lead by the Holy Spirit to say something which will
edify and instruct the people.
138
It was remarked by Brother N. H. Felt, who has just addressed
us, that it would be a difficult matter to answer the
question--wherein do the Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons," differ
in their views from the rest of the people who profess the
Christian religion. True this would be a difficult question to
answer in a few minutes satisfactorily. There are a great many
points of difference between our doctrines and the doctrines of
the so-called Christian world, but if I were to attempt to answer
the question in brief I would say the chief difference consists
in this:--That the religion which we have received has come down
from God out of heaven direct, by revelation, in the day and age
in which we live, while the religions which are believed in by
the various Christian denominations who meet to-day in different
parts of the world to worship God, most of which have been in
existence for a long time have been in every case arranged by
men. The people who belong to the various Christian sects all
profess to believe in one Book--the Bible, and in one God; but
their ideas in regard to religion and in regard to the manner in
which God shall be worshipped and served are very different, and
when we trace up the origin of their religion we find that in
every case, with perhaps one exception, they have been started by
men; by individuals who, no doubt, in the first place, believed
they were enlightened of God and had come to the conclusion that
such and such doctrines were the doctrines of Christ, and that it
was their duty to preach these doctrines. They convinced others
of the truth of the ideas which they had adopted, and together
they formed a religious society. Now, we shall find that this is
the case with all those different sects and parties, that compose
modern Christendom with the exception perhaps of the Church which
is called the Church of Rome, the Roman Catholic church. That
church professes to be a continuation of the Church which Jesus
Christ established. It professes to have the same authority,
handed down from generation to generation, which was exercised by
the ancient apostles. It professes to have the keys that Peter
held. The Pope of Rome professes to be the successor of St.
Peter, and the priesthood of the church of Rome profess to have
the same authority, or similar authority, or a succession of the
authority, which was held in the primitive Christian church. They
say there has been no interruption of this line of priesthood in
the church which Jesus Christ established, to build up which the
ancient apostles lost their lives--that this priesthood has been
continued down through the stream of time to our own period. All
the rest of the denominations called Christian have sprung from
that body directly or indirectly, and their organization was
started in the way that I have briefly described.
138
You see then there is a great difference between our professions
and the professions of all the rest of the Christian world in
this particular. We testify that in the day and age in which we
live, God, who spoke in ancient times to the prophets, and in the
meridian of time by his Only Begotten Son, has uttered his voice
again out of heaven; that Jesus who died on Calvary, that we
might live, has manifested himself in this day and age of the
world; that the angels of God, who were men that ministered in
the name of the Lord, in the flesh, in times of old, who died in
the truth and live in God, have come to the earth in this age of
the world and revealed the things of God; and that this Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been organized, not by the
wisdom of man, not by persons who have reflected and studied and
come to certain conclusions in their own minds and then founded a
church, but that it has been organized and established and
carried on and directed under the immediate revelations of the
Most High God. You see this is quite a difference. There is quite
a distinction between us and all the rest of the people called
Christians. I do not know, however, whether the great body of
people called Christians will allow us to adopt that name. They
dispute our right to the title of Christians. They call us
"Mormons:--rather a foolish title to give us. Mormon is the name
of a man, a servant of God, a prophet of the Most High, who lived
anciently on this continent and wrote some of the things revealed
to him in a book called the Book of Mormon; and because we
believe in that book, our "Christian" friends call us "Mormons."
We might just as well call them Peters, because they believe in
Peter; we might just as well call them Pauls, Jeremiahs, Isaiahs,
or Lukes, because they believe in the sayings of these men
written in the book called the Bible.
139
But the stranger might say, "It is very well for you to make such
a statement as you have made, that your Church has been organized
by the commandment of God and by divine revelation from him in
the present day, but how can you prove that to the world?" There
is a very simple way by which this can be found out, by which the
truth or falsity of what I have said can be established. The
people who live here in Utah, who have been gathered here from a
great many different parts of the earth, are here because they
know that what I have spoken of this afternoon is true. This is
what brought them here. They have not come up to the heights of
these mountains to dig for gold or silver, to make themselves
rich with the fruits and products of the earth, or to unite
together to establish some socialistic system for the mere
bettering of their temporal circumstances. They have come here
from the east, from the west, from the north and from the south,
from the different continents and from the islands of the sea,
because in their own souls they have received a testimony similar
to that which I have borne this afternoon. They have investigated
the subject; they took the course pointed out to them by which
they could find out the truth or falsity of this work for
themselves, and having received a testimony that it is true they
have come up here to these mountains; they have left their homes
in various lands, they have turned their backs on their former
homes and relationships, broken up their business affairs, many
of them having left friends and family and have come up here to
these mountains that they may learn more of this important work,
having first of all received a testimony from God that it is
true. Well, some one may say, "How did they find it out? Did they
find it out because somebody told them? Did they receive their
testimony from some other man or woman? No; they received it
direct from the Lord, direct from the heavens, for "God is no
respector of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and
worketh righteousness is accepted of him;" he is just as willing
to manifest himself to an Englishman, an American, a Scotchman,
an Irishman, a Dutchman, a Scandinavian, a South Sea Islander or
anybody else, as to a Jew. How did they obtain this testimony?
The Apostle James, some of whose writings we have in this book
called the New Testament, told the people in his day, "If any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men
liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let
him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like
a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not
that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." Now
when the elders of this Church went out with this testimony that
God had again spoken from the heavens, that communication between
the heavens and the earth, which was once enjoyed by men of old
had again been opened up, they told the people who heard their
words that if they would believe in the true and living God, if
they would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, if they would repent
of their sins and be baptized in water for the remission of sins,
they should receive the Holy Ghost, and by this Spirit they
should obtain a testimony direct from the Almighty to their own
souls, that God had in very deed commenced the great work of the
latter days, spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world
began. What was the result of this teaching? Why, in every place,
in every part of the world, among any people, no matter what
their former customs or religion might have been, no matter what
condition they might be in, no matter how they had been educated,
no matter of what race they might be, wherever they heard the
sound of this Gospel and obeyed it, they received a testimony of
the truth of this work and therefore have gathered up to these
mountains.
140
This is my testimony to this congregation this afternoon: that,
having received this Gospel and obeyed it in the way that I have
pointed out I received a testimony to my own soul, from the
Almighty, by which I have no longer any doubt as to its truth; no
longer to depend upon the testimony of man. I can say for myself,
before God, before the heavenly hosts, before all nations
wherever I may be sent, that I know this work is true. I know
that God lives. I know that God hears and answers prayer. I know
that Jesus is the Christ. I know that angels have come down from
the heavens in these the last times and restored the ancient
Gospel. I know that the holy priesthood, the power of God, the
authority to administer in the name of the Lord, held by men, in
ancient times, has been restored to me in these the latter days,
and that it is here upon the earth, never to be taken away again
until the work has been accomplished for which it was sent; until
every nation shall hear the sound of the Gospel; until every
nation, kindred, tongue and people, shall hear of the purposes of
the Great Jehovah; until all people shall be warned, and the
honest and upright, and the truth-loving in every clime shall be
gathered unto the fold of Christ; until the way shall be prepared
for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ--to reign in Mount Zion
and Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously; until the
earth is redeemed from the curse; until Satan and his hosts are
bound; until the great work of God is accomplished and all his
children brought up from death and hell and the grave, and placed
in a position where they can glorify God throughout the countless
ages of eternity.
140
It is popularly supposed that when our leaders go out as
missionaries to the different countries of the earth, they go for
the purpose of inducing people to gather here to these peaceful
valleys, that they might be made subservient to our leaders. That
is the popular idea. There cannot, however, be anything more
false and ridiculous than this. What object could men have in
taking the trouble to go, as our elders do, to face the frowns of
the world, to be scoffed at and despised, to travel "without
purse or scrip," as did the ancient servants of God, suffering
contumely, persecution, privation, and even hunger and thirst,
traveling foot-sore and weary, among a people who, generally
speaking, do not desire to hear their testimony? Their object is
to preach the Gospel of Christ, and to bear witness of this great
work. It is not merely to gather people to these mountains. When
people do come here they come just as I have said,--because they
have received the Gospel, and know it to be true. they come up
here that they may learn more of the ways of the Lord. And this
is the testimony that our leaders bear wherever they may be sent:
That God has restored the ancient Gospel and that he is building
up his Church on the earth again for the last time; that the hour
of God's judgment is nigh; that the angel, to whom Brother Felt
referred, and about whom he quoted from the revelations of St.
John, has come to the earth with "the everlasting Gospel to
preach to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
saying, with a loud voice. "Fear God and give glory to him for
the hour of his judgment is come." This is our testimony, this is
why we go forth, and when the people hear our testimony and
believe it, and call upon the Lord for a witness, they receive
it, and then they are willing to forego everything for the sake
of the Gospel.
141
There is another great difference between our religion and the
religions of the world, and that consists in the power and
authority of the priesthood to which I have briefly referred.
Now, it is true that the church called the Church of Rome,
professes to have the priesthood. That church professes to have
the same authority which was in the ancient church, and that it
has been handed down from generation to generation to our own
times. The Church of England--or the Episcopal Church as it is
called here--professes to have a portion of that same authority.
The Greek Church also professes to have a portion of that
authority. They are branches or off shoots from this Roman
Catholic Church; but the rest of the Christian denominations
repudiate any idea of a priesthood. They think there is no need
for any priesthood. They say that Jesus was the Great High
Priest, and that there is no need for any more priests; that is
the prevalent idea among the rest of the Christian sects. But we
do believe in the necessity of this priesthood, and say that it
has been restored from heaven in this our own times. In what way?
In the first place John the Baptist, who went before Jesus to
prepare the way for him as the prophets predicted, who held the
priesthood of Aaron, or the Levitical priesthood--that same
person who baptized Jesus in the river Jordan, and who was
beheaded for preaching the word of the Lord, has come to the
earth in this day and age of the world, and ordained man to the
same authority and priesthood that he held while he was in the
flesh. Now, I do not know that there is another people on the
face of the earth that possess any such thing as that, so that in
that respect there is a great difference between our religion and
the religions of the world. Further, we testify that not only
this lesser priesthood which was held by John the Baptist has
been restored, but that Peter, James and John, who held the
Apostleship, the same priesthood which Christ held, have come in
this our own time and restored the authority which they held. "As
my Father hath sent me, even so send I you," said Jesus to his
disciples. They were ordained to the same authority that He held.
What authority was that? We are told that Christ was called to be
a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, an unchangeable
priesthood, everlasting, without beginning of days or end of
years. He conferred the same priesthood upon His apostles, and
Peter, James and John were left to take charge of the Church when
He departed; they had the keys of the kingdom; whatsoever they
should bind on earth was to be bound in heaven, and whatever they
should loose on earth was to be loosed in heaven. Now, we testify
that these three individuals holding the keys of that
apostleship, the higher priesthood, have come down to the earth
as ministering beings in our own times, and ordained the Prophet
Joseph Smith to the same apostleship and priesthood and authority
which they held, and through him it has been conferred upon
others, so that the ancient authority and priesthood held by men
of God in times of old, is here on the earth in this Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
142
Then there is another difference between us and the rest of the
people called Christian, who profess to believe in the Christian
religion. This lesser priesthood holds the power to baptize for
the remission of sins among other things, but it does not hold
the power to confer the Holy Ghost upon the people. When John the
Baptist baptized for the remission of sins he said, "There cometh
after me one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not
worthy to unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water but he
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." And we read in the New
Testament, in the Acts of the Apostles, that on a certain
occasion when the apostles were passing through the upper coasts
of Ephesus, they found certain disciples who had simply been
baptized with the baptism of John, who did nothing but baptize
for the remission of sins, he having no authority to lay his
hands upon the people; they had not received the Holy Ghost. But
the apostles had received that power and authority from Jesus
Christ which He himself held, and they laid their hands upon
these people, and they received the Holy ghost. Here is the
difference, or one point of difference, between those two
priesthoods. Now this priesthood has not remained upon the earth,
hence the necessity of restoring it. The only person in
Christendom who professes to have the keys of the apostolic
priesthood is the Pope of Rome. What is the Pope of Rome? Is he
an apostle? No; he does not profess to be an apostle. Then how
came he to be the successor of Peter? Peter was an apostle. He
held the keys that Christ gave to him. Christ ordained him. Does
the Pope of Rome profess to have the keys of revelation? No, he
does not profess to receive any new revelation. He, with others,
sometimes meet in holy Convocation, as it is called; they meet in
council, they enunciate certain dogmas, but he does not profess
to receive any revelation from God. What was the great power of
the ancient apostleship? The power to commune with the Highest.
The form of the apostleship was nothing; the power was
everything. That power departed from the earth. The people in
ancient times were unworthy of it. They put out the lights of God
which He had placed in the world, and left themselves in
darkness. They cut short the apostles' lives, and the world was
left in the gloom. They would not have the power and authority of
that apostleship in their midst, and instead of the ancient
Church of Christ with the power of God, with the ministration of
angels, with the gifts and blessings we read about in the New
Testament, we find arising a church of a different form, a church
that has persecuted the Saints, a church that is stained with the
blood of the innocent, a church that put people to death for
their religious belief (which the Church of Christ never did),
and yet that church, including all the various contending
denominations and sects extant upon the earth, is called
"Christian!"
143
Now, our testimony to the world is that God has restored these
two ancient priesthoods--that is, the power to administer in the
name of the Lord by authority, and that the power of God
accompanies that authority. Here are men who profess to have the
right to administer the ordinance of baptism for the remission of
sins, who profess to have the authority to lay hands upon the
people for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now, an impostor might
profess to have this power. Having read about it in the New
Testament, and seeing that the ancient servants of God possessed
such power, a man might profess to have authority to lay hands
upon people for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost. But an impostor
cannot really confer the Holy Ghost. That comes from God. No man
can bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon any one; that is the
gift of God. We read about a man who thought he could purchase
this power. He offered the apostles money for it. But Peter said
unto him, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought
that the gift of God may be purchased with money."
143
Now, here we have in Utah about 150,000 people. A great many of
them came to these mountains under very adverse circumstances.
They left their various homes in different parts of the world to
gather out here with the Saints. Why? Because they knew that this
was the work of God by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. How
did they receive it? They received it by the laying on of hands
of men who professed to have the authority to do so. Now, the
fact that they received the gift of the Holy Ghost is a proof
that the power of God accompanies the administration. The same
fruits that were made manifest in days of old are made manifest
to-day. We read in the New Testament that certain gifts existed
in the ancient Church. The sick were healed and the lame made to
walk. Some had the gift of tongues, others the interpretation of
tongues, others the gift of prophecy, etc. What was the effect of
the existence of these gifts? Union, concord, brotherly love, all
seeing eye to eye. Now, inasmuch as we find the same gifts among
the Latter-day Saints--although of different nationalities,
formerly of different religions, brought up in different ways--it
is evidence clear and plain that the power of God is in the midst
of this people; that the Holy Ghost has been conferred upon them,
and this is their united testimony. This is clear to me, but it
may not be clear to everybody else. I do not believe it possible
for others to see things as I do, unless they take the same
course as I have done, and test the matter for themselves.
143
If a man believes in God, and in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the
Scriptures, he will manifest his faith by receiving the doctrines
laid down and the commandments given; and if he will ask of God
he will receive a testimony. I can make bold to promise this
blessing to every man and woman in this house--and I do it in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ--if they will obey this Gospel
which God has sent from heaven for the salvation of mankind. My
friends, if you will turn away from your evil deeds, if you will
turn unto the Lord God, obey the ordinances and ask for a
testimony of the truth of this work; if you will do this in
sincerity, I promise you in the name of the Lord you shall
receive the testimony you seek. Is there any minister upon the
face of the whole earth, amongst the so-called Christian sects,
who can make you a similar promise? No. Why? Because they have
not been called to this work. This is another point of difference
between our religion and that of the world. Our elders go forth
with boldness, because they are not sent by men. They are not
called to preach for hire. They are called of God to bear the
holy priesthood and carry forth this message of glad tidings
wherever they may be sent. It is their duty to proclaim this
Gospel to the uttermost bounds of the earth, and their testimony
is similar to that I have borne here to-day, and our witnesses
are the Latter-day Saints--gathered from the nations--who dwell
in the valleys of the mountains.
144
There are a great many other points of difference between us and
the so-called Christian world, that I have not time to refer to.
For instance, we believe in the doctrine of gathering to this
land from all parts of the world. When we go out to preach this
Gospel, we do not advise the people to stay and erect great
churches in the countries where they receive the Gospel. We bear
testimony to them that this is the time of God's judgments. We
say, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." We testify that
the time is near at hand when great Babylon shall fall; when God
shall smite terribly all the nations of the earth; when he will
turn and overturn; when nation shall rise against nation and
kingdom against kingdom; people against people and family against
family; when there shall be wars and rumors of wars; plagues,
famines and pestilence; such a time as has never been known upon
the earth from the beginning even unto the present day. Therefore
we call upon the elect of God to come out from the nations of the
earth, and they come from the east and from the west, from the
north and from the south, to this chosen land, to serve the Lord,
to learn of his ways and to walk in his paths, and prepare
themselves for the great events that are about to transpire on
the earth.
145
Another great point of difference is the building of Temples. The
different Christian denominations build houses and call them St.
Paul's church, St. Peter's church, St. Mark's church, etc. They
build churches to these various saints, but they know nothing
about building a house to the name of the Most High God,--a
temple in which the Lord may come and place his feet; for this is
the day spoken of by the prophets, when "the Lord, whom ye seek,
shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the
covenant whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the
Lord of Hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming, and who
shall stand when he appeareth, for he is like a refiner's fire,"
etc. We call upon the people to come out and help build temples
in which ordinances can be administered for the benefit of the
living and the redemption of the dead. The redemption of the
dead! Can the living do anything for the dead? When people pass
away from the earth, is not their condition settled? When the
tree falls, does it not lie there? Yes, it does, till it is
moved. In connection with the Gospel we have received glad tiding
of salvation which is preached to the living and to the dead. The
Lord has revealed to us the glorious doctrine of redemption for
the dead--a plan by which the living may aid the dead. Not by
saying mass over the soul of the departed, but by attending to
certain ordinances for them which belong to the Gospel. Are all
the thousands and millions of people who have passed away without
a knowledge of the Gospel to perish? No. There is no name under
heaven but the name of Jesus whereby man shall be saved. Ask our
Christian friends if the millions of heathens who have passed
away from this world have ever heard the name of Jesus. If not,
what is to become of them? Millions of people who dwell upon the
earth even in so called Christian countries know nothing about
the true Gospel. The so-called Christian churches lack this
knowledge and light. By the confession of the episcopal Church in
its homily of the perils of idolatry the whole of Christendom,
"clergy and laity, men, women and children of all ages, sexes and
degrees, have been at the time the homily was written, buried in
the most abominable idolatry for the space of 800 years or more.
According to the testimony of the Apostle in the Apocalypse, the
whole world, Christian as well as heathen, has gone astray, all
nations have become drunk with the wine of the wrath of the
fornication of Babylon the great, the mother of harlots; and
there has been no voice from heaven, no revelation from God, no
communication with the eternal world for many centuries. Although
a great many people have tried to do the best they could--and so
far being accepted of God--yet they have not received the Gospel
by which they can enter into the presence of the eternal father;
they have not entered in at the straight and narrow gate which
leadeth to lives eternal.
145
By this Gospel which has been revealed to us, the servants of God
who depart from this mortal sphere, take with them the authority
and priesthood they hold, as Christ did, when he went to preach
to the spirits in prison. So the servants of God, bearing the
same priesthood, go and minister to the spirits behind the vail
whether Christian, heathen or pagan. No matter what clime or race
they belong to, all must hear the same Gospel and be judged by it
on the great day of judgment. They have therefore an opportunity
of repenting in the spirit, if they did not hear the Gospel in
the flesh. The Spirit can believe, can be informed and instructed
in the ways of God, but the Spirit beyond the vail cannot attend
to ordinances pertaining to the flesh. To this end, therefore, we
are building temples so that, when they are sanctified and
accepted of God, the holy priesthood may administer both for the
living and the dead. For this is the great dispensation of the
fulness of times in which Christ will gather together in one, all
things that are in him, both which are in heaven and which are on
earth. This is the last dispensation of God's mercy to man. The
work has been commenced and it will roll on until the Gospel has
been preached to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, and
the honest in heart have been gathered out from among the
Gentiles. Then the Lord will send his servants unto the Jews and
the House of Israel, and thus fully accomplish all he has spoken
by the holy prophets. We will therefore work while we dwell in
the flesh, and when we have finished the work we will pass behind
the vail to sweet rest. Rest from our trials and sufferings, from
our sorrows and tribulations, from our persecutions and
misrepresentations, but not to cease from our labors of love, but
to minister in the power, in the strength, in the might and
majesty of the eternal priesthood among the hosts behind the
vail, and those that dwell upon the earth will continue to build
temples and minister therein, that the dead may be redeemed.
146
I have not time to continue further on this subject. I have
briefly pointed out some of the differences between us and the
"Christian" world. And now I will bear my testimony to this
congregation in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that this is
not the work of man; that "Mormonism" is the work of the Great
God, and no power can overturn it. And I testify further, that
every nation and kingdom that shall rise against this work shall
perish and be utterly wasted away. The Lord will have a reckoning
with that nation, no matter where it is, for all the nations of
the earth are in the hands of God, and every human government
that will not serve him shall be brought low, until his kingdom
spreads forth and is established upon the whole earth with Christ
the Redeemer, as King, whose right it is to rule.
146
May the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, rest in
the hearts of the Saints, and also guide all people who desire
the truth, in the way of life eternal, through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, November 1st, 1879
Orson Pratt, November 1st, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Logan City, Saturday Afternoon,
November 1st, 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
PROGRESS OF THE SAINTS TO UNION IN FAITH AND
PRACTICE--THE UNITED ORDER.
146
I will read a few passages from the Book of Jacob, one of the
sacred compilations of the Book of Mormon.
146
"And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with
their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them
and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard,
in all things. And there began to be the natural fruit again in
the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive
exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off, and
to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top thereof
equal, according to the strength thereof. And thus they labored,
with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of
the vineyard, even until the load had been cast away out of the
vineyard, and the Lord preserved unto himself, that the trees had
become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one
body; and the fruit were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had
preserved unto himself the natural fruit; which was most precious
unto him from the beginning."
147
These words occurred to me this forenoon, while Brother Snow was
speaking upon the subject of the Order laid down in the Doctrine
and Covenants. We have here a clear and plain prediction, in the
form of a parable, that was recorded upon plates of gold, almost
600 years before Christ, in relation to the great work in which
we, as the servants of the Lord, and the Latter-day Saints, are
engaged. Perhaps there may be some persons, numbered among this
community, who may have a feeling something like this; "that we
are not living according to the law that is given in the Doctrine
and Covenants, in all respects." And they have drawn the
conclusion, that perhaps the Lord would forsake us in consequence
of our not carrying out the laws so clearly defined and explained
in that record. These things were clearly set forth before the
people, this forenoon, in regard to wherein we have not entered
into all the fulness and perfection of that order of things. But
the question is, can we do much better, under the present
circumstances? This is a great question to be considered. And in
the consideration of it, we have to enquire into a number of
other things, such as can we lay aside the present order of
things that is not consistent with the Doctrine and Covenants;
and can we begin anew here in these valleys, and carry out the
law of the Lord in all its perfection? I do not know but what
there may be a bare possibility of our doing it; but whether the
Lord requires this at our hands under the present circumstances
is another thing. We are very imperfect, and yet we try to do
right. We want to keep the commandments of the Lord; we desire to
be members of his Church; we desire to have his Holy Spirit
resting upon us, and we desire to be guided by it. We wish to
know what the counsel of the servants of God is concerning us;
and yet, hardly know which way to turn. We see a united order
established in one place, according to one principle; we go to
another part of the land, and we find an order established on a
little different principle; and we hear of another, all differing
somewhat. And so on until we visit nearly all the settlements of
these mountains. And as was stated this forenoon, they differ as
do the elders themselves in their views.
148
Now what has the Lord said in this parable of the vineyard? "And
they did keep the root and the top thereof equal." In what
respect were they made equal? The next part of that same sentence
declares that they were made equal "according to the strength
thereof." Now there is a great deal expressed in those few words.
They were not made equal all at once, as the inhabitants of a
celestial world are, without any improvements being introduced;
but they were to keep the root and the top of the great tree
equal, according to the strength thereof; that is according to
the condition and circumstances in which the people are placed.
Now I consider, that notwithstanding all our deviations from the
perfect law that God has given, notwithstanding the condition of
things pointed out so clearly in the Doctrine and Covenants in
regard to holding stewardships and inheritances, and giving an
account of those stewardships and inheritances, according to the
perfect order,--I consider we are doing pretty well, in a great
many respects. We have progressed; we have made improvements; we
are in a mere united condition than we were 45 years ago. Hence
there has been an improvement among the Latter-day Saints; and
this improvement has been for the better; it has been pointing
all the time towards equality, though we have not succeeded,
according to the perfect law. But we have succeeded according to
the strength of the people,--according to the circumstances with
which they are surrounded. We have succeeded in a great measure
to instil into their minds the great principle of unity and
oneness, not only in spiritual things, but in temporal things
also. The day will come when this will be fulfilled to the very
letter, in accordance with words which say, "they became like
unto one body; and the fruit were equal." That is the destination
of the Latter-day Saints in the future. The fruit is to be equal;
the roots and the branches are all to be kept in their perfect
order, and the whole tree kept in a thriving condition. Then we
shall have learned the great principle of the celestial order,
that must be carried out among the children of men. During that
long period called the Millennium, this people will see the
importance of attending to that perfect order when our strength
shall warrant. At present we have no perfect example before us.
Where has there been either in this Territory or in Arizona an
instance where the perfect law of God has been carried out, as
laid down in the Doctrine and Covenants? I know of no such
instance. I know of a great many improvements upon the old
condition of things which has existed among our fathers--the
Gentile notion and idea of each one holding separate and
individual interests, without being accountable to anyone. That
is the old system. We have made many improvements, but we have
not carried out in any one solitary instance in any settlement I
am acquainted with, the order of things laid down in the
revelations, contained in the Book of Covenants.
148
There has been a great deal said, at different times upon the
subject of families being united as one,--eating at the same
table, for instance, and having one large field, where their
farming operations might be carried on, all who are farmers going
forth into the same field to labor; and the same principle
carried out in regard to other branches, all taking hold
unitedly, having the common interest at heart. Is there anything
in the revelations given in these Latter-days requiring this
order of things, or is it something we ourselves have considered
as being a little ahead of what our fathers have been practising?
I do not know anything laid down in the revelations, requiring us
to take this particular method. Yet, is it right? Yes. Why it is
right according to the circumstances with which they are
surrounded; it points forward to unity and tends to instruct us
in the preliminary ideas of being united together. And hence,
those that can enter into this order, who are willing to unite in
this way, are doing well and will be blessed for it. But let no
person set any stakes, in regard to this matter, that because he
may have entered into a special order, introduced in one
settlement, that all others are wrong, because they do not do
likewise; they should not find fault with their brethren, neither
be discouraged in well-doing.
149
There are a great many different ideas among the Latter-day
Saints, in relation to these matters. But then, we have a
standard given in the Book of Covenants, by which we should be
governed. By and bye, I expect we will be in different
circumstances, in which stewardships or inheritances can be
issued for all families of the Saints, some in one kind or branch
of business, and some in another; and the full law of
consecration will take place.
150
I am, and I presume a great many others who are acquainted with
the revelations of God, as contained in the Doctrine and
Covenants, are looking for the period of time to come, in the
history of the Latter-day Saints, when we as a people shall
possess a very different country from the one we are now
inhabiting. We do not expect to go to the Sandwich Islands,
neither to the Society Islands, neither to any of the islands of
the oceans, nor into South America, nor Central America, to carry
out the order of things which we expect to enter into in all its
fulness. But we expect, just as much as we expect the sun will
shine, when it arises on a clear morning, that the Lord will by
and buy, take us back to the land referred to by Brother Snow,
this forenoon. We do not expect that when that time shall come,
that all Latter-day Saints, who now occupy the mountain Valleys,
will go in one consolidated body, leaving this land totally
without inhabitants. We do not expect any such thing. But we do
expect, that there will be a period in the future history of the
Church when many hundreds of this people--our youth, for
instance, who will grow up in those days, when they will be
consolidated as a body, and will go to the eastern portions of
the state of Kansas, and also to the western portions of the
state of Missouri to settle. And when that time shall come, if it
be needful to carry out the commandments which Brother Snow read
this morning, referring to the purchase of lands, we will have
property and means sufficient to accomplish this work. It was
necessary some 47 years ago to purchase lands, and also for
several years afterwards. But we did not do it then. It may be
necessary for us in times to come, and probably will be necessary
for us to purchase that whole region of country. Why so? Because
if there be prior occupants to it, should we not be willing to
give them an equivalent, such as will satisfy them, for its
possession, including the improvements attached thereto?
Certainly. Consequently it may be necessary for us to carry out
the fulness of all these revelations, notwithstanding all the
abuses and persecutions that have been heaped upon the Latter-day
Saints. But whether this be the case or not there is one thing
certain--something that you and I may depend upon, with as much
certainty as we expect to get our daily food, and that is, that
the Lord our God will take this people back, and will select from
among this people, a sufficient number, to make the army of
Israel very great. And when that day comes, he will guide the
forces of those who emigrate to their possessions in those two
states, that I have mentioned. And the land thus purchased will
be no doubt, as far as possible, located in one district of
country, which will be settled very differently from the way we
now settle up these mountain regions. You may ask, in what
respect we shall differ in settling up those countries when we go
there to fulfil the commandments of the Lord? I will tell you. No
man in those localities will be permitted to receive a
stewardship on those lands, unless he is willing to consecrate
all his properties to the Lord. That will be among the first
teachings given. When this shall be done, the people will be, as
the parable says, like unto one body--all equally poor, or all
equally rich; in other words, they will be persons that can claim
no property as their own, everything being consecrated. And the
land being purchased, will be held on a different principle, from
what it is now. To-day fifty thousand dollars worth of real
estate property is the most that can be held by a religious
organization; but in that day the whole of our properties,
amounting a very much larger sum, will be held in trust. For
whom? For the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Saints, and for
all this great company that will be gathered together. And there
will be such a change in governmental affairs, that the trustee,
whoever he may be, will only act as such as long as he is
faithful; and if he becomes unfaithful it will be transferred to
another. Neither in case of death will the heirs of such trustee
have any claim whatever on the property; the power regulating
such matters will then be vested in the proper authority who will
mete out even justice to all parties.
150
These persons, therefore, will be in the same condition that all
the rest of the people are in. The properties they hold will not
be their own, although it may be called so, as far as that is
concerned. And when it shall be ascertained that an individual
has consecrated everything he has, inquiries will be made as to
the size of his family, and land will be apportioned to him
accordingly--not to deed him the property, according to the
Gentile practice; but rather that the extent of his stewardship
may be determined. When this is done, he takes his stewardship,
each man having his own table, without being necessitated at all
to eat at his neighbor's. People will build their own houses,
etc., when needful, provided they are able to do so, if not, what
assistance they require will be rendered them. And then they and
all the others will be required to keep an account of their
proceedings and present the same to the bishops at the end of the
year, or as often as may be required. These bishops, if they do
their duty, will scan these things: "Brother, you have been
unwise in such and such things, but in other particulars you have
done well." In this way each man will give an account of his
stewardship, as the revelation says, both in time and eternity.
And he that proves himself a faithful and wise steward in time,
will be counted worthy to receive not only a stewardship but an
inheritance in eternity. What is the object of the stewardship?
Is it not to prepare us for that still higher order of things
that shall exist when we shall receive an inheritance? And when
that time comes, and we shall still be found faithful to our
trust, the Lord will be pleased to say, "I can trust that man, he
has proved himself in the days of his probation: he is a wise
man; he has done right in all things with which he has been
entrusted. Now let him have not merely a stewardship, but let it
be given to him as an everlasting possession, for him and his
seed after him for ever and ever, both for time and eternity."
151
You may perhaps ask when this time will come? for the Saints to
receive bona fide inheritances. The time will come for the Saints
to receive their stewardships, when they shall return to the
lands from whence they have been driven; but the inheritances
will not be given, until the Lord shall first appoint to the
righteous dead their inheritances, and afterwards the righteous
living will receive theirs. This you will find recorded in the
Doctrine and Covenants; and in the same Book it is predicted that
there is to be one "mighty and strong," as well as to be an
immortal personage,--one that is clothed upon with light as with
a garment:--one whose bowels are a fountain of truth. His mission
will be to divide, by lot, to the Saints their inheritances,
according to their faithfulness in their stewardships. This too
agrees with another revelation, given on the 27th Dec. 1832,
which says, in great plainness, that when the Saints are
resurrected and caught up into heaven, and the living Saints are
also caught up, and that when the seventh angel shall have
sounded his trump, then the Saints shall receive their
inheritances. The time then is there specified, concerning the
period that the Lord has in his own mind, when inheritances shall
be given. Finally after the Saints have been resurrected and
caught up, in connection with all the then living Saints, into
heaven; and after the seventh angel sounds his trump, the earth
will be given to the Saints of the Most High for an inheritance
to be divided out to them. This land, about which I have been
speaking, is called in some places in the revelations of God to
the Prophet Joseph, the land of our inheritance; and in other
places it is referred to in the form of stewardships. In one
sense it may be considered our inheritance, because the Lord
designs, in his own wisdom, that the Latter-day Saints shall
possess that land as such, and their dead with them. And having
decreed this, even before we ever saw it, he will fulfil it. I
will refer you to a part of the revelation given on the 2nd Jan.,
1831, at the house of Father Whitmer: "And I hold forth and deign
to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land
flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse
when the Lord cometh: And I will give it unto you for the land of
your inheritance,"--not only stewardship, but inheritance; "And
this shall be my covenant with you," says the Lord further, "ye
shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the
inheritance of your children, forever, while the earth shall
stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass
away." In this sense it is called the land of our inheritance.
But when we come to speak definitely, we will have to be proven
as stewards first. If we shall be unwise in the disposition of
this trust, then it will be very doubtful, whether we get an
inheritance in this world or in the world to come.
152
What is it then we look for? We expect--I was about to quote from
the prediction of Isaiah regardless of consequences; I trust,
however, there is no one present who will look upon that great
and good man of God as a traitor against the government of the
United States--that, "A little one shall become a thousand, and a
small one a strong nation." I expect that this people, if they do
not become a "strong nation" in one sense of the word, they will
be a great and strong and powerful people upon the face of this
land. This is one of the things your humble servant is looking
for. And I expect that when we go from these mountains, by
hundreds of thousands, down to that land to purchase it and to
occupy it, that we will take with us a great deal of gold and
silver--for the Lord will in those days make his people very
rich, in fulfilment of another promise made in the same
revelation, in which he says, that we shall become the richest of
all people. If this is to be the case, the Lord will probably
fulfill that prediction by Isaiah, contained in the 60th chapter
of his book--"for brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will
bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stone iron;" and he
will bestow upon his people riches that they will not know what
to do with them, unless directed by the counsels of the servants
of the living God. With this we will purchase the land, and go
down and inherit it, as a strong and powerful people, receiving
our stewardships. And we will not spread forth in that land three
or four miles apart, and think we are crowded when people come
and settle within a mile of us; but we will settle in such a
manner as to make a very dense population. It is a country that
is susceptible, almost every foot of it, to agricultural
purposes; and we can settle with a very large population upon
every square mile of country. And we will extend our borders
around about the great central city, not stake, of Zion. You have
heard of the centre-stake of Zion, but did you ever read in the
revelations of God that the place where the New Jerusalem is to
be built is called a stake? There are other places, called Stakes
of Zion, but they will be round about the city. And we will be
multiplied by hundreds and thousands; and we will build,
throughout the region of country, our meeting houses, our school
houses, our academies and universities; and we will see to it,
that all of our children have equal advantages, as far a
possible, of becoming acquainted with all necessary and useful
learning. Not as it is now: some obtain great learning; while
others are obliged from their childhood, from the time they are
six or eight years of age, to work to that extent that they
cannot devote any time to acquire an education. This order of
things will be remedied; and the youth of God's people will have
equal opportunities, to develop themselves; not that they will
all gain the same ideas exactly; not that they will all advance
in the same direction in education, and to the same extent. One
perhaps may follow a certain branch, calculated to prepare him to
act in a certain position in his future life; while another may
adopt an entirely different course of study, by which he could be
of benefit to Zion. But there will be equal privileges and
blessings bestowed upon the Latter-day Saints.
152
Now about thee stewards. They have to be accountable; and if they
gain anything in their stewardships over and above that which may
be necessary to conduct the business of stewardships, and also to
support themselves, if there be a surplus of means, what will be
said? Will it be said by bishops, "Here, brother you must give up
all this surplus to the storehouse of the Lord?" It might be said
to one to unite him to the stewardship, without having any
greater means to extend his operations, for the time being; and
again, it might be deemed wisdom to assist another to the amount
of five, ten, twenty thousand dollars or so, by way of extending
his branch of business, because in doing so it would be the means
of not only benefitting himself and family but the people of Zion
generally.
153
The revelation says: "They shall give into the store-house all
that is not needed for the support of the needy families." In
this way the Lord's storehouse will be full and in great
abundance; and these means will be used for public purposes, and
also by way of providing farming implements, books, etc., for the
remnants of Joseph who will come into the covenant in those days,
that they may also have their stewardships in the midst of the
people of God. There will be a portion of the avails of these
stewardships, that will be consecrated to the Lord's storehouse,
and which will be used for the building of Temples, and for
beautifying public places in the city of the New Jerusalem, and
making that a city of perfection as near as we possibly can.
153
Now, there will be this difference between that city and the
cities and Temples which are being built. The cities and temples
which we are now engaged in building, we expect to decay; we
expect the rock and the various building materials will in time
waste away, according to natural laws. But when we build that
great central city, the New Jerusalem, there will be no such
thing as the word decay associated with it; it will not decay any
more than the pot of manna which was gathered by the children of
Israel and put into a sacred place in the ark of the covenant. It
was preserved from year to year by the power of God; so will he
preserve the city of the New Jerusalem, the dwelling houses, the
tabernacles, the Temples, etc., from the effects of storms and
time. It is intended that it will be taken up to heaven, when the
earth passes away. It is intended to be one of those choice and
holy places, where the Lord will dwell, when he shall visit from
time to time, in the midst of the great latter-day Zion, after it
shall be connected with the city of Enoch. That then is the
difference.
154
The Lord our God will command his servants to build that Temple,
in the most perfect order, differing very much from the Temples
that are now being built. You are engaged in building Temples
after a certain order, approximating only to a celestial order;
you are doing this in Salt Lake City. One already has been
erected in St. George, after a pattern in part, of a celestial
order. But by and bye, when we build a Temple that is never to be
destroyed, it will be constructed, after the most perfect order
of the celestial worlds. And when God shall take it up into
heaven it will be found to be just as perfect as the cities of
more ancient, celestial worlds which have been made pure and holy
and immortal. So it will be with other Temples. And we, in order
to build a Temple, after a celestial order in the fulness of
perfection, will need revelators and prophets in our midst, who
will receive the word of the Lord; who will have the whole
pattern thereof given by revelation, just as much as everything
was given by revelation pertaining to the tabernacle erected in
the wilderness by Moses. Indeed, before we can go back to inherit
this land in all its fulness of perfection, God has promised that
he would raise up a man like unto Moses. Who this man will be I
do not know; it may be a person with whom we are entirely
unacquainted; it may be one of our infant children; it may be
some person not yet born; it may be some one of middle age. But
suffice it to say, that God will raise up such a man, and he will
show forth his power through him, and through the people that he
will lead forth to inherit that country, as he did through our
fathers in the wilderness. Did he then display his power by
dividing the waters? Yes. Did the mountains and land shake under
his power? Yes. Did he speak to the people by his own voice? Yes.
Did he converse with Moses face to face? Yes. Did he show him his
glory? Yes. Did he unfold to him in one moment more than all our
schools and academies, and universities could give us in ten
thousand years? Yes. God will assuredly raise up a man like unto
Moses, and redeem his people, with an outstretched arm, as their
fathers were redeemed, at the first, going before them with his
own presence, and will also surround them by his angels. I
expect, when that time comes, that man will understand all the
particulars in regard to the Temple to be built in Jackson
County. Indeed, we have already a part of the plan revealed, and
also the plat explaining how the city of Zion is to be laid off,
which may be found commencing on page 438, Volume 14 of the
MILLENNIAL STAR. From what has been revealed of this Temple to be
erected we can readily perceive that it will differ from anything
that we have had. It will differ in regard to the number of
rooms; it will differ very much in its outward and also its
inward form; and it will differ in regard to the duties to be
performed in each of its rooms to be occupied by the respective
departments of priesthood. This house will be reared, then
according to a certain plan, which God is to make known to his
servant whom he will, in his own due time, raise up. And he will
have to give more revelation on other things equally as
important, for we shall need instructions how to build up Zion;
how to establish the centre city; how to lay off the streets; the
kind of ornamental trees to adorn the sidewalks, as well as
everything else by way of beautifying it, and making it a city of
perfection, as David prophetically calls it.
154
And then God will come and visit it; it will be a place where he
will have his throne, where he will sit occasionally as King of
Kings and Lord of Lords, and reign over his people who will
occupy this great western continent; the same as he will have his
throne at Jerusalem. "Beautiful for situation the joy of the
whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of
the great King."
154
And again he says:
154
"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined."
154
Does the Psalmist mean that God will shine literally out of Zion?
Yes, shine with light that will be seen by the righteous and the
wicked also.
154
For fear of taking up too much of the time, I will bring my
remarks to a close. I will say, however, I desire greatly that
the Lord will bless the Latter-day Saints, and bless his servants
that some, at least, may have the pleasure of entering into all
the perfection of this glory, here in this temporal life; while
the more aged, the grayhaired and gray bearded like myself, will
perhaps pass away, if the Lord requires it. And that our sons may
rise up after us, being filled with the power and Spirit of God,
to carry out his great and righteous purposes, even to
completion.
154
I pray God to bless the inhabitants of Logan and those of the
towns round about in this valley, and throughout all our mountain
regions; and that his peculiar blessings and favor may continue
to attend us while we sojourn in these mountains, and go with us
when Zion shall be redeemed in all its fulness. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, December 7th, 1879
John Taylor, December 7th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the 14th Ward Meeting House, Sunday Evening,
December 7th, 1879.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS OBTAINED--THE GOSPEL TO THE
DEAD--VARIOUS DISPENSATIONS OF THE MOST HIGH TO MANKIND--POWER
OF THE PRIESTHOOD--RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL THROUGH JOSEPH
SMITH--FAILINGS OF THE SAINTS--CORRUPTIONS OF THE WICKED.
155
We meet together from time to time to speak, to hear, to reflect,
to converse, and to exchange views in regard to the worship of
Almighty God. There is something associated with these matters
that has generally attracted the attention of the human family in
all ages, among all peoples, and under almost all circumstances.
There is and always has been a feeling of reverence existing
among the human family for a Divine Being of some kind and of
some form, even amongst the most low and debased people of the
earth. The position that we occupy in the world, our ideas of the
mutability of affairs of time and sense, the continuous departure
of one after another from this stage of existence to another,
leads us, as well as other portions of the human family
generally, more or less to reflect upon those things pertaining
to the future. Various ideas and theories have existed amongst
different peoples. Some have worshipped a great variety of Gods
of their own making, while others have followed the notions and
theories of men in regard to certain doctrines formulas theories
and ideas that have been promulgated among what would be termed
the wise, the prudent, and the intelligent of the earth. But in
relation to religious matters there is no one can have any true
or correct conception of a hereafter unless it has been revealed
by the Almighty, who alone is able to comprehend the end from the
beginning and is acquainted with the position and destinies of
men and of the world.
156
We have had revealed to us from time to time, as manifested in
the Scriptures, developed therein, many ideas pertaining to God
and to futurity; but any intelligence in regard to these matters
was generally obtained directly from the Lord, or through the
ministering of angels, or by the Spirit of prophecy and
revelation given to them by the Almighty. And it is emphatically
stated in the scriptures that "the things of God knoweth no man
but by the Spirit of God," and hence when men assume to
comprehend principles pertaining to futurity, predicated upon the
learning, the wisdom, the intelligence or the science of the
world, they are always very much at fault. Who can comprehend the
Almighty or understand his designs? As one of old said, "It is
high as heaven." What can'st thou know? "Deeper than hell." Who
can penetrate its mysteries? What really do we know? To commence
with, who can understand the designs of God in relation to the
organization of this world, or in relation to the position of man
and his destiny? His past operations, his present dealings with
the nations and his designs in the future, to the uninspired, are
all a profound enigma. Who knows anything about it? We find all
kinds of theories, notions and opinions in existence at the
present day, but what do they amount to? What would my
unsupported opinion be worth, or what would anybody's opinion be
in relation to these matters? It would amount to nothing. In
regard to other principles, of a more material nature that we are
intimately associated with, there are certain facts that
scientists and men of intelligence always wish to be
demonstrated, and unless they are, they pay very little attention
to any unsupported hypothesis. If this be true in regard to the
known sciences, how much more particular should we be in regard
to more important matters. Theories, hypotheses, notions, dogmas
and opinions amount to very little when associated with the great
and eternal principles connected with the welfare of mankind, and
the salvation of a world. And hence we need something higher,
something of more intelligence than anything that man possesses
to give unto us information pertaining to these matters.
156
When God created the world and placed man upon it he had certain
ideas and designs that were fixed, immutable, and eternal, they
were based or predicated, in the most consummate wisdom; the most
profound intelligence; the wisdom and intelligence, if you
please, that dwells with the Gods. The organization of the
heavens and the earth, the creation of the world as we understand
it, and also the creation of man and best, fowl, fish and insect,
and everything that exists upon the face of this earth. There was
an object and design in relation to all these matters. We could
know nothing about that, however, unless it had been revealed
unto us, unless it had been communicated by the being who knows
the end from the beginning, and who comprehends all things
pertaining to the present condition as well as the past and the
future destiny of the human family and of the world.
157
Certain men in different ages have told us, so it is recorded
here in the Bible, about certain communications which they had
from the Almighty. They seemed to have a mode and manner of
approaching him, and he in the various dispensations made choice
of and selected individuals through whom and to whom he
communicated his will to the human family. There is something
very remarkable in regard to these things. There are many
remarkable things in the old antediluvian history of the world,
that we have only very imperfectly related to us in the Bible. We
read, for instance, of a man by the name of Enoch--we are told in
the Bible that "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God
took him." That is about all that is said about him except that
he was a man that feared God. But Enoch, when we come to know
more of his history from the revelations that have been given, we
find, was a man that had communication with God from time to
time. The Bible says he walked with God and was not, for God took
him, but in other revelations which we have received, we have an
account of the kind of ministry that he had, the labors that he
performed the preaching that he did, the manifestation of the
power of God on his behalf, and finally of his gathering together
a large number of people. That he built a city; that in that city
they were under the guidance, direction and control of the
Almighty; and that he and his city and people, or many of them,
were translated, and hence as the Bible says, "he was not for God
took him," and he also took the people that were with him, those
that feared him and worked righteousness.
157
There are other events associated with these matters which are
very interesting when we come to examine them. The people had
corrupted themselves very much, departed from the law of God,
violated his ordinances, and committed all kinds of iniquity, so
that, as the Bible tells us, all the thoughts of their hearts
were only evil and that continually, and it repented the Lord
that he had made man because of the wickedness and corruption
that then existed. We have a very short account of this in the
Scriptures, but through other means that have been communicated
to us we have received a further knowledge of these matters; for
other men that embraced the Gospel in former ages became
preachers of righteousness as well as Enoch. They had the Spirit
of the Gospel as Moses had it, as Jesus had it, and as we have
it. They held communion with God an were under the inspiration of
the Almighty, in their administration, and when they came
together--those that feared God and worked righteousness--they
had visions and revelations and prophesied of events that should
transpire. There were many prophets in those days and they
prophesied of a prison house that God had prepared, told the
people of the destruction that was coming upon the earth: that
they should be swept off the face of the earth by the waters of
the flood and that none should be spared except a few to
perpetuate the name and fame of the Almighty and again propagate
their species. This is a thing that has seemed very singular to
some men who do not comprehend the designs of God, and they
suppose that there was a degree of cruelty attached to the
Almighty in sweeping off the people of the land, with the
exception of a very few. They assume to say there was a degree of
injustice, cruelty and tyranny associated with it. However, that
is for want of an understanding of correct principle, and the
designs of the Almighty, and many conclusions that people arrive
at, predicated upon the same ground--arise from a lack of
understanding the principle that they talk about.
158
There are some principles connected with these things which put
matters in a very different light. When we understand the nature
of man, when we consider that he is a dual being, that he is
possessed of a body and spirit, that he is associated with time
and with eternity, that according to the Scriptures the spirits
of all men were created before this world was made, and that God
is the God and Father of the spirits of all flesh; and being God
and Father of the spirits of all flesh, it was his right and his
prerogative to dictate what should be done for the benefit of
those spirits and his children that he had created here upon the
earth. It was not a matter of theory, according to the opinion of
men, but an immutable plan, according to the eternal wisdom of
God as it existed in his bosom before the world was, or "before
the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted
for joy." These spirits, that he was the father of, had their
rights and privileges and immunities; and as he had created man
upon the earth or prepared a tabernacle, or a body, if you
please, for these spirits to inhabit, it became his interest, as
the Father of the human family, to look after their welfare. They
had been led aside by the influence of Satan and had corrupted
themselves and departed from correct principles, and violated the
law of God, and became degraded and sunken in iniquity and
infamy. Now, suppose we take ourselves back into the presence of
our Father, and looking down upon these degraded wretches that
inhabited the earth at that time, would we not turn to our Father
as a just God and say, "Father, do you see the corruption, the
degradation, the infamy and the evil that exists and permeates
the world of mankind?" "Yes, yes, of course I see it." "Is it
just that our spirits should be condemned to go and inhabit the
bodies of these men, or of their seed, that are so fallen, so
degraded and so corrupt, and whose actions and operations are so
at variance with thee and thy laws? Is it just and equitable that
we should go and be mixed up with these infamies and be led
astray like them into the paths of vice and suffer for things
that we have not done and could not help ourselves in: is it
just? "Why, no it is not, and I will cut them off; and as they
possess the power of propagating their species upon the earth, I
will stop that power by a flood and raise upon other people, that
justice may be done you, my sons and daughters, and that the
judge of all the earth may do right." When we look at things in
that point of view, it places them in another position from what
they would appear otherwise, and justifies the ways of God with
man.
159
Now, when this event took place, people were cast into the pit,
into the prisons, as it had before been said that they should be.
Well, what about that? Trace things forward to the time that
Jesus appears upon the earth, and we see something then
pertaining to these very individuals, in the acts of the
Almighty, as they transpired at that time. When Jesus
accomplished his work, when he had fulfilled the mission that he
had to do here upon the earth, and when he was put to death in
the flesh and quickened by the Spirit, he went and preached to
the spirits in prison" that some time were disobedient when once
the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah;" and
although they had suffered the wrath of Almighty God, he who had
come to proclaim deliverance to the captive, to open the prison
doors to those that were bound, to release them and to proclaim
the acceptable time of the Lord, he went to them as their Savior,
in common with others, and preached the Gospel unto them. Hence
we find the acts of God justified in relation to these matters,
and while he had power to destroy, while he had power to send
them to prison, he also had power to conceive a plan for their
deliverance therefrom, when the time should come that they should
be delivered after they had suffered sufficiently for the crimes,
evils and iniquities that they had committed upon the earth.
There are many singular things associated with these matters that
men do not really comprehend. We come again to another prominent
character, that is Abraham, a very remarkable man in his day and
age; although at the present time men look upon him as a kind of
an old shepherd, a man that attended flocks and herds and sheep,
a sort of herdsman and a shepherd; and there was very little of
him anyhow except that he lived in his day almost as a barbarian.
That is the opinion that many men have formed of him--that he was
something like our backwoodsmen, some of our farmers who have not
mixed upon with the elite of society, or made themselves familiar
with the intelligence that pervades the world. I look upon him as
another character entirely, and from information that we can
gather from revelations that have been referred to, we find that
there was something very peculiar about him. We read his history
and we find that he was a man that sought after righteousness,
that he desired to obtain more righteousness, that he examined
the records of his fathers, that he found in examining the
records, tracing them back through the flood, clear away back
unto Adam's day, he found many circumstances that were connected
with mankind, not only to Adam's day, but before the world was.
In doing this, among other things, he found he had a right to the
priesthood. I need not stop to tell you what that is, you
Latter-day Saints. You understand it is the rule and government
of God, whether in the heavens or on the earth, and when we talk
of the kingdom of God we talk of something that pertains to rule,
government, authority and dominion; and that priesthood is the
ruling principle that exits in the heavens or on the earth,
associated with the affairs of God. Hence, we are told in the
scriptures that Christ was a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek. Then of what order was Melchizedek? A priest for
ever after the order of the Son of God, for if Christ was after
the order of Melchizedek, Melchizedek must have been after the
order of Christ, as a necessary consequence. Very well. Now,
then, in relation to that priesthood it was something that
ministered in time and through eternity; it was a principle that
held the keys of the mysteries of the revelations of God, and was
intimately associated with the Gospel, and the Gospel, wherever
it existed, was in possession of this priesthood; and it could
not exist without it. It always "brought life and immortality to
light." The notions and opinions and religions of man generally
are altogether devoid of a principle of that kind, they know
nothing about it. Whenever men are placed in communication with
God and are in possession of the Gospel of the Son of God, it
brings life and immortality to light, and places them in
relationship with God that other men know nothing about.
160
They were spoken of in former times as the "sons of God." "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." It was this priesthood that would
be the means of introducing him into the presence of God that
Abraham found that he was a rightful inheritor of, according to
his lineage and descent, and he applied for an ordination, which
he received, according to the revelation given unto us, and with
that ordination the powers, the blessings, the light,
intelligence and revelation associated with the Gospel of the Son
of God. And what then? The next that we read of is that he had
the Urim and Thummim, and thus he sought unto God for himself,
and while searching unto him, God revealed himself unto Abraham
and said: "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that
curseth thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed." There is something very remarkable about this when we
reflect upon it, and when we examine the position that he
occupied, and that his seed occupied, we can see the fulfillment
of these things. Afterwards, the Lord revealed himself to him
from time to time, communicated his will to him, and he was made
acquainted with the designs of the Almighty. The Lord showed unto
him the order of the creation of his earth on which we stand, and
revealed unto him some of the greatest and most sublime truths
that ever were made known to man. He got these through revelation
from God and through the medium of the Gospel of the Son of God.
160
Well, let us look a little at the fulfillment of some of these
things. "I will bless them that bless thee; and in thee shall all
families of the earth be blessed." We read sometime afterwards of
Isaac and Jacob. Jacob had communication with God. The Lord
appeared unto him from time to time, and revealed his purposes
and designs unto him. Abraham prophesied that the children of
Israel should be in bondage in Egypt for 400 years, that after
that time they should be delivered; and Moses was raised up as a
deliverer and he conversed with God. He saw a bush that burned
with fire, and the bush was not consumed. He afterwards conversed
with the Lord upon mount Sinai, and received tables of stone
written upon by the finger of God, which were the commandments of
the Lord to the children of Israel. And who was Moses? A
descendant of Abraham.
161
We also read of prophets who, by the spirit of inspiration, could
draw aside the dark vail of futurity and penetrate into the
invisible world, and contemplate the purposes of God as they
should roll forth in after ages in all their majesty and power
and glory. And who were they? They were the seed of Abraham. We
read that Jesus, also, who was the Son of God, was born of the
seed of Abraham according to the flesh. Who were His apostles?
The seed of Abraham. Then there were Nephi, Lehi, Ishmael and
others who came from the land of Jerusalem to this continent
according to the Book of Mormon. Who were they? The seed of
Abraham. There were also the Twelve Apostles called and set apart
upon this continent, who went forth by the power and Spirit of
God, aided by intelligence and revelation such as they never had
on the other continent. Who were they? The seed of Abraham. "In
thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed;"--not
cursed; that was not what the priesthood of God was introduced
for, but to spread light, truth, and intelligence, to unfold unto
mankind the ways, purposes and designs of God, to make man
acquainted with his origin, his position in life and his future
destiny; and to make him acquainted, as an eternal, intelligent
being, with things past, with things present, and with things to
come. This is what Jesus taught them on the continent of America.
"It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away the
comforter will not come unto you;" which is the Spirit of God.
And what shall it do? It shall bring things past to your
remembrance. You shall be made acquainted with the actions of the
ancient principles and of God in ages that have preceded you. It
shall lead unto all truth. You shall comprehend all matters that
are necessary for you to know by the light, intelligence, and
revelation which flows from God. And what else shall it do? It
shall show you of things to come. It shall draw aside the vail of
the invisible world. It shall make you acquainted with the things
pertaining to eternity, and you will be enabled to square your
lives according to the eternal principles of intelligence as it
dwells in the bosom of God, and as the Holy Ghost will make known
and reveal unto you. It is this priceless treasure that is spoken
of that we possess in earthen vessels "that ye are came," says
Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews, "unto Mount Zion, and unto
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the
enumerable company of angels. To the general assembly of the
first born which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of
all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus
the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things than that of Abel." This is what the
Gospel does for you, it brings life and immortality to light.
161
These are some of the leading, prominent principles as they have
existed heretofore, along with thousands of others that we have
not time to mention or touch upon this evening.
161
Now, we will come to other events, of later date; events with
which we are associated--I refer now to the time that Joseph
Smith came among men. What was his position? and how was he
situated? I can tell you what he told me about it. He said that
he was very ignorant of the ways, designs and purposes of God,
and knew nothing about them; he was a youth unacquainted with
religious matters or the systems and theories of the day. He went
to the Lord, having read James' statement, that "If any of you
lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." He believed that
statement and went to the Lord and asked him, and the Lord
revealed himself to him together with his Son Jesus, and,
pointing to the latter, said: "This is my beloved Son, hear him"
He then asked in regard to the various religions with which he
was surrounded. He enquired which of them was right for he wanted
to know the right way and to walk in it. He was told that none of
them was right, that they had all departed from the right way
that they had forsaken God the fountain of living waters, and
hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that could hold no
water. Afterwards the Angel Moroni came to him and revealed to
him the Book of Mormon, with the history of which you are
generally familiar, and also with the statements that I am now
making pertaining to these things. And then came Nephi, one of
the ancient prophets, that had lived upon this continent, who had
an interest in the welfare of the people that he had lived
amongst in those days.
162
But how is it in relation to these people and in regard to some
of these matters? Why and how should these men that have lived
here upon the earth have anything to do with the people that now
live upon it? You Latter-day Saints ought to be acquainted with
these matters and I suppose you are; but I will show one or two
principles here in case, peradventure, there may be those present
who have not thought or reflected properly upon the subject. The
Melchizedek Priesthood, we are told by Paul, is without beginning
of days or end of years. He speaks of Melchizedek as a man
"without father, without mother, without descent." Now, he would
be a very singular man, according to our idea of things, without
father or mother, without beginning of days or end of years, but
it was the priesthood of which he spake in contradistinction to
the priesthood of Aaron. He was then among the Jews. The Jews
believed in the Aaronic priesthood; but they knew very little or
nothing about the Melchizedek priesthood, and a man to be a
priest of Aaron must be a literal descendant of Aaron, and of the
tribe of Levi, and he must be able to prove his lineage from the
records. But in contra-distinction to this priesthood there was
the priesthood of Melchizedek, hence we come to account for some
of these things of which I have been speaking. And now I will go
a little further in regard to this matter. I find, for instance,
a man by the name of Moses who lived at a certain time to whom I
have referred. I find another man by the name of Elijah, who was
a great prophet and who had great power with God, among other
things in controlling the elements, in shutting up the heavens
and in again opening them by his prayer of faith under certain
circumstances, which it is not necessary for us now to enter
into. We find that when Jesus was here upon the earth he ascended
a mount with his disciples, Peter, James and John, and there
appeared unto them Moses and Elias, in great glory. Peter,
turning to Jesus, said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here, if
thou wilt let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee and
one for Moses, and one for Elias." Now then, the question arises,
What was Moses doing here? What was Elias doing here? Where had
they come from? Why, they had the Gospel. The Gospel is an
everlasting Gospel as spoken of in the Scriptures, and associated
with that Gospel is the priesthood that administers in time and
in eternity. And Moses, who had led the children of Israel out of
the land of Egypt, and had conversed with God and given the law
of the Lord unto the people, with Elias the prophet, who was also
a man of God--the Melchizedek priesthood, which held the keys of
the mysteries of God, and it ministers in time and in eternity.
Both of these men had ministered on the earth, and, holding that
priesthood in the heavens they came to minister to Jesus, and to
Peter, James and John, upon the earth. There is nothing very
remarkable about that.
163
We come again to John on the Isle of Patmos, where he had been
banished because of his religion. I do not know whether he was a
practical polygamist or not; but his religion was very much
opposed to the ideas and theories of the people in that day. He
was a Christian and he dared to fear God and keep his
commandments, and they banished him to the Isle of Patmos, that
he might labor amongst the slaves there in the lead mines. But
while there, being in possession of the light, the truth, the
intelligence and revelation that proceeded from God, he gazed
upon the purposes of God as they should roll forth in a
subsequent period of time, and he contemplated the position of
man in the various ages of the world unto the time that the
heavens and the earth should pass away; when there should "be a
new heaven and a new earth whereon dwelt righteousness." He gazed
upon all these things and fell down at the feet of the angel to
worship him, whereupon the angel said, "See thou do it not; I am
thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony
of Jesus; worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit
of prophecy." In other words: "I was like you once, on the earth,
persecuted, cast out, condemned, despised had every kind of
opprobrium and approach cast upon me; wandered about in
sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, tormented;
wandered in deserts and mountains, and dwelt in dens and caves of
the earth. I am one of thy fellow servants the prophets, I have
fought the good fight, finished my course, I have kept the faith,
I was true to my covenants, my God, and my priesthood, and I come
now to minister to you." Again who more likely than Mormon and
Nephi, and some of those prophets who had ministered to the
people upon this continent, under the influence of the same
Gospel, to operate again as its representatives? Who more likely
than those who had officiated in the holy Melchizedek priesthood
to administer to Joseph Smith and reveal unto him the great
principles which were developed?
163
Now, then what has he revealed? Anything new? Why, yes; a new
Gospel; but an everlasting Gospel. What is it that John said he
saw? "I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the
everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth,
and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying
with a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour
of his judgment is come." Did John see that among other things?
Has it come to pass? Yes, it has, "And in thee shall all the
families of the earth be blessed." Who was Joseph Smith? The Book
of Mormon tells us he was of the seed of Joseph that was sold
into Egypt, and hence he was selected as Abraham was to fulfil a
work upon the earth. God chose this young man. He was ignorant of
letters as the world has it, but the most profoundly learned and
intelligent man that I ever met in my life, and I have traveled
hundreds of thousands of miles, been on different continents and
mingled among all classes and creeds of people, yet I have never
met a man so intelligent as he was. And where did he get his
intelligence from? Not from books; not from the logic or science
or philosophy of the day, but he obtained it through the
revelation of God made known to him through the medium of the
everlasting Gospel. Now, people who are ignorant of these things
are ready to point the finger of scorn, and heap contumely and
reproach upon him and upon others who dare have the hardihood, as
they say, to express the same kind of sentiments that he did. I
dare do it! I have done it among the nations of the earth, and
dare do it to-day before any man or any set of men that the world
can produce, and I defy them to successfully contravert or
overturn any principle that God has revealed through the Gospel
of the Son of God in these last days!
164
But could Joseph Smith help being selected of God? There is, to
say the least of it, and intelligence displayed that the world
knows nothing of. Is that to be despised? Is that to be
regretted? Was he the enemy of man? No; no more than Abraham was;
no more than the prophets were; no more than Jesus was; but could
Abraham, or the prophets know what God was going to demand of
them? No, they could not. And if they could not, if they were to
tell a truth that God has revealed to them, would their telling
it make it a falsehood? I think not. It was an unpleasant thing
for a man to rise up and tell the people they were wrong. To go
to our divines--our right reverend divines--and their followers
and tell them they were all out of the way! I expect they would
be no more satisfied with such a message than the same class were
with the teachings of Jesus when he spoke of the Scribes and
Pharisees and called them hypocrites, like unto whited sepulchres
which appeared fair on the outside to me, but inwardly they were
nothing but rottenness and dead men's bones. This was not very
palatable for some of the wise of the Jews and some of the
leading men of that day who professed such a great amount of
piety. But he came to tell them the truth, not to speak his own
words but the words of his Father who sent him and to communicate
those great principles which God had revealed to him.
164
Well, now, do I believe that Joseph Smith saw the several angels
alleged to have been seen by him as described, one after another?
Yes, I do. Why do I believe it? Because I obeyed this Gospel. And
what was there connected with the obeying of it? What was the
Gospel that he taught? Precisely the same as that that Jesus and
his disciples taught both on the continent of Asia and on this
continent. What did he do? Why, says he to his disciples: "Go ye
into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." Was
he an enemy of mankind? I think not. Go unto all the world and
tell them of the love of God to man, preach the Gospel to every
creature, and, "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned." What else? "And these
signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall casts
out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up
serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."
Here was something practicable, something real, something
intelligent, something that was worthy of a God, communicated by
the Son of God for the welfare of the human family.
164
What have we now? Ideas, notions, theories, opinions, hypotheses,
and all the various confusion of ideas and notions, but no man to
say "thus saith the Lord." They used to say "thus saith the
Lord;" they had the word of God for the people, and not the
opinions and creeds and notions and fancies of men.
166
The Lord has restored the same Spirit by which we know of the
truth of the principles declared by Joseph Smith and by others. I
know it and so do you, many of you, who hear me. Was it an injury
to the world in the days of Jesus for his disciples to go and
proclaim salvation? I think not. Is it an injury to the people
to-day for us to proclaim the same Gospel to the world? I think
not. You can find very few people who will do what thousands of
our elders have done--go out without purse or scrip to proclaim
the glad tidings of salvation, things that they not only believe
in but know for themselves before God that they are true--go out
as the friends of mankind to publish the same Gospel under the
same authority that others had in former ages. Did they prosecute
and persecute men in former ages? They did. Why? Was it because
they were wicked and corrupt? No; it was because they dared to
tell a corrupt world that God had spoken, that light and truth
had been reveled from heaven, that the Son of God had appeared
and that if they would repent of their sins and be baptized for
the remission of them, they should receive the Holy Ghost, that
should take of the things of God and show them unto them. That
was the doctrine they taught; that is the doctrine that we teach.
Is there anything very remarkable about it? Yes, very remarkable.
Is there a people that dare say what the Elders of the Latter-day
Saints dare say to the world? I think not. What have these elders
done, many of whom are here? Gone to the ends of the earth
without purse or scrip proclaiming the Gospel of the Son of God.
And what did they tell the people to do? To repent and be
baptized for the remission of their sins and to have hands laid
upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost; and you do the
same; you baptize them when they believe in the name of the
Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. And what does a
name mean? Power and authority, Supposing a man was to come here
as Governor or Secretary, or holding any other office under the
government of the United States; he comes in the name of the
United States, or by the power or authority of the United States,
does he not? Yes. But supposing some of you was to set up here as
Governor, they would want to see your credentials and know by
what authority you came here and whether you were appointed by
the legitimate authorities of the United States or not. If not,
they would pay no attention to you; they would look upon you as a
very common-place, foolish individual, and moreover, they would
also look upon you as a fraud. Well, then, if God does not send
men, of course they cannot act under the authority of God; if
they do, they act fraudulently. Now, how can men go in the name
of God when they tell you that God has never spoken for the last
eighteen hundred years, and that he does not now reveal himself?
That being the case, how then can they go forth in the name of
God? I do not know; it is a mystery to me; these people possess
some mysteries which I cannot fathom, and that is one of them. I
now of only three ways of obtaining authority of that kind--one
is by lineal descent, another by writing, and a third by
speaking. Now, then, if we can find no record among the people
who profess to teach in the name of God, and they do not profess
to have a lineal descent, and they even hold that God has not
spoken for eighteen hundred years--they place themselves in a
very awkward position. But when you come to understand, to fully
comprehend the priesthood held by our forefathers, you can see by
what authority the Holy priesthood is conferred upon you. Well,
then, where did you get this authority from--from the world? No,
the world did not have it to give, and consequently you could not
get it from them; and if God has not spoken, if the angel of God,
has not appeared to Joseph Smith, and if these things are not
true of which we speak, then the whole thing is an imposture from
beginning to end. There is no half-way house, no middle path
about the matter; it is either one thing or the other. Now you go
forth to the nations of the earth in the name of the Lord, I
appeal to you elders, you contradict me if you can--and when
people believe and have been baptized, you lay your hands upon
them in the name of the Lord, and you say unto them "Receive ye
the Holy Ghost," and they receive it, do they not? They do, and
you are my witnesses of that. And what does the Holy Ghost do? It
takes of the things of God and shews them unto us. Can we
conceive of a greater principle, of one more majestic, and grand,
and noble, and exalted. What is man? A poor feeble worm of the
earth, going forth in the name of God to call upon the human
family to repent and be baptized for a remission of their sins,
and after the name of God, he lays his hands upon their head, for
the reception of the Holy Ghost. Who gives it? God, and it is the
greatest evidence that exists upon the face of the whole earth;
no men anywhere have an evidence like that which is given from
the Almighty. It did not come from us, it did not come from
Joseph Smith, though he was the medium through which those things
were communicated; it did not come from Brigham Young, it did not
come from me or any other individual; it comes as the free gift
of God according to the eternal laws of the everlasting Gospel.
166
Now, then, here we are. We find ourselves in this position,
having entered into these principles, we believe in them and are
willing to be governed by them.
167
The Lord, however, has revealed many other great and important
principles to us, and among these the eternal covenant between
man and woman. Did Joseph reveal that principle? Yes, he did. Do
you know it? Yes, I do know it; if nobody else knows it, I do.
Did he tell you of it? Yes, he did; but I have had other
manifestations besides that, and therefore I know of what I
speak, and I know the principle is of God. Now there are some
people who tell us we are very wicked. Are we? Why, yes, in many
respects we are. But not in that! not in that! not in that! Are
we careless? Are we indifferent? Are we covetous? Do we love the
world more than we ought to do, and allow our minds, our feelings
and affections to be carried away by the transitory things of
time and sense? Yes, yes, to our shame, in many instances, be it
spoken; this is true. Do we violate in many instances the great
principles that God has revealed? We do, to our shame be it
spoken, many of us; but we do not violate the law of God nor the
laws of chastity in that thing. Well, what are we to do? God has
revealed a principle to us; do we know it? Yes. Do I know it?
Yes. Do you? Yes, yes, a very great many of you that are here and
hear me speak know it. But does the Congress of the United States
know it? No. Does the Supreme court know it? No; they cannot know
of the things of God but by the Spirit of God. Do they know
anything about eternal relationship and perpetuity in the eternal
world? No, they do not, they are ignorant of the principle, they
know nothing about it, and we did not until it was revealed to
us. Now, then, what is to be done? They place us in a position
like this; God says this is an eternal law associated with the
eternal perpetuity of lives in time and throughout the eternities
that are to come; that a man having a wife must have her sealed
to him for time and for all eternity. Why, long ago we have heard
of a religion to live by but none to die by; none that could
reach to the other side of the vail and prepare us for eternal
associations and eternal lives in the eternal world, or
eternities that are to come. But this principle involves that
thing and places us in this position: God says "Go and obey my
law." Congress say "No, you shall not do it." Now the question
is--who shall we obey? We would like to be in accord with
Congress. We would like to submit ourselves to every ordinance of
man. We would like to be good and peaceable citizens, which we
are. We don't wish, however, to follow their corruptions--don't
we know enough of them? Yes, we do. We know a good deal more
about them than they know about us. We know their crimes, we know
their licentiousness, we know of the millions of murders that are
perpetrated by mothers and fathers of children and they know it.
Many of these murders are committed while the children are
pre-natal; they kill them either before or after they are born,
just as it happens. We also know of this horrible social evil
that exists among them, and of the corruption, degradation and
rottenness that exist in their midst. And as I have said to some
of them sometimes, "you come from these dens of infamy, reeking
with corruption and rottenness, steeped in crime and bloodshed
and you will come here, will you, and teach morality to us? Go
home, attend to your own business, cleanse yourselves from your
corruptions, for they are a stink in the nostrils of Jehovah, and
of all honest men, and don't come to set us right in regard to
things that God has given us to do, and which with the help of
the Lord we will carry out."
167
Now, these are our feelings in relation to these matters. This
Gospel reveals to us, as it did in former days, the light and
intelligence of God. It opens up the visions of eternity; it
places us in communication with the Lord. It prepares us for life
and for death and for exaltation, and we are going to go on with
our temples and administer in them in the name of the Lord. We
shall enter therein and be baptized for the living and the dead
and stand as saviors upon Mount Zion, and let the world wallow in
corruption and follow the evil desires of their hearts, let them
pursue their own course, fighting, if they please, against the
Zion of our God, but the Lord will be after them and they will
know before they get through that there is a God that rules in
the heavens and he will say to them as he did to the waves of the
mighty deep, "hitherto thou shall come but no further, and here
shall thy proud waves be stayed."
167
What, then, shall we do? Fear God, be faithful, be honest and
upright and full of integrity and truthfulness; shun evil of
every kind, preserve our bodies and spirits pure, maintain our
covenants before God, and he will smile upon us, he will be on
the side of right, and his kingdom will grow and increase and
spread until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms
of our God and his Christ, whose right it is to rule for ever and
ever.
167
May God help us to be faithful in keeping his commandments that
we may be saved in his kingdom, is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, September 21st, 1879
Orson Pratt, September 21st, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
September 21st, 1879.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE BOOK OF MORMON AN AUTHENTIC RECORD.
168
If the congregation will give their attention, I will read a
portion of the word of God, given in these last days, dated
march, 1829--a portion of revelation--through the Prophet, and
Seer, and Revelator, Joseph Smith, in Harmony, Susquehanna
County, Pennsylvania, a little over one year before the rise of
this Church, commencing with the 10th verse:
168
"But this generation shall have my word through you; and in
addition to your testimony, the testimony of three of my
servants, whom I shall call and ordain,--unto whom I will show
these things; and they shall go forth with my words that are
given through you; yea, they shall know of a surety, that these
things are true, for from heaven will I declare it unto them. I
will give them power that they may behold and view these things
as they are, and to none else will I grant this power, to receive
this same testimony, among this generation, in this the beginning
of the rising up and the coming forth of my Church out of the
wilderness: clear as the moon, and fair as the sun, and terrible
as any army with banners. And the testimony of three witnesses
will I send forth of my word; and behold whosoever believeth on
my word, them will I visit with the manifestation of my Spirit,
and they shall be born of me, even of water and of the Spirit.
And you must wait yet a little while, for ye are not yet
ordained; and their testimony shall also go forth unto the
condemnation of this generation, if they harden their hearts
against them; for a desolating scourge shall go forth among the
inhabitants of the earth, and shall continue to be poured out
until the earth is empty, and the inhabitants thereof are
consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of my
coming. Behold, I tell you these things, even as I also told the
people of the destruction of Jerusalem, and my word shall be
verified at this time as it hath hitherto been verified."
169
Fifty-two years shall have passed to-morrow since the Lord
permitted his holy angel to descend from heaven and commit into
the care and charge of Joseph Smith, a young man, plates which
had the appearance of gold, filled with engravings. He obtained
these plates on the 22nd day of September in the year 1827, being
then not quite twenty-two years of age. This young man was not
learned, like those educated in colleges and theological
institutions; indeed, he was a farmer's boy, unacquainted with
the arguments, and the tenets, and the creeds, and the
institutions of religion that existed around him, except what he
had heard from time to time, in the neighborhood where his father
resided; a young man not versed in the Scriptures any more than
most of the common lads of that age. And we all know that there
are but a very few among farmers that have the opportunity of
informing their minds at so early a period--at the age of
twenty-one--in regard to the doctrines and prophecies contained
in the Scripture.
169
You may, some of you, wonder, perhaps, why the Lord should select
an instrument of this kind; why he did not take a person, more
qualified by education, more experienced in the doctrines taught
among the human family, more conversant with the Bible. You
perhaps, may think in your own mind that if you had had the
selection of the individual to begin the work of the
establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth in the last
days, and you had followed the best wisdom you had on the
subject, that you certainly would have selected a person well
trained and skilled in the different doctrines of the day. But
the Lord does not see as man sees, his thoughts are not like our
thoughts, neither are his ways like our ways. Hence he chose a
man unconnected with any of the religious societies of the
day--untaught in the Scriptures and doctrines of the different
religious denominations--he selected a man of his own choice, as
he had frequently done in former ages of the world.
169
We all recollect the selection that the Lord made in relation to
David, when he was called to be king of the House of Israel, and
anointed for that purpose. There were, I think, seven brethren
older than David,--men of fair appearance, men of
experience,--men that probably their neighbors, their
acquaintances, would have selected either one of them in
preference to the youth that was tending the sheep. But Samuel,
being a prophet of the Lord, when these certain brethren came up
before him, said: "The Lord hath not chosen him," and continued
to say so until all the seven had passed by, and then the inquiry
was made, "Is there not another?" "Why, yes, there is a boy; but
he is keeping his father's sheep." "Send and fetch him," said the
Prophet Samuel. He was brought in,--he was goodly to look upon,
but he was simply a youth, untrammelled with the traditions
around him, but yet an honest-hearted boy. The Lord chose him,
the anointing oil was poured upon his head, and he was appointed
to be the future king of Israel.
170
Now, the Lord did not have any prophets in the year 1827 on all
the face of the earth. There was no Samuel existing, no person
who had the spirit of prophecy; consequently the Lord, instead of
sending a Samuel, sent an angel to make the selection. This angel
committed, as I have always said, the plates of the Book of
Mormon, together with the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of
this youth, and also gave him many instructions informing him
that he must be very strict in keeping the commandments of God,
and that he must do with these plates as he was counseled from
time to time, not to shew them to everybody that might wish to
see them, but was strictly forbidden, by the angel, to shew them
unto any person until the Lord should give him commandment so to
do. He translated these plates unlearned as he was. And now let
me ask, would you naturally expect that if he--this unlearned
youth--did this by his own wisdom, that it would agree with the
Jewish record in all the doctrines taught, or said to be taught
in the translation of this record? Would it be reasonable to
expect that this unlearned, inexperienced youth could be able to
sit down and in a very short period of time translate a book
two-thirds as long as the Old Testament, without contradicting
himself in some way? Would it be reasonable to suppose or to
conclude that he would get all the doctrines, contained in that
Book of nearly 600 pages to agree in every respect with the
ancient Gospel as it was taught in the New Testament, especially
when there were several thousand different notions in regard to
that doctrine? We could not expect any such thing. The more
inexperienced a man is the less qualified he is to write, by his
own human wisdom, and get into proper shape, a history said to
extend over a thousand years or a little more--a history
commencing with the colony that came from Jerusalem to this
continent, down until the records were sealed and hid in the
earth--a thousand years' history of a nation, of two nations that
were opposed to each other, of their wars and their travels to
and fro upon a large continent, like ours--we would naturally
expect that a young man, so inexperienced, would, by his own
human wisdom, get that country awfully muddled up as regards
places, as regards the location of cities, and location of
countries. We would naturally expect, I say, such contradiction
to occur in the writings of an unlearned youth.
171
But what is still more marvellous, is the prophetic portions of
this record, called the Book of Mormon. It is full of prophecies
from the opening of the record unto the closing thereof.
Predictions not only concerning events that took place after this
colony left Jerusalem, during 600 years before Christ,
predictions that were to take place down to the coming of Christ
in the flesh, but predictions that were to be fulfilled after the
first coming of Christ down until the end of time. The book is
full of these predictions. Would you not naturally expect
therefore, could you look for any other thing than that an
inexperienced, unlettered young man, unread in prophetic history,
should contradict himself in different parts of the record; speak
of an event on one occasion and forget and speak of something
quite different on another? Then again, where did you find a
young man, unacquainted with the Jewish record, that could make
all these predictions and prophecies coincide with the ancient
prophecies of the Jews? Would it be likely that he could do so by
his own wisdom? I think not. All these things, therefore, so far
as the history is concerned in the Book of Mormon, so far as the
prophetic writings are concerned in this late record, so far as
the doctrinal parts of that Book are concerned, it is a marvel in
the age in which we live; it is a marvel in my eyes; but perhaps
my eyes are not constituted as the eyes of others. To me,
however, it is one of the greatest marvels of the age. I am
familiar with this; and I have read it, perhaps, more carefully
than any other man that has ever lived in this generation, and
probably ten or fifteen times more than any other man has done.
Why, when I was a boy, 21 years of age, I had, for the two years
during my first acquaintance with the book, read it so much that
I could repeat over chapter after chapter, page after page, of
many portions of the Book of Mormon, and could do it just as
well, with the Book closed or laid to one side, as I could with
the Book open; and I have continued to read it from that day down
to the present, without finding one contradiction in the book. I
have read the comments, I have read the writings of our greatest
opposers who have undertaken to examine the book from the
beginning to the end. I have tried to follow their arguments, in
relation to the contents of this book, but I have never unto the
present day--and it is forty-nine years since I became acquainted
therewith--been able to find one contradiction in the whole work.
172
Can we say as much concerning the Jewish Bible in the present
state of its existence? What is the great fault found by the
opposers to the Jewish Bible. The infidel says, "We do not
believe it, because it apparently contradicts itself in doctrine,
in history, and in many other portions." And the Christian
undertakes to read it, he undertakes to show that these are not
contradictions; but with the arguments of the Christian on the
one side, and the infidels on the other, in relation to the Bible
it is confessed by the generality of mankind that there are many
contradictions, not original contradictions, but contradictions
that have been introduced into the record since it was originally
given,--introduced by the wisdom of man, or rather by the
wickedness of man. But does the Book of Mormon contradict the
teachings of the present day? Yes. There is a great difference
between the Book of Mormon and modern Christian religion; but
there is no difference between that book and ancient
Christianity. We may hunt the wide world over, amongst some 400
millions of Christians, so called, and search deeply for a
complete, and good, and thorough understanding of their
doctrines, and when we have made ourselves thoroughly acquainted
with them, take up the Book of Mormon, compare their doctrines
with this Bible of ancient America, and there is a great
difference, a fundamental difference, not a trifling difference,
but a difference that lies at the foundation. It is the same when
we come to compare these modern doctrines of Christendom with the
doctrine taught in the New Testament. Where can we find a man who
can reconcile the two? Or the thousand if you please? Who is able
to show that the New Testament proves and sets forth clearly the
ancient doctrine of the Gospel? There may be now and then an item
which each denomination has in accordance with the New Testament;
but where is the authority which lies at the foundation of
Christianity? Where is the man among all these 400 millions of
Christians that is a revelator, that is a prophet, or is inspired
of God? He cannot be found and yet the ancient Christianity,
recorded in the Bible advocates that great gift as one that lies
at the foundation of Christianity. Christianity is built upon it,
built upon Jesus, who was the great revelator of the Church, and
built upon apostles who were also revelators, as well as Jesus,
and who received their revelations by the gift and power of the
Holy Ghost, by inspiration as men of God. Can you find such an
order of things in Christendom? Do any profess to have these
gifts? They say that they are unnecessary; they say that these
gifts were intended for the first age of Christianity, but when
Christianity was once established these high gifts were no longer
necessary. This is their argument almost as one. They seemed to
be agreed, however much they may be opposed in other points of
doctrine--they all, almost without an exception, seem to be
agreed that there is no need of these high gifts of inspiration,
and prophecy, and new revelation that accompanied the preaching
of the Gospel in ancient times. "The Gospel is established," say
they; "we have no need of it." As much as to say that these gifts
are no part of the Gospel; that the Gospel is one thing and the
gifts are another; that the Gospel was established by the
evidence of the gifts, but the gifts are no part of the Gospel.
They are as much a part of it as faith; just as much a part of
the Gospel as repentance, as baptism for the remission of sins,
or as the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost; and
to undertake to separate the blessings of the Gospel, and then
call something else the Gospel, does seem very absurd, very
inconsistent, and is something that cannot be proved from the
divine record. Now, here is something that is of minor
importance, something that is not particularly necessary, that
might be called non-essential, but something that lies at the
very foundation of Christianity. These gifts are a portion of
Christianity. Revelation, inspiration and the gift of prophecy,
are part and portion of the Gospel as taught by the ancient
apostles and men of God, and by our Savior; and to do away with
these gifts destroys the fundamental principles of Christianity.
172
What does the Book of Mormon advocate? It comes directly in
contact with all modern Christendom, and goes back to the old
Gospel as it was taught nearly 1800 years ago, and maintains that
there must be in the kingdom and Church of God, in every age of
the world, these gifts as well as outward forms and
ceremonies,--maintains that these gifts are a part of the ancient
Gospel and must exist wherever the Gospel exists,--and when they
cease the Gospel ceases to be preached, and true believers, in a
Scriptural sense, cease to exist with them.
173
Now, it does not seem likely to me, that a young man whose beard
had scarcely grown--a youth untutored, untaught in the sectarian
notions of the day, brought up to labor hard on his farmer's
farm, should be able to make these great distinctions, to come
out in opposition to all modern systems of religion, and
establish the very fundamental principles that are necessary to
the very existence of Christianity in the last days. But God was
with that young man. He was not his own teacher, he was not left
to his own judgment in regard to what Christianity should be and
what it should not be. The angel that came from heaven and
revealed himself to the youth understood his mission. He
understood what the Gospel was and should be; he understood the
revelations of St. John; he understood that these revelations
never could be fulfilled unless an angel were sent from heaven in
the last days, with the message of the Gospel to be proclaimed
unto the inhabitants of the earth, not to a sectional portion of
it, not to some corner of it, or to some obscure people, but to
commit the everlasting Gospel unto the inhabitants of the earth,
to be proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. He
understood the difference between modern Christianity and ancient
Christianity. And when the Urim and Thummim was lighted up by the
power of God, and magnified before the eyes of this youth, those
ancient characters upon the plates of the Book of Mormon, the
distinction was clearly made, between the purity of the Gospel as
it was taught in ancient days, and the doctrines and innovations
of man as have been taught during many long centuries of
apostasy.
174
How I have rejoiced, since I was a youth of nineteen, in this
record! Why I esteem it,--I was going to bring up some earthly
comparison, but I will not compare great and glorious and
heavenly things,--so great, so pure and so important, as that of
the plan of salvation, with anything of an earthly nature, as
there cannot really be any comparison. When I look at all the
earthly riches and grandeur of this world, and then look at the
Book of Mormon and the Bible, with power to select, which should
I choose? Why the grandeur of this world, the riches of this
world, the glories of this world, would be nothing; they would be
like the dream of a night-vision when a person is disturbed, not
by the Spirit of God, but by his own cogitations in the night. I
would look upon them as nothing, as vanity and foolishness, as
unworthy of the love or approbation of any man of God, were they
to be set before me and contrasted with the glory of this book.
It is a record given to this generation as one of the choicest
gifts of heaven! No other books exist upon the face of our globe
so choice as the books which God has given in different ages of
the world: the Bible for one, the Book of Mormon for another, and
the book called the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, containing
the revelations which God gave through his servant the prophet,
during some seventeen of the last years of his existence here
upon the earth. These revelations, these books are more precious
than the riches, and kingdoms, and glories, and honors of this
present life, so far as I am concerned. Do I esteem them more
than I do my own life? I would be unworthy of my Father and my
God in the eternal worlds if I would refuse to lay down my life,
if it were required of me of the Lord. If I should save it for a
moment, and deny the Book of Mormon; if I were to deny the gifts
of the Gospel, or any of the revelations that God has given--that
are published in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants--if I were to
do such a thing, could I look upon my Father's face without
blushing? could I think upon God without blushing? could I think
upon anything that was pure and holy, without being, in my own
mind, in perfect torment? If I were to be so ungrateful as to
deny anything that God has given me, I should be unworthy of the
kingdom of God. I do most sincerely and humbly hope and trust
that the Lord will not call me and try me in this respect, for I
know the weakness of man; I know that man has been weak in all
ages, and I do not wish to be thus tried, I do not covet this
trial, I do not pray for it; but if ever I should be brought to
this condition, with my present feelings, with the feelings I
have had for a great many hears, I would say: "Come martyrdom
come burnings at the stake, come any calamity and affliction of
the body, that may be devised by wicked and ungodly men--let me
choose that, and have eternal life beyond the grave; but let me
not deny the work of God." Why do I thus feel? If I had not a
knowledge that the Book of Mormon was true, I should not have
these feelings. Then I should probably say, if I only had faith
that the Book of Mormon is true, "My life is precious, let me
save my life, let me deny something which I do not know is true."
But when a person has a knowledge, as I have, of the divinity of
this work,--having this revealed to me when I was but a beardless
boy--I hope never to be brought in that condition, where the
trial will be upon me, but should it come I hope to be able to
lift up my hands to high heaven, and say, "Oh Lord enable me to
endure the trials and afflictions that may come, that I may be
faithful unto death."
174
Am I the only one that feels in this way, among the Latter-day
Saints? Are there no other persons that have this knowledge,
excepting your humble servant? Yes, there are scores of thousand,
if they testify the truth, and I have no reason to think that
they would falsify their word; scores of thousands who know as
well as they know they have an existence, that the Book of Mormon
is a divine record; that the revelations given through the
Prophet Joseph Smith, published in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, are divine; they know it. Would they be willing to
suffer martyrdom? I think they would. There might be individual
cases, as in ancient times, where they might reject the truth,
lose their hopes of salvation, to save their temporal lives; but
take the great mass of this people, they would be willing to lay
down their lives, or be burned at the stake before they would
reject their religion.
175
How kind, how good was our Heavenly Father, before the rise of
this Church, after he had inspired this boy to translate these
records; how good it was to send an angel from heaven to three
other persons, namely: David Whitmer, Martin Harris and Oliver
Cowdery, Joseph Smith being with them on the occasion. The angel
descended from heaven, clothed with light and glory, and, taking
these records in his hands, turned them over leaf after leaf,
showing to these three other men, besides the translator, the
engravings on the plates. How kind this was. A Church was to be
raised up. The Lord was willing that they should have all the
evidence that they could reasonably ask for, before even the
first branch of the Church was organized. Did he condescend, in
many of the past ages of the world, to do so much for the
different generations that have lived, as he has done for the
present generation? Look at the days of Noah. He had a message to
deliver--a message that affected the human family. He had to tell
the people that were living around him that God had spoken. "And
what has God said?" He has told me that because of your
wickedness he will send the floods upon you. He will break up the
foundations of the great deep, he will open the windows from on
high and he will pour out the floods upon these nations and they
will be swept away root and branch, except a few that will
believe in my message, and come into the ark that I am building.
How many witnesses did God raise up then? I expect he must have
revealed himself to the sons of Noah, as well as to Noah. That
would be but four witnesses; but we have no account that the Lord
revealed himself to these three sons. They, however, believed the
testimony of their father; whether they knew it or not we do not
know. At any rate their faith was sufficiently strong to cause
them to labor with the old man, and they labored along year after
year, weary no doubt, in forming the timbers of this huge ark or
vessel. Finally they got it fixed together, and the beasts of the
field--that appeared to have more inspiration than the men and
the women of that age, began to come from the forests towards the
ark, and finally the door was closed. They must have been
prophetic beasts, beasts that had revelations, beasts that were
able to judge far better than the world of mankind in that age.
The rains descended, and the earth was covered with the flood,
and we read that Noah by his testimony condemned the whole world.
What! One witness? One witness alone condemned the whole world,
and they perished from off the face of the earth, because one
witness was sent unto them! The Lord has done a little better
with this generation. He sent four witnesses before he organized
the Church, and that was not all. There were other men that had
great testimony and evidence given to them; but they did not see
the angel; they did not see the plates in the hands of the angel
but what did they see? They saw this boy have these plates. They
took the plates and handled them themselves. They saw the
engravings upon these plates--eight other men, besides the four I
have mentioned--and they testify to what they saw. They bear
witness in words of soberness, that they did handle the plates
with their own hands, that they did feel the weight of the
plates, that they did observe the engravings thereon, that they
had the appearance of ancient work and of curious workmanship,
and they bear testimony to what their eyes saw and to what they
handled with their hands. Their names, as also the names of the
four that saw the angel, were attached to this record, when the
first edition of that book was issued from the press. Twelve
witnesses then did God condescend to raise up immediately before
he organized this Church. Are not twelve witnesses sufficient to
condemn the world in this age, if one witness condemned the world
in the days of Noah? I think that God has been very lenient, very
kind and very merciful in beginning the work with so many
witnesses.
176
But there seem to be other witnesses and evidences concerning the
correctness and divinity of this book that are far greater than
those I have named. There is a promise to all the human family,
that is far better than the ministrations of angels to others.
What knowledge does it give to me, to you, to any other person,
among all the nations and kindreds of the earth, concerning the
divinity of the Book of Mormon, because four witnesses, that
lived in some portion of our globe, state that an angel had come
from heaven? Does that give me a knowledge? No. Did that impart a
knowledge to any other creature on the face of the globe? No. Did
we not need a knowledge as well as they? Yes. I have a soul as
well as these four men that must be saved or must be lost. If
that be the case, ought I not also to have a knowledge concerning
my safety as well as they? I think so. Has the Lord made it
impossible for me to obtain this knowledge? No. The very message
itself in the book, and in the New Testament, and in the modern
revelations that are given through the prophet, told me, told
you, told all the people upon the face of this earth, how they
also might obtain a knowledge of the truth of the Book of Mormon
and of this work. How? By getting a vision or manifestation from
that same God? No. That we should all have the ministration of
angels? No. To some is given one gift, and to some are given
other gifts. To some it is given to know in one way, and to some
it is given to know in some other way. The Lord has promised that
if I will repent, if you will repent, if the people of the United
States will repent, if the people of all the nations of the earth
will repent, turn unto him and obey his commandments that they
should receive the Holy Ghost. Will that give us a knowledge as
clear, as definite, as pointed as could be revealed by the
ministration of angels? Yes.
176
Supposing now that I were a natural man, never had received the
Holy Ghost. Supposing that a person should come and testify to me
that he had received the Holy Ghost, that he had received
Heavenly visions that the Lord had sent angels to him, what would
I know about it? What would I know about the Holy Spirit, if I
never had received it? No man can discern the things of God, but
by the Spirit of God; so says the Apostle Paul to the
Corinthians. It is impossible for the natural man to know the
things of God, and if I were a natural man, and had never
partaken of the Holy Ghost I might hear a cloud of witnesses
testifying to what they had received. I might say, "Well you seem
a sincere people, you seem to be honest in your declarations, you
say you have had the visitation of angels, you say you had
heavenly visions, you say the Holy Ghost has been poured out upon
you, but I have never received these things as a natural man."
Now what reason would there be to condemn me on the great
judgment day, if I rejected their testimony? They would tell me
that I might be put in communication with the heavens the same as
they. They might tell me that on certain conditions, I might
obtain the Holy Ghost, as well as they, if I would only exercise
sufficient faith, to repent of my sins and to be baptized for a
remission of them, and to have the servants of God lay their
hands upon my head for the reception of the Holy Ghost; that if I
would enter into a covenant with the Most High God, to obey his
commandments and to call upon his name in faith, and to exercise
faith before him--I expect if I did not do all these things, that
all this cloud of witnesses that I have named, would stand up on
the day of judgment and would condemn me. But if I would exercise
faith though I had no knowledge, and would obey the commandments,
would be obedient to the principles, and then I received for
myself the testimony, I should then be dependent neither upon
David Whitmer, Martin Harris nor Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith,
nor any of the twelve witnesses that saw the plates, nor any
other man living on the whole earth. I could then say, "Oh Lord,
my God, thou hast fulfilled thy promise which thou hast made.
Thou hast said if I would repent and be baptized I would receive
such and such blessings. Thy have been given unto me, and now I
know that thy word is true." And from that forth I could be a
witness myself, but before that I could not be a witness.
177
Are the ministers of the different denominations of this day, who
have never had the spirit of revelation upon them--are they
competent witnesses of God to stand before this generation and
declare the things of God? No. Can they stand up in the great
judgment day and condemn any of this generation to whom they have
preached? No. Why not? From the very fact that they are not
witnesses. They can tell what the ancients say, how the ancients
became witnesses, but they themselves have not an experience in
these things, and therefore, God has not made them witnesses.
They cannot condemn any man living on the face of the earth, by
their preaching and their testimony.
177
We are living, then, in the great and last dispensation, in which
God has provided a way that he might raise up scores of thousands
of witnesses, a way that all might know as Peter did. Peter did
not get his knowledge from seeing miracles wrought. He did not
obtain his knowledge because some other man had received a
knowledge. The Savior blessed him and said, "Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven." The Lord had revealed
this knowledge unto Peter, consequently Peter was constituted a
witness. And so the Lord, by having given revelation from the
heavens to scores of thousands of the Latter-day Saints, has made
them witnesses of the divinity of this work.
177
O, how the Latter-day Saints ought to rejoice! How faithful we
all ought to be! How frivolous are the things of this present
life, compared with the knowledge of God, which you have
received! Do you appreciate this, Latter-day Saints? Do you
realize it as you ought to, or are your minds swayed to and fro
by the frivolities and vanities of this present life? Do they
absorb the greater portion of your attention? Do you forget your
God, the greatness of your calling, and the knowledge which you
have received? I have not.
178
I believe that the Latter-day Saints are the very best people on
the face of our globe. Why? Because they have been will to endure
hardships, persecutions all the day long. They have been willing
to leave their houses, their lands, their possessions, have been
willing to see all fall into the hands of their enemies and flee
to a desert country for the sake of their religion. Has God
forgotten all these things? O, ye children of Zion! do you
suppose that the Lord has forgotten, because many years have
passed away, your tribulation, your sacrifices--if they can be
called such--your mobbings and persecutions in times that are
past? No. They are written as it were on the palms of his hands,
they are printed indelibly upon the thoughts of his heart. He has
all these things in remembrance, and a day of controversy is
coming, and it is not far in the future--a controversy for Zion;
a controversy with all the nations of the earth that fight
against Mount Zion--the Lord has all these things in his mind,
and he will fulfil them in his own due time and season. But now
is the day of our tribulation and has been for some forty years
and upwards that are past. Are there better days to come? Yes.
How far in the future I am not prophet enough to know. All that I
do know is that they are nigh, near at the very door, when the
Lord will rise up and come forth out of his hiding place and
fulfil that which he has spoken concerning Zion and the
inhabitants of this land. Zion is not destined to be crushed down
forever into the dust. Zion is not destined to be overcome by the
kingdoms of this world forever. The turning point will come, and
that is nigh at hand. The days are coming--I know they are close
at hand--when the young and rising generation that are now
sitting in this congregation, and who are spread forth upon the
face of the land, throughout these mountains and valleys, will
see the turning point for Zion. What will they see? They will see
a man raised up like unto Moses in days of old--a man to whom the
Lord will reveal himself, as he did to his servant Moses, by
angels, by visions, by revelation from the heavens, and will give
unto him commandments, and make him an instrument in his hands,
to redeem the people and to establish them in their everlasting
inheritance upon the face of this American continent. Will he
show forth his power in that day as he did unto his servant Moses
and to Israel? Yes, only more abundantly, more extensively than
in the days of Moses, for there is a larger continent than the
land of Egypt, in which the Lord will make manifest his power--a
greater people than the Egyptians, among whom he will work.
Consequently he will show forth his power unto all the
inhabitants of this land. He will fulfil the plain predictions of
the Prophet Isaiah that the Lord shall make bare his arm in the
eyes of all the nations, until al the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of God. What will be said then concerning this
people and Zion? It will then be said by those that are spared in
the midst of the terrible judgments that will fall upon these
nations, "Surely the people called Latter-day Saints, the people
of Zion, are the people of our God. God is there, his power is
there, it is his power that delivers that people; it is his power
that is over them as a cloud by day and the shining of a flaming
fire by night. It is his power that protects their congregations,
protects their settlements, protects their holy temple. Let us no
longer fight against Zion or the people of God, let us enter into
the everlasting covenant which has been revealed anew. We will
join ourselves with the people of God." In that day will be
fulfilled that which has been spoken by Isaiah in the second
chapter, by the prophet Micah, in the four chapter, that in the
last days many nations shall say: "Come ye, and let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and
he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths, for
out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem."
178
May God bless--not the wicked, not the ungodly, not those that
blaspheme the name of the Lord, not those that fight against
Zion--but all the true, pure hearted Latter-day Saints, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Morgan, May 23rd, 1880
John Morgan, May 23rd, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOHN MORGAN,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
May 23rd, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
SOUTHERN STATES MISSION.
179
I am pleased to have once more the privilege of meeting with the
Latter-day Saints, and I trust that while I shall endeavor to
address you I shall have an interest in your faith and prayers,
that what I may say may be in accordance with the mind and will
of our Father in heaven and for our mutual good and benefit.
179
To an elder returning home from missionary labors the privilege
of meeting with the assemblies of the Saints in their Sabbath day
meetings is one that is very highly prized. We feel to rejoice in
the privilege of returning to these peaceful valleys of the
mountains, and of listening to the voice of the servants of God
teaching the principles of the kingdom of God, and explaining the
mind and will of our common Father and God in the heavens. I have
often thought and meditated in regard to this privilege when away
from home traveling in the midst of strangers, that when here we
scarcely prize and realize the value of it. And doubtless this is
true in regard to very many of the great and glorious principles
of the Gospel. We must see the opposite, come in contact with the
opposite; we have to taste the bitter before we can appreciate
the sweet; we have to see and experience the condition in which
the worlds is to-day to appreciate the situation the Latter-day
Saints are in.
180
During the past year, since last I had the privilege of meeting
with you here, I have been engaged in preaching the principles of
the Gospel in the United States, more particularly in the
Southern States. Our labors there have, to a greater or less
extent, been crowned with success. The Lord has opened up our
way. We have been enabled to reach many of the honest in heart,
and the principles of the Gospel have been spread by the
preaching of the elders, and by the distribution of books and
pamphlets, until many thousands of people in that section of the
country to-day are becoming acquainted with the principles of the
Gospel, who, twelve months ago, although possibly aware that
there were such a people as the Latter-day Saints in the valleys
of the mountains, were ignorant in regard to the doctrines that
they professed to believe in. I find that within the past
twelve-months quite a change has taken place in the sentiments
and minds of the people in the Southern States relative to the
principles that we promulgate. I form my judgment in regard to
this from their actions, and it is said they speak louder than
words. Something like twelve months ago a spirit of persecution
and mobocracy was prevalent throughout a great portion of the
South, brought about, to a great extent, by inflammatory articles
in the newspapers, misrepresenting us and our objects, and the
denunciations hurled at us from the pulpit and from almost all
directions, which resulted in the mobbing of a number of the
elders and the driving from their homes of quite a number of
families who had embraced the Gospel in their native land. In one
particular instance an entire branch of the Church was driven
from their homes, lost their property and their means and were
forced to rely upon the generosity of the Latter-day Saints
already gathered to the valleys of the mountains here to enable
them to emigrate to where they could live in peace and safety.
This character of opposition was very violent, very unpleasant to
meet with, very unpleasant to have to deal with, but by the
blessing of God and the perseverance of the elders, the obstacles
were overcome, our work was pushed forward, and very many
right-thinking, honorable men and women, while not conceding with
us in a religious sense, came out and refuse to endorse the
action of men who were using violence, came out in the press, in
private conversation, in public speech, and stated that while the
Latter-day Saints might be wrong the course that was being taken
was undoubtedly wrong, that whatever the nature and character of
their doctrines might be, mob-violence, persecution, and
unauthorized, illegal prosecution was not a proper means of
overcoming the difficulty. Even the editors of many of the
Southern papers conceded that the course that was being pursued
was most unwise, and would have a tendency to bring dozens of
converts to the "Mormon" doctrines where there had been one
before, which proved true, as our labors have continually
increased and grown, our numbers have been added to, and the
spirit of emigration to gather out to where they could be
protected in their religious belief has grown stronger day by
day, until we scarcely need to preach in the Southern States the
principle of emigration, so anxious are the people to escape from
their surroundings.
180
The elders who have been engaged in the Southern States Mission
have, almost without exception, proven themselves worthy of the
trust that was reposed in them. They have endeavored to perform
the duties devolving upon them as men and as the servants of God,
not counting privation, slander, exposure, contumely as anything
in comparison to the great work in which they were engaged.
181
The Southern people are naturally a kind-hearted, hospitable,
noble class of people, with the finer instincts of nature more
fully developed than possibly among some other classes of people.
They recognize the labors of our elders, and while they may not
coincide with our views, yet they give us credit for the
determination with which we press forward, and the earnestness
and zeal displayed by our young elders in preaching the
principles of the Gospel. Especially was this note-worthy in
connection with the very many young elders who had never been
upon missions before,-- young men who had been called from the
various mutual improvement associations, unlearned in regard to
the condition of the world, unacquainted with its customs,
manners and habits--especially with this class was a deep
impression made upon the minds of the people. That feeling of
kindness, which is characteristic of the people there, seemed to
feel after those boys, beardless boys as they were, as they stood
up in their places, where they could obtain a church or a school
house, to preach, and where they could not obtain a place, in the
open air, by the road side, or wherever they found a man ready to
stop and listen to them in proclaiming the things they had been
sent to declare. It made a deep impression on the minds of the
people, and, in a number of instances, while the violent feelings
of men were raised against them, there were those who said, "We
have boys of our own, and if our boys were in the place of these,
separated from their homes and their kindred by thousands of
miles, and there were those seeking to do them violence, we would
feel to bless the hand that protected them." And, as a general
thing, there came a division, and the two contending parties were
left to get through the struggle as best they could.
181
The Southern States Mission at the present time is divided into
conferences, with a president over each conference, and traveling
elders at appointed places laboring in the districts. Yet, with
all that we can do, there are localities in the Southern States
to-day, that have been asking for elders for some considerable
length of time, which we have not yet been able to supply, owing
to a deficiency in our numbers. I discover, in coming in contact
with the people of the United States, that, notwithstanding the
nation numbers forty millions of people,--a vast innumerable
multitude almost, compared to the Latter-day Saints who dwell in
these distant valleys of the mountains,--yet, if a company of
eight, ten, twelve or fifteen elders should happen to pass
through any of the large cities, en route to their fields of
labor, they are visited by reporters, they are interviewed, and
the interview is published far and near, causing considerable
excitement in regard to this small company of elders going to
their fields of labor; in fact two elders, going into a locality
where the people are unacquainted with the teachings of the
Latter-day Saints, and announcing themselves as Mormon elders,
will create a really more genuine sensation than almost any other
incident that could happen, and it is, doubtless, well that some
of us, who are possibly a little more zealous than wise, should
be restrained in regard to our anxiety to push the work forward.
There is, however, an abundance of room for elders to labor
throughout the entire Southern States. We scarcely ever preached
in a place where we could not obtain a hearing. He scarcely ever
visited a neighborhood--I do not recollect of any now--in the
Southern States where I desired a hearing, but what I could both
obtain a place to preach in and a good sized audience to hear
what I had to say.
182
Many of the leading men of the Southern States, having visited
Salt Lake City and been treated kindly by our people--having
observed the thrift, enterprise and peacefulness of our homes,
extended to us many kindnesses and many courtesies,
notwithstanding that, with the mass of the people, it was quite
unpopular to do so. The Governor of one of the leading States of
the South, offered the use of the Senate Chamber--the
representative hall of his State--to preach in, if I was prepared
to use it, extending any courtesy I desired. Their leading papers
freely noticed our meetings and published thousands of handbills
to be distributed among the people, refusing any compensation
whatever. Many of these incidents that come to my mind in regard
to the courtesy and kindness of the people that we have been
preaching the Gospel to, warms our hearts as elders of Israel,
and we feel to do them good, to bless them, and benefit them all
that we can.
182
During the past year, a little over 400 Saints have been gathered
from the Southern States Mission. The principal part of these
have emigrated to the neighboring State of Colorado, in San Luis
Valley, 250 miles south and a little to the west of Denver, where
the Saints have found a good valley, most excellent land and
timber, water, grass, and all that is necessary to enable them to
build up a settlement and locate themselves. I had the privilege
of visiting them in their homes a number of times, and while they
have had the privations that are incidental to the formation of a
new settlement everywhere, yet they have been blessed and
prospered. The people of the State of Colorado have, as a rule,
treated them kindly, have welcomed them to their borders, have
endeavored to benefit them, and assisted them in forming their
settlements all they could. The railroad, that has been in
process of construction for the past two years, runs down the
centre of the valley, within three to five miles of our line of
settlement, so that we have easy railroad communication. Our
rates for emigration are exceedingly low. The railroad companies
have extended to us many courtesies and kindnesses, and have
sought to do what they could--apparently being moved upon by the
right Spirit--to enable us to gather those who were unable to
gather themselves, and to assist those who were but little able
to gather. In the location of the settlement in the State of
Colorado, there are now, I believe, 500 Latter-day Saints from
the Southern States, which will possibly be augmented by 300 more
this season, if deemed prudent to do so. In the first town that
was located, all the lots have been taken up. Another location of
similar dimensions is being occupied, while still another will be
occupied some few miles distant from the first two in the course
of the next two or three months.
183
The health of the Saints has not been as good as could have been
desired, principally owing to the fact that in emigrating from
the Southern States--a malarious district to those great, dry
altitudes--the changes thus brought to bear upon them were
calculated to produce sickness to a greater or less extent. The
scourge of measles passed through the settlement in the month of
April; some 160 cases. Our neighbors, at a railroad town near by,
where there were about an equal number of inhabitants that we
had, with all the appliances of physicians and drug stores, lost
quite a large percentage of their cases of sickness. In the town
of Alamosa, some twenty miles distant from our settlement, where
there were almost an equal number of cases, there was quite a
large percentage of deaths. In about 165 to 170 cases that
occurred in our settlement, I think there were but three or four
deaths from measles. When I was talking to the Mayor of Alamosa,
he called my attention to the disparity of deaths in that town in
comparison with those that had occurred in our settlement, and
asked me if I thought the location of the town of Alamosa
unhealthy. I replied I thought not, that it was equally healthy
with our settlement. He asked me to what I attributed the number
of deaths. I replied that I believed they were attributable to
the number of drug stores and physicians they had in it, that
that was the cause, as I earnestly believed, to a greater or less
extent, of the disparity of the number of deaths. With some 500
inhabitants in our settlement with quite a number of cases, some
of them very serious, there has never been a physician called to
prescribe one single prescription to any of these people, and I
have an idea that if we were to look at them to-day we would find
them equally healthy with those of the adjacent town where there
are several physicians with two drug stores to draw their
supplies from.
183
The people in the settlements are satisfied with their location.
I heard but very little complaint, and what complaints I did here
were, I thought, almost entirely due to the inconvenience
incident to emigration, to breaking up their homes, to disposing
of their property, to riding distances upon railroads, landing at
their destination wearied, to not being so carefully housed and
protected for a limited length of time after their arrival, and
to their being unacquainted with the country. I believe, however,
that out of the 500 souls emigrated there have been but four
turned back from the work and returned to their former homes. I
heard no expression of a desire to return on the part of any one
when I was there. Wishing to test this as I was returning back to
the States, I publicly made the offer that if there were any
persons who desired to return back to their old homes, to lay
down the principles of the Gospel and forego the gathering, I
would see and accompany them back, and if there were any unable
to go back with their own means, a fund would be raised for the
purpose if desired. I received no applications, hence I was led
to believe that the people as a rule were satisfied with their
situation and surroundings.
184
Adjacent to our settlement there is a large number of Mexicans
who live in plazzas, as they term them, which are capable of
accommodating from ten to fifty families in a plazza. These
people have had rather an unpleasant and chequered history in the
Territory of New Mexico and the State of Colorado. They have been
looked upon to a certain extent as legal and lawful prey by the
Christians surrounding, who have, to a greater or less degree,
taken advantage of their innocence and of their ignorance in
regard to the rules of business. To illustrate this, one man, a
merchant with whom we deal, a man that I have always looked upon
as in every sense trustworthy, made this statement to me. In
speaking of the Mexican people, said he: "We cannot trade with
them as we do with other people. They have been deceived and
cheated until they come here and ask how many pounds of sugar we
give for a dollar. We would not dare to tell them the exact
number of pounds. If it is six, we have to tell them ten."
"Well," I said "Do you weigh out the ten pounds?" "Not much; we
weigh them six or five and a half pounds as the case might be."
Such is the character of the dealings the Mexican people have had
to contend with until to-day they have no confidence whatever in
the white people by whom they are surrounded, and it is something
almost unknown in their history, it is something strange for them
to be placed in a position whereby they would be dealt with
honorably and uprightly by white people. Said one of their
leading citizens to me, Mr. Valdez, who was formerly a Judge in
Old Mexico, a leading citizen in the State of Colorado, a
Representative in the Legislature, and a man of considerable
ability--said he to me, "The white people we have come in contact
with heretofore, have endeavored to take every advantage of us,
and when your people came here we expected they would treat us
the same way. Last season we could have furnished you land to
plow, teams and seed; but we were afraid that you would repeat
the history of some other portions of our possessions, where we
have furnished seed, land, teams and plows, and rented these
things upon shares to people who came into our midst, and when
the fall season came they not only claimed the land and crops,
but our teams and plows, and we have failed to obtain any redress
whatever; consequently we were afraid of your people." But after
some short acquaintance with us, after coming in contact with us
a limited length of time, they learned to think better of us, and
by their votes elected one of our brethren magistrate over a
considerable portion of the county of Conejas, in which they
lived. This brother told me he had been magistrate for eight
months, had gained the confidence of the people, until to-day
people outside of the precinct where he lives will bring their
cases to him to arbitrate and adjudicate upon, and the people
almost universally are willing to submit to his decisions. There
is a kindly feeling between them and the Latter-day Saints. They
are naturally a kind hearted people. I noticed when our people
were living in their plazzas, as some of them did for a season,
that when any of them took sick, the Mexicans were on hand to
nurse them and to do what they could for their comfort. The
Saints rejoice at the privilege of gathering where they can live
in peace and quietness, and receive the instructions of the
elders, and have their children taught. I believe about the first
thing they did in the first town they started was to build a
comfortable school-house, and during the past winter they have
had a school in session the entire winter, expecting that as soon
as circumstances would permit a summer school would be commenced.
A Sabbath School is in session regularly each Sabbath, and some
six home missionaries visit the surrounding country where the
Latter-day Saints are located, and instruct the Mexicans who
desire to hear the principles of the Gospel.
185
In laboring in the States, we can see that there is a rapid
change taking place. It may not be observable by the masses of
the people. However, this change can be seen on the right hand
and on the left. We hear men remark in regard to the change that
is occurring politically, religiously and socially. We cannot
blind our eyes to the fact that affairs in the United States are
traveling at a rapid rate. We sometimes hear an elder, on
returning home from his mission, ask one of the brethren, "How is
everything moving?" His reply is, "very slowly." He does not see
with the eyes of the elder who is abroad preaching the Gospel. To
my mind, the seeds of dissolution have been sown in the midst of
the people, and they are springing up to an abundant growth. Men
are fulfilling the Scriptures--"their hearts are failing them for
fear of the things that are coming upon them." The people of the
United States are in doubt in regard to what is in store for our
government. We hear quite loud expressions every hour of the day
by men of all classes--governors, senators, congressmen and
clergymen. I think one of the most eloquent sermons--eloquent for
the sound of its words, not particularly for the principle it
contained, but more particularly for its sound of words--I ever
heard, was one in which the minister portrayed the condition of
the United States, the fearful condition in which the government
was today, the condition in which political affairs were, and
strange as it may seem, after telling the people that there was
not a political party in the United States that would receive
Jesus of Nazareth. After telling the people of St. Louis (the
city in which this sermon was preached) that if Jesus were to
come to one of their wards and run for Alderman, they would
outvote him by a large majority--after telling them all these
things, he then commenced upon the other hand to portray the
glorious spread of Christianity! It sounded strange to my ears,
for one was a direct contradiction of the other; if one was true
the other was false. Certainly Christianity could not grow and
increase and spread and be engrafted into the minds of the
people, and at the same time he who stood at the head of
Christianity be rejected from the head to the foot of the whole
body.
186
The situation to my mind as I have observed it--and I have tried
to do so calmly and deliberately and without prejudice--is
anything but agreeable. Men have ceased to try to hide this; and
the present political contest that is waged so hotly even for the
nomination of the man who shall fill the presidential chair is
stirring up the people as I have never seen an election stir them
up before. It seems as though they are not content with dividing
into parties but these parties are divided into fragments, the
one contending against the other. A few years ago it was the
Democratic party on the one side and the Republican party on the
other. To-day it has changed and materially altered in the
Republican party. It is the anti-third term men, the Blaine men,
Sherman men etc., struggling one against the other in their own
party until it seems as if the shadow is cast, of the time when
every man's hand shall be raised against his neighbor. Certainly
these are indications of it,--and we see the fulfilment of
prophecy in these things. It is a most unpleasant report for a
person to make of the situation of their country. We are not
aliens to our land. We love and revere and respect the
constitution of our common country. We have a love for the old
flag that floats over it, and it is with feelings of
mortification, chagrin, and pain that we have to report back to
the Saints here in the valleys of the mountains the fearful
condition in which matters are to-day. One instance comes to my
mind in connection with a matter in which the Latter-day Saints
are interested. During the trial of the men--or one of them at
least--who assassinated Elder Joseph Standing, I was astonished
and surprised to listen to the testimony of the witnesses. The
court would commence its session at eight o'clock and run till
twelve and then adjourn for an hour and run till candle light,
and when night came we would hear the bells ringing across the
street calling the people to a revival meeting. I noticed that
those men who had been upon the witness stand would pass over to
the meeting, and for two weeks the revival was kept up calling
men and women to Jesus after dark, and in the day time came into
that court and testified to things they knew were utterly false,
and that they knew the people in the court room were satisfied
were false. The thing was a talk and a laughing stock on the
streets of Dalton. It seemed strange to me, and after I had had
several days experience I asked the attorney General, a man that
I looked upon as an honorable man, a man who sought to do his
duty in that trial to the best of his ability--I asked "how many
men are there that came upon this stand that you can rely upon to
testify to the truth?" His reply was, "If I get one in ten I am
doing very well." I thought that a strange comment indeed upon
this boasted land of freedom, of free schools, churches,
libraries, lecture associations and yet hold ourselves up before
the world as a representative government for all other
governments to copy after, for all civilization to follow, and
for all Christians to model themselves from. It looks strange to
me, and I scarcely could have believed it had not mine own ears
heard and mine own eyes beheld it.
187
The sentiment and feeling of the better class of people in the
South, and I may say the people of the United States are in favor
of letting the Latter-day Saints alone, of letting them work out
their own problem, and but for the religious influence that is
brought to bear there would be but little said in relation to the
work the Latter-day Saints are doing. But this religious
influence has not changed in the least. The same influence that
fought and contended against the Latter-day Saints in the State
of Missouri, and that drove them to the valleys of the mountains;
the same influence that cried out nearly 2000 years ago "crucify
him, crucify him," is still abroad in the land, and I think the
worst treatment I have ever received at the hands of any class of
men has been from men who can pray the longest prayers, preach
the loudest sermons, and wear the longest face, and who profess
to be going back to Abraham's bosom. This class of men have
always contended against the elders. They have sought to bring
persecution upon them, and to villify them upon every hand, and
if we have difficulties they are to be a greater or less extent
caused by those who profess to believe in this Bible, and who
preach "glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and
goodwill towards men." But this perchance, is but history
repeating itself. Notwithstanding the difficulties and obstacles
the elders have had to contend with in this and other directions
they have been blessed and prospered. They rejoice in the
privilege of going forth to proclaim the principles of the
Gospel, to bring Israel to a knowledge of the truth, and to
gather the honest in heart home, that Zion may be built up and
the kingdom of God established on the earth. The elders rejoice
in this privilege. Our young elders who go abroad with fear and
trembling in regard to their own ability are willing to pass
through all kinds of difficulties, are willing to endure anything
and everything that they may be instruments in the hands of God
in proclaiming the principles of the Gospel. I heard but very few
complaints from the elders. It is true that sometimes they are
not situated as pleasantly as they would desire to be, but I
heard very few complaints. They express very great surprise at
the situation of affairs abroad. They say, "why, we did not dream
that matters were as bad as they are. We did not dream that the
world was so corrupt as it is both politically, religiously, and
socially." They seemed surprised, when walking through the
streets of the religious St. Louis--whose editors, you know,
write long homilies in the shape of editorials in regard to the
terrible situation of affairs in Utah,--to see, on a Sunday, just
close by where these articles are published, saloons open, men
and women drinking, and business going on just as though it were
any other day in the week, "Why," say these young elders, "in
reading these articles back in Utah we were led to believe that
these places here were really religious. But we find that such is
not the case. We find they are allowing their charity to play
leap-frog over their own wrong-doings, and in place of looking to
the affairs of Utah they had better attend to their own." These
things look strange to the young elders when they first come in
contact with the world. In speaking with one of the officers of
the State of Colorado, said he to me, "We trust that you people
will assimilate with our people, that they will adopt our habits
and customs and become one with us." I told him we did not wish
to make any rash promises about that, for, said I, "We would not
wish to have drinking saloons on the corner of each block." We
would not like to have all kind of wrong-doings in our midst, and
certainly here in this city of Denver, we would not wish to copy
after the morals of this or your adjoining city of Leadville.
188
Some people seem to have an idea that the Latter-day Saints
gathered here in the valleys of the mountains are samples of all
that is wrong, all that is iniquitous, and I have sometimes been
amazed at the situation we have been placed in. In one
neighbourhood where we stopped over night, and had some talk with
the folks in regard to the social conditions with which they were
surrounded, one sanctimonious person, the next day, refused us
the privilege of meeting in a log cabin school-house, for fear we
should corrupt the morals of the people! In another instance, a
large number of people had gathered together in a meeting house
to hear one of the leaders preach. When he got through preaching
he asked a gentleman who had been induced to come to the stand to
tell the people what he thought of the doctrine that had been
advanced. He very reluctantly did so in about these words: "I
have listened with great attention to my young friend. I believe
he is honest. I believe he has tried to tell the truth, and in
fact he has told you the truth. He has read from the scriptures;"
but at this stage he drew up (evidently realizing that he had
gone too far to please his friends) and concluded by saying: "But
my dear, dying friends, I do not believe one word of it."
Notwithstanding that he had just told the people that the young
man had told them the truth, and that he had preached according
to the Bible. It sounded strange, even to his own people. Yet
there is a class of people who, when we come down to the real
facts of the case, will not, do not believe in the Bible, however
much they pretend to do so. They believe certain parts of it, and
disbelieve other parts. This spirit of unbelief is growing in the
minds of the people, until in the United States to-day there are
thousands of people who openly repudiate their belief in the
Bible. Ingersoll, and various men of that stamp who are lecturing
throughout the United States, take for texts the mistakes found
in the books of Moses, and otherwise ridicule the word of
Scripture. By this means they are undermining the faith and
belief of the people in the Bible, and are creating infidels by
thousands. We meet them on the railroads, we hear them from the
lecture stand, we find them among all classes of people, lawyers,
doctors, etc., and as I told one of them, a leading citizen of
St. Louis, with whom I traveled a couple of days, I can
understood opposition to preaching and praying from those who do
not believe in this book, but it savors of hypocrisy coming from
those who profess to believe in the teachings of Jesus and his
apostles.
188
Well, these are some of the reflections that pass through our
minds as elders in preaching the Gospel. We pray that the
blessing of Israel's God may rest upon his work, and upon the
elders who are abroad preaching the Gospel, that they also may be
permitted to return in peace, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Wilford Woodruff, July 3rd, 1880
Wilford Woodruff, July 3rd, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, at the Semi-Annual
Conference, of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion,
Saturday Afternoon, July 3rd, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD AND SAINTS
GENERALLY--ZION SHALL NOT BE OVERCOME--THE WICKED SHALL SLAY
THE WICKED--THE END NEAR.
190
I have listened to the instructions given here this
afternoon by my brethren, as well as the remarks of Brother
Cannon, this forenoon, with feelings of a great deal of interest.
When we talk of our duties as Latter-day Saints, I think many
times some of us, perhaps all of us, more or less, fall short of
comprehending and understanding the responsibilities which we are
under to God. I believe there never was a dispensation or a
generation of men in any age of the world that ever had a greater
work to perform, or ever were under greater responsibility to
God, than the Latter-day Saints. The kingdom of God has been put
into our hands. We have been raised up as sons and daughters of
the Lord to take this kingdom, to lay the foundation of it, to
build upon it, to carry it out in its various branches until it
becomes perfected before the heavens and before the earth as God
has foreordained it should be. And those principles which have
been referred to by the brethren in regard to our duties we
cannot safely ignore them nor turn aside from them. I will say as
one of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles, from the time I was
first acquainted with this organization until to-day we have
never felt ourselves at liberty to stay away from our meetings
unless we were sick or circumstances hindered us in some way or
other. I can say that for myself, and I believe I can say the
same for my brethren. We have always felt duty bound to attend
our meetings, and if we do not attend the question might arise,
what has become of the Twelve Apostles? Where are they that they
do not attend their meetings? It would be a very proper question
to ask. And if this responsibility rests upon us in the capacity
which we occupy does it not rest upon other men? I think it does.
I do not believe the Lord ever required Joseph Smith or Brigham
Young or any of their counselors to undertake to build up this
kingdom alone. He never required them to build these Temples
alone. They were required to perform their duties, that is true
Joseph Smith was called of God inspired of God, raised up of the
Lord, ordained of God long before he was born, to stand in the
flesh, as much as Jeremiah or any of the ancient prophets, to lay
the foundation of this Church and kingdom. He performed his work
faithfully. He labored faithfully while he tabernacled in the
flesh, and sealed his testimony with his blood. Other men were
called also to build upon the foundation which he laid.
191
We have in days that are past and gone been under the necessity
of going forth to preach the Gospel in the world. We have had
this to do. We have been called to do it. We have been ordained
to do it. We have been commanded of God to do it, and so have
hundreds of thousands of the elders of this Church and kingdom.
We have all some responsibility, more or less, resting upon us,
whether as regards going on missions or anything else. I remember
Brother Joseph Smith visited myself, Brother Taylor, Brother
Brigham Young and several other missionaries, when we were about
to take our mission to England. We were sick and afflicted many
of us. At the same time we felt to go. The Prophet blessed us as
also our wives and families; and I was reading a day or two ago
his instructions from my journal. He taught us some very
important principles, some of which I here name. Brother Taylor,
myself, George A. Smith, John E. Page and others had been called
to fill the place of those who had fallen away. Brother Joseph
laid before us the cause of those men's turning away from the
commandments of God. He hoped we would learn wisdom by what we
saw with the eye and heard with the ear, and that we would be
able to discern the spirits of other men without being compelled
to learn by sad experience. He then remarked that any man, any
elder in this Church and kingdom--who pursued a course whereby he
would ignore or in other words refuse to obey any known law or
commandment or duty--whenever a man did this, neglected any duty
God required at his hand in attending meetings, filling missions
or obeying counsel, he laid a foundation to lead him to apostasy
and this was the reason those men had fallen. They had misused
the priesthood sealed upon their heads. They had neglected to
magnify their callings as apostles as elders. They had used that
priesthood to attempt to build themselves up and to perform some
other work besides the building up of the kingdom of God. And not
only did he give us the counsel, but the same is given in the
revelation of God to us. I have ever read with a great deal of
interest that revelation given to Joseph Smith in answer to his
prayer in Liberty jail. I have ever looked upon that revelation
of God to that man, considering the few sentences it includes, as
containing as much principle as any revelation God ever gave to
man. He gave Joseph to understand that he held the priesthood,
which priesthood was after the order of God, after the order of
Melchizedek, the same priesthood by which God himself performed
all his works in the heavens and in the earth, and any man who
bore that priesthood had the same power. That priesthood had
communication with the heavens, power to move the heavens, power
to perform the work of the heavens, and wherever any man
magnified that calling, God gave his angels charge concerning him
and his ministrations were of power and force both in this world
and the world to come; but let that man use that priesthood for
any other purpose than the building up of the kingdom of God, for
which purpose it was given, and the heavens withdraw themselves,
the power of the priesthood departs, and he is left to walk in
darkness and not in light, and this is the key to apostasy of all
men whether in this generation or any other.
191
Our responsibilities before the Lord are great. We have no right
to break any law that God has given unto us. The more we do so
the less power we have before God, before heaven and before the
earth, and the nearer we live to God, the closer we obey his laws
and keep his commandments, the more power we will have, and the
greater will be our desire for the building up of the kingdom of
God while we dwell here in the flesh.
191
We have no right to break the Sabbath. We have no right to
neglect our meetings to attend to our labors. I do not believe
that any man, who has ever belonged to this Church and kingdom,
since its organization, has made anything by attending to his
farm on the Sabbath: but if your ox falls into a pit get him out;
to work in that way is all just and right, but for us to go
farming to the neglect of our meetings and other duties devolving
upon us, is something we have no right to do. The Spirit of God
does not like it, it withdraws itself from us, and we make no
money by it. We should keep the Sabbath holy. We should attend
our meetings.
191
This kingdom is advancing. It has got to advance, and somebody
has got to build it up. Somebody has got to labor in it. The God
of heaven has had a people prepared before the world was made for
this dispensation. He had a people prepared to stand in the flesh
to take this kingdom and bear it off; and the very spirit of the
prophets and apostles, who have gone before us, has been
manifested in the lives of faithful men and women from the
organization of this Church until to-day, and will continue until
the coming of the Lord, as there are a great many men and women
who will live their religion and carry out the purposes of God on
the earth.
192
It is our duty as apostles, as elders and as Latter-day Saints,
to contemplate, to reflect, to read the word of God, and to try
to comprehend our condition, our position, and our responsibility
before the Lord. If our eyes were opened, if the vail were
lifted, and we could see our condition, our responsibility, and
could comprehend the feelings of God our heavenly Father, and the
heavenly hosts, and the justified spirits made perfect, in their
watch-care over us, in their anxiety about us in our labors here
in the flesh; we would all feel that we have no time to waste in
folly or anything else which brings to pass no good. All of us,
as elders of Israel and as Latter-day Saints, bear some portion
of the holy priesthood, either the Melchizedek or Aaronic. It is
a kingdom of priests, and there is work enough for this people to
magnify their calling. The Lord has agreed to sustain us, and to
break every weapon that is formed against us. He has promised to
sustain Zion, and when the Prophet saw this Zion of God in the
mountains, his soul was filled with joy and he cried, "Sing, O
heavens, and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O
mountains; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have
mercy upon his afflicted." Again the prophet says, "Can a woman
forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on
the son of her womb?--yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget
thee." Zion has been before the face of the Lord since the
creation of the world! Our heavenly Father has protected this
people. We have been favored from the day we set our feet in the
valleys of the mountains, notwithstanding the tribulation and
opposition we have had to contend with. All the designs of the
wicked and ungodly to stop this work have been thwarted. The hand
of God is over Zion. He is our Comforter. He sustains us, and we
have every encouragement on the face of the earth, as Latter-day
Saints, to be true and faithful unto him the little time we spend
in the flesh.
192
Our responsibilities are great; our work is great. We not only
have the Gospel to preach to the nations of the earth, but we
have to fill these valleys, towns, cities, etc., and we have,
among other important things, to rear temples unto the name of
the Lord before the coming of Christ. We have got to enter into
those temples and redeem our dead--not only the dead of our own
family, but the dead of the whole spirit world. This is part of
the great work of the Latter-day Saints. We shall build these
temples and, if we do our duty, there is no power that can hinder
this work, because the Lord is with us; and certainly our aim is
high! As a people we aim at celestial glory; we aim at the
establishment of the kingdom of God. We have been raised up for
the purpose of warning the world; to preach the Gospel; to go to
the meek of the earth and bring them to these valleys of the
mountains, that they may be delivered from the power of sin and
Satan. Our numbers are many compared with former dispensations.
Nevertheless, our numbers are few when compared with the twelve
or fourteen hundred millions of inhabitants who dwell in the
flesh. Still, with the help of God, we have power to redeem the
world. This is our work. We are obliged to labor and to continue
to while we are here, and when we have finished our work, our
sons, the rising generation, have got to take this kingdom and
bear it off.
192
Eight of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are in the spirit
world today who were in the flesh when we came here, and so they
pass away, one after another, when they finish their work. Do you
suppose that in their minds and feelings they realized they had
done too much? I think not. Just so with those who remain in the
flesh. There is no time to throw away, and I would to God that
the elders of Israel could fully realize and comprehend the great
work that God has put upon their shoulders--the building up of
his kingdom.
193
This kingdom has continued to increase and spread. When we came
here thirty-three years ago we found this place a barren desert.
There was no mark of the white man here. It was a desert indeed,
hardly a green thing to meet the eye. You can see to-day for
yourselves. The inhabitants of Zion are a marvel and a wonder to
the world. They occupy these valleys of the mountains from Idaho
to Arizona. The valleys, as it were, are filled with Latter-day
Saints. And who are these Latter-day Saints? They are the people
whom the God of heaven has raised up in fulfilment of promise and
revelation. He has carefully gathered them together by the power
of the Gospel, by the power of revelation, and placed them here
in the valleys of the mountains. Has there ever been any power
formed against this people that has been successful? Nay; and
this people will never see the day when our enemies shall
prevail, for the very reason that God had decreed that Zion shall
be built up; the kingdom that Daniel saw shall roll forth, until
the little stone cut out of the mountain without hands shall fill
the whole earth. The people of God shall be prepared in the
Latter-days to carry out the great programme of the Almighty, and
all the powers of the earth and hell combined cannot prevent
them. When I see the view that the world take in regard to this
great latter-day work; when I hear it questioned as to whether
God has anything to do with it; when I see the feeling of hatred
that is manifested towards us, to me it is the strongest evidence
that this is the work of God. Why? Because we have been chosen
out of the world and therefore the world hate us. This is a
testimony that Jew and Gentile and the whole world look at. Then
if this is the work of God what is the world going to do about
it? What can this nation or the combined nations of the earth do
about it? Can any power beneath the heavens stay the progress of
the work of God? I tell you nay, it cannot be done. I do not
boast of these things as the work of man; it is the work of the
Almighty; it is not the work of man. The Lord has called men to
labor in his kingdom, and I wish the elders would look upon this
subject as it is and realize our position before the Lord. Here
we are a handful of people chosen out of some twelve or fourteen
hundred millions of people; and my faith in regard to this matter
is that before we were born, before Joseph Smith was born, before
Brigham was born--my faith is that we were chosen to come forth
in this day and generation and do the work which God has designed
should be done. That is my view in regard to the Latter-day
Saints and that is the reason why the apostles and elders in the
early days of this Church had power to go forth without purse or
scrip and preach the Gospel of Christ and bear record of his
kingdom. Had it not been for that power we could not have
performed the work. We have had to be sustained by the hand of
God until to-day, and we shall be sustained until we get through,
if we keep the commandments of God, and, if we do not, we shall
fall, and the Lord will raise up other men to take our place.
Therefore, I look upon it that we had a work assigned to us
before we were born. With regard to the faithful leaders of this
Church and kingdom, beginning with Joseph Smith, how many times
have I heard men say in my travels--Why did God choose Joseph
Smith, why did he choose that boy to open up this dispensation
and lay the foundation of this Church? Why didn't he choose some
great man, such as Henry Ward Beecher? I have had but one answer
in my life to give to such a question, namely, that the Lord
Almighty could not do anything with them, he could not humble
them. They were not the class of men that were chosen for a work
of this kind in any age of the world. The Lord Almighty chose the
weak things of this world. He could handle them. He therefore
chose Joseph Smith because he was weak, and he had sense enough
to know it. He had the ministration of angles out of heaven. He
had also the ministration of the Father and the Son and of the
holy men who once dwelt in the flesh.
194
We have been obliged to acknowledge the hand of God. From out of
the pit have we been dug. We have been taken from the plough, the
bench, the various occupations of life, having limited knowledge
of what the world calls learning. The Lord has called this class
of men as elders, and inspired by the power of God they have gone
forth and warned the world, and those of this generation who
reject the testimony of these elders will be under condemnation,
for the elders will rise up in judgment and condemn them. The
building up of this kingdom rests upon our shoulders--not upon
the shoulders of Brother Taylor and the Twelve Apostles alone,
but every man and every woman who has heard this Gospel and gone
into the waters of baptism will be held responsible for the light
and knowledge they received.
194
This is my testimony to you today. You have got the kingdom of
God here. It has grown and increased, and will continue to grow
and increase. I look at this building; I look at the tabernacle
here; I look at the temples that are being built; I see what is
going on in the mountains of Israel, and I ask what is it? It is
the work of God. I acknowledge his hand in it. This is the reason
why we are inspired to build these temples. Why we labor to build
them is because the day has come when they are needed. Joseph
Smith went into the spirit world to unlock the prison doors in
this dispensation or generation. He stayed here long enough to
lay the foundation of this kingdom and obtain the keys belonging
to it. The last time he ever met with the quorum of the Twelve
was when he gave them their endowments, and when they left him he
had a presentiment that it was the last time they would ever
meet. He had something to do the other side of the vail. He had a
thousand to preach to there, where you and I have one in the
flesh. And this is the great work of the last dispensation--the
redemption of the living and the dead.
195
We ought not, as elders of Israel, to treat lightly the blessings
we enjoy. We ought not to treat lightly the holy priesthood, or
attempt to use it for any other purpose under the whole heavens
other than to build up the Zion of God. The counsel that has been
given this forenoon upon this matter we should lay to heart. The
eyes of all the heavenly hosts are over this people. They are
watching us with the deepest anxiety. They understand things
better than we do, for our vail is our bodies, and when our
spirits leave them we will not have a great way to get into the
spirit word. They know the warfare we have with wicked spirits
and with a wicked world, but what encouragement we have when we
read the revelations! We live in a generation when the Lord has
decreed that his kingdom shall be preserved. The prophets of
every other dispensation have been called to seal their testimony
with their blood. My faith is that those of this dispensation
will not be called to do this. Joseph and Hyrum, it is true, were
called to lay down their lives. Why? I believe myself it was
necessary to seal a dispensation of this almighty magnitude with
the blood of the testator for one thing, and for another thing
the people were worthy that put him to death, and will have the
bill to pay as the Jews had to pay for the blood of the Messiah;
but as far as the leaders of this people and the people generally
are concerned, I think the Lord intends we should live at peace.
With regard to Brigham Young, we all know the disposition there
was on the part of his enemies to take his life. I never
believed, however, that he would die a violent death. Neither do
I believe that we shall be required to go forth and stain our
swords in the blood of our fellow men in our defence. It has been
decreed that the wicked shall slay the wicked. Now, I give you my
views regarding these things. I speak the sentiments of my own
heart and what I believe. The judgments of our God will be poured
forth, but the elders of Israel will not be called upon to slay
the wicked. The wicked will slay the wicked. When I read the
Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
I feel that it is with us as with the generation that lived in
the days of Ezekiel. In those days the Lord told the prophet to
tell the people that what he said he meant to fulfil. And so it
is in the day and age in which we live. All things will be
fulfilled. The judgments of Almighty God will be poured out upon
the wicked. The harvest is ripe, and I know the farmer has got to
cut his crops when they are ripe, otherwise they will go back
into the ground and rot.
195
When I see the wickedness and abomination that prevail in
Babylon, covering the earth, as it were, like a mighty sea--when
I see these things I feel to ask myself the question, how long
can these things rise up in the sight of heaven and not have
their reward? In my own mind I can see a change at our door. In
the face of the revelations I cannot see how it can be otherwise.
The signs of heaven and earth all indicate the near coming of the
Son of Man. You read the 9th, 10th and 11th chapters of the last
Book of Nephi, and see what the Lord has said will take place in
this generation, when the Gospel of Christ has again been offered
to the inhabitants of the earth. The Lord did not reveal the day
of the coming of the Son of Man, but he revealed the generation.
That generation is upon us. The signs of heaven and earth predict
the fulfillment of these things, and they will come to pass.
196
Therefore, let us try to live our religion. We have the kingdom
of God. There is no question about this. There was none with
Joseph Smith when the angels of God ministered unto him, and we
had a living testimony of this work from that day to this. What
is the greatest testimony any man or woman can have as to this
being the work of God? I will tell you what is the greatest
testimony I have ever had, the most sure testimony, that is the
testimony of the Holy Ghost, the testimony of the Father and the
Son. We may have the ministration of angels; we may be wrapt in
the visions of heaven--these things as testimonies are very good,
but when you receive the Holy Ghost, when you receive the
testimony of the Father and the Son, it is a true principle to
every man on earth, it deceives no man, and by that principle you
can learn and understand the mind of God. Revelation has been
looked upon by this Church, as well as by the world, as something
very marvelous. What is revelation? The testimony of the Father
and the Son. How many of you have had revelation? How many of you
have had the Spirit of God whisper unto you--the still small
voice. I would have been in the spirit world a great many years
ago, if I had not followed the promptings of the still small
voice. These were the revelations of Jesus Christ, the strongest
testimony a man or a woman can have. I have had many testimonies
since I have been connected with this Church and kingdom. I have
been blessed at times with certain gifts and graces, certain
revelations and ministrations; but with them all I have never
found anything that I could place more dependence upon than the
still small voice of the Holy Ghost.
196
I know this is the work of God. I know God is with this people. I
am anxious for them. I am anxious for the rising generation, for
the young men and young women, for I know this kingdom has got to
rest upon their shoulders. When I see the evils that exist in
Salt Lake City, I realize they are in danger. Our
responsibilities as parents are great. We have not only to set an
example ourselves, but we must pray for them, and counsel them,
and I am satisfied that the Lord will prepare our young men and
young maidens, the sons and daughters of this people, so that
they will take this kingdom and bear it off. The kingdom will
never be thrown down or given to another people.
196
I thank God I live in this day and age of the world. I thank God
that I heard the Gospel. I thank the Lord I have been made
partaker of the holy priesthood in connection with the Gospel,
and all the fears I have had have been about myself and friends.
I never had any fears about the kingdom of God. I do not have any
to-day. I realize and understand, as well as I know anything,
that this kingdom is ordained to stand. It will grow and
increase. Zion will arise and put on her beautiful garments. The
only fears that I have are with regard to myself, my family, my
wives and my children. We are surrounded with temptations which
have a tendency to lead us away. We have got to guard against
them; we have got to increase our faith and live nearer and
nearer to the Lord.
196
I pray God to bless you and bless this people, and bless those
who are called to watch over us. We have to watch as well as
pray. We have to guard the Church and kingdom of God. By and by
our mission will close. We will soon pass away and shall reap our
reward. We are living in the last dispensation. Joseph Smith, I
expect, will sound the sixth trumpet. He will be at the head of
this dispensation; or, if he does not blow the trumpet of this
dispensation, I do not know who will. Somebody has got to do it,
and it must be somebody holding the keys of the various
dispensations of the world. No other angels are coming from any
other world to administer in this dispensation; those men will
minister who dwelt here in the flesh.
196
May God bless us and help us to keep his commandments, for Jesus'
sake. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, November 12th, 1879
Orson Pratt, November 12th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered at Mount Pleasant, November 12th, 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
PRE-EXISTENCE, IN SPIRITUAL FORM, OF MAN, THE LOWER ANIMALS
AND THE EARTH--THE TEMPORAL PROBATIONARY STATE--THE
MILLENNIUM--THE FINAL CHANGE.
197
Through the kind providence of our heavenly Father we are
permitted, on this pleasant day, to assemble here in this
comfortable house, for the purpose of worshiping God, and hearing
instruction as the Lord may see proper, in his kindness and
wisdom, to pour out his spirit, and make manifest the truth to
us. It is a pleasing thing for the human mind, to contemplate
that it has some object to worship; that there is a being, far
exalted above us, who dwells in the heavens, who is worthy of all
adoration and praise; and that we are his children, in possession
of a portion of his attributes.
197
The world which we inhabit is a fallen creation, a fallen world,
shut out from the presence of our Father, the being whom we
worship, so that we cannot behold his face, nor the glory of his
presence. It is for a wise purpose, that we are placed here, in
this fallen condition. It seems to be so, as far as we have been
made acquainted with the purposes of the great Jehovah. It seems
to be the ordeal, through which all intelligent beings must pass,
in order to gain that fulness of exaltation, in the presence of
God, which is promised in his word.
198
We were not always in the condition we are now in. We are only
placed here for a few years, and are adapted to our present
condition. A long time before you and I came here upon this stage
of action, we had an intelligent existence; we dwelt in a better
world than this, and a world that had been redeemed, a world that
had been sanctified and glorified; in other words, a world that
had been made celestial, just as we are in hopes that our present
world will, at some future period, be exalted to the celestial
glory, and become the habitation of celestial beings. That world
we occupied, before we came here, was celestial; our Father had
his dwelling place there, or, at least, one of his dwelling
places; and we were surrounded by our Father's glory, we were
familiar with his countenance, familiar with the beautiful
mansions that were there,--familiar with all the glory that
existed there, so far as we were capable of comprehending. There
was no vail drawn between us and our Father, no vail drawn
between us and the associates of our Father, who were also
celestial beings, many of them having been redeemed from a world
more ancient than ours. We had a long experience, I suppose, in
that world; at least, we know from that which our Father has
revealed to us, that we were born there; that this intelligent
being that has power to discern, power to reflect, power to
reason,--that this intelligent being was born in that previous
estate.
199
These were some of the first revelations given in this last
dispensation. The Lord did not wait several years, before he
revealed unto us, in some measure, concerning our condition
before we came here. Hence, it was away back in the year 1830,
that this doctrine of the pre-existence of man was revealed, in
greater fullness, than it was given in the Book of Mormon. There
are two or three places in the Book of Mormon that reveal the
pre-existence of man; but not in such great plainness, as was
given soon after the publication of that Book, through the
Prophet Joseph Smith, before the Saints began to gather,
informing us that we were in reality the children of our Father
and God; that we had a pre-existence in which we had learned many
very important principles, connected with spiritual existence,
before taking bodies of flesh and bones, which was also necessary
to afford us a still greater experience. Now, in this plan that
God has devised for the advancement of these intelligent
beings--by passing them through various stages of existence,
under different circumstances, and in different conditions,--he
gives them experience that they never could have gained, had they
remained in the presence of the Father, in that world which was
celestial; in other words, we were his offspring in that world,
our spiritual bodies not having flesh and bones but being in the
image of the Father and Son,--his own sons and daughters. He had
a great desire that we should be educated and taught. He could
teach us a great many things in that world as we teach our
children; he could impart to us a great many things--for there
were as many truths in existence in that day as are in existence
now; but truths were taught to us, as we were capable of
understanding them. The Lord felt anxious that we might come up
and eventually be made like him, as it is written in the New
testament, "who shall change our vile body that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body." I have no doubt before we
came into this world, we had a great anxiety, that we might be
brought up in the same way he was instructed and taught, and led
along, passing through different conditions of existence, that we
finally might be counted worth to be exalted at his right hand,
and receive the fullness of his celestial glory the same that he
is in possession of and that we might have all his attributes,
dwelling within us, as separate individuals and personages, that
he might exalt us like unto himself. Now, there is a great deal
to be comprehended, when we are told that we are children who
will become like our Father; that we were like him in our first
stage and condition of existence. We were there, as it were,
children without a fullness of knowledge; many experiences had
not yet been given to us; but we were like him in our general
outline--the outline of our persons; our general form was like
him, "after his image" etc. It is thus written in the Book of
Mormon, in that great vision to the brother of Jared, in which
the Lord condescended to take the vail off his eyes. The brother
of Jared had gone up into the mountain, and had moulten out of a
rock sixteen small stones, which he carried up into the top of
the mount. He went there with an object in view; the object was
to get the Lord to touch the stones that they might shine forth
in darkness in the eight vessels, (which had been built to convey
him and his brother across the great waters) one to be placed at
each end of each of the vessels. It would naturally increase the
faith of the brother of Jared, to believe it possible that he
might see the finger of the Lord. He was going to pray that God
would touch the stones, the same as we pray for the Lord to put
forth his finger and touch the particles of oil, when we dedicate
it, for sacred purposes. If we pray in faith, we must suppose
that the finger touches the oil. And Jared prayed in faith. He
did not know but what it might be his privilege to see his
finger. He did see it; it appeared to him like the finger of a
man, like unto flesh and blood. But his faith was too great for
his nervous system; for when he saw the finger of the Lord, he
feel to the earth through fear. And the Lord looked unto him and
asked him why he had fallen. He answered and said, "I saw the
finger of the Lord and I feared lest he should smite me; for I
knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood." He did not know but
what his imperfections were so great, that the Lord would smite
him; but he was commanded to arise. The Lord then asked him,
"Sawest thou more than this?" And he answered, "nay, Lord, shew
thyself unto me." Here was a prayer that extended a little
further. The Lord wanted to see what amount of faith he had and
he put another question to him, "Believest thou the words which I
shall speak?" And he answered, "Yea, Lord, I know that thou
speakest the truth for thou art a God of truth and canst not
lie." And when the brother of Jared had manifested his faith, the
Lord condescended to show his whole personage to him, and said,
"Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image. Behold,
this body, which ye now behold is the body of my spirit, and man
have I created after the body of my spirit."
199
Here the pre-existence of man was taught in the Book of Mormon.
"All men in the beginning were created after the image of this
body which he was then shewing. All the human family that then
existed, and that would exist in future time upon the earth, were
created in the beginning, after the image of that body; that is,
that body which he showed was not a body of flesh and bones, but
a pure spiritual body, organized out of pure spiritual substance,
filled with light and truth. He informed this great man of God,
that he was prepared, from before the foundation of the world, to
redeem his people. "Behold," says he, "I am Jesus Christ, I am
the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have light, and
that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name."
199
Here, then, was a great deal of information given to us,
concerning the formation of the human spirit, the formation of
men,--the formation of their persons, and their individualities,
before the foundation of this world.
200
It was after this was given, and the Book of Mormon was
published, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
arose. But the Lord, thinking that we had not sufficient
understanding of this pre-existence, began to tell us (in the
month of June 1830, only a few months after the organization of
the Church) more about these things. He told us about the
spiritual creation, something we did not comprehend before. We
used to read the first and second chapters of Genesis which give
an account of the works of the Almighty, but did not distinguish
between the spiritual work and the temporal work of Christ.
Although there are some things in King James' translation that
give us a little distinction between the two creations, yet we
did not comprehend it. The light shone, in some measure, in
darkness, but so dark were our minds, through tradition, that we
did not comprehend the light--or the few feeble glimmerings of
light, contained in these first and second chapters of the
uninspired translation. But our heavenly Father inspired his
servant Joseph smith, to translate several chapters more in the
Book of Genesis, in December 1830, which gave a more full
account, down to the days of the flood. He told us a great many
important principles, principles that he did not give, so far as
the historical matter was concerned, in the Book of Mormon. They
were an addition in some respects, and therefore, they were new
to us, who lived in the early rise of the Church, and calculated
to give us great joy.
200
In these two creations that took place in the beginning,
represented as the beginning of this creation--not absolutely the
beginning of all the creations of God; for his works are without
beginning and without end, they never cease, nor does his word
cease; he speaks to us, so far as this creation is concerned,
according to our natural ideas and understanding. He says, "all
things I have created by the word of my power, which is the power
of my spirit--I created them firstly spiritual and secondly
temporal, which is the beginning of my work; and again firstly
temporal, and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work,
speaking unto you that you may naturally understand; but unto
myself my works have no end neither beginning."
201
We learn, therefore, when speaking of this spiritual creation,
that not only all the children of men, of all generations, and of
all ages, were created spiritually in heaven, but that fish and
fowls, and beast, and all animated things, having life, were
first made spiritual in heaven, on the fifth and sixth days,
before bodies of flesh were prepared for them on the earth; and
that there was no flesh upon the earth until the morning of the
seventh day. On that morning God made the first fleshly
tabernacle and took man's spirit and put within it, and man
became a living soul--the first flesh upon the earth--the first
man also. Though it was the seventh day no flesh but this one
tabernacle was yet formed. No fish, fowl and beast was as yet
permitted to have a body of flesh. The second chapter of Genesis,
(new translation) informs us that the spirits of fowls were
created in heaven, the spirits of fish and cattle, and all things
that dwell upon the earth, had their pre-existence. They were
created in heaven, the spiritual part of them; not their flesh
and bones. We are also told in this inspired translation, that
these living trees which we behold--for God has given life unto
all things--had their spiritual existence in heaven before their
temporal existence; every herb and every tree, before it was
planted out on the earth, that is, the spiritual part of it, the
life of it, that which, in other words, animates that which gives
power to the vegetable to bring forth fruit after its
likeness--the spiritual part existed in heaven. It was a
spiritual creation first. We are also told that the earth was
organized in a spiritual form, that is, that portion that gives
life to the earth. We read about the earth's dying, and that it
shall be quickened again. What is it that will make the earth
die? It will be the withdrawing of the spiritual portion from it,
that which gives it life--that which animates it, and causes it
to bring forth fruit; that which quickens the earth is the Spirit
of God. That spiritual creation existed before the temporal was
formed. This was the beginning of the first part of his work,
pertaining to this creation. On the seventh day he began the
temporal portion. There was not yet a man to till the ground,
"and the gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took
his spirit--that is the man's spirit--and put it into him and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a
living soul." This we read in the 2nd chapter of Genesis, and you
will find it recorded on the 6th and 35th pages of the new
edition of the Pearl of Great Price.
201
Abraham also obtained a knowledge of the spiritual creation, as
well as the temporal. In giving a history of the creation, he
speaks of the formation of man out of the ground, how he took
man's spirit that was created in heaven and put it within the
body of man, and man became a living soul--the first flesh upon
the earth, as recorded in the second of Genesis. Now, we have
been in the habit of thinking that the various kinds of animals
that have lived, according to geologists, were the first flesh on
the earth, and we go away back millions of ages to see that these
lower formations of life existed before man. But the Lord gives
us different information from this. He shows us that among all
the animated creatures of flesh, man was the first that was ever
placed upon the earth in this temporal condition, contradicting
the theories of geologists--that is, so far as placing man on the
earth in this present probation is concerned. What may have taken
place millions of ages before the world was organized temporally
for man to inhabit is not revealed; but, so far as this present
change is concerned, that took place about six thousand years
ago, man was the first being that came upon the earth and
inhabited a body of flesh and bones. Afterwards, on the seventh
day, out of the ground the Lord God created the beasts of the
field. Go back to the first chapter of Genesis, and you will find
that the beasts, etc., were formed on the sixth day or period,
and that on the seventh there was no flesh on the earth, and
having created man as the first flesh upon the earth, God then
created, out of the ground, the beasts of the field.
201
Here is the second part of the beginning of his work: firstly,
spiritual,--the beasts created in heaven; then, secondly,
temporal,--their bodies formed out of the ground, their spirits
being put within these bodies, and the beasts became living
souls. As it was with the birds of the air, so with the fish of
the sea, and so with all animated creatures pertaining to this
world. This is the history of the generations of the heavens and
the earth, on the day that the Lord God created them; and the
Lord has seen proper to reveal this great information in the
first of Genesis, and in the Book of Abraham.
202
Now, let us consider the condition of the temporal work, for it
is needful for us to understand these things, that we may advance
in the knowledge of God, in the knowledge of truth, in this great
school of experience. Let us try to understand, then, the nature
of the temporal work; for it was formed in the manner specified
in this revelation. Was there any death in this creation after
the temporal was formed, before the fall? No. Were any birds of
the air subject to death? No. Were any of the fishes of the sea?
No. Were there any animals placed on the earth in their temporal
condition their bodies being formed and adapted to the spirit
that came from heaven--were any subject to death? No. Were they
ferocious? No. To every animal that God had granted life he had
given every green herb of the field for meat, whether it was the
lion, the leopard, the wolf, or whatever animal may have existed
upon the face of the earth. There was no such thing as one animal
destroying another--fighting and quarrelling were unknown among
the beasts of the field. A little child, if there had been any,
could have played, so far as any danger was concerned, with these
animals, and they feasted upon the green herbs which were given
to the beasts for their sustenance. By and by, a garden was made
eastward in Eden, in which the Lord planted a great many
beautiful trees. This was purely a temporal work, and that Garden
would have existed until to-day if death had not come into the
world through the fall of our first parents.
203
How different was the second or temporal work, that existed in
the beginning of the great work of creation, from the present
order of things! Now we see, and according to history we learn,
that all creation are at enmity one with another in their natural
state. Hence we find the lions with teeth, probably constructed
since the fall, and adapted to devour their prey. I do not
believe they had such teeth in the beginning. They had teeth with
which they ate "straw like the ox." But everything was changed in
a great measure, in this beautiful temporal creation; and the
beasts began to fight, and quarrel and devour each other; and man
began to be ferocious, like the beasts, desirous to kill his
fellow man. We see him at this early stage in our race, seeking
the blood of his fellows, and entering into secret combinations
to kill, and destroy, and rob one another of their position and
property, and to be at enmity one against another. The Lord in
the midst of this fallen condition of his temporal work, has
permitted it to continue for about 6,000 years. But mankind have
been devising a multitude of measures, by which they reform one
another; but after they get pretty well reformed they rise up
again and devour one another by wholesale. While they are engaged
in reforming each other, they are making weapons of destruction
to destroy one another. Enmity prevails, and has prevailed, for
the last 6,000 years, with the exception of now and then a
dispensation, being introduced, wherein this fallen nature of
ours becomes, in a great measure, changed through obedience to
the plan of salvation which God has revealed; and then we begin
to love our fellow-men, are filled with love and kindness like,
in some measure, our heavenly Father, going forth and proclaiming
to them the Gospel of peace, and trying to do them good, and
redeem them, and reclaim them; and we succeed, now and then, in
bringing some to a higher stake; they are born of God, and become
new creatures in Christ, being filled with that superior power,
that exists in that celestial world, where we formerly resided.
It comes down from the Father, and from the Son, and enters into
the hearts of the sons and daughters of God, and they are made
new creatures; they begin to love that which is good, and hate
that which is evil, and begin to perfect themselves in their
various dispensations, according to the light and knowledge sent
down from heaven for their perfection.
203
Notwithstanding so many dispensations, and the world has
continued so long under the power of Satan, now is the time when
the Lord our God has begun to send forth a proclamation of
redemption, to lift us up out of this low fallen condition in
which we have been placed, and our fathers before us, for so long
a time; and it so happens that we are living very near the period
when the earth will be restored from its fallen condition to that
same temporal condition in which it existed before the fall, when
there was no enmity existing between mankind. I say, the day is
now almost at hand when the Lord is going to begin the last of
his work, which will be to make this earth again temporal--or in
other words, to remove, in some measure, the curse--to restore it
back to the temporal condition in which it was when he first
organized it and before sin contaminated it.
203
In order to accomplish this work, he is working, according to his
own will and pleasure, among the nations, raising up a kingdom, a
nucleus, by taken them "one of a city and two of a family,"
gathering them out from every nation to the land of Zion and
planting the truth in their hearts; they become more and more
instructed and learn more and more of the ways of the Lord,
preparatory to the organization of this world again in its
temporal beauty and perfection as it was when it first issued
forth in its temporal form from the hands of the Almighty.
204
There is one thing connected with the temporal form of the earth
which I did not mention; I will refer to it now. While this earth
existed in its more perfect temporal form, Adam and Eve were
placed upon it, and they were immortal, just like all the beasts
and just like the fishes of the sea; death had not yet come upon
any of them; all things were immortal so far as this creation was
concerned. The first pairs, the beginning of his temporal work,
were not subject to death. And another thing, they were not to be
shut out from the presence of the Almighty. They could behold his
countenance, they could hear his voice. Those who then
existed--could converse with him freely. There was no veil
between them and the Lord. Now, when the more perfect temporal
condition shall be restored again, in the last of his work, and
the Lord shall begin to remodel this earth, to transfigure it,
and get it prepared for the righteous, the veil will be taken
away, in a measure; we shall behold the face of the Lord again;
we shall be able to associate with immortal beings again; and we
shall be able to enjoy a great many blessings that were
introduced in the beginning, which were lost through the fall.
The Lord Jesus Christ will be here, a part of the time, to
instruct us, and those ancient patriarchs, Adam included, will
come down out of their ancient celestial world, where they were
first made spiritual. They are coming upon this creation; and
they will have their homesteads here; and they will frequently,
no doubt, take great joy in gathering together their faithful
children, from the day of their own probation to the one
hundredth generation. It will be some pleasure for one of our
ancestors that was born a hundred generations ago to say, "Come,
my children, you that are here in the flesh that have not as yet
become immortal, you that dwell upon the face of this earth,
partially redeemed--come, I have some glorious tidings to
communicate to you. I have something that you are not in
possession of, knowledge you have not gained, because we have
been up in yonder celestial world; we have been dwelling in the
presence of our Father and God. We were restored there in the
dispensation in which we died and in which we were translated,
and we have learned a great many things that the children of
mortality do not know anything about. Come, gather yourselves
together, that you may behold your former fathers, your fathers'
fathers and so on, until you extend back for a hundred
generations. Hear the instructions that they shall impart to you.
They will tell you about the celestial kingdom, and the higher
glory thereof, and the blessings that are to be enjoyed by those
that attain to the fulness of that kingdom." Will not this be
encouraging to those that are yet mortal, during the millennium?
I think it will. Then will the knowledge of the fathers, the
knowledge of the earth, and of the things of God, and the
knowledge of that which is celestial, and great, and glorious,
and far beyond the comprehension of imperfect beings as we now
are in our fallen state--then that knowledge will be opened up to
the minds of the children of men, during their respective
generations here upon the earth, during the great sabbath of
creation. What is all this for? It is to prepare their children,
during the millennium that they may have this earth made
celestial, like unto the more ancient one, that they, with this
creation, may be crowned with the presence of God the Father, and
his Son Jesus Christ. We gain this knowledge and information by
degrees. Our children are educated and taught, until the heavens
become familiar with them; the Lord becomes familiar with them;
his countenance becomes familiar to all the righteous of the
earth. Before we can fully understand the nature of a still
greater change than that which has been wrought upon the temporal
creation, during the millennium, we begin to expect it, and look
for it, and bye and bye, when evil fruit again appears in the
Lord's vineyard, and the earth is corrupted by the sons of
perdition, and some of his people begin to reject the heavenly
light and deny their God,--when this period of time shall come
the earth will be spared only for a little season, and the end
will come, and the great white throne will appear, and God will
sit upon the throne, and utter forth his voice and our temporal
heaven will flee away; and this earth although it will be so
greatly blessed, although it is so far redeemed, although it is
inhabited by the righteous for a thousand years, yet, because it
will become contaminated, and because it has been so corrupted in
the past, in consequence of the fall of man, it will have to die
and undergo a greater change, than all those changes of which I
have spoken.
205
But what says the revelation, called the "Olive Leaf," given Dec.
27th, 1832, on this subject? We are told in this that the earth
shall die, and pass away, but it shall be quickened again, for
God shall quicken the earth upon which we live. It will become a
new earth; but will be prepared more perfectly than it was under
the three other conditions in which it was placed; first its
spiritual creation, secondly its temporal, in which its spiritual
and temporal were combined. The next condition is that of
restoring it from the fall back to a temporal condition, and then
a still greater change, like unto the death of our bodies, when
our bodies crumble back to mother earth and pass themselves among
the elements. So it will be with this earth. It will crumble, or
in other words, the elements will be separated asunder, and the
world will pass away from his presence. What next? Another great
change to be wrought. The same elements, constituting the earth,
and the atmosphere will be brought together again, in such a
manner and way, that the new earth will look like unto a sea of
glass, and those who are worthy of the celestial glory will
inhabit it forever. What will be the condition of the people who
dwell upon that glorious celestial world? They will have the
presence of God the Father with them. They will be permitted to
dwell where he is. He will light up that world; they will have no
need of the rays of the sun, as we now have, neither of the moon,
nor stars, so far a slight is concerned, for the Lord God will be
their light and their glory from that time henceforth and
forever. In this new creation the tree of life will flourish and
grow. All beings that partake of the fruit of the tree of life
will be constituted, so that they will live for ever and ever.
205
These are the different conditions of this creation given in a
general outline. We are now living near the close of 6000 years
during which time evil and wickedness have prevailed. The devil
has had great power and dominion over the generations of the
earth; and the earth itself has groaned under the load of sin and
corruption which has been upon its face. Enoch when enveloped in
the vision of the Almighty, beheld and heard the earth groan
under this load of wickedness, crying out to the Lord,
saying--"When will my creator sanctify me, that righteousness may
abide upon my face. When shall I rest from all the wickedness
that has gone out of me." He was informed that there was a day of
rest coming for old mother earth,--for he was grieved in his
heart for the earth itself, as well as the inhabitants thereof;
for he saw how the earth was afflicted, until she groaned to be
relived. But the time will come, when it will be sanctified. We
are living near that period of time. It is for this purpose you
have come to these mountains. It is for this purpose you have
received the spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost, the comforter, to
sanctify you, and prepare you to take part in this great work of
the latter-days, which God has decreed from the beginning should
come to pass in its time and season.
205
You have come from the nations abroad, to be instructed in the
ways of the Lord, to be taught in the ordinances that pertain to
the great and last dispensation of the fullness of
times,--ordinances that did not pertain to any former
dispensation,--ordinances that were not made known to any former
people, but ordinances and principles that pertain to the
exaltation and glory of the world which we inhabit.
206
This being then the present condition of our earth, the present
condition of the Latter-day Saints, and the work that is before
them, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, and for the
redemption of the earth, what manner of persons ought you and I
to be, to prepare for so great a change which is to come over the
face of this creation? How ought we to act and conduct ourselves?
How careful we ought to be in our doings, in all our
conversations, in all our ways, to sanctify the Lord God in our
hearts, to have an eye single to his glory, to keep his
commandments in all things, to obey him with full purpose of
heart, that we may be visited with more and more of that heavenly
divine spirit, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost which we had
confirmed upon us, by authority, through the laying on of hands.
That Comforter should be nourished and cherished in our hearts.
We should not grieve it. We should listen to its whisperings, and
we should seek after more light, and knowledge, and truth. We
must not expect the Holy Spirit to impart the future knowledge
that will be necessary for the advancement of Latter-day Saints
without any exertion of the mind on our part. In all things the
Lord requires man as an agent to exert his faculties in order to
obtain any blessing, of whatever nature it may be, whether it be
the spirit of vision or the spirit of translating, or any other
gift. We cannot let our minds remain dormant, taking no thought,
expecting to be filled with the spirit of translation, or the
spirit of inspiration, or revelation, or vision; but there must
be an exertion of the mind, there must be an exercise of the
agency of man and woman, in order that we may reach out after
these great and glorious gifts, promised to us. And by and by, we
will, after a school of experience has been given to us, find
ourselves advanced to that degree, that the Lord will condescend
to visit us by his angels--visit us by heavenly
communications--visit us by visions--visit us more fully by the
spirit of revelation that the worlds of Isaiah may be fulfilled
to the very letter. When speaking of the latter-day Zion, he
says, "Thy children shall all be taught of the Lord"--not being
under the necessity of being taught by man, but all shall know
the Lord from the least of them unto the greatest of them. This
is the promise. All the children will be taught from on high,
like the Nephite children in ancient days. We know how it was
with them. The power of the Holy Ghost descended upon them,
filling them, and encircling them round about, by a pillar of
fire, and their tongues were loosed, even the tongues of babes
and sucklings uttered forth great and marvelous things--far
greater than that which Jesus had taught to them. The Lord
operated upon them, to utter forth his knowledge, so that their
fathers marvelled exceedingly. So great was the power and
intelligence of Almighty God, manifested through these little
babes, that no man was permitted to write the words they spoke,
no man was permitted to utter them, no man was permitted to hand
down these things to future generations; they were things too
great, too glorious, too holy, too far advanced for the children
of this world. Hence they were hidden up from the world.
206
May God assist us, and pour out his Holy Spirit upon us is my
prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, March 1st, 1880
John Taylor, March 1st, 1880
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Kaysville, on Sunday Afternoon, March 1st, 1880.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
SUSTAINING THE AUTHORITIES--POWER OF THE
PRIESTHOOD--FAITHFULNESS REQUIRED, ETC.
207
We have been voting for our officers and for those holding places
in the Church and kingdom of God in this stake of Zion. And it is
well for us sometimes to understand what we do in relation to
these matters. We hold up our right hand when voting in token
before God that we will sustain those for whom we vote; and if we
cannot feel to sustain them we ought not to hold up our hands,
because to do this, would be to act the part of hypocrites. And
the question naturally arises, how far shall we sustain them? Or
in other words, how far are we at liberty to depart from this
covenant which we make before each other and before our God? For
when we lift up our hands in this way, it is in token to God that
we are sincere in what we do, and that we will sustain the
parties we vote for. This is the way I look at these things. How
far then should we sustain them, and how far should we not? This
is a matter of serious importance to us; if we agree to do a
thing and do not do it, we become covenant breakers and violators
of our obligations, which are, perhaps, as solemn and binding as
anything we can enter into.
208
We frequently pass by many of those important things which we
have engaged to abide by, and sometimes begin to whisper by way
of complaining or finding fault one with another after we have
entered into solemn obligations that we will not do it. What is
meant by sustaining a person? Do we understand it? It is a very
simple thing to me; I do not know how it is with you. For
instance, if a man be a teacher, and I vote that I will sustain
him in his position, when he visits me in an official capacity I
will welcome him and treat him with consideration, kindness and
respect and if I need counsel I will ask it at his hand, and I
will do everything I can to sustain him. That would be proper and
a principle of righteousness, and I would not say anything
derogatory to his character. If that is not correct I have it yet
to learn. And then if anybody in my presence were so whisper
something about him disparaging to his reputation, I would say,
Look here! are you a Saint? Yes. Did you not hold up your hand to
sustain him? Yes. Then why do you not do it? Now, I would call an
action of that kind sustaining him. If any man make an attack
upon his reputation--for all men's reputations are of importance
to them--I would defend him in some such way. When we vote for
men in the solemn way in which we do, shall we abide by our
covenants? or shall we violate them? If we violate them we become
covenant breakers. We break our faith before God an our brethren,
in regard to the acts of men whom we have covenanted to sustain.
But supposing he should do something wrong, supposing he should
be found lying or cheating, or defrauding somebody; or stealing
or anything else, or even become impure in his habits, would you
still sustain him? It would be my duty then to talk with him as I
would with anybody else, and tell him that I had understood that
things were thus and so, and that under these circumstances I
could not sustain him; and if I found that I had been misinformed
I would withdraw the charge; but if not it would then be my duty
to see that justice was administered to him, that he was brought
before the proper tribunal to answer for the things he had done;
and in the absence of that I would have no business to talk about
him.
208
It is well for us to get at some of these little things; they are
matters, however, of a good deal of importance. What I have said
with regard to a teacher, would apply to the priest and the
deacon.
209
Then, again, we have bishops, We vote for them; and they hold a
portion of the priesthood which renders their duties many times
very unpleasant; that is naturally they would be unpleasant; but
no duty ought to be unpleasant to the servants of God. Now,
supposing the bishop should do something that is wrong, what
would be our duty? It would be to go to him and say, "Bishop, I
have reason to believe that thing are thus and so, evidence
having been presented to me, and it is of such a character that I
am inclined to think that you have been taking a wrong course and
therefore I have come to talk to you, yourself, about the
matter." Who ought to do this? Anybody. What, would not his
position deprive us of that right of approaching him? No.
Supposing you had been injured by him, or somebody else had been
injured by him, or something had occurred that caused you to
entertain feelings against him it would be much better to probe
the thing to the bottom and have it straightened out than to
foster it and allow it to corrode and interfere with your peace
and happiness, because you have covenanted to sustain him; on the
other hand, we cannot sustain anything that is unrighteous,
impure or unholy. We go to him and say, Bishop so and so, I have
come to see you on unpleasant business--you may be polite about
it or you may not--but people can always afford to be polite; I
have learned thus and so; I hope I am misinformed, can you
explain that to me? If the matter could be explained to your
satisfaction you would be glad of it; but whether it could be or
not you would have the satisfaction of knowing that you had
performed your duty. If not, however, and the matter be of such a
character as to call for an investigation, it would be proper
that it be inquired into by the proper authorities. Then you are
free, and you have not violated any covenant. If any covenants
have been violated, it is he that is guilty, and it is for him to
account for his acts to the Lord and his brethren; and if no
wrong shall be found in him, there is no good man but what would
be pleased to see such a man acquitted. But while we seek equity
and justice on the one hand, on the other we must not interfere
with the rights of anybody; no matter who it is that indulges in
iniquity, their iniquity will find them out sooner or later. And
it is better for us instead of talking to this one and the other,
if wrong exists, to go direct to the persons themselves and have
it adjusted, then bring it up according to the rules laid down
governing such matters. Then the doer of the wrong is accountable
for the wrong, not somebody else. Then when he is dealt with by
the Church, whether he be a teacher, priest, deacon, bishop or
anybody else, you are free from all responsibility afterwards of
sustaining that man. And until the proper course has been taken
with such a person, we should be very careful what course we
pursue in relation to this kind of thing, so that we do not
violate our covenants.
209
There is an uneasy feeling existing among some people: they can
see plenty of wrong all around if they have a mind to; and some
will apostatize because somebody else has done wrong. What a
foolish course that is to pursue! If we follow God's plan we can
bring the sin right home to the man who has done the wrong; and
if he did not repent of it, he would have to be cut off. But the
devil would say, "I would not stop in a church where there were
such folks." He would first influence a number of the people to
do wrong, and then he would try to get the others to leave the
Church because some of the members were doing wrong. That however
would be foolish, and contrary to the order of God.
209
The Lord has placed in his Church Apostles and Prophets, High
Priests, Seventies, Elders, etc., what for? For the perfecting of
the Saints. Are we all perfect to begin with? No. These various
officers are for perfecting of the Saints. What else? For the
work of the ministry; that men might be qualified and informed
and be full of intelligence, wisdom and light, and learn to
proclaim the principles of eternal truth and to bring out from
the treasury of God things new and old, things calculated to
promote the welfare of the people. Now, then, these offices
having been placed in the Church, every man ought to be respected
in his office. I know some of you think we can respect some, and
some we cannot respect; we can respect some of the prominent
authorities--I do not know who they are, do you? You remember
when Jesus was upon the earth, some of his followers were
contending, as to who was the greatest: and he took a little
child and placed it in their midst, he said, "he that can be most
like this little child, is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven." And I will tell you more than that, that the teacher, or
deacon that fulfills his duties is a great deal more honorable
than a president or any of the twelve that does not. And there
are duties and responsibilities devolving on all of us pertaining
to these matters; and we ought to be very careful in all our acts
that we do not transgress the laws of God.
211
In a few remarks yesterday I referred to the various officers of
the Church, and to some of the leading duties that devolve upon
them to attend to. There are duties devolving upon all of us
which we cannot ignore. Duties as Apostles, duties as presidents
of stakes, duties as bishops, duties as high councilors, duties
pertaining to all the various officers in the Church. Well, can
any man that has received the holy priesthood, and who
comprehends the position he occupies before God--which very few
of us can do--can he afford to neglect any of those duties? I
think not. We call this organization that we are associated with,
the church and kingdom of God. Is it the Church of God? Yes. Then
it is God's church is it not? Yes. Who is at the head of it? The
Lord ought to be, and we ought to be subject to him. Who? Why
every one of us; myself, say, and all the Twelve, the presidents
of stakes, the bishops, the high priests, the elders, the
seventies, the high councilors, and all men in the Church ought
to feel that we are the church of God, in the Church of God and
subject to the law of God. We talk about a priesthood; who are
the Priesthood, and what is it? As I understand it, it is the
rule and the government of God, whether it exists in the heavens
or on the earth; whether we refer to the things of time or to the
things of eternity; whether we refer to spiritual things or to
temporal things, they are, or ought to be, under the guidance and
dominion of God. How and from whom did we receive our authority?
Let us go back for a while, and who could we find anywhere upon
the earth that had authority even to proclaim the Gospel, or to
administer in the ordinances of the Gospel? Could we find
anybody? No, we could not. I could not in my younger days--and I
sought diligently for it, but I could not find anybody who
possessed it. What, not among the religious professors of the
world. Nowhere among the learned, the intelligent, the
scientific? No, nowhere. Very well, how did we come at a
knowledge of this? God revealed it to his servant Joseph Smith.
And when he did so, he did not say much about it himself. The
first thing he did when he appeared to Joseph was to introduce
his Son; pointing unto him, he said: "This is my beloved Son,
hear him." And what did the Son say? We have his teachings in the
Gospel, in his communications with the Nephites and others. Then
there were others who held the priesthood with him; who held it
on the earth and who now hold it in eternity, and who held the
keys of this priesthood; and those several parties came and
conferred the keys which they held upon him, but not until the
Lord had come and given them permission to do so. Hence we got
our Aaronic priesthood through that means, and we got our
Melchizedek priesthood through that means, and any office or
ordinance that any of you have received, you received it through
that medium, or you have received none at all. Very well, what
does it lead us to? To those whom we call sons of God. Just as it
was said on former occasions, "Now are we 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." Very well, we are the sons of God then, the chosen of God,
the elect of God, called by him, set apart by him, through the
medium of this holy priesthood of which I have spoken. And if we
have received any office, or calling, or authority, or any power
to administer in any of the ordinances, we have received that
from the hand of God, and we can only perform these ordinances
according to the priesthood we are permitted to possess. For
instance, an elder cannot perform the labor of an apostle; a
bishop cannot perform the labor of an apostle; and a bishop, as a
bishop, outside of other things, has not authority to lay on
hands to impart the gift of the Holy Ghost; whatever he may do in
that capacity it is through the Melchizedek Priesthood which he
holds, and he could not do it without. Can a priest lay hands
upon people and say, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost?" No, it does not
belong to him to do it. Well, then, men are necessarily confined
to operate within the limits and authority of the various offices
of the priesthood to which they are called and ordained--an elder
to perform the office of an elder, a priest to perform the office
of a priest. In early days it was quite common for a priest to go
out and preach the Gospel and baptize people for the remission of
sins, and then call upon an elder to lay hands upon them to
confirm them members of the Church, for the priest did not have
the power to do it. And while the priest could baptize, a teacher
or a deacon could not, not having the authority to do it; if they
were to do it, it would not amount to anything. There is strict
order about these things associated with the Church and kingdom
of God. Well, then, on the other hand, if we perform our duties,
each one of us in our proper position, God gives us power to
accomplish the object we have in view, no matter what it is, or
what priesthood we hold; no matter whether it is the president of
the Church, or the president of the stake, a bishop, a high
councilor, a high priest, a seventy, or an elder, priest, teacher
or deacon; no matter what, if they perform duties with an eye
single to the glory of God, he will sustain them in their
operations and administrations.
211
Now, I will refer to a principle which is perhaps one of the
greatest manifestations of the power and goodness of God that
exists in this Church, and at the same time one that is as little
noticed; but one wherein God does manifest himself in a most
remarkable manner in the view of all reflecting, intelligent men.
For instance, the elders go forth to preach the Gospel; they call
upon people to repent and to be baptized in the name of Jesus for
the remission of their sins. Did you ever think what the name
meant? If a man go in the name of another person, he goes by the
authority of that person. If an agent, say of Z. C. M. I., or any
other firm, go in the name of this firm, it is expected that he
has credentials from the firm he represents. Or, if a governor
comes here, he is first appointed by the proper
authorities--nominated by the President and confirmed by the
Senate of the United States, and he comes with proper credentials
to act as governor of this Territory; he comes in the name or by
the authority of the United States; and the government of the
United States feels itself bound to back up his acts, the same as
a mercantile firm would feel obligated to acknowledge the acts of
its agents.
211
Now, then, the Lord has commenced his Church here upon the earth.
He has conferred upon men his holy Melchizedek priesthood; he has
told them to go forth and preach and call upon the people to
repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, for the remission of
sins and they should receive the Holy Ghost. You all know about
these things, it is not necessary to talk much about them.
213
Very well; now, then, this elder goes forth in the name of God,
does he not? That is the way I understand it--by the authority of
the Lord, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he preaches
this doctrine to the people. "Now," says he, "repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus, for the
remission of your sins, and you shall receive the Holy Ghost." A
priest could not say, You shall receive the Holy Ghost; a teacher
or a deacon could not say it, neither could a bishop say it by
virtue of his bishopric, but he could by virtue of the high
priesthood he holds. Now, then, let any of these men go to work
and lay hands on anybody for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and they
might as well do anything else, it would not amount to anything.
But an elder, or anyone holding the proper authority, comes
along, and takes the candidate for baptism and, after baptizing
him, he lays his hands upon his head and says: "In the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and by virtue of the holy priesthood
conferred upon me, I lay my hands upon your head and confirm you
a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and
I say unto you, receive ye the Holy Ghost." Did you ever think of
that? It is quite a significant thing, is it not? And you do it
in the name of Jesus Christ and by authority which God has given
you. You lay your hands upon the individual who has been baptized
for the remission of sins, and say, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost,"
and he receives it. If that is not so, tell me, will you, you
that have had hands laid upon your heads by the elders of this
Church. You know what I say is true. Now, I propose to show a
certain principle, namely, that God is true to the covenants
which he makes with us, and that there is no violation of the law
or promises on his part. God will bless a teacher of this Church
when he goes forth in the performance of his duties among the
people; he will bless a bishop in his administration, and others
in the discharge of their several duties, no matter what their
priesthood may be. But here is an important item: there are some
of these things which I have referred to that some cannot
do--they cannot not lay hands upon them to impart unto them the
Holy Ghost. If an elder can, he does it by and through the
authority of Jesus Christ, through the medium of the holy
priesthood conferred upon him by those holding authority. And
when he performs this act, the recipients having complied with
the requirements--faith, repentance and baptism--when he lays his
hands upon their heads, God sanctions his action by imparting the
Holy Ghost. Thus proving that God is true to his agreement; and
through that means we become the sons of God and belong to the
household of faith, and to us properly belong the covenants and
blessings associated therewith. These are the initiatory steps.
And we have a witness within ourselves, each one of us, in regard
to those great principles that God has revealed to the human
family. Now, then, are we the sons of God? Is he our Father? Yes.
Have we received his Spirit, whereby we are enabled to cry, "Abba
Father," or "my Father?" Yes. What have we done since we received
it? We do not like to look at some of our acts when we think of
these things; we would rather we could blot them out from our
memories, but we cannot; they are there. And when we reflect upon
our follies, our imperfections and our iniquities of various
kinds, how do we feel? We do not feel pleasant about it. God has
conferred upon us the greatest treasure and the greatest boon he
could bestow upon the human family, but we have received the
treasure in earthen vessels. We often do things we ought not to
do, and leave undone things we ought to do; and how often have we
grieved the Spirit of God within us! He has done more for us than
this. He has placed us here in his Church and kingdom; he has
gathered us together; he has organized us according to the laws
and order of the holy priesthood. He has united us to our wives,
and our wives to their husbands, with an everlasting covenant
that cannot be broken. But we break it sometimes, don't we? He
has shown us how and in what way our wives may be united with us
in the eternities to come, and how we may have our children
sealed to us and be one with us in time and in eternity, and has
poured blessings upon many of our heads that will exist while
time shall last and eternity endure. It was said of Jesus, that
to his government and dominion there should be no end. And the
same has been said of a great many more; and yet we will allow
little things to separate us from our God, and from our brethren,
and from our wives and then our wives from their husbands, and
break up, and rant and rear and destroy, until we hardly know
whether it is us or somebody else. Sometimes we hardly know
whether we are in the Church and kingdom of God or not, until in
many instances the light within us becomes darkness, and then,
oh, how great is that darkness! It is necessary that we should
study well and watch well the path of our feet. We are here
laying the foundation for eternity, and for no other purpose. We
are here that we may receive bodies, that in our bodies and
spirits, and through them and through the powers of the
priesthood and the everlasting Gospel, we may gain a position by
and bye, among the Gods in the eternal worlds, and with them
possess a glory and dominion and authority, power and exaltation
that has hardly entered into our hearts to conceive of. And yet,
we will fritter away our privileges, treat lightly the things of
God, disregard the counsels of God and the priesthood of God, and
wander in by and forbidden paths, and lose sight of these great
and glorious principles that God has revealed for the salvation
of the human family.
213
Referring to the principle of union, we ought to be one. We have
things come up quite frequently, say, in a legislative capacity
and otherwise, and our legislators and others enter into certain
measures, but the people will not be sufficiently united to carry
them out. And there seems to be a spirit, more or less among the
people like this: some will brusquely and thoughtlessly say, "I
will be damned if I don't have my own way." All right. I will
tell you another thing: you will be damned if you do, unless your
way is the way that God will sanction.
214
Let me speak of some other things associated with this. If we had
perfect union, what is there we could not accomplish? And yet God
has done a great deal for us. We have for instance, one man in
Congress to represent our interests; only one man, and he has not
a vote at that. And in a great many instances the combined powers
of the United States have been plotting against us, and it is
to-day seeking our overthrow. And why? Because we dare believe in
God, and because we dare keep his commandments, miserably as we
do it, and the little we do of it. We do not do much, but the
little we do, produces this kind of feeling; because this world
is opposed to God and to his laws and to his church and kingdom.
And what have they done hitherto? You could not get a man
anywhere in the United States that knows anything of the workings
of government or affairs brought in operation against us, but
what believed that we would have been destroyed and swept off the
earth long ago. But we are still here. Why? Not because you and I
had fulfilled all our covenants and observed the laws of God; but
it is because God knows and remembers that we are but flesh, but
weak, fallen humanity; he remembers we are but dust; it is
because he feels kindly and graciously toward us, and has said
that it is his business to take care of his Saints, and to fight
our battles for us. It is not because of what we have done, for
we have not done much. And if God had not sustained us and turned
away and restrained the wrath of mar, we would not have been here
to-day. Now, this is a fact. Well, God is kind to us; do not let
us treat him so thoughtlessly; do not let us treat his ordinances
lightly; but rather let us reverence and esteem those men upon
whom God has placed his holy priesthood, and let us try by our
faith and prayers and by our acts, to sustain them in all
particulars as we agreed to do when we held up our hands. And
then I ask no odds of the combined powers of the whole world, for
God is on our side, and as long as we maintain our position
before him, I will risk the balance. He holds the nations in his
hands, and he will say to them, as he did to the waves of the
mighty ocean--"Hitherto shalt thou go and no farther, and here
shall thy proud waves be stayed." And they cannot help
themselves. We are in the hands of God, and they are. And I am
afraid sometimes, when I see the follies of my brethren; I
tremble for the result; but God is gracious and kind. Do not let
us be ungrateful, but let us try to remember the blessing with
which we are surrounded, the benefits he confers upon us--the
light of the holy Gospel, our present and eternal associations;
and remember that we are placed here as representatives of God
upon the earth, to operate with prophets and apostles and men of
God who lived and died and are now behind the vail, to operate
with them in the accomplishment of the purposes of God,
pertaining to the earth whereon we stand. We are living in an
eventful time, in the dispensation of the fullness of times, the
period in which God has said he would gather together all things
in one, whether they be things in heaven or things on the earth;
and therefore, he has organized us as we are.
215
When Jesus was here he felt the importance of the things I am now
speaking of; and when he was about to leave his disciples he knew
what the powers of darkness were, for he battled with them; and,
indeed he was able to do so, having been anointed with the oil of
gladness above his fellows. But notwithstanding this and the fact
of his being the Only Begotten of the Father, yet, when he came
to wrestle with the difficulties he had to cope with, he sweat
great drops of blood, and said "Father, if it be possible, let
this cup pass from me; I shrink to encounter the things I have to
cope with, but nevertheless, not my will but thine be done." Now,
we have to pass through a variety of things; many of us are tried
and tempted, and we get harsh and hard feelings against one
another. And it reminds me of your teams when going down hill
with a heavy load. When the load begins to crowd on to the
horses, you will frequently see one snap at his mate, and the
other will prick up his ears and snap back again. And why? A
little while before, perhaps, and they were playing with each
other. Because the load crowds on them. Well, when the load
begins to crowd, do not snap at your brethren, but let them feel
that you are their friends, and pull together. Says Jesus, with
reference to his disciples, "Father, I pray that these may be
one, I in them and thou in me; that that spirit, O God that
dwells in thee and that thou hast imparted unto me, might also
dwell in them, and that their hearts may be united together by
the bonds of eternal life and fellowship and priesthood; that
they may feel after one another's welfare and seek to promote one
another's happiness, we having drunk of that river, the streams
whereof shall make glad the city of our God:" that it may arise
and flow and bubble in our hearts, and that its vivifying streams
may be felt wherever we go, an that the influence and light and
power and spirit and intelligence of God may be with us, that we
may be one, according to the prayer of our Lord, "As I Father, am
in thee, and thou in me, that the world may know that thou has
sent me." These principles are as eternal as the heavens. Do they
exist in heaven? Yes. You read the first chapter of Genesis
pertaining to these matters; and how is it? "In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form
and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
215
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
215
He had nobody around him to rise up and say, had you not better
put it off for a little while, or otherwise change things, or to
intimate that they were not prepared for what was done. No, they
knew better. I suppose it would be more correct to render it,
"And the Gods said, Let there be light, etc" But to us you now
there is only one God; and he said, let there be light, and there
was light. And God saw the light that it was good. It was made
according to eternal principles according to the strictest
principles of intelligence and philosophy; and when it was made,
it was declared good.
215
In the councils of the Gods in the eternal worlds there was no
confusion--I rather think there were no politicians there, no one
to get up any feelings of animosity. Things were agreed upon, and
when this was done they were carried out. When agreed upon God
would say, let so and so be done, and it was done. Now, we see
that there was perfect unanimity; but there was not always
unanimity in heaven even. What, not in heaven? No, not until one
third part was cast out; and I do not think that it was for doing
any good. Sometimes I think we will have to cast out quite a
number too, in order to get things in the right shape. Satan was
cast out, and those that adhered to him who rebelled against God
in the eternal worlds. Well, everything has not been altogether
pure in heaven; but they straightened them out as well as they
could, as we do here sometimes, and as we do not do here very
often.
216
And when we talk about the heavens, there will be a new heaven as
well as a new earth. You know, we read that there will be a new
heaven and a new earth, wherein righteousness will dwell.
217
Well, we are here struggling and trying to introduce correct
principles, and to advance not only the interests of the Church
of God, but the kingdom of God, for God will have a kingdom. I
hope you will not tell it to anybody if I tell you something--God
will have a kingdom, and he will have rule and dominion, for this
earth belongs to him and he will possess it, and his Saints will
inherit it at last. We did not use to be afraid of talking about
these things. In former times they told us that the Saints of the
Most High should finally take the kingdom and the greatness of
the kingdom, which should be given to the Saints of the Most High
God. Do you believe it? I happen to be one who believes it. And I
prophesy that it will be fulfilled. But we are a sorry lot of
people to do a thing of that kind, are we not? We have not made
much progress yet in the race; we are only preparing for it, many
of us cannot do what Brother Joseph F. Smith was talking about
yesterday, that is making a sacrifice and feel that we are for
God and his kingdom. But we can hardly get out of it. I tell you
how some of us feel--"God bless me and my wife, my son John and
his wife us four and no more. Amen." That feeling is a long way
from the other. God feels interested in the welfare of the whole
human family. What, of the Saints? Yes, and others too. But the
others do not have the priesthood. The others, if they ever
obtain a celestial glory, will have to obtain it through the
Latter-day Saints. What manner of people ought we to be? A little
different from what we are. We think it troublesome sometimes to
pay our tithing; we think it troublesome sometimes to pray in our
families; we think it troublesome sometimes to feed the poor and
take care of the destitute. Well, suppose we were to change
places a little while with them, how would you feel then? You
would feel that it was much better to give than to receive. We
want our feelings and sympathies drawn out. And God has placed us
where we are, in order that we may be preserved to receive
instructions from his hands. We have in our school operations
what we call our normal schools, to prepare teachers to teach
others. Now, the Lord has a normal school in Utah. He is
preparing us in a variety of ways--sometimes we have not enough
snow in the winter season, and consequently a scarcity of water
in the summer; sometimes too much rain, and at other times not
enough; we have some wise and some unwise, and we have some rich
and some poor. Yes, we have some who are poor among us, and why?
We would not know what it was to see persons in those
circumstances if we did not have some among us, and then, the
opportunity is afforded us to show our kindness, and to develop
within us that fellow-feeling we sometimes talk about. But we do
not want to call them poor, for some of them are just as good as
we are, and some perhaps a little better than many of us. If good
people are suffering for the common necessaries of life, the
scriptures say, "If a man having this world's goods see his
brother in need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion, how
dwelleth the love of God in him?" And in regard to those matters,
we ought to look to the wants of everybody; that, however, more
particularly devolves upon the bishops and the brethren of the
Aaronic priesthood. Do not let us make paupers of them; but let
us treat them as brethren and sisters, as good, honorable men and
women; let us see that they are provided for. I have seen some
people who would get down upon their knees and pray most heartily
for God to feed the poor and clothe the naked. Now, I would never
ask the Lord to do a thing that I would not do. If we have them
among us, suppose we go at it and relieve them. I do not think we
have much of that to do here; but, enough, perhaps, to draw forth
your good feelings and sympathies. And if people sustain
misfortune of any kind, look after them and bestow upon them
those things necessary for their welfare and happiness. And God
will bless us in so doing. I would a great deal rather that you
would take, say a sack of flour, some beef, a hundred of sugar,
some butter and cheese, and clothing and fuel, and such comforts
and conveniences of life, and thus try to make people feel happy
than all the prayers you could offer up to the Lord about it; and
he would rather see it too; that is the proper way to do things.
In receiving blessings ourselves, try to distribute them, and God
will bless and guide us in the ways of peace.
217
Perhaps I am occupying too much time. I do not care much about
making a big discourse; I am talking in a plain, easy way, and I
think you understand it. And if there is a widow, or an orphan,
or any destitute persons, or any one who has to struggle hard,
look after them, and do not try to make paupers of them; but what
you do for them, do it in a kind, good feeling making them to
feel and realize that you are their friends. And then, let us try
to do away with all our little difficulties--husbands with their
wives. Why will you complain about your wives? Because they will
get cross. Are you not cross? "Yes; but my wife is not as kind as
she used to be." Well, try to get along with her, and treat her
kindly; and be kind to one another. If you live in this way while
here in the flesh, you will be glad to meet one another in the
eternal worlds. Cultivate every good principle, and live in his
fear day by day, and he will take care of us, and he will bless
and multiply our flocks and herds, our lands and everything we
have.
217
I will tell you a secret. If we could only prepare ourselves to
do the will of God and keep his commandments and live our
religion so that God could trust us with more means than we have,
he would so order things, and that too by natural ways, that our
desires in that direction would be fully gratified. But we are
not prepared for it; it would only destroy us, and lead us to the
devil; and the Lord knows it. At the same time we cannot complain
in this regard; the Lord has treated us very well. I do not know
of a people anywhere that are better off as a whole than we are.
It is true we do not have the amount of wealth among us that may
be found in older countries; but then we do not have the poverty,
the suffering and distress that may be found elsewhere. It is for
us to introduce principles that will obviate all these
difficulties, and that will prepare us to receive blessings from
God, and to administer the same wisely.
218
Another thing. We are building temples. Are we doing pretty well?
Yes. Do you find fault? No. I have nothing to say about it; I
think the people are doing very well especially in some districts
in the north and south, indeed, I think more than they are able
to do. But they could not do what they have already done and what
they are doing without the assistance and blessing of the
Almighty. They are building two beautiful edifices. What for? Is
it a matter of speculation? Yes, one of the greatest speculations
ever conceived of. It is for the salvation of the human family;
it is for the redemption of the living and salvation of the dead.
It is for the accomplishment of the purposes of God pertaining to
the inhabitants of the earth, our forefathers, and then, all we
can attain to after that. In those things we are doing very, very
well; and I feel to bless the people because of their liberality
in relation to those matters, especially those of the districts I
have referred to.
219
Well, now, I do not know that I should detain you much longer.
What shall we do? Keep our covenants, sustain Brother Smith; and
let Brother Smith act in a way that will be worthy of being
sustained. And then sustain your bishops, and let them also so
act as to be worthy of your esteem. And sustain their counselors,
and hearken to their counsels and advice. They are seeking to do
you good; and to build up your interests. and then sustain your
teachers, and your deacons and your priests, and do all you can
to lift them up that they may be enabled to do a good work in
their day and generation, and benefit you and your generations
after you. And then there are others. You have your Relief
Societies, and I am glad always to speak a word in behalf of
them. Our sisters are one with us; and we are operating together
in trying to build up the kingdom of God. I would say to the
sisters I would watch after the youth and after the interests of
the sisters, and try to introduce everything good and
praiseworthy, and try to do all you can to promote the welfare of
your sons and daughters; and God will bless you as he has done,
and more abundantly. I was pleased to hear a compliment that was
made to our Young people's Mutual Improvement Associations. It is
gratifying to parents and to all who have the interests of Zion
at heart, to hear of, and to see our young men and women grow up
in the fear of God. Some, as is the case everywhere are inclined
to be a little rude and thoughtless. It is our privilege, and the
privilege of the youth, to improve, and to cultivate our morals
and manners so that if it should ever be our pleasure to mingle
with the angels, we should find the most happy and enjoyable
society. Let us learn to treat one another with kindness and
courtesy, and let the young cultivate the fear of God. I tell you
what I used to do when quite a young boy. I made it a practice to
go and call upon the Lord; it was before there was any
"Mormonism." And many score times have I gone into fields behind
the bushes, and also into hay lofts to call upon God to guide me
and keep me from evil and to lead me in the paths of
righteousness. Did I feel happy? Yes, for I had a portion of the
Spirit of God with me. How much better in this respect it is for
our youth. I had parents who feared God, but they, any more than
any one else, did not know anything at all about the true plan of
salvation, for it had not been revealed. I sued to go to the
Church of England; and many of you present used to go too; and we
used to say that we were all "miserable sinners." We also
confessed every sunday that we had "done the things we ought not
to have done, and left undone the things which we ought to have
done." This was all very true. The teachers themselves did not
know any better, neither did we. But I used to take pleasure in
calling upon the Lord to lead me in the right way. I did not have
the helps that you have. You have the benefit of your mutual
Improvement Societies. Attend them, and seek to cultivate
intelligence of every kind; and above all, reverence and respect
your parents, they who have watched over you and take care of
you, they who have educated you and fed and clothed you and felt
an interest in your welfare.
219
And in regard to all of our operations, brethren and sisters, let
us ever try to do right, and let us try to invent something
whereby we can be self-sustaining; let us purchase from our own
people, and above all let us try to make our own goods and supply
our own wants and necessities. Let us try and carry these
principles out, for they are true and correct. And if there is
anything good and praise-worthy, let us seek after it; and shun
everything that tends to misery, degradation and death.
219
God bless you, and lead you in the paths of life. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Charles W. Penrose, August 8th, 1880
Charles W. Penrose, August 8th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER C. W. PENROSE,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
August 8th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE INSPIRATION OF THE LORD'S
SERVANTS--REVELATION--THE RESURRECTION, ETC.
220
Having been called upon this afternoon to address this
congregation, I rise before you trusting that the Holy Spirit,
which makes plain to the human mind the things of God, may rest
upon me and upon you; that I may be inspired by that Spirit to
say something which will be of profit to those who hear, and that
those who listen to what I may say may be able to understand in
the same light and under the same influence as that by which the
words are spoken.
220
The elders of this Church, in ministering as public speakers,
stand before the people in the name of the Lord. They do not
address congregations for the purpose of ventilating the opinions
and ideas which they may entertain, but they occupy the position
of ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ, to speak that which is
given to them by the influence of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless,
the servants of God are instructed to "treasure up in their
hearts continually the words of life," with the promise that if
they do this and are diligent in seeking for the mind and will of
God, in the very hour that they are needed words shall be placed
in their mouths, or ideas be brought up in their minds, which
shall be for the benefit of all who hear. It is in this Spirit
that I endeavor to address the congregation this afternoon, and I
hope I shall have not only your attention, but the benefit of
your faith and prayers, that the Spirit of God may rest upon me
and the congregation also.
221
We are living upon the earth at a time when there are a great
many creeds--a great many different doctrines, each professing to
be the true faith--the Christian religion. There is a spirit of
doubt and division in the world. Men are ever learning but not
able to come to a knowledge of the truth. They indulge in a great
many speculations. Some good people study the Scriptures and
endeavor to find out what is divine truth, but their ideas are
various; they do not come to the unity of the faith; and the
great reason why this is so is because they do not seek to the
fountain of light and truth with the expectation of receiving any
reply. In olden times God used to speak to the people. He had
servants upon the earth who spoke as they were moved upon by the
Holy Ghost; angels ministered to the sons of men, and truth was
revealed in great plainness from the Father. But in these times
people have to put up with the ideas and notions that men hold in
relation to these truths which were anciently revealed. There is
now no voice from heaven, no prophet among the people; there are
no inspired apostles; angels have ceased to minister, and to use
the words of one of the great divines of the day, "The awful
voice of prophecy is silenced forever."
221
Of course in making use of these remarks I am speaking in
relation to what is called the Christian world. The Latter-day
Saints believe that God is the same yesterday, to-day and
forever, and that if he is sought after to-day in the same way
that he was sought after yesterday, he will answer in the same
manner. We believe that it is just as possible for angels to come
to earth in these times as in any former age of the world; we
believe that the power of the Holy Ghost is the same to-day as it
was thousands of years ago; that divine truth can be made
manifest direct from God to the people now as it was in the days
of Jesus, or in the days of the prophets who preceded him on the
earth.
221
The religion we Latter-day Saints have received--which we hold
to, which we live for, and which a great many of us are willing
to die for, if necessary--has come to us by revelation from God
in the day and age in which we live. In taking up the writings of
the old prophets, in reading the letters written by the ancient
apostles, we find that the religion which God has revealed to us,
is the same religion which God revealed to them. What is
contained in the Bible corroborates that which we have received,
and the spirit which accompanies the preaching of the word to us,
is similar in its effects to that spirit which accompanied the
preaching of the ancient prophets and apostles of the Lord. We
find this out by reading that portion of their records which has
been left. So that the religion of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints is not a mere theory of men. The doctrines
which we have received have come to us direct from the Lord in
our own time. We are not left to speculation, we are not left to
our own theories, but we have defined principles given to us of
God for our guidance, for our comfort and for our edification.
221
Now, there is a disposition existing in the world to-day to go
away from the Lord. Men seem to have a desire to follow out their
own imaginations, their own ideas and notions, and in consequence
of this a great many wrong principles have been received for
truth in the Christian world, and this disposition seems to
increase. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Saints in his day,
advised them to "beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy
and vain deceit, after the tradition of man, after the rudiments
of the world and not after Christ." Now, that same advice is good
for the people in our times; good for the Latter-day Saints; good
for the people who compose the various sects of modern
Christendom. If we have received the doctrines of Christ, if our
feet are planted firmly upon the rock which he has laid, there is
no fear of our going astray; but if we depart from that and walk
in the ways of men, and are led by their theories and their
speculations and their vain philosophy, e are very likely to go
astray.
222
I notice in reading some of the works of modern divines, and
noting the progress of religious thought among the people, that
there is a doctrine which is becoming very widespread among the
people called "Christians," that is, a heresy in regard to the
doctrine of our condition in the future. It is believed by a
great many people at the present time, that there is no such
thing as a literal resurrection of the body; that when this body
is laid away in the ground and goes back to the elements out of
which it was organized, that is the end of the body, and that it
will never come up gain. They do not see any need of a literal
resurrection of the body; they cannot perceive by what process it
can be resuscitated; and not being able to comprehend how this
great change can come, how the scattered elements of the body can
be brought together again, they reject the doctrine altogether.
This is the belief of the people who are called spiritualists or
spiritists. This is one of the doctrines of that great delusion
of the latter times, that "strong delusion" that the Lord has
permitted to come into the world because men would not receive
the truth, but turned away from it and loved a lie. It is taught
by that rapping and muttering influence, that when the spirit
leaves the body and passes into another state, that is the
resurrection; that the body will be raised up no more; that the
spirit, liberated from the body, will progress from sphere to
sphere--how many spheres they do not know--but that there is no
further need of the body. This idea is increasing in its hold
upon the minds of the people, among the various "Christian"
sects, and some of the greatest preachers and divines of the day
entertain this idea, philosophize upon it and teach it to their
congregations. Now we have the satisfaction of definite knowledge
in regard to this matter, as well as all the articles of our
creed--if we have such a thing as a formulated creed. The ideas
we have in relation to this doctrine have come from God. There is
no need of any doubt about it, no need for any speculation. The
Lord has revealed something concerning this. It is true he has
not revealed the philosophy of it in full, he has only given us
some ideas concerning it. But he has made the fact very plain
that there may be no misunderstanding about it. In the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants--which contains many of the revelations
that God has given to the Church through the Prophet Joseph
Smith, we find this doctrine laid down in great plainness. It is
stated that the spirit and the body make up the soul of man, and
that the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the
soul. We are taught also that there are material elements and
spiritual elements; that the spiritual part of our being was in
the beginning with God, and that the spiritual and material when
inseparably connected receive a fulness of joy, otherwise men
cannot receive a fulness of joy. It takes the spiritual part of
man and the material or physical part joined together inseparably
to obtain a fulness of joy. When the spirit is separated from the
body, a fulness of joy cannot be obtained. When the spirit is
joined to the body temporarily under a temporal law, under the
law of death, it cannot receive a fulness of joy. The spirit and
the body must be so joined together that both will be immortal,
and in that condition man can receive a fulness of joy.
223
The Book of Mormon is also very plain upon this subject. I will
read one or two texts from that book, and if I have time I may
refer to the Bible, to show that the things contained in the Book
of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants are the same as
contained in the old scriptures. I will read a passage from the
seventy-ninth page (new edition) of the Book of Mormon, namely:
223
"And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual
death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell;
wherefore death and hell must deliver up its captive spirits and
the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and
the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is
by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.
223
"Oh how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the
paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and
the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit
and body is restored to itself again, and all men become
incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a
perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh; save it be that our
knowledge shall be perfect.
223
"Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt,
and our uncleanliness, and our nakedness, and the righteous shall
have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment and their
righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe
of righteousness."
223
Now, according to the Book of Mormon, the spirits of men, the
righteous and the wicked, are to be brought up from the place to
which they shall go when they depart from this life. There is no
need for any dubiety about this, there is no need for any
mistake; it is clear that the separation of the spirit from the
body is not the resurrection spoken of in this book.
223
The Prophet Alma, touching on this subject, explained to the
people in his day what an angel of God made known to him. These
words, which I am about to read to you from the Book of Alma, in
the Book of Mormon, are not Alma's ideas and speculations. He
says they were revealed to him by an angel. I would advise you to
read the 40th chapter, 352 page, new edition. Alma states here
that he was very much troubled concerning the doctrine of the
condition of people after they passed away from this life. He
wanted to know something of the condition of man between death
and the resurrection, and he says an angel of God made known to
him that there is a space between death and the resurrection,
that the spirits of the wicked are in a state of unrest, having a
knowledge of all their wickedness, and a remembrance of all their
transgressions; that they are in a state of fear, looking for the
wrath and indignation of God, not knowing what their punishment
will be; while on the other hand, the spirits of the righteous
enter into a state of rest. They have a perfect knowledge of all
that God has done for them, and all their acts of righteousness,
and they await in peace for the time when their bodies shall be
brought forth from the dust to stand in the presence of their God
to receive their crown. Alma then goes on to say:
224
"But this much I say, that there is a space between death and the
resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or
in misery, until the time which is appointed of God that the dead
shall come forth, and be re-united, both soul and body, and be
brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their
works. * *
224
"The soul shall be restored to the body and the body to the soul;
yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea,
even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall
be restored to their proper and perfect frame."
224
Now, that is clear and distinct on this point. In regard to the
times and seasons of this resurrection, about which Alma speaks,
he said he did not know, but those things he did know were made
known to him by an angel, namely, that there is a space between
death and the resurrection; that at the resurrection the body and
the spirit shall be brought up and restored to each other, and
not only the body and spirit, but every part and particle
belonging to the body; not a hair of the head shall be lost;
every joint and muscle and fibre and sinew, and every part and
particle necessary to make up a perfect physical body for the
spirit to dwell in, shall be restored to that spirit in the
resurrection. That is the doctrine laid down by the Prophet Alma,
as taught to him by an angel.
224
The very meaning of the word "resurrection" ought to dispel the
idea that the separation of the spirit from the body at death is
resurrection. The word itself means, "I stand up again." The idea
which all the prophets and apostles of old had was that at some
future time the voice of God should be uttered, and the dead
should stand up again, their bodies should come from the grave;
just exactly the doctrine laid down in the Book of Mormon and
Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Some have an idea that the people
who lived upon the earth before Jesus, had no correct ideas in
regard to the future. I have seen such statements published by
popular divines of the day; but when we come to take up the Old
Testament Scriptures, we find that the writers, holy men of God,
who wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, had a
distinct and unwavering faith in regard to this same doctrine,
that of the resurrection of the body.
224
The book of Job is said to be the most ancient book of the Bible.
I will read a verse or two from the 7th chapter. In the 9th verse
we read: "As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that
goeth down to the grave shall come up no more." Now, that is a
very plain statement of Job's, that when a man goes down to the
grave he shall not return. Those who believe in the vain
philosophy that I have referred to, take a great deal of comfort
in quoting that passage, and also some sayings of Solomon, the
wise man; that is, he was a wise man once, but he became a
foolish man before he died, not because he married more wives
than one, but because he transgressed by marrying strange wives.
Solomon, in some of his writings, speaks in the same way as Job.
But I will read a verse from the 14th chapter of Job:
224
"As the waters fall from the sea, and the flood decayeth and
dryeth up; so man lieth down and riseth not."
224
This also is a very plain statement, is it not? But Job did not
stop here as he did in the 7th chapter, for he continues,
225
"Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised
out of their sleep. O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave,
that thou wouldest keep me secret until the wrath be passed, that
thou wouldest appoint a set time, and remember! If a man die
shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I
wait till my change come. Thou shalt call and I will answer thee:
thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands." Chapter xiv,
12-15.
225
Read again in the 19th chapter, where he is a little more
explicit, commencing at the 23rd verse:
225
"Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed in
a book. That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the
rock forever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he
shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."
225
Now, in the first place, Job is speaking in regard to what we all
seek in this world, in regard to the common lot of mortals. "Man
lieth down and riseth not." In saying that Job had no reference
to what would take place in the future. He was speaking of the
common experience of mankind. But afterward, inspired by the
spirit of prophecy, he looked right down to the latter days, in
the midst of his afflictions, his trouble and sorrow, his pain of
body and anguish of mind, when his friends were turned against
him--he looked down to the latter days and wished that his words
were written and printed in a book, that the words were graven in
the rock with an iron pen and lead put into them, that they might
stand as a witness to all future generations, as a testimony to
the resurrection of the body and a rebuke to the vain philosophy
of the latter times.
225
I will now read a verse or two from the book of the Prophet
Isaiah, to show that others of the ancients, besides Job, had
some idea of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. In the
19th, 20th and 21st verses of the 26th chapter of Isaiah we read;
225
"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they
arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as
the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
225
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors
about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until
the indignation be overpast.
225
For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall
disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain."
225
Isaiah, you see, had the same spirit as Job. He spoke about the
time when the indignation or wrath of God should pass over the
earth, and he wished to be hidden in the grave until that time
was over, and then he expected the earth to cast out her dead.
226
I have not time to read the 37th chapter of Ezekiel--you can read
it at home--but in that chapter we find that the Lord showed
Ezekiel a valley full of dry bones. The Lord asked him whether
these bones could live, and he answered, "Thou knowest." Then the
Lord told him to prophesy upon these bones, and as he prophesied,
there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came
together, bone to his bone, the sinews and the flesh came upon
them, and the skin covered them above but there was no breath in
them. Then the Lord again told them to prophesy, and he
prophesied as commanded, and the breath came into them, and they
lived and stood upon their feet, and exceeding great army. Now,
we have no need to read the writings of the divines of the
present time to find out what this means. Right in the same
chapter is given the interpretation.
226
"These bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our
bones are dried and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our
parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them: Thus saith the Lord
God, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you
to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the Land of
Israel. * * And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live;
and I will place you in your own land. Then ye shall know that I
the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord."
226
Now, by these testimonies that I have quoted from the Old
Testament scriptures, we find that the people who lived on the
earth before the days of Jesus had some knowledge in regard to
the future, in regard to the condition of the spirit when it left
the body, and also in regard to the resurrection of the body. The
wise man Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes 12th chapter and 7th
verse, speaking in regard to death, after giving a very poetical
description of the house we live in, says: then shall the dust
return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto
God who gave it." He had some idea in regard to life after death,
although if we read some of his writings we might gain the idea
that man ended when his body was laid down in the grave.
226
Now, these doctrines, which were understood by the people before
the days of Christ are the same as believed in by the disciples
of Jesus, the same as Jesus taught. We will take, for instance,
Jesus' own declaration in regard to the resurrection, in which he
says: "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which
all that are in their graves, shall hear his voice. And shall
come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of
damnation." Or as it reads in the Prophet Joseph Smith's version,
"they that have done good in the resurrection of the just, and
they that have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust." Now,
according to Christ's own statement to his disciples, all that
are in their graves are to come forth, both the righteous and the
wicked, just as it is taught in the Book of Mormon. This is also
in accordance with what the Prophet Daniel--another of those
ancients who understood this doctrine--says in the 12th chapter
of his book. He speaks of Michael and the great trouble that
shall come upon the earth in the latter days and says: "And many
of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."
Daniel understood that there was to be a resurrection both of the
just and the unjust. Now take the 20th chapter of the Book of
Revelations, read it, and you will find the resurrection
portrayed to John by vision when he was on the Isle of Patmos. He
says:
227
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was
given unto them, and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had
not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received
his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This
is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part
in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with him a thousand years."
227
And after the thousand years passed away, John saw in the vision
the rest of the dead brought forth. "The sea gave up the dead
which wee in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in them: and they were judged; every man according to their
works."
227
The Apostle Paul in writing to the Philippians, 3d chap., 20-21
v. says: "Our conversation in his heaven, from whence also we
look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our
vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto this glorious
body." Now, according to this testimony, the righteous, who look
for a part in the first resurrection, expect to have bodies like
the glorious body of the Son of God. What kind of a body was
that? We read that Jesus Christ was put to death upon the cross;
that when he had cried with a loud voice, he said "Father, into
thy hands I commend my spirit," and then gave up the ghost. The
body was placed in a new tomb in which no man had lain, and to
guard the body, lest somebody should come and take it away, Roman
soldiers were placed before the door of the tomb or sepulchre.
But we read that two angels came, before whom these Roman
soldiers fell as dead, and they (the angels) rolled away the
stone from the tomb and the sleeping body of Jesus awakened and
came forth. When the disciples arrived the body was gone. Mary
went into the garden to try and find out something concerning the
body, and while she was weeping Jesus appeared unto her. She
sprang forward and was about to embrace him when he said, "Touch
me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my
brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your
Father, and to my God and to your God." When the disciples were
informed of this they could not believe it, and they met together
on a certain occasion, and when the doors were shut, for fear of
the Jews, and they found they were securely alone, they began to
talk about the wonderful things that had transpired; about the
death of Jesus, the crucifixion of one whom they though was to
take the throne and sit upon it in power forever. And we read
that while they were talking Jesus appeared in their midst and
said, "peace be unto you."
227
"But they were terrified and frighted, and supposed that they had
seen a spirit. And he said unto them, why are ye troubled? and
why do thoughts arise in your hearts. Behold my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit had
not flesh and bones as ye see me have. * * *
227
And while they yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said
unto them, have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a
broiled fish and of an honeycomb. And he took it and did eat
before them. Luke xxiv 36-43.
229
Now, here was a resurrection of the body. Not the raising of
Christ's spirit, but his body out of the tomb. In that body he
appeared before the disciples, and when they thought it was
merely a spirit, he told them that a spirit had not flesh and
bones as they saw him have. The disciples who had this
manifestation told some of the rest. Thomas, however would not
believe it. He said, "Except I shall see in his hands the print
of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and
thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe." After making
use of these foolish remarks, Jesus appeared to Thomas when he
was assembled with the other disciples, and he said unto Thomas,
"Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands; and reach hither
thy hand and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless but
believing." Thomas could not help believing them, but Jesus said
unto him, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou has believed:
blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed." Faith
is a great blessing. Some people will not believe anything they
cannot grasp with their human reason or cannot see with their
natural eyes. But blessed is the man of faith, blessed is the
woman of faith! For by faith they can see into things that cannot
be discerned by the natural eyes. They can reach out to the
regions of immortality, grasp eternal realities and lay hold upon
the things of God! Now, Jesus appeared in the same body that was
placed in the tomb, and yet it was not the same, there was a
change in it. What change was it? We read that Jesus Christ shed
his blood "for the remission of sins; not for our only, but for
the sins of the whole world." Jesus was raised up from the dead
by the power of God, and says Paul, "If the spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up
Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his
spirit that dwelleth in you." Paul also says "Flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Blood is corruptible, the
blood-quickened body is subject to the law of death. But Christ's
body when it was raised from the dead was "quickened by the
spirit." There was a great deal of difference not only in this
respect but in others. When the disciples were shut up in that
room Christ was able to enter it without opening the door, which
could not be done by mortals. He had power to manifest himself to
his disciples, and he had power to cover himself from their gaze.
He had power to overcome the laws of gravity, and on a certain
occasion, after he had visited his disciples, had appeared to 500
brethren at once, had given instructions to his apostles to build
up his church, as he spoke to them "a cloud received him out of
their sight." He was able to lift himself up from the earth and
depart from this sphere to another; his body was no longer a
mortal body, no longer governed by the same laws as those by
which we are governed. We are also told that "While they looked
steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by
them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken
up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen him go to heaven--Act. i, 9-11." When he shall come again he
shall come in the same body, and we are told in the 14th chapter
of Zachariah that his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount
of Olives and in the 13th chapter that when the Jews behold him,
the Messiah, whom they have expected so long, they will say "What
are these wounds in thine hands." Then he shall answer, "Those
with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." And then
every family will mourn apart; the whole house of Israel will
mourn because of the wickedness of their forefathers in putting
him to death. In receiving him at his second coming they will
comprehend the truth of his first coming, and not before, and
they will welcome him as the resurrected Christ. Now, the Apostle
Paul says that "He shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body." What kind of bodies will
the righteous possess in the resurrection? They are to be bodies
of flesh and bones quickened by spirit; not quickened by blood,
no longer subject to death, pain, or any of the ills of
mortality. This does not look much as if the separation of the
spirit from the body is resurrection, Such a doctrine as that is
not according to the scriptures, it is only "vain philosophy."
229
Latter-day Saints, beware of this vain philosophy which would rob
you of your faith in the resurrection that is to come. O, what a
glorious hope it brings! Husbands who mourn the loss of their
wives, whom they loved and whom they have placed away in the
tomb, shall receive them again in the resurrection. What a
glorious meeting, that is, if they have been sealed by the holy
order of God. Whatever is thus sealed to them on earth is sealed
in heaven. Husbands and wives, those sealed and united according
to the holy order of celestial marriage, will be joined again in
the resurrection. They will come forth out of the tomb and their
bodies will be quickened by the power of the Holy Spirit, and
made glorious like unto the body of the Son of God. They will be
re-united as man and wife forever, and of their increase and of
the extent of their dominion and glory, power and might and
majesty, there shall be no end! Mothers who put away the bodies
of their little ones in the ground in deep sorrow and lamentation
shall receive their babes again to their bosoms. As they were
laid down in the grave, so shall they come forth again in the
same stature, the same likeness, nothing shall be lost, not even
a hair of their heads, but they shall be quickened after the
power of an endless life. The Apostle Paul illustrates this in
the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians. He says: "It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor;
it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in
power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
There is a natural body; and there is a spiritual body." When
wheat is planted in the ground, the seed seems to die. It is said
that in the midst of life we are in death. But in the midst of
death there is life. There is a nucleus of life that is
imperishable. There is a germ within that little kernel of wheat
that seems to perish and die, that is also indestructible, and so
with the body planted in the ground. What is raised, Paul? Is it
the spirit raised out of the body? No; it is the resurrection of
the body. That was the testimony the apostles bore. Their chief
testimony was that Jesus was crucified upon the cross, and that
he was raised up from the dead.
231
But, says one, I cannot see any good of it. What is the use of
this old body after it goes to the ground and mingles with the
dust? What is the use of taking the trouble to bring it up again?
How is it possible? In regard to the possibility, there are a
great many things possible with God that are impossible with man.
A few years ago it was not thought possible for a man to stand in
New York and talk to another in London, but it is done, it is
possible, and many things are done now that were not thought of
years ago. Supposing a person who knows nothing about the
properties of the magnet were to visit some of the big factories
in England, he would see in many of them large quantities of
brass and steel filings all mixed together. I have been in such
works and seen that the proprietors are very careful to allow
nothing to go to waste. They sweep up all these filings and put
them in barrels or others receptacles, and by and by some one
comes along with a large magnet and digs it into the mass of
mixed filings, and when it is withdrawn it is seen to be covered
with particles of steel or iron. This is repeated over and over
again until all the steel is separated from the brass. But a
person who had no knowledge of the magnet would naturally think,
on seeing these particles all mixed together, that it would be
impossible to separate them. Now, do you not think that God has
more power than man. That he has "magnets" with properties beyond
our present ken? I think he has. I think if God desires to bring
the particles of the human body together, he understanding their
composition, can easily do so. In the beginning he spake to
chaos, and by the power of his faith the worlds were formed.
Faith is a force. It is as much a force as magnetism or
electricity. It is the power by which the universe was formed.
God can speak to the elements of our bodies and bring them forth
again according to certain fixed laws known to him if not to us.
Jesus spoke to the winds and they obeyed him. He walked upon the
water. Out of five loaves and two fishes he made a great feast,
"And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of
the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five
thousand men." All this was done upon natural principles, and we
would be able to comprehend this if we understood natural
principles thoroughly. And I have no doubt in my own mind, that
when the resurrection shall come, when God shall speak, and we
shall answer, it will be just as natural to bring up our bodies
in the morning of the resurrection as it was for us to lay them
down. Why we do not understand how it is that they crumble away.
Can you explain the death process, when an individual is taken
hold of by some mysterious power, and the life goes out of him?
There is no brightness to the eye, no beauty on the cheek, no
motion to the lip, all is quiet, cold and lifeless. The body is
placed away in the ground and the particles begin to separate,
when, but a little while before there was something that caused
all the particles of that body to cling together. A change has
come, and they all want to get away from each other. What is the
process and who understands it? There are a great many things we
do not understand. This afternoon we are whirling in space at an
immense velocity. The earth is revolving upon its own axis and
traveling around the sun. How is it done? "By the operation of
certain forces." But how did these forces come into operation,
what did they spring from, how are they regulated? Who knows? Who
understands the process of sleeping and walking up again? Here is
a thing that takes place every night. We go to sleep. How do we
go to sleep? I do not know. Sometimes I try to go to keep awake
and cannot. Sleep is in the likeness of death, and waking up is
in the likeness of the resurrection. I do not know how it is
done, only that it is done by the power of God. It will be as Job
says, God will call and we will answer. The glorious frame of
man, the most beautiful piece of God's workmanship, so "fearfully
and wonderfully made," will come forth in its full perfection and
endure throughout all the ages of eternity.
231
"Well, what is the good of it?" I think that passage in the Book
of Doctrine and Covenants explains it clearly. The Lord through
the Prophet Joseph Smith said that the spirit and the body of man
must be inseparably connected before a fullness of joy can be
obtained. Man must be raised up in an immortal body which cannot
be grasped by the hand of death. The unembodied or disembodied
spirit cannot receive the joys that come through the grosser
elements. Spirit ministereth to spirit. Spiritual things have
affinity for that which is spiritual. There are pleasures which
can only flow through the medium of a material body, and hence
the necessity of the resurrection. A perfect being is an immortal
spirit dwelling in an immortal body, and by affinity with all
things, and heaven the key to the heights and depths and breadths
of the universe, is able to draw from every source the joy and
bliss and pleasures and glories, that are the heritage of the
celestial ones who are filled with the fullness of the eternal
God. I am afraid that those vain philosophers who do not want any
more to do with the body after death, will find themselves in the
same condition as those who are spoken of in the vision of
Ezekiel to which I have referred. The Lord declared of them
"Behold they say, Our bones are dried our hope is lost, we are
cut off for our parts."
231
There is a great deal in the revelations that God has given to
the prophet Joseph that may not be plain to our minds at the
first glance. Therefore, I would advise my brethren and sisters
to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the things that God has
placed on record for our guidance, and let us place our trust in
them rather than upon the vain philosophy and foolishness of men
who think they are great scientists, and imagine that they can
reason out the things of God. Man, by searching, cannot find out
God, but He reveals them to the faithful by his spirit which
"searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God." And if we
will take for our guide the laws and precepts God has given; take
the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, which all run together like three globules of water,
and are like the three measures of meal in the parable, and seek
to God Almighty for the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, that it
may be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, then we will
have manifested unto us those things that are necessary for us to
understand. God has set in the Church in these days, as he did in
olden times, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers,
etc., for the work of the ministry and for the perfecting of the
Saints, and if we are guided by the living oracles of the Church,
and the power of the Holy Ghost and the sacred books, we will not
go astray, but if we are guided by the vain philosophy of
uninspired men we are almost sure to get upon the wrong path.
232
This is the point which I desired to make plain this
afternoon--the glorious doctrine of the resurrection of the body,
one of the main doctrines of the Christian religion. It all
hinges on that; for if Christ is not risen, then is our hope
vain. Christ died and was raised again. So shall we die--perhaps
not all of us will sleep in the earth, for some are to remain and
be alive at his coming--but we shall all be raised, and those who
dwell upon the earth when the Lord appears shall be changes in
the twinkling of an eye. The trumpet shall sound and the dead
shall awake, and with those who are living shall be caught up to
meet the Lord. Perhaps this may be the lot of some in this
congregation this afternoon. The day of the Lord is nigh at hand.
Behold he cometh, as the prophets have declared! Not as the babe
of Bethlehem, but as the Lord of power and glory, as the
resurrection and the life! Every word which has been spoken
concerning him will be fulfilled. Christ will appear and he will
call the righteous to himself. They will come forth in the
morning of that great "day of the Lord, that bright and beautiful
morning when the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in
his wings, and the lambent rays of his regal glory shall warm the
righteous dead to life. But wo unto them that know not God and
obey not the Gospel, for they shall be banished from the presence
of the Lord, and until the millennial day is over they cannot
come forth in their bodies to receive their portion.
232
May God help us to walk in his ways and keep his commandments,
that we may have a right to a part in the first resurrection, is
my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, August 8th, 1880
Orson Pratt, August 8th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
August 8th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
MAN TO BE JUDGED BY LAW--A LAW GIVEN TO ALL THINGS--THE LAW OF
GRAVITATION--HOW IT VARIES BY DISTANCE--LAW OF PROJECTION--LAW
OF ELLIPTIC FORMS, HAVING THE SAME LENGTH OF YEAR--LAW OF
ORBITAL VELOCITY--ITS VARIATIONS DEPENDING ON DISTANCE--WISE
ADAPTATION--INTELLIGENT SELECTIONS OF LAW--LAWS OF NATURE
COUNTERACTED.
233
What we have heard from this stand, this afternoon, as well as on
former occasions, we must meet again in the great judgment day.
We have quite a number of scribes at the table, who are writing
down anything that is said. These are not, however, the only
scribes. There are others behind the vail, who take down the
discourses of the servants of God; they are recorded there; and
the books will be opened at some future time. All the warnings
that have been given to the Latter-day Saints, and to the world,
will again come up, in the own due time of the Lord, in judgment;
and it will be required of us to render an account, whether we
have been obedient to those warnings, or whether we have been
disobedient. The Lord is a consistent Being in all his doings. He
will not condemn the children of men, for not receiving something
that they were ignorant of; but, if they are condemned at all, it
will be for rejecting something that they have understood, or
something that they might have understood, had they improved the
opportunity. They will be judged according to law, according to
testimony, and according to that which is written in the sacred
books. The records of heaven will be opened. The records, kept by
divine authority on the earth, will also be opened. The evidences
and testimonies will be set forth; and every man and every woman,
who is condemned, in the great judgment day, will be condemned
according to law, according to testimony, according to evidence,
according to the light that has been given, according to the
deeds done in the body.
234
The Lord is a Being who has given laws unto all things; and he
adapted these laws, according to the condition and circumstances
of all things. All agents, free agents, who have light and
knowledge to know how to act, how to discern good from evil, will
be judged according to one law. They are not compelled to obey
the law which they hear, but they can act according to their
agency, either in obeying or disobeying, receiving the blessings
of obedience or the fruits of disobedience. The Lord has given a
great many laws, besides those which he has given to free agents,
or to intelligent beings; but they differ in their nature,
according to the condition and circumstances of the materials to
which these laws are given. See a revelation upon the subject of
these laws, which was given on the 27th day of December, 1832
(Doc. &. Cov. pp. 305 to 310). This revelation was called, in
those days, the "olive leaf." In this revelation, the Lord
informs us that "he hath given a law unto all things by which
they move in their times and their seasons." These laws which are
given to the materials of nature, are generally obeyed. There
does not seem to be any agency on the part of these materials, so
far as we naturally comprehend it; at least, if there is an
agency, it seems to be very obedient instead of disobedient.
Hence, when he issues forth a law to govern the materials of
creation the law seems to be obeyed; at least do not know of any
disobedience. It would almost seem as though these materials act
under compulsion and are really obliged to act as they do. Yet
there are some sayings in this same revelation, which seem to
indicate that there is a degree of intelligence even in these
materials. We read that "the earth abideth a law of a celestial
kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and
transgresseth not the law." This would seem to indicate that
there is something connected with the earth itself, wherein it
has an agency; and that because of the exercise of its agency,
and keeping the law, it should be crowned with celestial glory.
The materials out of which our earth is formed, are also governed
by law. Not only the earth as an organized world, but the very
materials themselves, are governed by laws. These laws were given
of God; and when we search into the laws, not of nature merely,
but the laws of God, and the more we comprehend the laws by which
materials are governed, the more we understand the laws of God
and his operations in the universe.
235
The earth seems to take one continued course. It has an orbit. It
does not deviate from this orbit, unless acted upon by some other
force, which may cause come fluctuations or deviations from its
apparently destined path. Some, in reflecting upon this might
say, that the earth is obliged to follow this course. I do not
know about this, I am not so sure. I think if we could see a
little further, we would understand that, connected with the
materials of the earth is a living principle, a principle too,
that acts according to certain laws, intelligently, not blindly;
and that our earth, in performing its course, following the track
marked out, does so according to law, as much as we do when we go
forth and are buried in the waters of baptism. We go according to
law, and obtain a blessing, so does the earth, when following the
course marked out for it. "God hath given a law unto all things,
by which they move in their times and their seasons." We know
that all of these great movements, which we observe taking place
in the universe around us, are conducted according to certain
laws, which mankind have, in a few instances, been able to search
out themselves through the intelligence that God has given them.
For instance, we see a force in exercise, when we lift up a stone
from the ground, and hold it in our hands; the moment we let go
this stone, it falls to the earth. What causes it to fall?
Philosophers tell you that "it falls according to a law of
nature." But who is this nature that gave this law? Why do
material bodies fall? Why do they not remain stationary,
suspended in the air, or in a vacuum? Why do they have a tendency
to approach the centre of the earth? It is because there is a
force which draws them towards such centre. What is this force?
Scientists have called it gravitation; but the name does not
explain the force. We are certain that a central force exists;
and that such force is something that acts according to a certain
law. Now, if you were to take a material body, as for instance, a
stone, 4,000 miles above the surface of the earth and let go of
it; it would only fall one-fourth part of the distance, in a
second, that it will fall here, near the surface of the earth.
Why will it not fall with the same velocity up yonder as here?
Because the law which God has given in relation to these
materials, varies in its intensity of force, according to some
law of the distance from the central force. A body will fall,
near the earth's surface, about 16 feet and one inch, in one
second of time. You take it up 4,000 miles, and it will fall only
about four feet in one second of time. This has been demonstrated
by the action of the earth upon the moon which is nearly 60 times
further from the earth's centre than we are. The moon only falls
toward the earth about the eighteenth part of one inch in a
second, which is about 3,600 times slower than a stone or other
bodies would fall at the earth's surface. Thus, it will be
perceived, that this gravitating force diminishes in its
intensity according to a fixed law, depending on the distance
from the centre of the earth. This law was discovered by Newton.
It is known beyond all controversy that if we go twice the
distance which we are from our earth's centre, bodies will weigh
two times two less than they weigh here. If we recede thrice our
present distance, bodies will weigh three times three, or nine
times less than if weighed here. At ten times the distance, the
weight would be ten times ten less than here. At sixty times our
distance from the earth's centre (which is the distance of our
satellite) bodies would weigh toward the earth, sixty times sixty
less than they weigh here; but sixty times sixty are thirty-six
hundred; that is, a pound would weigh thirty-six hundred times
less if carried to the moon's orbit, than here.
235
In the language of mathematicians, "the intensity of the
gravitating force varies inversely as the square of the distance
between gravitating centres." This law is undoubtedly universal
in its operations, extending to all the visible universe.
235
This law, combined with orbital movements, is necessary to the
stability of worlds revolving in space. Without it, systems on
systems would soon rush to ruin. If any other law of intensity
than the one which now exists were assumed, irretrievable ruin
would soon follow. Out of the infinity of laws of variable
intensities depending on distances, the only one has been
selected which alone can impart stability to all systems in
space. Who made this all wise selection? Did blind matter select
its own laws? Or did an all wise and an all-powerful Being impart
these laws,--selecting out of an infinity of force intensities,
the only law of variable intensity, which would render stable the
grand machinery of the universe?
235
This curious law some will tell us is merely a law of materials,
that God had nothing to do with it. But I dispute it. I say that
God is the Author of this law; and were it not for this
infinitely wise provision, there would not be such a thing as one
particle of matter being drawn to another; and a stone, when
loosened from the hand, would still remain where it is set free.
235
Again we see our world here--the earth on which we are permitted
to live and have our being,--sweeping round the great centre of
the solar system, once in 365 days and a fraction of a day: it
has continued in this path, not only through a few centuries, but
for thousands of years; or, in other words, it has followed this
course according to some undeviating law. Whatever this law may
be God has ordained it, for he has ordained the "law which is
given to all things, by which they move in their times and their
seasons."
236
This earth does not revolve around the sun, once a year, in a
circular orbit, but in an oblong, elliptical orbit. Now, it is
just as easy to cause a body to revolve around the sun, in an
ellipse, as in a circle. For instance, if our Earth, when at its
mean distance from the Sun, should be projected, with its present
mean velocity, in a line at right angles to the lines joining the
Earth and Sun--it would describe a perfect circle around that
luminary. But let the projections deviate from a right angle, a
little less than one degree, and it will take the very form of
orbit it now has, provided it is projected with the same mean
velocity that it now has. Again let this same earth be projected,
at its mean distance from the Sun, in a line making an angle of
70 degrees, 31 minutes and 44 seconds of an arc, instead of 90
degrees, as in the instance just named, and the form o the orbit
would be greatly changed: the distance from the Sun, when
nearest, would be only sixty-one millions of miles; and in six
months after, the distance would be doubled, that is, one hundred
and twenty-two millions of miles. Under these circumstances, the
Sun, when nearest, would appear four times larger than at its
aphelion distance.
236
You see, then, how easy the Lord, by deviating the angle of
projection, could cause a great difference, in the eccentricity
of an elliptic orbit, without altering the mean distance or
without shortening or lengthening the year. The year would remain
the same, without any deviation in its length, if the earth
revolved in an ellipse of the kind that I have just named. Again,
if you wanted the earth to go so near the Sun that it would
almost graze its edge, and still retain, the length of our year
unchanged, it would not take our advanced university students
long to determine the angle of projection the earth should have,
so as to just graze the edge of the Sun, at the perihelion
distance, and come back again in an ellipse, which would be
almost equivalent to a straight line, provided it was projected
at the mean distance that we now have, with its present mean
velocity; and the year would be exactly the same as now. I
mention these things to show you how the Lord, by a little
deviation, can design a great variety of orbits, in which worlds
may revolve, according to law; for all these things are done
according to law; and if actually projected, as we would propel a
cannon ball, then all the Lord has to do is to decree the form of
the elliptical orbit, having one year for its description, and
the projecting angle will be, at once, known.
236
This is a law, and the Lord is the Author of it. It is not a law
of nature. It is not a law of blind materials which have no
knowledge or life connected with them, or in them or round about
them.
237
I have been speaking of bodies projected at different angles, and
at the mean distance of our earth from the sun. But let us next
go still further off into space. We can go away to the orbit of
Jupiter, about four times our distance from the sun. Is there any
law for projection or a law of velocity that would cause bodies
to revolve in orbits, at four times our distance from the sun?
Yes. What is the law! It must not have the same velocity that we
have. It must, at four times that distance, have only one
one-half of the mean orbital velocity of our earth; and, if you
gave it more than one half of such velocity, it would decrease
the mean distance of the orbit below four; if you gave it less,
it would increase that mean distance above four; but if you gave
it exactly one half of the velocity our earth has, then it would
preserve its orbit in a circle, or in any kind of an ellipse at
that mean distance. Is there any law to govern this velocity
depending upon the distance from the sun? Yes. What is the law?
According to mathematical expressions, "the velocity varies
inversely as the square root of the distance." Well, says one,
that is no information to us. We don't know what you mean by
inversely and don't know what you mean by the square root; for
all of us have not sufficiently studied arithmetic so as to
understand the roots and powers of numbers. In reply, I will say,
it is something very simple to all advanced students of
arithmetic. Let me say a few more words, in regard to this law;
for this is also a law of God. For instance, we will say, that
the earth travels a certain distance in one second, which we will
call a unit distance or 18 miles in a second, in its orbit--we
will call this distance one. We go four times further off than
our earth is from the sun, and takes the square root of four. But
inquires one, how do you get the square root of four? A number
that will multiply into itself, say two into two, makes four; two
then is the square root of four, that is, it is the direct square
root, not the inverse. But now you put this figure 2 underneath a
line, and place the figure 1 above it (thus 1/2) and such a
fraction is the inverse square root of four. Hence, one-half the
velocity that our earth has, must be given to bodies which are
four times further from the sun than we are. When nine times
further off from the sun than we are the orbital velocity will be
only one third of ours; because one third is the inverse square
root of nine. In like manner, when sixteen times further off, the
orbital velocity is ours. When twenty-five times more distant,
the orbital velocity will be one-fifth, and so on to any
distance.
237
Here, then, is a regular law of velocity; and you may extend this
to any distance, in the solar system, that you please.
237
Now, who ordained this velocity? Did the unconscious materials of
nature come together, and undertake to consider this matter? Here
are laws that are conducted with great
intelligence,--intelligence too, that was not understood for
several thousand years preceding the period of Newton. We have no
account that the most civilized nations of the earth had any idea
of the law of velocity depending on the inverse square root of
the distance. Yet this law existed, whether understood by man or
not; it made no difference whether the nations were ignorant in
regard to this matter or not, the law existed, and operated for
ages unperceived by mortals.
238
The Latter-day Saints say, that the Lord of Hosts who has given
us laws, adapted to our condition as free agents, has also given
laws to these material worlds, by which they act and by which
they are preserved for a great, and wise and good purpose, to
sustain unnumbered myriads of animated beings, who are by
numerous other laws adapted to these worlds, and enjoy life
therein. We now have been speaking of the infinitely wise law of
the velocity of planets. But this law would not preserve our
universe in its present beautiful order, if the law of
gravitation was not exactly what it is. We say that the law of
gravitation acts inversely as the square of the distance. Now,
why doesn't it vary as the cube of the distance? Why doesn't it
vary inversely as the fourth power of the distance, or some other
law of distance? Because all these other laws would throw the
system into destruction at once; it could not be sustained. There
is only one law among an infinite number that might be chosen,
that would preserve the system in its present beautiful order,
and that is the law of the inverse square of the distance. Who
gave this law to materials that they should have this attractive
force? The Book of Covenants tells us that "God hath given a law
unto all things by which they move in their times and their
seasons;" but if he had given a different law than this I have
named, in regard to gravitation, the whole system, in a very
short period, would be reduced to a chaotic mass, lifeless and
inanimate, existing for no purpose, accomplishing no design or
end. All this infinite wreck of worlds would be the necessary
result of selecting an unwise law, varying from the one which now
obtains among gravitating materials.
238
The law of velocity must be exactly adapted to the law of the
inverse square of the attractive power. Who was it that made this
adaptation? Did the materials endow themselves with both of thee
laws? Did they perceive that no other laws would render the
universe stable of lasting? Or, otherwise, is there an all-wise
and all-powerful Governor who brings all things under the
dominion of laws, wise in their action, powerful in their nature,
and preserving the grand machinery of the universe, in the most
perfect harmony in the working of all its parts?
238
There must, then, have been some great supreme intelligence who
organized these worlds and gave them laws of attractive force and
adjusted velocities and thus produced the harmonious orbits which
we have, and which will preserve themselves, unless interfered
with by some extraneous force, for thousands of years to come.
240
We might go on and speak of a great many other principles
connected with these laws, but let us now come to the laws given
to intelligent beings. God has given laws to what might be termed
intelligent nature; but let me say, that what is termed
intelligent nature is sometimes called in this same revelation
from which I have been reading, a spirit, or rather, a power that
"is in all things, through all things, round about all things,
and the law by which all things are governed." It is, then, an
intelligent power that encircles itself through, or over, or
round about every particle or every atom, and these atoms act in
accordance with the law that is ordained, and do not deviate from
it unless commanded by the same authority that gave the law. The
same Being who gave the law to materials by which they act, can
counteract the law. He did so in the instance when Elisha caused
iron to swim. We read, that as one was felling a beam, the axe
head fell into the water. The man, was much concerned, because it
was a borrowed axe. "And the man of God said, Where fell it? And
he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick and cast it in
thither; and the iron did swim." Now what was it that caused the
axe to rise in the water? The same Being who gave the law of
gravitation, which caused the axe to sink, counteracted that law,
and caused the axe to swim. The same Being who gave the law of
universal gravitation, can counteract this law. He did it, in
many instances, in ancient times. He divided the Red Sea to allow
the Israelites to pass. The water stood up like walls, in a great
heap, not for a few seconds, or minutes, but stood there
sufficiently long to allow the Israelites to get to the other
side of the sea. Now, what was it that counteracted this law of
nature? What was it that caused this watery element, which has a
tendency to spread out and sink to its own level, to stand up in
a heap, almost like a solid body? The same Being who gave the
law, which governs the yielding liquid properties of water, can
counteract the law, so as to make the water stand in heaps. God
is the great Author of all law, and is just as able to counteract
a law, as he is to continue a law. Let him withdraw the command
that materials shall attract all other materials; let him say to
matter, "I no longer require you to act according to that law,"
and you would not find the earth going in an orbit around the
sun. There would be no bond of union to keep things in their
proper place; everything would be left to itself. Let God
withdraw his law, or let him command adversely, and he will be
obeyed; because he has the power thus to direct; and the
intelligence which surrounds these materials, the spirit that is
in and through all these things, would understand the command and
act accordingly. In the same way the Lord heals the sick. He has
made the tabernacles of the children of men, and he has organized
them according to a law, so that every part of the human system
is adapted to every other part. The blood flows through the
arteries, and through the veins, and every part performs its
proper functions. When any part or portion of this wonderfully
constructed being, or, in other words, this almost perfect
machine, becomes deranged or out of order, the same Being who
first constructed man, with all the different organs, muscles,
sinews and skin, can easily mend or regulate the same, and cause
every part to work in perfect harmony with every other part, so
as to impart health, and life, and vigor to the whole machinery.
You would certainly think that a person was not much of a
mechanic if, after he had constructed a beautiful clock, and it
had run for several years, and got out of order--if when you
applied to him for repairs he replied that he could not, you
would be apt to say, "you made it in the first place: you
certainly ought to know what is the matter, and you can repair
and restore it to working order." Just so with the Lord. When our
human machinery is out of order, he understands all about it; and
he is the best physician that can be employed; and he also can be
employed without money and without price. He imparts to this
machinery his Holy Spirit which circulates through the whole
body, and promotes health and strength in the individual. But how
apt we are to apply to inferior physicians. As soon as something
ails this mortal tabernacle, the cry is, "Oh, mother, or husband,
will you send for the doctor. My son is very sick, and we need
the doctor." Now this is sometimes the way with those who call
themselves Latter-day Saints, but they ought to be ashamed that
they do not honor the name which they have taken upon themselves.
The Lord has ordained that when you are sick, you should apply
the simple ordinance of the laying on of hands, or the anointing
with oil by his servants in the name of Jesus Christ. In this
ordinance there is more power than in all the medical ability in
the world; for there are many diseases which baffle the skill of
the wisest physicians, while by the laying on of the hands of the
servants of God--not in their own name, but in the name of Jesus
Christ--according to the directions given in the scriptures, we
have the promise that they shall be healed; that is, if they are
not appointed unto death.
240
Here, then, is another law of God; and we might go on and touch
upon instances of the healing power,--the healing of the lame
man, the blind man, the deaf man, or of fevers removed from the
body, and the restoration of broken bones. Now, we have many
testimonies, especially among our brethren in Wales, where they
have, in the coal mines in which they worked, been crushed, as it
were, until many bones in their body were broken, so much so,
that it was supposed they could only live a very few hours, at
the longest; yet by the laying on of the hands of the servants of
God, we have the testimony of many witnesses that those bones
were brought together, making a noise like the crushing of a
basket and were placed in their proper form; and the individuals
were restored to health and soundness. Could any herbs, or
minerals, or physicians have accomplished this? No. Who did
accomplish this? The Lord Jesus Christ, through his servants, by
the laying on of hands, according to his commandment. Did he do
it according to law? Yes; for all his works are carried on,
according to certain laws which he has ordained; and if we had
the same wisdom that he has, we could see the workings of the
Holy Spirit upon the bones that are broken; we could see the
circulation of that spirit in bringing those bones together; we
could see the action of that spirit in relieving the optic nerve,
so as to impart sight to the eye. If we could see the workings of
that spirit, and then understand by what power it works, these
things would not be a miracle to us. God has no limit to these
laws that are called the laws of nature. He has an infinite
number of laws; and he can work according to any of them, which
are suitably adapted to the circumstances so as to bring about
his righteous purposes and wise designs according to his own good
will and pleasure. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, March 21st, 1880
John Taylor, March 21st, 1880
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Ogden Tabernacle, on Sunday, March 21st, 1880.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH AS TAUGHT BY REVELATION TO
THE ANCIENTS, AND ALSO TO THE SAINTS IN OUR DAY.
241
It affords me pleasure to have the opportunity of being with the
Saints of this place to-day. I came here to attend to your
Primary meeting of the juveniles; and as I was here, I thought I
would stay over Sunday and talk to the fathers and mothers a
little. And I would state, as is generally understood by you all,
that we do not have our discourses arranged for us, or marked out
particularly. Our ideas are to present ourselves before the
people, and to seek of the influence of the Spirit of the Lord,
that such things may be communicated as may be advantageous and
interesting to those who hear. And, therefore, when we meet
together in an assembly like this we ought all of us, both
speaker and hearer, to feel that we are in the hands of our
Heavenly Father, and to seek for the aid of his Holy Spirit, that
the speaker may speak correctly and understandingly, and in a
manner that shall be calculated to promote the welfare of the
people, and that the people themselves may also be prepared to
receive such things as may be communicated.
242
We occupy a peculiar position on the earth at the present time,
perhaps a little different from that of any other people that
have existed on the earth--our thoughts, our ideas our
principles, our organization, our doctrines, our ordinances, and
everything connected with our religious matters are different
from those of other people; and it is our opinion, and not only
our opinion, but a certainty--in fact, it amounts to knowledge
among a great many of the Latter-day Saints, that the influences
and principles that we have received have been communicated to us
by the Almighty. We were not the originators of the principles we
believe in; neither was Joseph nor Hyrum Smith, nor Prest.
Brigham Young, nor the Twelve; neither was any individual nor any
people associated with the priesthood or the organization of the
Church at the present time. We believe that these things have
been communicated to us by the Lord; that they are in strict
harmony with principles that have existed heretofore, to a
certain extent, with this difference however, that in the various
dispensations that have existed upon the earth since its
formation, each one has had its peculiar role to fulfil, with
certain duties devolving upon those operating to attend to. We
are living in the dispensation which is emphatically called the
dispensation of the fulness of times, which we are informed from
the scriptures has been "spoken of by all the holy prophets since
the world was;" and this being the case, the dispensation in
which we live embraces necessarily all that was contained in any
and all of the other dispensations that have existed in all the
ages preceding ours; and that consequently whatever
organizations, manifestations, revelations or communications that
have ever come from God to the human family in their times and
dispensations, we may consistently expect to be embodied in this
one. And, therefore, in some respects, as I stated before, the
dispensation or time in which we live differs in many particulars
from those in which God has communicated to man.
243
We have, for instance, what is called the patriarchal
dispensation, which existed before and after the flood. And those
patriarchs and men of God that lived in those remote ages had
communications with the Almighty, and they also had the Gospel.
And they not only received revelations pertaining to their own
day and age, but also in regard to the future. And hence we are
told that Adam, three years before his death, gathered together a
great many of his people and the prominent authorities of the
holy priesthood, and he blessed them, and being filled with the
Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto
the latest dispensation, including all the leading events that
should transpire in the different ages of time, even until the
winding up scene, associated with this our earth; embracing those
things that have been and are to be brought forth in this the
present dispensation. And, in fact, this dispensation, we are
told, has been "spoken of by all the holy prophets since the
world was." And, therefore, it must of necessity have been
associated with the teachings of Adam, of Seth, of Enoch, of
Methuselah, and of Noah, Abraham, Moses and many other prominent
characters that held communication with the Lord, and who had
revealed unto them his purposes and designs in the days in which
they lived. Many people listened to the principles of truth in
their day. Enoch was a remarkable man and had a special mission
to the people in his day, and he was full of the spirit of
prophecy and revelation; he also had a Church organization as we
have to a certain extent, and he preached to the people and
forewarned them of certain events that should transpire upon the
earth. And the wicked were angry with them, as they are sometimes
with us; they did not like their teachings and operations, and
they conspired against them, and great numbers of their enemies
assembled for the purpose of destroying them. And Enoch was
clothed upon by the power and spirit and revelation of God. And
whilst under the inspiration of the Almighty he uttered his
prophecies, and his enemies and the people generally trembled at
the power of his words; and the earth shook, and the people fled
from his presence afar off, and were not able to injure him, for
God was with him. And Enoch, with the united labors of the elders
of his day, gathered the people together who hearkened to his
words and believed the message sent to them, in the same manner
as you have been gathered together. They built up a city which
was called Zion; and the people who inhabited it were under the
inspiration of the Lord for a great number of years; receiving
instruction, guidance and direction from him. And finally, as
wickedness grew and increased, and as the testimony went forth
among them, the good, the virtuous, the honorable, the pure and
those who desired to fear God and work righteousness assembled
themselves together, constituting the city of Zion; and the
others became more corrupt. And Enoch and his brethren prophesied
unto the people about the calamities that should overtake them,
that the world was to be destroyed by a flood; and there were
provisions made for the continuance of the human family, and it
was made known to Methuselah that his seed should be the medium
through which should be perpetuated the human family upon the
earth. And Methuselah was so very desirous to have this thing
fulfilled that Noah, his grandson, who was the son of Lamech, was
ordained by Methuselah when he was ten years old.
243
The people, we learn, grew to be so corrupt that "the
imaginations of the thoughts of their hearts were only evil, and
that continually;" and we are told that it even repented the Lord
that he had made man. But the servants of God went forth
preaching the Gospel of life and salvation to this wicked people,
and warned them of the destruction that was coming upon the
earth. Before this great calamity took place Enoch and his city
were translated.
243
The power of translation was a principle that existed in the
Church in that dispensation. There is something very peculiar in
these things. Some people, who are not in the Church, might ask
me where I got my evidence from. To the Latter-day Saints I would
say, we get it by revelation. We do not believe that, say some.
That we cannot help. I am speaking now to those who do believe
so, to those who are believers in God, and who are believers in
the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and
who believe in the revelations which the Lord has given and in
those he continues to communicate. It is to those people I am
speaking to-day on these points.
243
The Bible does not give us a very extensive history of these
matters; in fact, it is very, very brief. Referring to that great
man, Enoch, it tells us that he was not for God took him; and
that is all. This is a very short history for so important a
subject.
243
After that the flood came, which was a terrible calamity, to
overtake the inhabitants of the earth; and they were swept away
according to the prophecy--cut off from the earth, deprived of
life and existence, and shut up in prison.
244
After some thousands of years Jesus came, associated with another
dispensation. And when he appeared on the earth and had got
through with his ministry, and had suffered in the flesh and was
quickened by the spirit, "he went and preached to the spirits in
prison" who were, as stated, "sometime disobedient in the days of
Noah." And hence thousands of people that had suffered the wrath
of God for so long a time had the opportunity of listening to the
principles of the Gospel in another dispensation that Jesus came
to proclaim. And when he had got through with his mission on the
earth to those who lived, he went then to preach to those who had
been dead, and I might properly say were damned for so many
years. And what was the special mission he had to proclaim? He
came "to preach the Gospel to the poor, to open the eyes of the
blind, to set at liberty those that were bound, and to preach the
acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our
God." That was part of his mission; the whole of his mission,
however, has not yet been fulfilled. But he came to liberate the
prisoners, which he did in the spirit, when he got through with
his mission on the earth.
244
On the back of that Noah steps forward in a prominent position,
and he had his work to perform, which he did perform, and began
to raise up another seed; and they lived also in what may be
termed a patriarchal dispensation. And among them were many of
his leading posterity. There was Melchizedek, for instance, who
was called the King of Salem and the Prince of Peace, of whom
Paul makes some curious remarks, among which was that Christ was
a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. If he was, then
of course Melchizedek was a priest after the order of Christ. And
as Christ introduced the Gospel, so Melchizedek had the Gospel,
and had and held and administered in the same priesthood that
Jesus did. And we read too, according to some men's ideas, a very
singular thing concerning him, that "he was without father and
mother, and without beginning of days or end of years, and
abideth a priest continually." He must be, indeed, a very
singular man, to be without father and without mother and without
descent, and yet that he should be a priest forever. Well, how is
it? You generally understand it; but I will inform those who do
not that the Apostle Paul referred to the priesthood that
Melchizedek held, and that they had what was termed the Aaronic
of Levitical priesthood in their day, that is, the day in which
Saul lived; and that a man to be a priest had to be literal
descendant of Aaron and of the tribe of Levi; and he had to be
able to prove his lineage, tracing his descent back to the time
when this priesthood was given by Moses in the wilderness. But
the Melchizedek priesthood was different from that, it had
nothing to do particularly with either father or mother, it being
without descent, and, therefore, people holding it were not
altogether dependent upon their father or mother or descent for
this authority; but that priesthood is an everlasting priesthood,
administering in time and in eternity. And this is what Paul
referred to by way of contradistinction to the Aaronic priesthood
which then existed.
245
Associated with this priesthood there were certain powers and
privileges. These Abraham possessed and enjoyed. Some people
think that he was a kind of a shepherd with very few more ideas
than a mushroom; that he lived in the dark ages and did not
comprehend much; that he was not intelligent and had a species of
what we term now-a-days "old fogyism." But if we examine into his
character and the position he occupied, and if we understand
something about the principles he promulgated, we shall find that
he was another character entirely. In giving his history he tells
us that "He sought for the blessings of the Father and the right
whereunto he should be ordained to administer the same." He
further says:--"Having been myself a follower of righteousness,
desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be
a great follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater
knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace;
and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the
commandments of God I became a rightful heir, a high priest,
holding the right belonging to the fathers; it was conferred upon
me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the
beginning of time. Yea, even from the beginning, or before the
foundations of the earth, to the present time, even the right of
the first-born, on the first man, who was Adam, or first father,
through the fathers unto me." Times and Seasons, vol. iii, p.
704. His father however was an idolator; but had probably
possessed a record of his genealogy, for Abraham in his record
continues;--"I shall endeavor hereafter to delineate the
chronology, running back from myself to the beginning of the
creation, for the records have come into my hands, which I hold
until the present time." And having found out that he had a right
to the priesthood, he, therefore, sought an ordination, and he
was ordained by Melchizedek to the Melchizedek priesthood. And
the Lord gave unto him certain privileges and powers that were
very great; not only did he have an ordination in the way I refer
to, but he sought more information from the Lord. And the Lord
communicated with him and gave him a Urim and Thummim by which he
was enabled to interpret, to read and comprehend the mind and
will and the laws and purposes of God. And, furthermore, I would
state that he went still further. He asked God for certain
blessings and privileges and powers which belonged to him and
which he considered were within his reach, and which were his
privilege to obtain. And the Lord revealed himself to him and
communicated unto him certain eternal principles--that no man can
comprehend unless God does reveal them--and many other
things--the motion of the planets, and the planetary system of
the earth on which we live, and the sun and the moon and the
stars and the various bodies that compose our solar system; and
them, of other suns, and other heavenly bodies and the laws
governing them. Abraham wrote those things, and was well versed
in those great principles; and some men affirm to-day that he was
the founder of certain abstruse principles which they allege are
discovered in what is called the Great Pyramid of
Egypt,--principles that not only pertain to the planetary systems
but to events yet to transpire on the earth. I am not going to
say anything about the truth or the untruth of these latter
statements, as I have not investigated them sufficiently to
comprehend them; but I merely give the opinion of a great many
men respecting him and the intelligence he possessed. But suffice
it to say, that the Lord himself instructed Abraham in things
pertaining to this and other worlds, and that he in his day
possessed more light and intelligence on the principles alluded
to than all the combined wisdom of the world of to-day.
245
Now, this was the kind of a man that Abraham was. And his heart
and feelings and affections were drawn out after God. And God
blessed him and said unto him, "That in blessing I will bless
thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thee and thy seed shall
be as the stars of heaven," &c. And further the Lord told him,
"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because thou hast obeyed my word." And hence he occupied a very
important position. And, as I before said, being a patriarch he
had the gospel and the priesthood belonging to it, namely, the
Melchizedek priesthood.
246
I do not propose to-day to show how these things have all been
literally fulfilled that are here spoken of; that I will leave
for you to hunt up for yourselves. But the promises made to that
man of God have been literally fulfilled, even to the present day
to the coming forth of this work with which we are associated.
246
Now, that was a peculiar dispensation; it was under the
dispensation that was introduced, say by Noah, or the one that he
was, I was going to say, founder of; he was not the founder of
it, but he was the one preserved by the Almighty from the wreck
of the world, in which he had lived for upwards of 600 years to
introduce it. And Abraham was one of the prominent actors in
operating and carrying out the purposes of God in that
dispensation, and there were a great many others too that were in
possession of the same kind of intelligence; but he was one of
the most prominent, therefore I have referred more particularly
to him.
247
Then, there was another dispensation followed, called the Mosaic
dispensation. Moses was made use of as an instrument to deliver
the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. It had been
predicted that the descendants of Israel should go into bondage
and be confined there for 400 years, and that they should be
delivered by the power of God. And Moses was the man chosen of
the Lord to perform that work; and he was indebted to the Lord
for the instruction and the intelligence he received. We read in
the Bible that on a certain occasion he saw a burning bush, and
the bush, we learn, was not consumed; and on going towards it he
heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto him, telling him to
take his shoes from off his feet, for the place whereon he stood
was holy ground. He did as he was commanded. The Lord then told
him that he had a work for him to perform, which was that he
should go down to Egypt where he had been reared from his youth,
and where he had been taught according to the learning of the
Egyptians to deliver this people Israel out of their bondage. You
that are acquainted with your Bible know the history of it. The
account is lengthy and I shall not attempt to enter into it.
Suffice it to say, he succeeded in delivering the children of
Israel from Egyptian bondage. He had the power, when his people
reached the Red Sea, to smite the sea and cause the waters to
divide, thereby making a way of escape from their pursuers, the
Egyptians. He lead them into the wilderness where they had to
depend entirely upon the mercies of God for their sustenance. But
having been in bondage for so long a time it was difficult for
them to comprehend many things that were communicated to them;
and, we are told, they began to long for the leeks and the
onions. We, in our day, would think that their taste was not so
very delicate; but that was their desire, many of them feeling
that they would rather go back to Egypt than to suffer the trials
that seemed to await them. And the Lord manifested himself to
them in many marvelous ways, and Moses who was their leader and
who had been especially appointed by the Lord, went up to the
mount, and the Lord gave unto him certain commandments which he
wrote with his own finger, upon tables of stone which were
prepared for that purpose. Moses was away from the people for
some time conversing with and receiving communications from the
Almighty, and when he came down he found that the people whom he
had led out of Egypt and to whom the manifestations of the Lord
had been shown, had made a golden calf and were worshipping
it--about the same as we do sometimes, and we profess to be a
much more enlightened people than they were--and they said,
"These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land
of Egypt." On seeing this wickedness on the part of his people he
became angry, and he threw the tables of stone to the ground and
broke them. Afterwards other stones were prepared and the same
laws written on them. And the Lord was desirous that they as a
people should be faithful in the observance of his laws, that
they should be governed by the principles of the Gospel which
Moses taught them. This is a singular idea to some people; they
think there was no Gospel until Jesus came. Well, we cannot help
that, but Paul understood it better. He tells us that Moses
preached the Gospel to them in the wilderness, but the word
preached did not profit them, etc., wherefore the law was added
because of transgression. Added to what? To the Gospel. Paul
understood this if men in this age do not. And Moses did himself
get into the presence of God, and he also led seventy elders who
were so instructed and prepared that they could go into the
presence of God to communicate with him; but the people were
afraid of God, and when the Lord appeared to them on Mount Sinai,
when they heard the thunders and saw the lightning and felt the
mountain quake, they said to Moses, do not let the Lord speak to
us any more lest we his people die; but do thou speak to us and
be mouthpiece. They were not prepared to come into the presence
of the Lord; they were not sufficiently pure, neither did they
understand the laws and principles which God had communicated.
But they murmured and murmured and that continually--the same as
we do, we see something of the same spirit, we are found
sometimes murmuring against God, or at least against some of the
revelations he has given unto us, or against the priesthood, and
in many instances without cause. And what had God done for them?
He brought them out from the midst of Egypt, from a state of
servitude and vassalage, and delivered them from the hands of
their oppressors, and when the Egyptians pursued them, he opened
the waters of the Red Sea and let them pass through in safety;
but swallowed up their enemies who pursued them. Then when they
were short of food he supplied them with angel's food, manna.
That was all the harm he had done to them--just about as much as
many other who murmur. They murmured against God for bringing
them away, and against Moses for being the instrument in doing
it. Whereas God was trying to fulfill the promises he had made
with Abraham, their father; and he was making use of Moses as his
instrument to deliver the people from that bondage with which
they had been oppressed for so long a time; but because of their
transgressions, their wickedness and their rebelliousness, the
law was added or given unto them, which was a law of carnal
commandments and ordinances, of which a later writer in speaking
of it says, "neither we nor our fathers were able to bear."
249
Well, he placed them in another position, and gave unto them the
Gospel, but as they could not endure the greater light he gave
them a lesser light in the form of a law of carnal commandments
and ordinances. Hence that dispensation is therefore called the
Mosaic dispensation; and Moses was the instrument made use of by
the Almighty to introduce it, and it was revealed to him upon the
mountain. And that law of carnal commandments and ordinances
seemed to suit them a little better than the Gospel; they loved
these carnal commandments better than the light, the truth, the
revelation and spirit that was associated with the Gospel. And
they could not come into the presence of God. If you remember,
certain men at one time went running to Moses to complain of
certain other men whom they said were prophesying; and Moses said
to them, would to God that all the Lord's people were prophets;
would to God that all could be inspired with that spirit of
revelation that flows from him. Says the Prophet Joel, in
speaking of the glory of the latter-day, "And it shall come to
pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men
shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions; and upon
the servants and the handmaids in those days will I pour out my
spirit," etc. Now, they had a dispensation then called the Mosaic
dispensation; and associated with that was a sprinkling of the
Gospel. Once in a while the light of the day star would dawn upon
the people, foretelling some things in which they and their
children were interested; and that was manifest through certain
men among them who were peculiarly inspired by God. But they did
not have then a regularly ordained organization of the
Melchizedek Priesthood as we have it. If a man received these
things in those days he received it from God. A young man came to
me to ask me some questions on this subject, and I will here
mention one thing I told him. These prophets had the Melchizedek
Priesthood, but they did not have it in the regular organized
form as we have it. Hence when Elijah was about to be
translated--for that spirit and power was yet with him; it had
not left the earth after Enoch's day, for many were translated
besides him and his city--there were certain prophets scattered
up and down among Israel, and as Elijah and Elisha were
travelling together, Elijah said to Elisha, Tarry here, I pray
thee, for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. But Elisha said as the
Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And
they went on together. And at Bethel the sons of the prophets at
that place came forth unto Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest
thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head
to-day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. At
this place Elijah wanted Elisha to tarry, saying that the Lord
had sent him to a place called Jericho; but Elisha made the same
answer. Elijah at this place made the same request of his
companion, saying the Lord had sent him on to Jordan; but Elisha
would not be separated from his master. And they went on to
Jordan together; and when they came to that stream, Elijah took
off his mantle, wrapped it together and smote the water which
divided, so that they went over on dry ground. And when they had
passed over, Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him before
he should be taken away. Elisha, knowing that he had something to
do and that he was about to be left alone, and that he might be
the better prepared to perform the work before him, requested
Elijah to let a double portion of his spirit rest upon him. But
could Elijah grant his request? No, he could not. What answer did
Elijah make him? He said, thou hast asked a hard thing;
nevertheless, if thou seest me when I am taken from thee, it
shall be so unto thee; but if not it shall not be so. How did
Elijah know that? Because he knew that the Melchizedek Priesthood
holds the keys of the mysteries and the revelations of God; and
that if he could see him as he ascended, it would be an evidence
to him that the Lord had granted his request, although he himself
had not power to grant it, Elisha would then know that his prayer
was heard. Those other prophets, who knew that Elijah was to be
translated, went and stood to view the event afar off; I do not
suppose that they saw anything of Elijah as he was being taken up
into heaven. But he was taken up, and Elisha saw the manner in
which he went, and cried out, "My father! my Father! the chariot
of Israel and the horsemen thereof." And how did he see them? God
had conferred upon him that priesthood by which he was enabled to
see them. Elijah threw down his mantle as he ascended, which
Elisha took up and started off alone, his "head" having been
translated. But he had received the answer to his prayer; and
approaching the banks of the Jordan, with the mantle that had
been left him he smote the waters saying, "Where is the Lord God
of Elijah?" And when he did so they parted as they had done at
the command of Elijah, and Elisha passed over. And God was with
him, manifesting his power through him, as he had done through
his predecessor. I speak of this as a certain principle and I
speak of it now for the information of you elders, that they did
not have then an organized Melchizedek Priesthood, but that if it
was conferred upon individuals, they did not have the power to
confer it upon others, unless through special command of the
Lord. And Elijah knew that if Elisha could see him when he was
ascending, that his prayer would be answered. Why? Because the
Melchizedek Priesthood holds the keys of the mysteries and the
revelations of God.
249
This is a principle on that point; and it may be of use to you
elders, that you may comprehend the position, that they occupied.
That was associated in part with the Mosaic dispensation, but
only in part. But when Jesus came he introduced the Melchizedek
priesthood in an organized form, and restored the Gospel. But
those men did not restore the Gospel. But let me show you that
are acquainted with the history of the Book of Mormon, they had a
great many more revelations in regard to these things upon this
continent than they had upon the continent of Asia. And they had
the Gospel and administered in the ordinances and talked about
the coming of Christ, still they administered in the laws of
Moses until the coming of Christ; and yet at the same time they
did have the Gospel and an organization of that Gospel in part
and ordinances among them different from what they had on the
other continent before Christ came. You that are acquainted with
the Book of Mormon will find these things in it; and if you have
not found them, hunt them up, and you will find what I say in
relation to this matter is true.
250
Very well. When Jesus came he had been looked forward to by all
the prophets since the world was, and it had been prophesied
about him that he would come to redeem the world and offer
himself as a sacrifice, as an atonement for the sins of the
world, of which there were many shadows and types. I will refer
back again to Moses, and then I will refer to the sacrament.
Moses, as I stated, had the Gospel when he went among the
children of Israel. There were many signs and wonders poured out
among them and many calamities overtook the Egyptians. And Moses
went from time to time into the presence of Pharaoh telling him
what should take place, and among the rest he said that if they
did not let Israel go the first born of the Egyptians should be
slain. And he told the people that dwelt in the land Goshen--the
children of Israel--that they were to kill a lamb and sprinkle
the blood of the lamb upon their door posts, and that when the
destroying angels passed through, their children should escape
death. And it happened precisely as had been told them--while the
first-born of the Egyptians was destroyed, the children of the
Hebrews were preserved. Now, that was called the passover among
the children of Israel, and it was continued among them year
after year, and the day on which it was kept was called the day
of the Passover.
251
When Jesus was upon the earth he sent his disciples to go and
prepare a place that they might hold the passover together. "And
as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake
it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my
body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them,
saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new
testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
What was it they were doing? It was partaking of the passover of
the sprinkling of that blood which was typical of the shedding of
the blood of the Lamb of God upon Calvary. And the breaking of
that bread was typical of his broken body. And they offered in
former times the blood of bullocks and of rams, goats, etc., as
sacrifices. And all this, as Paul says, had reference unto the
shedding of the blood of Christ; and was typical of that of which
he was the great ante-type when he came to fulfil all these
things. Very well, what was that? Did they have the passover
then? Yes. They looked forward from that passover to the time
when Christ should come and shed his blood to atone for the sins
of the world. And we look back to the time when he did it, and we
partake of this sacrament--this bread and water, which we use
instead of wine--in commemoration, in token of what he has done
for us. And we are told by the apostles, that as often as we eat
and drink of this, we show forth the Lord's death until he come
again. And let me say to you Latter-day Saints, while we are
doing this, there is something very important connected with it,
and we ought to be careful that we do not partake of these
emblems to our condemnation. Do you ever quarrel with your
brethren, or act in such a way as to get up feelings, and perhaps
speak harsh words one about another, and in other ways do that
which is wrong, and then meet together in solemn mockery before
God and eat condemnation to your souls? We want to be careful
about these things; and hence we should understand that when we
bring our gift to the altar, and there remember that we have
ought against our brother, we should first go and be reconciled
to him and then come and offer our gift. Not come in any kind of
hypocrisy, but come with clean hands and pure hearts and feel to
say "O God search me and try me and prove me, and if there is any
way of wickedness in me, let it depart, and let me be thy true
representative upon the earth, and let me partake of the spirit
that dwelleth in Christ, and live in the enjoyment of that upon
the earth; that when he comes again I, with my brethren, may met
him with clean hands and pure hearts." And I would say to the
teachers who go around to visit their brethren, when you find ill
feeling of any kind, it is your duty to root it out, and to see
that there is no hardness and no contention or strife among the
people who come to participate in this sacred ordinance.
251
Well, so far as the gospel is concerned, that dispensation was
introduced to the world first by John the Baptist, who was the
forerunner of Jesus. And when the Savior came John knew it, and
on seeing him he exclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world." And when people were flocking to John
to be baptized of him, Jesus came also as a candidate for
baptism. But John told him that he (John) had need to be baptized
of him. But the Savior told him to suffer it to be so, then "to
fulfil all righteousness." And he was baptized of him. Well, that
dispensation continued for a long while after, and it began to
decline and disappear; but there were a great many men in
different parts who listened to the principles of the Gospel of
the Son of God. But by and by it began to fade away, both upon
the Asiatic continent and upon this continent. It was prophesied
that it would, and that there should a certain power arise who
should seek to make war with the Saints of God and that it should
overcome them; and this power should seek to change times and
seasons and things, and they should be given into his hands until
a time and times and the dividing of a time. These things were
fulfilled--the Church of God fell into darkness and the
priesthood was taken from them, and they had instead something in
the form of a bogus priesthood and a bogus creed instead of the
true principles which Jesus introduced among men. That was on the
continent of Asia. On this continent they seemed the same pretty
much; but they had an unparalleled scene of prosperity and joy in
the Gospel of the Son of God after he came; and it grew and
spread and prevailed throughout the land. And as it was in their
love for one another that no one said that ought he possessed was
his own; but they had all things common among them. We are told
of these things more elaborately in some other places which might
be introduced, but which I do not wish to enter into now. On this
continent they remained in this condition for two hundred years;
and they dealt justly one with another, and dwelt together in
peace. I wish we could do that always. By and by they fell into
darkness, and the result was, as recorded in the Book of Mormon,
to which I again refer you to read and investigate.
253
Then what next? Were things to go on in that way for ever? No;
the dispensation of the fullness of times has got to be restored
to introduce all that has been spoken of by all the holy prophets
since the world was. The Apostle John, when banished to the Isle
of Patmos says that he saw another angel flying 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. What do you mean? The same Gospel that Adam had, the
same Gospel that Seth had, the same Gospel that Enoch had, the
same Gospel that Noah had, the same Gospel that Abraham had, the
same Gospel that Jesus had; the Gospel that brings life and
immortality to light, and that places men in communion with their
Heavenly Father--the everlasting Gospel. And who introduced it?
God himself came to earth with his son Jesus and manifested
himself to the prophet Joseph, and, pointing to his Son, said,
"This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, hear him."
Jesus from that hour was to be his instructor. What then? Then
came Moroni, who had charge of the records of the people on this
continent, who came and delivered them to Joseph Smith. What
next? Then came John the Baptist and laid his hands upon his head
and upon the head of Oliver Cowdery, and said, Upon you may
fellow servants, I lay my hands and confer upon you the Aaronic
priesthood, which shall never be removed again from the earth
until the sons of Levi shall offer acceptable sacrifices to the
Lord. Why did John come? Because he held the keys of that
priesthood and was the last that held them in that dispensation.
And then Peter, James and John came and laid their hands upon his
head and ordained him to the office of the Melchizedek
priesthood. Why? Because they had held that priesthood themselves
and they were the ones that held the keys of that priesthood; and
when they left, the keys of that priesthood were taken with them,
and they came having it in their charge to confer it upon Joseph
Smith. What else? Then Elijah appeared in the Temple at Kirtland
and conferred upon them the blessings that were spoken of
pertaining to him. "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 the fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse." The prophet conferred upon him those keys;
and hence we try to do these things. And people wonder why we are
building our temples. It is that the hearts of the fathers may be
turned to the children, and the hearts of the children to the
Fathers. And if Jesus saw it necessary after being put to death
in the flesh to go and preach to the spirits in prison that they
might be judged according to men in the flesh, it was also
necessary that provisions should be made for men who had died
without the Gospel, without a knowledge of the principles of
eternal truth, that we might be baptized for them, as the
Scriptures say, according to the flesh, that they may live
according to God in the spirit. Why is it you are so willing to
build temples? You would squeeze your dollar in many other
things, but when it comes to that you say, "I want to do it." And
it is so throughout Israel. I suppose we have as many as five
hundred men engaged in this work. And the brethren feel willing
to do it. Why? Because you want to secure certain blessings for
yourselves; and, then, you want to look after your friends, that
the hearts of the fathers may be turned to the children, etc. We
are operating upon the earth because we have the power; and they
are operating in the heavens because they have the power; and as
the Scripture says, they without us cannot be made perfect,
neither we without them. And neither they nor we could operate in
these things unless those keys had been restored and things put
in the position they are to-day. Then we will build our temples,
won't we? I think we will, and then administer in them. Were we
to talk to the world about a great many of the things I have
referred to to-day, we would have to bring up evidence to prove
the truth of them. I am talking to Latter-day Saints, however,
to-day; and you ought to know of them, if you do not; and if you
are not acquainted with them "search the Scriptures for in them
you think you have eternal life," and you will find all these
things I have mentioned.
253
Now, then, all of these dispensations had to be restored. Then
comes Moses. Why? because he held the keys of the gathering
dispensation: And he conferred upon Joseph Smith the power to
gather Israel from the four quarters of the earth, and also the
ten tribes. But the latter have not come yet; but people are
hunting them up, and they will be found by and by; when the time
comes, and the mountains will flow down at their presence, and a
highway will be cast up, and they will come to a knowledge of the
people. But they could not come without the restoration of the
keys I have referred to.
253
Now, here are all these different dispensations, and there is one
I have not mentioned. We are told to build up Zion, shall we do
it? I tell you in the name of Israel's God we will do it with the
help of the Almighty; we cannot do it without, but with his help
we will do it. We will build up the Zion of our God, and help to
roll on the work which God has commenced. And those children you
saw here the other day, [referring to a general conference
meeting of the children of Weber Stake] many of them will live to
participate in these things. And we will endeavor to train them
in the fear of God that their tender hearts may be rooted in the
principles of truth; and they be led to acknowledge the God of
their fathers. Having said so much I will pass on to something
else.
254
Here we are. We are organized under the direction of the
Almighty, and as I before said, not according to our ideas and
notions, but according to the word and will and revelations and
law of God. And none of us can do anything only as God permits
us. What are we going to do? We are going to build up Zion. What
then? When Zion is built up--and it is not built up yet; but it
will be built up; and when that is done Jerusalem that is spoken
of shall be built--and we are a long way from that--but when that
is built up and the glory of God shall rest upon it, upon every
dwelling of Mount Zion as it did in former times--then we will
build up our Zion after the pattern that God will show us, and we
will be governed by his law and submit to his authority and be
governed by the holy priesthood and by the word and will of God.
And then when the time comes that these calamities we red of,
shall overtake the earth, those that are prepared will have the
power of translation, as they had in former times, and the city
will be translated. And Zion that is on the earth will rise, and
the Zion above will descend, as we are told, and we will meet and
fall on each other's necks and embrace and kiss each other. And
thus the purposes of God to a certain extent will then be
fulfilled. But there are a great many things to be brought about
before that time. And we are here in an organized capacity trying
to prepare ourselves for all the providences of the Almighty. We
are trying to instil into the hearts of the people the principles
of honesty, truth and integrity, and remove covetousness and
iniquity of every kind. Never mind the world nor what they can
say or do, for they can only do what the Lord permits them. We
will then continue to do as we have done only a great deal more
abundantly. We will send out the Gospel to them, and continue to
advocate the principles of truth, and to organize ourselves
according to the order of God, and seek to be one--for if we are
not one we are not the Lord's and never can be, worlds without
end. Hear it, you Latter-day Saints! And do not be figuring for
yourselves and for your own aggrandizement; but feel to say in
your hearts, "What can I do to help to build up Zion. I am here,
and everything that I have got is upon the altar, and I am
prepared to do the will of God no matter what it may be, or where
it sends me, to the ends of the earth or not." But we are not
doing that yet; we are too much after our own affairs and
drinking into the spirit of the world, and yielding and catering
to that feeling and influence. Now, while we wish the world well
and would desire to promote their happiness, we cannot be
governed by their practices nor be under their influences. God is
the Lord our God; he is to be our king and law giver, and he must
rule over us. We must not permit ourselves to conform to the
ideas, notions, dogmas, theories nor the wickedness that exists
in the world, and of which there is too much already among us.
But to the contrary, battle against these evils, continuing the
warfare until we purge them from us, and call upon the Lord to
assist us, and to lead us in the paths of life, and to enable us
to comprehend to some degree the position we occupy to him, and
the magnitude of that priesthood that has been conferred upon us.
255
What will you do with the world? I was talking with a gentleman
lately who thought because of certain inimical legislation that
had been manifested towards us, that we should feel at enmity
against our government. I told him that he was laboring under a
very great mistake; that there was not a more loyal, patriotic
feeling people in the United States than the Latter-day Saints
are. But have they not done so and so to you? Yes, but the Lord
has guided us, and we can put our trust in him and wait his time.
We are not in a hurry; he will bring things about in his own way,
and will abundantly fulfil the words of the Psalmist--"Surely the
wrath of man shall praise thee, the remainder of wrath shalt thou
restrain." Some men seem to think that we are going to be
swallowed up; but we are not very much alarmed about it. We have
been "Swallowed up" a great many times, but they have generally
managed to vomit us up again. [Laughter.] Among the legislators
of our nation and throughout the land, there are many
high-minded, honorable men, who desire to see all men protected
in their rights, but because there are a great many who are not
and who feel otherwise, and who do not understand us, should we
entertain feelings of enmity? What was the message that Jesus
came to perform? "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel
to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved," etc. What have we been told to do? To go into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved he that believeth not shall be
damned. We go and offer the message of life and salvation. How
many of these grey-headed men whom I see around me to-day that
have travelled thousands of miles in order to promote the welfare
of the human family. I have travelled hundreds of thousands of
miles myself. And did he ever forsake me? Never; he was always
true to his word. And when you elders have gone forth he has been
true to you. And when people have believed, repented and obeyed
the message you bore to them, and you laid your hands upon them
to confirm them members in this Church, and said, "Receive ye the
Holy Ghost; they received it. Is not that proof that God has been
with you? Yes, it is. Will he not be with us to the end? Yes.
What is our message to the people? Peace on earth and good will
to man, and seek to promote the welfare and happiness of the
human family, in every possible way that we can. And we ought to
feel to endure as Jesus did the contumely of sinners until the
Lord shall say: "Stop it is enough." They will have hard enough
times of it. Do we need to seek or injure anybody? No. Is that
our mission? No; but to seek to promote the welfare of all men.
255
Well, we are here in a political capacity as well. We are an
integral part of the United States--a very small part. What shall
we do? Why live so that no man can bring any reproach against us;
treat all men right, deal honestly with one another, and with all
men, and be true to God and your religion. If we do this then we
have a claim upon God; then we shall be blessed of the Lord and
our offspring with us; then the Almighty will smile upon us, and
then we shall advance from wisdom to wisdom, from intelligence to
intelligence and knowledge to knowledge, until we shall see as we
are seen and know as we are known. And we will go on performing
the work God has placed upon us; and we will continue to teach
and instruct and educate and elevate our children; and also teach
all men who will be taught by us, the principles of life; and by
and by God will work with us in a more powerful manner than he
has done yet; and thousands upon thousands will flock to the
standard of Zion, and many will come and say, "We do not know
much about your religion, but you are an honorable people and
execute justice and we want to be governed by those principles
and be under their influence; and if we cannot endorse your
religious views, we seek your protection and want to be one with
you." You will find hundreds and thousands of people will yet
come in this way, and many are pretty near it now. But we are not
prepared; we sometimes pull and haul, and talk and get hard
feelings and seek to tear in pieces and destroy, and carry out
our own ideas and will. I have no will of my own; I do not want a
will of my own; I want to know the will of God, and then do it.
Don't you? We ought to do it; and let our own feelings and
judgment be emerged in the will of God, and seek to carry out his
purposes. As seventies go forth and be ready to go to the ends of
the earth at the drop of the hat, when required to fulfil any
mission that may devolve upon you, or that you may be called to,
and consider this your mission of life, you seventies, do you
hear it? I tell you that this is the will of God concerning you,
and not to consider how you can fix yourselves and make
yourselves comfortable; but attend to the other first, and be on
hand to do that, and then it will be all right.
256
May God help us to do right and keep his commandments, that we
may have his spirit to be with us and live in the enjoyment of
the same, and be saved in his kingdom, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, June 13th, 1880
Orson Pratt, June 13th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
June 13th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE POWER OF GOD TO COMMUNICATE INTELLIGENCE--DIFFERENCE IN
CAPACITY
BETWEEN THE MORTAL AND THE IMMORTAL--THE FUTURE OF MAN, ETC.
256
I shall endeavor to occupy a few moments of time, and perhaps I
may continue my remarks until it is time to close the meeting. I
wish I enjoyed better health; I should then feel more like
speaking. But as it is, I feel willing to exert myself as far as
possible, and also to bring my mind to bear upon the great
subject of salvation, and the principles that pertain to eternal
life and happiness in the world to come. It is difficult,
sometimes, for a person who does not feel well in body, to
concentrate his mind upon those subjects which will be edifying
and instructive to the people.
257
It gives me great joy and pleasure, at all times, when I have the
opportunity to express myself in regard to the great and
important work, which our Father in heaven has seen proper to
commence in our day. We have been made partakers, in a measure,
of the spirit of the living God, pertaining to this last
dispensation. This spirit, when received, and when we give it our
attention, and bring our minds to bear upon the object of its
operations, is calculated to instruct and impart much information
and knowledge to both male and female who are in the possession
of it. The Spirit of God is a spirit of revelation. It always was
a spirit that revealed something to the human family, when
mankind were in possession of it. There have been, however, many
ages since the commencement of the world, when the children of
men have so far wandered from the Almighty, so far departed from
his ordinances and precepts, that the spirit of revelation has
not had place within them. The world may be considered in a
woeful state of darkness and unbelief, whenever this great and
glorious gift is withdrawn from the children of men; for without
this gift, without this spirit, without revelation from the Most
High, it is utterly impossible for the human family to be saved
in the celestial kingdom of our Father and God. Perhaps some may
think that this is a very broad statement. They will refer back
to the last sixteen or seventeen centuries, and will say, that
our fathers have not enjoyed the spirit of revelation, during
that time, and if your statement, Mr. Pratt, be true, our fathers
are not saved in the celestial kingdom of God. I do not say that
our fathers will all be sent to an endless hell. I have made no
such assertion. I do not say that they will receive no happiness,
no glory, no reward in the world to come; I have made no such
assertion; but understand my assertion, that if the world have
not been in the possession of divine revelation directly to
themselves, during this long period of time, then there have none
of them been saved in the celestial kingdom of our Father and
God. Now I hope that you have understood me. There is quite a
difference between being saved in some kingdom, where there is
some glory, some happiness, and being saved in the kingdom where
our Father resides. There is only one way to obtain this
kingdom--the kingdom that is represented, in its glory, by one of
the most brilliant luminaries that shines in yonder heavens,
namely, the sun. We are told by our Saviour that those who obey
his commandments shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
our Father. The Apostle Paul informs us that there are in the
eternal worlds many different kinds of glory. In the 15th chapter
of his first epistle to the Corinthians, he says, that "there is
one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another
glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in
glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead." They do not all
rise to the same glory, nor to the same happiness, nor to the
same fulness, nor to the same kingdom; but they arise from their
graves, and come forth--those who are counted worthy of any kind
of glory--to receive that which they are worthy of, all that they
have lived for, and nothing more.
258
Our Father who dwells in yonder heavens, and his Son Jesus
Christ, inhabit the highest degree of glory in eternity. They are
possessed of all the fullness of glory. They have a fullness of
happiness, a fullness of power, a fullness of intelligence, light
and truth, and they bear rule over all other kingdoms of inferior
glory, of inferior happiness, and of inferior power. Their glory
is like that of the sun, or at least, the sun being the most
conspicuous body with which we are immediately acquainted, in
regard to its glory, it is referred to as being typical of the
highest degree of glory in the heavens. The Gospel is intended to
exalt the children of men to that same degree of glory, where our
Father and where his Son reside. Hence it is said by our savior,
just as he was taking leave of his apostles in ancient times,
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so,
I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." There is a
mansion where he dwells. Where this mansion is located in the
midst of the vast surrounding space, has not been revealed to us.
It may have been revealed in former ages of the world, but to us,
as Latter-day Saints, we have no revelation concerning its
location. But there is a location, where these two glorious
personages dwell. It has a location, just as much as our earth
has a location in the solar system. But when I speak of our
Father and our God being located in a glorious mansion, or
celestial world, I do not wish to be understood that he is
confined to that location. Do not misapprehend the subject. He is
not confined to that particular locality, in the midst of
universal space. He has power which we are not in possession of.
He has power to waft himself from that particular locality to
other dominions, other worlds, other creations; and to do this
with an immence velocity. Of course, to accomplish this must
occupy time. There are some, however, so foolish in their ideas
that they suppose that it does not require time for the Almighty
to go from world to world, or for any celestial messenger to do
so. But this is a grand mistake. Time is included in all motion.
Time is included between the event of a heavenly being leaving
the celestial abode, where he dwells, and going to some other
abode at a distance. How great this time may be is not revealed;
but I have an idea that it is much swifter than any velocity with
which we are familiar; I mean the velocity with which our Father
and God can convey himself from the celestial abode where he
dwells to some other kingdom. I believe it to be much swifter
than that of the common light which shines from the heavenly
bodies of our system, or from the distant bodies of the stellar
system. Now, light travels with immence velocity--185,000 miles
in one beat of the pulse, or in about one second of time. We
might suppose that that is about a swift as any being would want
to be wafted. But suppose that our Father, in the heavenly world
where he dwells, should feel disposed to visit one of the vast
dominions of his great creation as far distant as the nearest
fixed star. If he could go no faster than light is transmitted
through space, it would take him three and a half years to
perform the journey. And to go to one that was situated some ten
or fifteen times further off, it would take, of course, ten or
fifteen times longer. And to go to some which are as far off from
him as the distant creations that are just visible through our
most powerful telescopes, it would take him six hundred thousand
years to perform the journey, provided his velocity was only
equal to that of light. I draw the conclusion, therefore, that
God is not confined to the velocity of light, or to any other
velocity with which we are acquainted--that he can go with
immence velocity, perhaps thousands and hundreds of thousands of
times swifter than that of light, if he feels disposed so to do.
It is out of the question for us to suppose that God does not
travel in going from creation to creation. That he could be
momentarily and instantaneously in two creations at the same time
is something that I never could comprehend, although it is
believed in by some of the religious professors of the present
day. They believe that God, in his person, can be in infinite
space all at the same moment. That is not our doctrine. It is not
my doctrine, at least. He may be, by his power, by his
intelligence, by his spirit, in infinite space, working
throughout all the vast dominions of space, according to laws he
has ordained and instituted.
259
Having said so much, in regard to the locality of our Heavenly
Father, and of the celestial beings who dwell in the same abode,
or in the same mansions where he resides, let me now say a few
words more in regard to his presence being everywhere. I cannot,
for a moment suppose, and I do not believe that any intelligent
being who exercises his intelligence, independently of the
traditions of the children of men, can suppose, that a person can
be everywhere present at the same instant. "But," inquires one,
"When a good man dies, passes out of this body of flesh and
bones, it is said that he is in the presence of God. Does this
mean that he has actually gone from his tabernacle, perhaps
millions and millions and unnumbered millions of miles, to the
abode or mansion where Jesus is, because he is in the presence of
God?" No; I do not look at it in this way, I look at it in this
light: if this world in which we dwell had the vail withdrawn
from off its face, and the vail taken away from our faces, I
consider that we would see the Lord, however far distant he might
be; hence we would be in his presence; and on the other hand,
those who dwell in his abode, however distant, can see us; for
there is no vail over his face, no vail over the celestial abode
of our Father and God, and there being no vail over him, nor over
the beings that dwell in his abode, they can behold the most
distant creations, which they have made. Now, this is my view. I
do not say this is the view of the Latter-day Saints, but my own
individual views, in regard to these matters. If then we pass out
of these bodies of ours, and the vail is taken away, we are in
his presence, just as much as we would be if we were wafted to
the mansion where he dwells: I have no doubt, but what we will be
wafted (if we are worthy) to that mansion, in due time; but I
say, that we are in the presence of God, while our spirits are
yet here upon the earth; because the vail is removed and our eyes
can pierce eternity, and eternal things.
260
Now, we have some examples of this, Latter-day Saints: and I
sometimes wonder, when we have such plain examples as are to be
had in this book which I hold in my hand, (The Pearl of Great
Price) I sometimes wonder that people should be so limited in
their ideas and in their views, concerning the future state of
man (I mean the glorified man), as to suppose that he will be
confined in his vision to some particular locality, and that he
will be something similar to what we are here in this mortal
life. Now, even mortal men, before they obtained immortality,
have enjoyed this spirit of seeing things that were naturally
supposed to be utterly impossible. Who that is acquainted with
this book (the Pearl of Great Price) has not read with great and
deep interest, the words of that great man, Moses, before he was
sent down to Egypt to redeem the Israelites? Who is there among
the readers of the Latter-day Saints who cannot comprehend, in
some measure, how the vision of that man was enlarged, while he
was yet here in a state of mortality? He went up into the Mount
to pray to the Lord. The veil was removed. The glory of God
rested upon Moses, and great and important things were made
manifest to him. All things were not revealed; for he was
incapable of receiving all things while yet a mortal being. But
the Lord saw proper to reveal some things; and Moses sought to
know some other things, but the Lord would not grant it and told
him that no man could behold all his works, except he beheld all
his glory; and no man could behold all his glory and afterwards
remain in the flesh upon the earth; that is, in the state of
mortality. But, said he, "Moses, my son, I will show unto thee
some of the works of mine hands. I will reveal unto you
concerning the heaven that is over your head, and this earth upon
which you dwell." And as the Lord talked with Moses, the Spirit
of God being upon him, his eyes were opened, the vail was taken
away, and he saw the whole earth, not merely the surface of it,
but the interior of it; every particle of it was before the eyes
of Moses. This, then, shows that there is within each of these
mortal tabernacles a spirit, and this spirit, when lit up by the
Holy Spirit from on high, has certain faculties and powers, far
beyond that which we are able to develop naturally here upon the
earth. We cannot, by our own natural powers, discern one foot
underneath the surface of the earth. We cannot discern through
anything that is opaque in its nature--anything that will not
admit the natural light to be transmitted through is substance.
But still, we have the faculties within us; we have the power;
there is merely an obstacle, or obstruction, in the way; and when
this obstruction is removed it shows the godlike powers that are
planted within the tabernacles of men, by which they can behold
and pierce those portions of creation that are not discernable by
the natural man. This Moses obtained during the few moments that
he was thus enwrapt in vision. He obtained more information in
those few moments than could be imparted in all the universities
and colleges that ever existed, since the creation of the world
to the present day. We may study the ponderous volumes that are
published by the learned, and it takes a long time to grasp the
information that some very learned men have received. But oh, how
different is the method of receiving revelation, when it comes
from the Most High! In a moment, as it were, those faculties of
ours that have been lying dormant ever since we were born into
this world--those faculties which are enshrouded with the
darkness of a fallen creation--those faculties, when once
illuminated, when once touched by the finger of the Almighty, can
pierce the creations of the Almighty, so far as he permits us to
behold.
260
This things encourage me. I am in hopes, when I get to the other
side of the vail, that it will not be so difficult for me to
understand the different laws of science, and the different laws
and branches of education, that are taught in this little
creation of ours. I am in hopes that when my spirit shall launch
forth out of this mortal tabernacle, and go into the eternal
world, that I shall not, at that time, require Lord Ross's great
six feet telescope; I am in hopes that I shall not need any of
the telescopes, or other instruments invented in the nineteenth
century; but I am in hopes there will be a telescope prepared for
me, by which I can see the vast creations of the Almighty, and
comprehend, in a short period of time, more than could be
unfolded to the children of mortality in a thousand years.
262
I mention this in order to bring before the Latter-day Saints a
principle which, I think, we should all, more or less, reflect
upon. How encouraging it is to think we are not always going to
be bound down to this slow process of gaining knowledge, and
information, and wisdom, pertaining to the works of the Almighty!
How glorious it is also, to reflect upon the celestial host, who
dwell in the fulness of celestial glory, where there is no vail,
and where they have their bodies; for some of them have been
raised from the grave to immortality, and are clothed upon with
all the fulness of the attributes of the Father. I say, how
glorious it is to reflect upon the heights and depths and lengths
and breadths of knowledge that will then be unfolded to the
children of men! These things, as I said before, inspire my heart
with joy. I do not confine my hopes to the volumes of works on
science, with which I may come in contact here in this world; I
do not confine my hopes to the slow process of advancing in
knowledge and intelligence that the children of this world have;
but I look forward to that higher school--that great university
which will scope in boundless and eternal space, that will scope
in the most distant creations that we can imagine in the vast
field of eternity, in which we will be able to comprehend those
laws by which the various creations are governed; not understand
them as we now comprehend some few laws, but understand them in
all their perfection and fulness, being like unto our Father and
God, made like unto him, fashioned like unto his glorious body,
and become indeed "sons of God." Shall I go still further and say
Gods? Are we not the children of our Father? Will not the
children ascend to the same height, to the same glory, to the
same celestial world, and to the same fullness of the attributes
of their Father? Are not our children, take them as a body,
qualified to come up to all the perfections and attributes of
their fathers, who came on the earth before them? It seems to be
a general law that children will grow up and possess all of the
perfections of their parents, provided that they take the
necessary steps, and are favored with long life, and have the
natural intelligence that is common to man. If, then, this seems
to be a natural law in regard, not only to man, but also to all
animated creation--that the children come up and possess the
perfections of their fathers before them--may we not reason, by
analogy, that our Father who begat us--our Father who dwells in
yonder celestial world, intends to make us one with him, that we
shall receive the same fulness with him, that we shall partake of
light, and truth, and knowledge, and advance from grace to grace,
as the revelations in the Book of Covenants state, until we shall
receive a fulness of all truth? Then will not this make us, in
one sense of the word, sons of God? Will it not make us Gods
also, according to the word of God? "But," inquires one, "how can
two persons possess the same attributes without quarreling with
each other?" That is not the order of heaven. That is not the
pure law that God has ordained, that there should be quarrels
with those that have the same degree of intelligence; but the law
is that they shall become one, as "I and my Father are one, so
that these my brethren may also become one in us as we are one."
That is the law; and if they are one there will be as much unity
between his children who are exalted to that high condition in
the celestial glory, as there is a unity and oneness between the
Father and his only begotten Son. Have they any quarrel? Have
they any difficulties? Have they any difference of views? Does
one intend to carry on one government, and another a different
kind of government? No; whatever is the will of the Father, is
the will of the Son; whatever the Father is prepared to do,
throughout all his vast dominions, the Son is in accord with him;
and whatever the Father desires to perform and accomplish, his
children who are made like him and one with them, will take hold
and perform the same work, with all that unity and oneness which
exist between the Father and the son. In the celestial glory they
are made equal in oneness, in power, in knowledge, and in all
perfections; and the Lord their God is with them, and they are
one with him, to carry on all his purposes, and will be one with
him throughout all the future ages of eternity.
263
I thought perhaps the time was expired; but I will say a few more
words in regard to this great glory, this high destiny prepared
for the sons of God. I told you that our process of gaining
information would be very rapid--would be immense in its growth,
and that we should have the faculties within us developed to the
highest degree. But now let us for a few moments, look into this
high state of perfection. When our faculties are thus developed,
and when we have all the wisdom that I have been speaking of,
that dwells in the bosom of celestial beings, in the eternal
worlds, what will we do with this wisdom? Will we fold up our
arms, and remain throughout all the future ages of eternity, in
perfect indifference and laziness, without anything to accomplish
or perform? No; we will have works assigned to us to perform in
the eternal worlds, that will be proportionate to all the fulness
of that glory and knowledge which we are endowed with. Did the
sons of God in ancient times, come forth and assist in the
formation of this little creation of ours? Did they all shout for
joy when the materials were brought together, and when the
foundations of the earth were laid? Did they all feel happy and
sing a song of rejoicing, and with great joy; did they look upon
the works which they were performing? Yes. Jesus was there--the
First Born of this great family of our Father in heaven. He had
the superintendence of this creation. He had the power, because
the power dwelt within him, to build this earth of ours, the same
as you give to your superintendent power to build your temples,
about which Brother Rich has been speaking. It is said that the
worlds were made through our Lord Jesus Christ. But do you
suppose that he alone made them? No; he had the sons and
daughters of God with him. And there were prophets in those days,
before our earth was made. They shouted for joy when they saw the
neucleus of this creation formed. Why? Because they could look
into the future, and by the spirit of prophecy, behold the
designs and purposes of the great Jehovah in regard to the
creation which they were then in the act of forming. Did they not
understand that they would have the privilege of coming forth and
peopling this earth? Yes. Did they not understand that they were
to pass through a probation on this earth, the same as we are now
passing through, in order to prepare them for a still higher
exaltation and glory, with immortal bodies of flesh and bones?
Yes; they understood these things, hence their joy, when they saw
the creation being formed for them. I mention this, in order to
show to the Latter-day Saints that the great work that will be
entrusted to those who are prepared, will be proportionate to the
wisdom, intelligence and understanding that will be imparted to
those who enter into the fulness of the glory of the celestial
kingdom. They will not remain in idleness to all eternity. They
will have a work to perform. They will form worlds under the
direction, no doubt, of those that may be appointed to
superintend works of such vast magnitude. Furthermore, when they
have formed these worlds, they will set them in motion in the
midst of universal space, in some location, where they can
continue their mission, and where all necessary things shall be
fulfilled and accomplished during the days of the probation of
these various creations. There will be laws given to govern these
new creations, the same as there are laws given to govern the
creations with which we are surrounded. The inhabitants upon
these creations will be visited from time to time by those that
have taken part in the great work of their formation. The
inhabitants thereof will be dealt with according to law. They
will be intelligent beings. They will have their agency, and they
will pass through their probation the same as the people are now
passing through their probations here in this world. Everything
will be accomplished according to laws that shall be ordained
when these creations are made. Will they visit these creations?
Yes; for they will have the same power of locomotion, the same
power to pass through space (almost in the twinkling of an eye)
that our Father has--that his Son Jesus Christ has--that all
celestial beings who are exalted in his presence have, and
possessing the power, they will visit from creation to creation;
they will impart knowledge and understanding to their children in
these creations. They will visit them with the light of their
countenances, and the children of these creations will be made
glad in their hour, in their times, and in their seasons, by the
light and countenances of the celestial beings who, from time to
time, organized them. These are the high destinies that await the
Latter-day Saints, if they are faithful. These are the high
destinies into which many of the Former-day Saints have already
entered. These are the great, and choice, and exalted blessings
in store for all who will keep the commandments of our Father and
God. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / George
Q. Cannon, November 2nd, 1879
George Q. Cannon, November 2nd, 1879
DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEO. Q. CANNON.
Delivered at Hyde Park, Sunday Evening, November 2nd, 1879
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
NATURAL FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY--THE ISRAELITES AND THE GENTILES.
264
I will read a portion of a revelation given through the Prophet
Joseph Smith, previous to the organization of the Church, dated
April, 1829: "Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you,
that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your
Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of
whatsoever things you shall ask in faith with an honest heart,
believing that you shall receive a knowledge concerning the
engravings of old records, which are ancient, which contain those
parts of any Scripture of which have been spoken by the
manifestation of my Spirit. Yea, behold I will tell you in your
mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon
you, and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold this is the
spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses
brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry
ground."
265
The point I wish to call your attention to is contained in the
second and third verses of this revelation. The Latter-day Saints
are in many respects like other people who are not Latter-day
Saints. We are apt to entertain views which are not very correct,
and which may be the result of our traditions and preconceived
ideas. This is a peculiarity that pertains to mankind generally,
that whenever they deal with the things of God, or speak about
them, or contemplate them, and especially when they read the
predictions made by the servants of God concerning future events,
or events that may transpire right before their eyes, they are
apt to get, sometimes, erroneous ideas, or, at least, exaggerated
ideas, in relation to them. The prophets have foretold the events
that should take place in connection with this work. There is one
prophecy that comes to my mind, recorded by Isaiah and Micah,
respecting the building of the house of God in the top of the
mountains and the gathering of the people there, and the object
for which they should gather, that they should come up and be
taught of the Lord, etc. Now it might be supposed that when that
prediction would be fulfilled it would be so prominent and
remarkable in the midst of the nations of the earth, that all the
inhabitants thereof who should witness it would say, "This is the
fulfillment of the predictions of Isaiah and Micah." And it might
be thought that all the inhabitants of the earth who witnessed it
would be convinced of the truth of it, and would say, "We have no
further opposition to this work, because we behold the
fulfillment of the predictions of those holy prophets whom we
have been taught to regard, and whose writings we have read as
authority from God.
265
And, doubtless, there are many of the Latter-day Saints who have
thought, in the early days of their experience in this Church,
when they have heard the elders predict concerning the great
events that should take place in connection with this work--they
have thought and felt in their hearts that when the wicked and
those who oppose this work should see the fulfillment of these
predictions they would be constrained to acknowledge that this is
the work of God, and would cease from hostility and opposition,
and would say they had been mistaken. For instance, the elders in
the early days of this Church, predicted concerning calamities
and wars and troubles of various kinds that would come upon the
inhabitants of the earth. There was a revelation given to the
Prophet Joseph Smith, in December, 1832, concerning the war that
should take place between the Southern States and the Northern
States. This was a definite prediction, stating the exact point
where a certain trouble or rebellion or division in the nation
should take place. Most of us who have been brought up in the
Church knew about this revelation from early days. It has been
published so that all the members of the Church, and the world
also, could have it, and it was but reasonable to expect that so
definite a prophecy as this, which stated the exact character of
the difficulty that should take place between the south and the
north, and that also stated with such definiteness the exact
point where the division should occur--I say it was but
reasonable to expect that when it should be fulfilled, it would
have the effect of convincing unbelievers of the truth of the
mission of Joseph Smith, and that he really was a man inspired of
the Lord to speak the word of God to the people.
266
In 1860, Brothers Orson Pratt, Erastus Snow, myself, and others,
were going on missions, and we arrived at Omaha in the month of
November of that year. A deputation of the leading citizens of
that city came to our camp and tendered to us the use of the
Court House, as they wished to hear our principles. The
invitation was accepted, and Elder Pratt preached to them. During
the service, there was read the revelation to which I have
referred--the revelation concerning the division between the
South and the North. The reason probably, for reading it was that
when we reached Omaha, the news came that trouble was already
brewing, and several States were threatening to secede from the
Union. Its reading made considerable impression upon the people.
A good many had never heard of it before, and quite a number were
struck with the remarkable character of the prophecy. It might
have been expected, naturally speaking and looking at it as men
naturally do, that the reading, of such a revelation, at such a
time, when the crisis was approaching, would have had the effect
to direct men's attention to it, and they would be led to
investigate its truth and the doctrines of the Church and the
foundation we had for our belief. But if there were any converted
in that audience I am not aware of it. Good seed was sown, but we
did not remain to see what effect it produced. The revelation
being so remarkable, and the events then transpiring being so
corroborative of its truth, one might naturally think, as there
were present on that occasion the leading and thinking portion of
that community, that a great number would have been impressed
with the probability of its truth, and would have investigated
and joined the Church. You doubtless remember it was for a good
while doubtful whether the rebellion should commence at South
Carolina or not. I was in England at the time, and was engaged in
publishing the Millennial Star, and took a great deal of notice
of the American papers, and I well remember that to all human
appearances it seemed for a while as though the trouble would
break out at Fort Pickens, Florida. But the word of God had been
spoken concerning that event, and consequently it had to be
fulfilled as predicted, and the war did commence at South
Carolina. It was fulfilled, as you know, to the very letter, Fort
Sumter being the place where the rebellion broke out.
266
Now, I allude to that, in connection with this subject, to show
you that not only is the world mistaken in its views respecting
the fulfillment of the predictions of the prophets, but even
Latter-day Saints have doubtless, in many instances, entertained
erroneous views respecting the fulfillment of revelation and
prophecies of the Bible. I have no doubt there are many here
to-night, who have had some experience in this, and can look back
at times in their own lives, when they have thought: "Surely when
these things which the prophets have foretold are brought to
pass, the people will be convinced. My friends who now ridicule
me will then be convinced, and they will be forced to confess
that I did right in embracing the Gospel."
266
No doubt there are some in this audience to-night who have had
these ideas, and certainly there are good reasons for
entertaining them. But experience has taught us that, while there
may be a few who, when they have seen the predictions fulfilled,
have acknowledged that our course is right, in the majority of
cases throughout the earth where the Gospel has been preached,
the fulfillment of the predictions of the prophets has not had
the effect to convince the people of the truth of the ministry
God has given unto us.
267
Even with this experience in the past, the Latter-day Saints
themselves are not entirely divested of extravagant views
respecting the effects which are likely to follow the fulfillment
of predictions yet in the future. Are we not all inclined to look
forward to many events which have been predicted by the servants
of God as being of so great and wonderful, and I may say so
supernatural a character, that when they shall be fulfilled they
will even startle us, who believe they are coming, and will
compel the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth to accept them as
evidences of the truth? In our thoughts this seems to be the
natural tendency. I notice it in myself; I notice it in others.
When we read respecting the great events which are to take place
in connection with this work, as predicted in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, are we not inclined to think that,
surely, when these things shall come to pass all the earth, as
well as ourselves, will be constrained to acknowledge this to be
the work of God, and these events to be indeed those which have
been predicted by the prophets?
267
Now I would not, for the world, say one word to lessen in the
minds of my brethren and sisters the importance of these events;
I would not say one word to weaken your proper expectations; but
my experience has taught me that the Lord works in the midst of
this people by natural means, and that the greatest events that
have been spoken of by the holy prophets will come along so
naturally as the consequence of certain causes, that unless our
eyes are enlightened by the Spirit of God, and the spirit of
revelation rests us, we will fail to see that these are the
events predicted by the holy prophets.
267
You take two persons, one who has the Spirit of God, whose mind
is enlightened by that Spirit,--the spirit of revelations, the
same spirit that rested upon the prophets who wrote the
revelations and prophecies we have--you take a man of that kind,
and then take another who has none of that spirit, and put the
two together, and the one man's eyes will be open to see the hand
of God in all these events; he will notice his movements and his
providence in everything connected with his work and they will be
testimonies to him to strengthen his faith and to furnish his
mind with continual reasons for giving thanks to and worshipping
God; while the man, who has not the Spirit of God, will see
nothing Godlike in the occurrences: nothing which he will view as
supernatural (as many suppose everything which exhibits God's
power to be), or nothing which he will accept as a fulfillment of
prophecies; his eyes will be closed, his heart will be hardened,
and to all the evidences of the divinity of these things he will
be impenetrable.
268
To those who have mingled with the world the reasons for this are
very plain. Men do not believe in these days in the direct
interposition of God in the affairs of men. If they even believe
in God, they believe that he governs the universe by great
natural laws. When, therefore, a great and wonderful event
occurs, they seek for its origin and explanation in some natural
law. They ignore the fact that God works through natural laws;
but seem to think that if he were to interpose at all, it would
be by manifesting his power through the suspension of natural
laws, by overriding and violating them, and in such a
supernatural manner that mankind would be compelled to
acknowledge it was his act, as they would be utterly unable to
account for it by any laws known to them, or in any other way
that as being through his power. Wars, famines, pestilences,
cyclones, earthquakes, and the great variety of calamities which
God has said shall be poured out upon the wicked nations, are
therefore looked upon by men generally in these days as the
results of certain well-defined and easily explained causes. When
any of these calamities visit a city or a nation they immediately
commence to investigate the laws which govern them, and by the
violation of which they assert they are produced; and when they
discover what they allege is the cause, they triumphantly point
to it, and that is sufficient proof that the Lord has nothing
special to do with it; for if it were a visitation from him, it
is supposed it would be so supernatural as to be inexplicable.
And thus men go on, hardening their hearts and denying God's
power, until they will be so completely given over to the evil
one, that he will lead them captive according to his will.
268
My reason for calling your attention to the word of the Lord I
have read to you is, that I have sometimes thought that our
people do not appreciate as they should do the spirit of
revelation, the spirit of prophecy, the power of God that has
been poured out upon us as a people. The fact seems to be
overlooked that it was in the manner in which the Lord tells
Oliver Cowdery that Moses brought the children of Israel through
the Red Sea on dry ground. The Lord said to Oliver: "I will tell
you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which
shall come upon you, and which shall dwell in your heart. Now,
behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the
spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the
Red Sea on dry ground." How many of the Latter-day Saints are
there who understand that this is the way in which Moses led the
children of Israel so miraculously? How many are there who think
that if we had a man like Moses among us, the people would be led
differently and with greater manifestations of power than they
are? How many are there who are dissatisfied with what God is
doing at present, and are looking for some one to appear in the
future who shall exhibit convincing and overwhelming
manifestations of power? How many are there at the present time
who are neglecting the precious and inestimable gift of
revelation which God has bestowed upon his people, because it
does not come to them in the way to suit their preconceived
notions and ideas--or who are not suited with the way the Church
has been and is led, because there is not that wonderful degree
of power exhibited which they imagine should be?
270
Apostates have asserted that there was not the power in the
leaders of the Church which there should be. They said so during
the life of the Prophet Joseph, asserting that he was a fallen
prophet. After his death they made the same statements respecting
President Young, his counselors, and the Twelve Apostles. And, if
I am not mistaken, there are some members of the Church who have
appeared to think that there has been some power lacking, and
have manifested a feeling of restlessness, anticipating the
rising of some one who should have greater authority than at
present exists. While I would not wish to detract from the
reasonable expectations of my brethren and sisters upon this or
any other point, my view is that the apostleship, now held in
this Church, embodies all the authority bestowed by the Lord upon
man in the flesh. Yet I believe that the power of God will be
increased among us, that we will have manifestations of his power
such as we never have before witnessed. For the day of God's
power in the redemption of Zion will come. But I do not expect
that to come upon us all of a sudden. I expect that it will be
the natural result of the natural growth of the people in the
things of God. I expect that we will go on step by step from one
degree of knowledge, and of power, and of faith to another, until
we shall be prepared to receive all the Lord has in store for us
and be prepared to enter into that glory promised to the faithful
Saints. The Lord has given unto his people and to his church
every gift and every qualification and every key which is
necessary to lead this people into the celestial kingdom of our
father and our God. There is nothing wanting. When the Lord
restored the Apostleship to the earth he restored all the power
that was possible for a human being to hold in the flesh. When he
restored the keys of the holy priesthood unto his servant Joseph,
when he gave unto him the sealing powers, when he gave unto him
the endowments and the keys of the holy priesthood associated
therewith, when the Prophet Joseph received the keys from Elijah,
and from all the prophets that had existed upon the earth from
the beginning down--each one, as he says himself in one of his
epistles--each one in his dispensation coming forward and
bestowing upon him the authority pertaining thereto, there was
embodied in him all the priesthood they held, and he bestowed
upon his fellow Apostles all the priesthood he exercised and all
the power and authority bestowed upon mortal man to exercise here
upon the earth, so far as the present is concerned; that is, all
the keys of the priesthood and everything that is necessary in
this preparatory state, and to make man a fit subject for the
celestial kingdom of God. By the command of the Lord he conferred
that authority upon his fellow servants to bind upon earth and it
should be bound in heaven, to seal the children to the father and
the mother, and to seal the wife to the husband, and to weld all
the links necessary in order to complete the salvation of all the
children of men from the days of Adam down to our day, and also
to prepare men and women for the future that lies before us, the
millennium to which we are all hastening. Who can conceive of any
power that was lacking? Who had power to promise unto man that
they should be kings and priests unto God? And in addition to
that, who had the power to seal upon them the actual kingly and
priestly dignity and confirm upon them the fulness of it, and
also to give them promises respecting the Godhead that should be
fulfilled upon them, and if faithful, to come forth in the
morning of the first resurrection? Now, there was nothing
lacking, and there was no power, there was no gift, there was no
authority, there were no keys lacking, and these keys have been
handed down through him. Others may have claimed to have had
them. We have had Strang, John E. Page, William Smith, Gladden
Bishop, and a host of others; each has claimed to have received
that authority, either through Joseph Smith or from some other
source. Some have claimed that Joseph was a fallen prophet; and
some have set up one claim and some another. But the fact remains
that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as it is
organized in these mountains, has had the apostleship; that the
men who have stood at our head, President Young and the Twelve
Apostles, whose President at the death of the Prophet Joseph he
was, actually received under the hands of the Prophet Joseph,
every key, and power, and authority that he himself possessed,
and that they actually did take hold and complete the temple he
started, and endowed their fellow servants therein with the same
authority and the same priestly and kingly dignity that they had
received from under his hands. And from that time to the present
this work has gone forth with might and power, and the power of
God has attended the labors of his servants who have been sent
forth by these apostles, chosen by revelation to take charge of
this work; everything they have done God has blessed. They have
gathered the people together, they have led the people, they have
been delivered by the mighty power of God when it seemed that
they would be overwhelmed by opposing influences. They have
gathered the people together from the nations of the earth in
fulfillment of the predictions of the holy prophets. Not only
that, but they have laid the foundations of temples here; one
temple, at least, has been completed while three others are in
process of erection, which we hope will soon be completed, into
which buildings the Saints of God can enter and receive their
endowments, receive their washings and anointings and sealings
and ordinances, and have the keys of the holy priesthood bestowed
upon them, which they can exercise in the right way for the
building up of the work of God. And this is the work of God,
although men may say there has been so supernatural manifestation
of power, such as some suppose ought to attend his work. This
work has gone forth with a rapidity and impetus that has been
irresistible, and there is no power able to stand against it. It
has gone forward to the fulfilment of all that has been spoken
thus far concerning it, that is as far as we have gone. And the
people have received the Holy Ghost, they have been filled with
it, they have been filled with the spirit of revelation. The same
spirit of revelation that Moses had, concerning which God speaks
through the Prophet Joseph Smith, has rested upon men that have
held the keys of this kingdom, whether it was during President
Young's life or at the present time--that same spirit of
revelations rests upon him who holds the presidency as senior
apostle in the midst of the people of God. The apostles of this
Church have all the authority, they have all the keys, and it is
within the purview of their office and calling to have all the
spirit of revelation necessary to lead this people into the
presence of the Lamb in the celestial kingdom of our God.
271
I have desired to say this much, because I have felt at times
there was a feeling among some people that there was not that
manifestation of power, neither was there that authority wielded
by the men who preside over this Church and kingdom that should
be.
271
But it is the truth, that the same spirit of revelation that
rested upon Moses, and which enabled him to lead the children of
Israel through the Red Sea, rests upon the servants of God in the
midst of this people, and you will find it so to your entire
satisfaction if you will listen to their counsels and be guided
by them. Does God reveal himself to his servants now? I know he
does. The same spirit that rested upon Joseph--the same spirit
that rested upon Moses, I know it is in the midst of the
Latter-day Saints--precisely the same spirit. But then we are a
nation of Gentiles. We who have come here, what are we? We are
called from the Gentile nations. The promises are not made to us
that are made to people who are the unmixed descendants of
Israel. In many respects, when they come into the covenant and
are baptized, and the power of God rests upon them, you will see
a different work than you see at the present time. It is just as
much as we, with our Gentile traditions--an inheritance we have
received from our fathers, which have come down through
generations--it is as much as many of us can do, with all the
power we can exercise, to remain in the Church.
272
I was speaking with Brother Simpson Molen this evening, who as
you know has lately returned from a mission to the Sandwich
Islands. It is now 29 years since the Gospel was introduced to
the people of that country. I labored there for four or five
years, and was the first to preach the Gospel to them in their
language in this generation. During my experience among that
people, a red skinned race, I never knew a man, because of
transgression or anything else, after he received the truth--I
never knew one of them to turn around and fight this cause in the
manner that we witness men doing among our race. How is it with
the Gentiles, the race of which we are a part? When a man gets a
testimony from God and falls into transgression he is almost
immediately seized with the spirit of murder. He wants to shed
the blood of innocence. He wants to kill the servants of God, is
full of bitterness and hatred, and seeks to find vent for his
wicked passions. We have seen this spirit manifested in our
history among our own race. But here is a people who receive
strong testimonies concerning the Gospel, and from all that I can
learn there has not been an instance of a man's turning around
and bitterly fighting this work. There seems to be natural
receptiveness about them to receive the truth. The Indians will
be the same in my opinion. You will find the same peculiarity,
you will find them ready to receive the truth, and they will
cleave to the truth. It is difficult for the Gentiles to receive
the truth. It will be easier for them, because unto them are the
promises. I look for a very different condition of things when
these races come into the church and are brought into the
covenant. I expect then to see the work accomplished by a power
that we do not witness just now. But it is not because something
is lacking in the organization or in the authority of the
priesthood. We have, as I have said, all that is necessary, and
we have this spirit of which I have spoken and which is alluded
to in this revelation--the same spirit of revelation which
reveals to us that which we should do and the course we should
take in order to please the Lord and in order to build up his
kingdom, and this Church will always be led by that authority
from this time henceforth until Christ himself shall come to
preside over us and be our king.
272
My brethren and sisters, if you want more revelation, here is the
principle upon which to obtain it. Are you entitled to it? Yes,
every one of you--the same spirit of revelation that Moses had,
the same spirit that all the prophets and apostles had, it is
your privilege, it is my privilege, it is the privilege of every
man and woman who possesses the Gospel to receive the spirit of
God, the Holy Ghost, to have that same spirit resting upon him
and upon her, and the more we seek after it and cherish it the
more we will have.
272
My time is exhausted. I pray God to bless us and fill us
continually with the light of that spirit, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, June 20th, 1880
Orson Pratt, June 20th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
June 20th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE GATHERING OF THE SAINTS--THEIR SUFFERINGS--ANCIENT
PREDICTIONS
FULFILLED--CRICKETS AND THEIR MIRACULOUS DESTRUCTION--CROPS
SAVED--DESERT MADE FRUITFUL--GOD'S KINGDOM IN THE MOUNTAINS--ITS
ITS FUTURE DESTINY THE COMING OF THE LORD.
274
I will call the attention of the congregation to a few verses,
contained in the 50th Psalm, and the first six verses: "The
mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from
the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion,
the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come,
and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and
it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to
the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his
people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a
covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his
righteousness: for God is judge himself." It is very evident that
the Psalmist, when writing these words, must have been inspired
of the living God; for the events, here foretold, are clearly set
forth in many other parts of the sacred scriptures. Two very
important events are announced here; one is, the gathering of the
Saints,--those who have made a covenant with the Lord by
sacrifice;--and another is the coming of the Lord, not his first
coming, but his second advent, when a fire shall devour before
him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him; when he
shall, in other words, come in his majesty, in his power, in
great glory, or, as the apostle Paul expresses it in one of his
epistles to the Thessalonians, "he shall be revealed from heaven,
with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them
that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ." There seems to be connected with this advent of the Lord
from the heavens, great power; his arm is to be made manifest
before all people. Preparatory to this great event, there will be
a universal gathering of the Saints from the four quarters of the
earth. It is one of the signs preceding the second advent. It is
clearly foretold by many of the prophets. David alludes to it,
not only in this Psalm, but in many parts of his Psalms. The
Spirit of God seems to have moved upon him to portray more or
less the great work of the gathering of the Saints in the last
days. Many suppose that he will come and find the Saints
scattered all over the world, not gathered into any special
country; but it is evident that those who have taken this view of
the subject don't understand the Scripture writings. Nothing is
plainer in all the sacred Scriptures than the gathering of the
people of God. The apostle Paul, in the first chapter of his
epistle to the Ephesians, prophecies "that in the dispensation of
the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth." It
seems to be a new dispensation, a dispensation that is
characterized by the words "fulness of times." When these times
shall be fulfilled: when the day shall come for this great
preparatory work to take place, the Lord will signify it, by
speaking from the heavens; or, as it is here stated, in the
fourth verse of this Psalm which I have just read, "he shall call
to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge
his people. Gather my Saints together unto me; those that have
made a covenant with me by sacrifice." From this we draw the
conclusion, that when the dispensation shall be fully ushered in:
when the time for the great preparatory work shall take place,
the heavens will no longer be sealed up, but the Lord will again
speak, will call to the heavens, call upon his angels, call upon
the ancient prophets who have died and gone the way of the whole
earth, and are dwelling in the heavens, to do the work assigned
to them, in the great and last dispensation of the fulness of
times, in bringing about the gathering and restitution of his
people upon the face of the earth. David, in the 107th Psalm, has
very clearly portrayed this wonderful and great event. Perhaps it
may be well for us to read the exact words. He commences the
Psalm thus: "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his
mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." Now notice the
gathering--"and gathered them out of the lands, from the east and
from the west, from the north and from the south. It seems to be
a gathering from the four points of the compass, out of all
lands. You might inquire if the prophets have said anything
special in relation to the country where these Saints, or people
of God are to be gathered. Let us read the next verse. After
gathering them out of the different countries and lands, from the
east, west, north and south, the Psalmist says, "They wandered in
a wilderness, in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried
unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of
their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way," etc.
Now this cannot refer to any former dispensation of gathering.
When the children of Israel in ancient days were collected
together as a body, they were not taken from the east, west,
north and south, but they were taken from one little country--the
land of Goshen in Egypt. From there this handful of people, about
twenty-five hundred thousand were taken, and in the course of
time were permitted to inhabit the land of Canaan. But this
gathering that is here spoken of informs us that they are to be
gathered out of all lands. Who? The redeemed of the Lord,--people
who have heard the message of redemption, obeyed the ordinances
of redemption, received the Gospel of redemption, and were the
people of God, the people of Christ; they were the ones that were
to wander in the wilderness, after they were thus gathered, and
that wilderness would be a solitary way. Now, in gathering from
Egypt to the land of Canaan, they wandered, it is true, in a
small wilderness, on the east side of the Red Sea, but instead of
bringing them forth where there was no city or habitation he
brought them forth to large and populous cities. The first city
that they came to, after crossing from the east side of Jordan to
the land on the west side, was the great city of Jericho, which
the Lord delivered into their hands; and then there were numerous
other cities that are mentioned in the Book of Joshua, which were
delivered into the hands of the people. The children of Israel
gathered out of one land; but this latter-day gathering was to be
a people called "the redeemed of the Lord;" they were to go into
a wilderness country. They were called, in many parts of the
Scripture writings, "the people of Zion," and "the Zion of the
latter-days." The Lord calls them by this special name in the
51st chapter of Isaiah, and these are the words that are used:
"For the Lord shall comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste
places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert
like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found
therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody."
275
When I was a boy, I was inclined to attend very frequently the
meetings that were held by the different denominations in the
State of New York, my native State. I often heard this prophecy
of Isaiah sung, by those who were singing anthems of praise to
the Lord, "The Lord shall comfort Zion," etc., but little did I
know, in my boyhood or youth, what was meant by these predictions
of Isaiah. It seems that the people of Zion are to be gathered
out from all lands, from every nation under heaven, from the four
points of the compass, and are to be brought into a solitary
place, a wilderness, and when they arrive in that solitary place
or wilderness, they will, at first, be greatly afflicted, sorely
distressed, so much so that they will be under the necessity of
crying unto the Lord, and he will deliver them from their
distress. "They found no city to dwell in," says David. Now, this
was the case with the Latter-day Saints, whom the Lord commanded
to gather together. When we started forth over the great desert
plain, where there were no settlements, no cities, no towns,
traveling hundreds of miles without any track to guide us, it was
a "solitary way," and rendered more terrible by the wild beasts
that roamed over the plains. We could hear the sound of the wolf
in his howlings; we could hear the sounds of the buffalos in
their bellowings, but the sound of the human voice, from any
village, or town, or settlement was unknown for hundreds of
miles.
277
We commenced this journey in the year 1846, leaving the great
Mississippi river in the cold month of February. After a portion
of us had crossed the river in boats, the river was frozen over,
and the rest of the company crossed in wagons on the ice. We had
no grass to sustain our teams. Our teams depended upon the
cottonwoods, and barks of trees, and a little corn that we could
occasionally get by sending down to the settlements, and
purchasing it for that purpose. We wandered in the wilderness "in
a solitary way," and when we had traveled some fourteen hundred
miles, we found no city to dwell in, just precisely as the
Psalmist said would be the case. We entered this valley in the
month of July, 1847, having been detained during the winter, by
sending over 500 of our people--young and middle-aged men--to
help the United States in their war against Mexico. That detained
us during the winter, so that we could not journey any further
than Council Bluffs, or the regions a little above Omaha, where
we built up a temporary residence. The next spring we started
off, traveling over the plains "in a solitary way," and entered
this valley just about where Fort Douglas is now established on
the bench; we called it Emigration Canon. We came down here upon
this plot of ground in the month of July, and commenced planting
a few potatoes. It was very late to put in any corn, but we
wished to try the soil to see whether there was any virtue in it.
We found it, however, like an ash heap. It seemed as though there
had been no rain upon the land for years. We could dig down a
great depth in many places, where this city now stands, without
finding scarcely any moisture, but we succeeded by taking the
water from the creek--City Creek we call it--in flooding a small
portion of ground, and put in our potatoes, and planted corn, a
few beans, garden seeds, etc. to see if there was any virtue in
the soil. What were the results of our first crop? We found that
there was fruitfulness in the soil; but of course it was too late
for anything to be matured. The same fall, or autumn of 1847,
several thousand of the Latter-day Saints followed up our track.
They came upon the land in the fall of the year, bringing with
them a little breadstuffs to sustain them during the winter, and
also our farm utensils, and everything in the shape of wearing
apparel that could be brought. We had not much to bring, for we
had already been driven four or five times in the United States,
from our houses and from our lands;much of our bedding was burnt;
our stores torn down, and the goods carried into the streets and
destroyed. Hence, we had not much to bring with us: but we came
trusting in our God, and we found that the Lord really fulfilled
the prophecy of Isaiah, and made the wilderness to blossom as the
rose, made the desert to bloom like the Garden of Eden--literally
fulfilling that which our Gentile religious denominations had
been singing in my ears, when I was a youth. Very pleasant song
to those who did not understand it, but much more pleasant to
those who do understand and are fulfilling it. We made great
calculations in laying off this city. We did not lay it off
merely one square mile, as if we were doubtful as to whether
there would be any inhabitant to occupy it, nor two miles square,
but we laid it off, covering an area of about five square miles.
We expected that there would be a great emigration. Upon what did
we found our expectation? Was it upon our own natural judgment?
No; we founded our expectation upon that which God had spoken in
the modern revelations which he had given to us as a people. He
told us, by revelation, before our prophet was martyred, that we
would have to leave the United States: go beyond the Rocky
Mountains, and seek our home in the wilderness, and that we would
have a great people gather with us. We believed his words; we
laid out this city accordingly; and now all that remains for us
or strangers to do, in regard to the fulfillment of these
expectations, is to ride from one end of this city to the other,
and see if there is much spare ground: see if the lots are not
pretty generally occupied, and the city pretty well filled with
inhabitants. "And he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her
desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be
found therein." At first, before the joy and gladness came, this
other prophecy was fulfilled: "Hungry and thirsty, their soul
fainted in them," then they cried unto the Lord in their
afflictions, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of
their distress. It is not necessary for me to enumerate all our
privations, such as the shortness of provisions, and how many had
to live on the roots that sprang out of the ground; how many had
to boil up the hides of their cattle that had transported them
across the plains; it is not necessary to enter into all these
particulars. I do not know that it is necessary for us even to
speak of a great trial of our faith, that we had after we had
been here many months. We planted our crops in the spring and
they came up, and were looking nicely, and we were cheered with
the hopes of having a very abundant harvest. But alas! it very
soon appeared as if our crops were going to be swallowed up by a
vast horde of crickets, that came down from these
mountains--crickets very different to what I used to be
acquainted with in the State of New York. They were crickets
nearly as large as a man's thumb. They came in immense droves, so
that men and women with brush could make no headway against them;
but we cried unto the Lord in our afflictions, and the Lord heard
us, and sent thousands and tens of thousands of a small white
bird. I have not see any of them lately. Many called them gulls,
although they were different from the seagulls that live on the
Atlantic coast. And what did they do for us? They went to work,
and by thousands and tens of thousands, began to devour them up,
and still we thought that even they could not prevail against so
large and mighty an army. But we noticed, that when they had
apparently filled themselves with these crickets, they would go
and vomit them up, and again go to work and fill themselves, and
so they continued to do, until the land was cleared of crickets,
and our crops were saved. There are those who will say that this
was one of the natural courses of events, that there was no
miracle in it. Let that be as it may, we esteemed it as a
blessing from the hand of God; miracle or no miracle, we believe
that God had a hand in it, and it does not matter particularly
whether strangers believe or not.
278
We found no city here to dwell in. What did we do? Went to work
and began to build a great city. This also was foretold in this
same Psalm, "He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water
springs into dry ground. A fruitful land into barrenness for the
wickedness of them that dwell therein. He turneth the wilderness
into a standing water, and dry ground into water springs." We
found that when we came and began to irrigate the land, and the
rains began to descend from the heavens, the earth began to take
on a fresh appearance, and the dry ground became like water
springs. "And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may
prepare a city for habitation." Now when the Israelites went into
Canaan, they found cities already prepared, but we had to prepare
our own city, "and sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may
yield fruits of increase. He blesseth them also, so that they are
multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease."
Now, the Latter-day Saints who have been here, since the arrival
of the first companies in the year 1847, can realize how much the
Lord has multiplied this people. We are as it were overrun with
children. If strangers will take the opportunity of going to some
of our oldest towns, and through our various settlements, they
will find vast numbers of children, perhaps more children in our
country than in any other country in the United States of the
same population. This is very clearly spoken of here, "He blessed
them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not
their cattle to decrease." Again he says, in the 41st verse, "Yet
setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him
families like a flock." Those that are acquainted with some of
our poor men, and when they go and look at one man's family; for
this is in the singular number--"he maketh him families like a
flock"--when we see one man's family like a flock, we may know
the Lord has fulfilled this prophecy in regard to the gathering
of the Saints in the latter-days. "The righteous shall see it and
rejoice; and all iniquity shall stop her mouth." The latter part
of the sentence is not yet fulfilled, but the fore part is
fulfilled; the righteous hath seen these "families like a flock,"
and the people greatly multiplied upon the face of the land.
"Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall
understand the loving kindness of the Lord." That is, they are
the children of the light. They can see that the Lord our God is
fulfilling that which he had purposed to fulfil, when the day for
the gathering of his Saints should commence. They can see that
that which has occurred corresponds with that which was
predicted. Again, they can see how the righteous prosper and
flourish; how their cattle increase, and how the Lord has made
this wilderness, this desert, this waste country, like the garden
of Eden.
278
Paul, I have no doubt, saw his dispensation of the "fullness of
times," or he never would have predicted the great gathering that
should then take place, namely "all things in Christ"--notice
that expression; not those who are out of Christ, not those who
have not been baptized into Christ; but "all things in Christ;
both which are in heaven and which are on the earth; even in
him."
279
This forcibly puts me in mind of the parable of our Savior
concerning this great latter-day gathering. In the 24th chapter
of Matthew he speaks of his second coming "in the clouds of
heaven, with power and great glory," and how the Gospel should be
preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, before
he should come in his glory. In the next chapter, in order that
his disciples might fully understand his sayings, he goes on to
explain that at that particular period the kingdom of heaven
should be likened unto ten virgins; not the former kingdom that
was to be built up, when he came on the earth in the flesh; that
was not likened unto ten virgins; but at the time he should
commence the great work of gathering, that wheresoever the main
body of the kingdom is gathered together, from the four quarters
of the earth, preparatory to his second coming, then, at that
time, should the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins,
which took their lamps and went forth--(signifying that they did
not remain in their native lands) to meet the Bridegroom. It was
a literal gathering out; and after they had gathered out, taking
their lamps with them, they began to be sleepy, and it is
written, "they all slumbered and slept." It was a time to sleep,
a time of drowsiness; it is called midnight; but when all was
silent, and when probably the world outside was not looking for
anything very great, was careless and indifferent, a voice was
heard in the depth of this silence, saying, "Behold, the
Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." Then all those virgins
awoke, both the wise and the foolish. The wise ones trimmed their
lamps, and had some oil left; but the lamps of the foolish had
gone out, because there was no oil in them. It seems that they
had been so careless, that all the Spirit of God--which may be
compared to the oil that gives brightness to the lamps--had gone
out of them, and their lamps would not burn. "Well," said they,
"What shall we do?" We have been expecting the Bridegroom as well
as you that are wise; we believed the Gospel, but really we have
been too careless; the spirit has been withdrawn from us; there
is no oil in our lamps; cannot you give us some? won't you sell
us a little?" "Oh, no," say the wise ones, "we almost fear we
have not got enough for ourselves; if you want any, you had
better go and buy of those who want to sell." Hence, five that
had gathered were foolish, and five were wise. The wise entered
in with the Bridegroom, and the door was shut before the foolish
ones could get in. But they afterwards arrived and begged to be
admitted; and the question was asked. "Who are ye?" "We have been
here among your people for a long time. Have we not cast out
devils at a certain time? Have we not been on missions? Have we
not healed the sick and done many wonderful works in your name?"
What is the reply? "I know you not." Why? Because they have
apostatized; they have lost the oil out of their lamps; they
failed to be prepared for the coming of the Savior. Therefore
they were bound, as it were, hand and foot, and delivered over to
the wicked world, to suffer the same punishment as those that
would not receive the truth, and perhaps even greater.
279
There is another parable concerning this gathering dispensation.
You recollect the Savior, in speaking of the end of the wicked
world, in a parable, calls it a time of harvest. Before the time
of harvest, there seemed to be a gathering together, and by and
by, after this gathering, the tares were plucked out from among
the wheat, and cast out in bundles, ready to be burned; but those
that were not tares, those that were really wheat, were the ones
that were prepared to enter in and partake of the blessing of the
Lord. This was spoken, not concerning the former dispensation,
but that dispensation immediately preceding the end of the world.
279
In another very plain parable, concerning the gathering in the
last days, the kingdom of heaven is compared--that is the kingdom
which should exist in the last days--to a net that should be cast
into the sea, and gather of all kinds, both good and bad. They
are brought up to the shore, not left in their native ocean or
native waters, but brought up to the shore. The bad area cast
away, and the good were cast into the vessels. Now, this had
reference also to the end of the world. This had reference to the
great and last dispensation, when the servants of God will go
forth, being commissioned of the Lord of Hosts to gather out his
Saints, those that have made a covenant with him by sacrifice,
and in the gathering out of these Saints from all the lands of
the earth, and from the four quarters thereof, they will gather
up a great many that are not good, that will not stand the test;
but the bad will be cast out, those who have not on the wedding
garment they will be cast away, and bound hand and foot, as it
were, until the end shall come, that is, the final judgment,
which will be more than a thousand years after the time of the
coming of the Savior.
280
This same great gathering is characterized also by Daniel, as a
stone cut out of the mountain without hands. This stone is
represented as a kingdom, and its location is represented as a
mountain, showing that there is to be a kingdom of God set up in
the last days by the gathering together of his people in an
elevated region of country, called a mountain. By and by that
stone will roll forth, until the kingdoms of this world are
broken in pieces, and as the Prophet Daniel said, the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but shall stand forever; all
those other earthly kingdoms, that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his
dream, will vanish away, like a night vision, or, in other words,
become "like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the
wind carried them away, and no place was found for them." There
are many politicians that are trying to foretell the future. They
speak of what this government, and that government, and the other
government will be, several hundred years hence, or perhaps in
ages hence, as though they could see and understand, naturally,
the condition of the various governments and kingdoms of the
earth, for a long time to come; but Daniel, who was filled with
the Spirit of the living God, saw that all these earthly
governments--with the setting up of which God had nothing to do
particularly, that is, their founders were neither prophets nor
revelators so as to found them upon the principles of the
everlasting Gospel--were to vanish away, like the chaff of the
summer threshing floor. And you know how that vanishes,
especially when the wind blows strongly. So shall it be with all
the governments, kingdoms, powers, republics, and empires upon
the face of this globe, except one government, namely, that
government which the God of heaven shall establish in the
latter-days upon the mountains. This is the work of God. It is
God that causes these kingdoms to vanish away. It is our God that
will cleanse the earth from wickedness. "A fire shall devour
before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him." He
it is that will speak and the wicked shall melt away. He it is
that will cause violent whirlwinds to go forth and destroy this,
that, or the other city, according to his own will. He it is that
will send forth pestilence and plague, and will perform all that
has been spoken by the mouth of his prophets, concerning the
destruction that is to take place in the latter days.
280
To prove still more clearly the nature of this great latter-day
work of gathering, read the writings of John the Revelator. He
saw the introduction of the Gospel in the latter-days. He saw
"another angel" should bring it. He saw that it should be
published to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. He saw
that following that angel there would come great and terrible
judgments. He saw that after that angel should come with the
Gospel, there would come a voice from heaven, saying, "Come out
of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that
ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto
heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." This voice from
heaven, this new revelation, that was promised by the mouth of
John the revelator, and the sound to all is: "Come out from among
these nations. Come out from the four quarters of the earth. Come
out from Great Babylon, 'Mystery, Babylon the Great,' that you
may escape the desolation and plagues that will soon overtake
her." Read concerning the coming of that angel with the Gospel.
Read the declaration that that should be the hour o God's
judgment. When the Gospel is preached, it is the last message to
the human family, the last warning voice that they will hear
before the coming of the Lord. If they receive it, they will flee
out from the nations; if they receive it not, then know assuredly
that the hour of God's judgment is come, and God himself will
judge the people, as written in this 50th Psalm.
280
But we will not detain you longer. May the Lord bless you. May he
pour out his Spirit upon all the faithful of the Latter-day
Saints, and if there are any unfaithful ones, numbered with the
people of God, may the Spirit of the Lord strive with you, until
you shall repent of your unfaithfulness, and become pure,
upright, virtuous, and holy before the Lord, that you may be
entitled to his Holy Spirit. And if there be any strangers
present, this afternoon, who desire to know the truth, we would
ask them to search the sacred Scriptures, call upon the name of
the Most High God, and he will show you whether these Scriptures
are true or not; he will reveal to you whether he has sent his
angel from heaven or not; he will give you a testimony that is
greater than the testimony of men, provided you will go humbly
before him, and call upon him, with all your hearts. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Wilford Woodruff, July 4th, 1880
Wilford Woodruff, July 4th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, at the Priesthood
Meeting, Sunday Evening, July 4th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD--EXHORTATION TO FAITHFULNESS,
ETC.
281
As this is the priesthood meeting of the elders of Israel and
those bearing the priesthood, I feel I would like to say a few
words in connection with what Brother Taylor has said. I look
upon our condition or our position, as a people, that we are
called to a certain work. When we send men upon missions, or to
perform any branch of business or labor, of course we expect them
to perform it, and the Lord expects them to do the same. Now I
look upon the elders of Israel here to-night, and in this Church
and kingdom, as upon a mission. We have been ordained to a
mission, and we have our time set to do it and to perform it. Not
that I know exactly how many days or years we are going to spend
in it. But this mission is required at our hands, not at the
hands of Brother Taylor, Brother Joseph, or Brother Brigham
alone, but it is required at our hands by the God of heaven, and
we are performing a work and laying a foundation which we have
got to meet on the other side of the vail. It does not make any
difference to what position we are called or ordained. If we are
called to the office of a bishop we should fulfill the duties
pertaining to that office. I know it has been considered a very
hard office, and one to which a good deal of time has to be
devoted. Yet there are a great many bishops who don't spend much
time in it, while others are true to their calling. A bishop's
calling is an important one. He is called to be a father to the
people of his ward. And when labor is laid upon us to perform we
should not ignore that labor or lay it aside. There is an account
kept, whether we keep one or not. There are a good many
revelations which show us that this is the case. Your history
goes before you. All of you will find it when you get the other
side of the vail. Every man's history--his acts--are written,
whether he has kept a record here or not. This is plainly
manifested in the revelation known as the "Olive Leaf."
282
As I view it, we are not placed here as elders of Israel,
apostles, or bishops, merely to get rich in gold and silver, and
the things of this world. We have a labor laid upon our
shoulders. Joseph Smith had, Brigham Young had, the Twelve
Apostles have, we all have, and we will be condemned if we do not
fulfill it. We shall find it out when we get to the other side of
the vail. It is through this neglect of duty that so many have
left this Church and kingdom of God. There is hardly a tithe of
the people who have been baptized in water for the remission of
sins that have died in the faith. In the United States there are
tens of thousands of apostate Mormons. Many a time in my
reflections I have wished I could fully comprehend the
responsibility I am under to God, and the responsibility every
man is under who bears the priesthood in this generation. But I
tell you, brethren, I think our hearts are set too much upon the
things of this world. We do not appreciate, as men bearing the
holy priesthood in this generation should, the mighty
responsibility we are under to God and high heaven, as well as to
the earth. I think we are too far from the Lord. I do not think
we live our religion as we ought to. I do not think our hearts
are set upon building up this kingdom as they should be as
Latter-day Saints. Now, do not think I am your enemy because I
tell you these things. I feel we have an important work to
perform, and others will continue the work when we have passed
away. I look around and view the work of time. I look around and
find that eight of the Twelve Apostles have passed into the world
of spirits since we came into this valley; I expect to go there
myself, I expect my brethren will; we shall all go there before
many years are over. I do not look for anything else; and I will
say that for the last year or two in my reflections I have felt
that I have no other business on this earth but to try to build
up this kingdom. I do not feel that I am justified in setting my
heart upon the things of this world to the neglect of any duty
that God requires at my hands. And another thing, when I look at
this generation, when I think of over twelve hundred millions of
people who dwell in the flesh, many of them ripening for the
judgments of God, a generation that is ready to receive the wrath
of God upon their heads--when I consider these things, I know
that if I neglect to bear my testimony before them, if I neglect
to bear my testimony to this generation when I have an
opportunity, I shall feel sorry for it when I go into the spirit
world.
283
That is the way I feel with regard to this work. God requires
that we bear record of it to this generation; and when I think of
the extent of this generation, the greatness of it, when I
consider that this is a generation and dispensation when God has
set his hand to establish a kingdom, the great and last kingdom,
and the only kingdom that the Lord ever did establish in any age
of the world, to remain on the earth through the millennium, when
I think of these things I can realize the greatness of this work.
The Lord never had prophets in any age of the world who could
stand in the flesh and live, and build up the kingdom of God. The
world has always made war upon them and destroyed them, with the
exception of Enoch who was taken up to heaven with his city. Now,
if we could realize that we have the kingdom of God upon the
earth to-day, with the promise of God our Father, that it will
stay upon the earth until the coming of the Son of Man--if we
could realize this and realize our responsibility, it seems to me
that we would all have a desire to magnify our calling. As I was
going to say, with a generation like this, with the nations of
the earth as they are to-day, having the power to build up the
kingdom of God to stay here, having the power to rear temples to
the Most High God, against the wrath and indignation of a
thousand million people--I say, having this power, and being
sustained by the Lord, we certainly ought to be willing to do our
part of the work. We have borne testimony--I have, my brethren
have, the elders of Israel have--to this generation for many
years. We have borne testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of
the Book of Mormon and of the prophets of God who has been raised
in this our own time, and those testimonies will rise up in
judgment against this generation and will condemn those who
reject them.
283
This kingdom is in our hands to bear it off. The God of heaven is
with us. He has sustained us. He turns away the wrath of man. He
binds the hands of our enemies and breaks every weapon that is
formed against Zion. He has established his people in these
valleys of the mountains.
283
I would say to bishops, and to all men in authority, we should
have an interest in carrying on this work. We should labor to get
the Spirit of God. It is our right, our privilege, and our duty
to call upon the Lord, that the vision of our mind may be opened,
so that we may see and understand the day and age in which we are
living. It is your privilege, and mine too, to know the mind and
will of the Lord concerning our duties, and if we fail to seek
after this, we neglect to magnify our calling.
283
As Brother Taylor has said, here we are at headquarters. We are
an ensample for all the other Stakes to look at. We should not
consider anything we are called to perform a labor. Anything we
are called upon to do we should do with a will. I look back to
the days of our early missions. Brother Taylor, Brother Brigham,
myself and others, had to go our ways sick with fever, ague, and
the power of death surrounding us; had to leave our wives and
children without food, without raiment, and go without purse and
scrip to preach the Gospel. We were commanded of God to do it,
and if we had not done it we should not have been here to-day.
But having done these things, God has blessed us. He has
sustained the faithful elders of this Church and kingdom, and he
will continue to do so until we get through.
284
I wanted to express my feelings in relation to these matters. I
reflect upon our position. I realize that we have a testimony to
bear, and that we shall be held responsible for the manner in
which we perform our duties. As apostles, seventies, elders,
priests, etc., we are accountable to the Most High God. If we do
our duty, then our skirts will be clean. We are watchmen upon the
walls of Zion. It is our duty to warn the inhabitants of the
earth of the things that are to come, and if they reject our
testimony, then their blood will be upon their own heads. When
the judgments of God overtake the wicked they cannot say they
have not been warned. My garments, and the garments of thousands
of others, are clean of the people of this generation, as also
the garments of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and those of the
elders of Israel who have died in the faith. We have borne our
testimony, and when the judgments of God come, men cannot say
they have not been warned. I consider our position before this
generation is of vast importance to us and them. I do not want,
when I go into the spirit world, to have this generation rise up
and condemn me, and say I have not done my duty.
284
There never was a generation like this. There has never been a
people like this. There has never been a work like this since God
made the world. True, there have been men who have preached the
Gospel; but in the fulness of times the Lord has set his hand to
establish his kingdom. This is the last dispensation. He has
raised up men and women to carry on his work, and as I have often
said, many of us have been held in the spirit world from the
organization of this world, until the generation in which we
live. Our lives have been hid with Christ in God, and the devil
has sought to kill us from the day we were born until the present
hour. But the Lord has preserved us. He has given us the
priesthood, he has given us the kingdom and the keys thereof.
Shall we disappoint our heavenly Father? Shall we disappoint the
ancient prophets and apostles who looked forward to this day?
Shall we disappoint Joseph Smith, and those brethren who have
gone before, who laid the foundation of this work and left us to
labor after them? Brethren, for God's sake do not let us set our
hearts on the things of this world to the neglect of the things
of eternal life. Do not let the bishops feel it is a hard matter
to carry out any of the counsels given by those who are called to
direct all these things. Bless your souls, if you lived here in
the flesh a thousand years, as long as Father Adam, and lived and
labored all your life in poverty, and when you got through, if,
by your acts, you could secure your wives and children in the
morning of the first resurrection, to dwell with you in the
presence of God, that one thing would amply pay you for the
labors of a thousand years. What is anything we can do or suffer,
to be compared with the multiplicity of kingdoms, thrones and
principalities that God has revealed to us?
284
Well, we have got the kingdom, and we must bear it off. It won't
pay you nor me to apostatize. But then there is this danger, you
know. Brother Joseph used to counsel us in this wise: "The moment
you permit yourselves to lay aside any duty that God calls you to
perform, to gratify your own desires; the moment you permit
yourselves to become careless, you lay a foundation for apostasy.
Be careful; understand you are called to a work, and when God
requires you to do that work do it." Another thing he said: "In
all your trials, tribulations and sickness, in all your
sufferings, even unto death, be careful you don't betray God, be
careful you don't betray the priesthood, be careful you don't
apostatize; because if you do, you will be sorry for it." We
received a great deal of that kind of counsel, and I have
remembered it from that day until the present.
285
But I do not wish to detain you. I felt to back up the testimony
Brother Taylor has given. I take it to myself. I can make nothing
by neglecting any duty. I have never committed a sin in this
Church and kingdom, but what it has cost me a thousand times more
than it was worth. We cannot sin with impunity; we cannot neglect
any counsel with impunity, but what it will bring sorrow; and the
only safe way is to round up our shoulders and do our duty, and
thus bear off the kingdom. None of us have a long time to stay
here. When I look around and reflect upon my brethren that are
gone, I ask, Where are they? Where are they gone? Here is Brother
Taylor, myself and others, who form part of the early
organization of this quorum, who have traveled with the Church
for a great many years; but Brother Joseph Smith and others have
been gone for a long time--gone into the spirit world. While I
reflect upon these things I often ask, What are their views
toward us? How does the Lord look upon us a people? I consider
the Lord and the heavenly hosts are watching us. I know they
manifest great interest in our welfare and in the course we
pursue. I do not want to miss salvation. I want to go where
Brother Joseph is. I want to go to my heavenly Father, and to his
Son Jesus Christ, and to the old prophets who lived in their
generations.
285
Let us try to live our religion. Let us seek for the Holy Spirit,
that it may dwell in our bosoms day by day. Bless your souls, we
have all we want of this world's goods. Who ever saw a people so
well off as the people of Utah in these valleys of the mountains?
Who has given us these things? Our heavenly Father. He has
blessed the land for our use. This donation that has been made,
some may call it a sacrifice; but Brother Taylor had a desire to
stretch out the hand of kindness to the oppressed of the
Latter-day Saints. We want them to have the benefit of this. We
should therefore labor with a will. No matter how long you are a
bishop, your work will be closed in the flesh by and by. Where
are many of the bishops of this Church and kingdom who held
office thirty years ago? Gone; and the bishops who are here
to-night, others will supply their places by and by. We will all
pass away in our turn, and the faithful will come forth at the
coming of the Son of Man, which is but a little while.
285
I feel anxious that we may not forget God; I feel anxious that we
may not forget the position we occupy before him; for I will say
this concerning myself: if ever I had any satisfaction or
happiness, I have had it in "Mormonism." If there is anything to
me or about me, it has been given to me in "Mormonism." If I have
ever received any blessings; if I have ever had power to testify
of the things of God, and been the means of bringing any into the
Church and kingdom of God, it has been by the power of God, or by
that which is termed "Mormonism," the Gospel of Christ. I know it
is the power of God that has accomplished these things. It has
been by the power of God that we have received all we are in
possession of--our riches, our gifts, our wives and our children.
How many of you have had sealed upon your heads kingdoms, powers
and principalities in the word to come? Who can compare these
blessings with gold and silver and the things of this world? Or
what is to be compared with the gift of eternal life?
286
I pray God, our heavenly Father, to bless you, to bless all those
who bear the holy priesthood; that the blessings of God may be
over you. I feel that we as a people have got to rise up and
clothe ourselves with the power of God. There must be a
reformation, or a change, in our midst. There is too much evil
among us. The devil has got too much power over us. A good many
that bear the name of Christ and the holy priesthood, are getting
cold in the things of God. We must wake up; we must trim our
lamps, and be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. May God
bless you. May he guide and direct us all. May he keep us in the
hollow of his hand. May he sanctify us and prepare us to inherit
eternal life, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, July 18th, 1880
Orson Pratt, July 18th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
July 18th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
VISIONS OF MOSES--REBELLION IN HEAVEN--SATAN CAST DOWN--OUR FIRST
PARENTS
FELL--BEFORE THE FALL THEY WERE IMMORTAL--AFTER THE FALL,
MORTAL--THE
COMMAND TO MULTIPLY WAS GIVEN TO TWO IMMORTAL BEINGS--THIS
COMMAND MORE
FULLY TO BE CARRIED INTO EFFECT, AFTER THE RESURRECTION, ETC.
286
I will call the attention of the congregation to a portion of the
word of God, that was given unto Moses before he delivered the
children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. It may be well for
me to mention, before reading, that Moses received many
communications, by visions and by revelation, before he was sent
from the land of Midian to visit his brethren who were in bondage
in Egypt. He beheld, in these visions, many great and important
events, some of which took place in the spirit world. Among other
things which he saw was the pre-existence of the children of men,
and also the rebellion that took place among the great family of
spirits before the world was made; and in this vision the Lord
thus speaks to him:
287
"And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying, that Satan whom
thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the
same which was from the beginning, and he came before me saying:
Behold I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all
mankind, that one soul shall not be lost; and surely I will do
it. Wherefore, give me thine honor. But, behold, my beloved Son,
which was my beloved and chosen from the beginning, said unto me,
Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to
destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him,
and also that I should give unto him mine own power, by the power
of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down, and
he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to
deceive, and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will,
even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. And now, the
serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which I, the
Lord God, had made. And Satan put it into the heart of the
serpent (for he had drawn away many after him), and he sought
also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore
he sought to destroy the world, and he said unto the woman, Yea,
hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden? (And
he spake by the mouth of the serpent.) And the woman said unto
the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;
but of the fruit of the tree which thou beholdest in the midst of
the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall
ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye
shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods,
knowing good and evil."
287
These few words which I have read from the "Pearl of Great
Price," were suggested to my mind immediately before rising to my
feet. The short history that is here given, by new revelation to
Joseph the Prophet, contains a vast amount of information for so
few words. It shows the origin of evil, pertaining to the
inhabitants of this creation. I do not suppose that this was the
first origin of evil. We do not consider that this creation on
which we dwell was the first one that was made. We do not
consider that the rebellion which took place in heaven prior to
this creation was the first rebellion that had ever existed. We
do not consider that those beings who rebelled was the first ones
that ever had their agency; but we believe that God has always
been at work, from all eternity; and that the creations which he
has made are innumerable unto men. No man is capable of
conceiving of the number. And those creations were made to be
inhabited by rational, intelligent beings, having their agency.
But this seems to be the origin of evil so far as the inhabitants
intended for this earth, and who were then living in heaven, were
concerned. They had their agency; and when I speak of the
inhabitants that dwell in heaven, pertaining to this creation, I
mean the spirits of men and women. I have no reference to the
mortal tabernacles which we have received here, but I have
reference to those beings who dwell within these tabernacles, who
are intelligent, who have their agency, who had a pre-existence,
who lived before the world was made. The inhabitants of heaven,
who were selected to come on this creation, were agents, just as
much as we are. They had a law given to them, just as much as we
have. They had penalties affixed to that law, just the same as we
have. They could keep that law given to them in heaven, just as
well as we could keep a law given to us. They could rebel against
that law, because of their agency, the same as we rebel against
the laws of heaven.
290
We have an account given here of a personage called Satan, who
stoodup in heaven, being an angel of light, an holy angel, prior
to that time--who stood up before the Father and the Son, and
made a proposition concerning the new creation that was to be
made. "Behold," said he to the Father, "send me, I will be thy
son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be
lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor."
This was the language, according to this revelation which I have
just read, made use of by this angel who stood in the presence of
God. But the Only Begotten of the Father, the First-born of this
great and numerous family in heaven, said unto his Father:
"Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." Then
we have an account that the Lord, because Satan thus
transgressed, and because he sought to destroy the agency of man,
and to redeem all mankind, that not a soul should be lost, was
displeased with the proposition. And why should he not be? An
agency was given to all intelligent beings; and without a proper
agency, intelligent beings could not receive glory and honor, and
a reward and a fullness of happiness in the celestial kingdom.
There must be an agency wherever intelligence exists, and without
agency no intelligent beings could exist; and because Satan
sought to destroy this, and to frustrate the great and eternal
plan of Jehovah, the Lord was displeased with him. He did not
repent of his rebellion, nor of the wicked proposition; but he
sought to turn away the family of heaven--the family of spirits
that were in the presence of God--he sought to turn them away and
convert them to his plan. But he did not succeed. He did succeed
in leading away about one-third part of that great family of
spirits, because of their agency. They hearkened to his
proposition; they thought it would be a very great and important
thing to destroy the agency of man in the future creation that
was about to be made, and to redeem them all in their sins, and
consequently they joined with this rebellious character; hence
came the fallen angels. What became of them? They were thrust
down from the presence of God and the Lamb after this creation
was made, and they were permitted to dwell in this creation.
Finally, one of those spirits who kept their first estate was
placed in a body upon this creation, and likewise a woman; and
Satan came before the woman in the Garden of Eden, and tempted
her. What was his object in tempting this woman? He did not
succeed in overcoming her in the first estate--I mean he did not
succeed in turning her away from God's commands; but inasmuch as
they were now placed under different circumstances--placed in
bodies of flesh and bones--placed in the Garden of Eden, he
thought that he would assault them with a new temptation, to see
if he could possibly overcome them. He succeeded in overcoming
Eve, the woman that was given to this first man, and prevailed
upon her to transgress the law of heaven, to partake of the
forbidden fruit, and she succeeded in leading her husband to
transgress the same law. Now, here arises a question. Did Adam
partake of this forbidden fruit, being deceived as Eve was
deceived? or did he partake of it knowingly and understandingly?
I will give you my views upon this subject. Adam very well knew
that his wife Eve, after she had partaken of the forbidden fruit,
having transgressed the law of God, must die. He knew this; he
knew that she would have to be cast out of the garden of Eden,
from the presence of her husband; she could no longer be
permitted to dwell with him. Hence, inasmuch as there was a great
separation threatened between husband and wife--the wife having
transgressed--he concluded that he would not be separated from
the woman, and hence he was not deceived, but the woman was
deceived; he partook of the forbidden fruit to prevent a
separation between the two, and fell, even as the woman fell, and
both were cast out together. If one only had transgressed and
been cast out, the great command that had been given prior to
that time--to multiply and replenish the earth--could not have
been fulfilled, because of the separation. In order, therefore,
that the command first given might be fulfilled, Adam, though not
deceived, partook of the forbidden fruit, was cast out with Eve,
and hence began, as far as possible, to fulfil the command, and
to multiply his species upon this earth. There is one very
important item, right here, to be understood, and should be
thoroughly understood by every person desirous of knowing the
truth, and that is, that when Adam and Eve were in the garden of
Eden, before this transgression took place, they were not subject
to death; they were not subject to any kind of pain, or disease,
or sickness, or any of the afflictions of mortality. Now, perhaps
those who are not in the habit of reflecting upon this matter,
may suppose that when Adam was placed on the earth, and Eve, his
wife, they were mortal, like unto us; but that was not so. God
did not make a mortal being. It would be contrary to this great
goodness to make a man mortal, subject to pain, subject to
sickness, subject to death. When he made this creation, and when
he made these two intelligent beings and placed them upon this
creation, he made them after his own likeness and his own image.
He did not make them mortal, but he made them immortal, like unto
himself. If he had made them mortal, and subject to pain, there
would have been some cause, among intelligent beings, to say that
the Lord subjected man, without a cause, to afflictions, sorrows,
death and mortality. But he could not do this; it was contrary to
the nature of his attributes, contrary to the nature of that
infinite goodness which dwells in the bosom of the Father and the
Son, to make a being subject to any kind of pain. At the time of
the creation, all things that proceeded forth from his hands were
considered very good. How came, then, Adam to be mortal? How came
Adam to be filled with pain and affliction and with great sorrow?
It was in consequence of transgression. Hence, the Apostle Paul,
in speaking upon this subject, said, that by transgression sin
entered into the world, and death by sin. Death, then, instead of
being something that the Lord created, instead of being something
that he sent into the world, and by sin; the Lord suffered it to
come upon Adam in consequence of transgression. Two immortal
beings, then, were placed in the garden of Eden, male and female.
Was there any commandment given to those two immortal beings
before the fall? There was one commandment, namely: "Be fruitful
and multiply, and replenish the earth." What? Did the Lord
command two immortal beings to multiply their species? He did. In
meditating upon this great command given to these two immortal
beings, it opens to us a field of reflection, of knowledge,
concerning the great designs of the Almighty. It imparts to us a
knowledge that the Lord our God intended that immortal beings
should multiply their species. Can you find any place in the book
of Genesis where our first parents were commanded to multiply
after the fall? I do not remember any such scripture. I have read
the scriptures very diligently; I do not remember any such
command. Yet they did so, and the consequences were that children
of mortality were born--mortal beings came upon the earth. Why?
Because after the fall, Adam and Eve became mortal, and their
species, of course, were after the order of the world, mortal in
their nature. As the parents were subject to death, subject to
pain, and sorrow, and distress, and all kinds of evil, so were
all their posterity. It was contrary to the law of God for mortal
beings to bring forth children of immortality; it was contrary to
the order of heaven for mortal beings to multiply their species
in the form of immortal beings. But may we not suppose that it
was really necessary, notwithstanding there was no command given,
that the children of mortality should multiply their species?
Notwithstanding the Lord said nothing to Adam and Eve upon this
subject after the fall, so far as it written, yet we may suppose
it was according to his purpose and design that they should
multiply children of mortality, even though he gave them no
command after their fall to this effect. They have continued to
do so, and their children after them, in all of their
generations, until the present time, and will continue to do so
in future generations, until the earth has filled the measure of
its creation, according to the number of souls that existed
before the world was organized, in the family of the two-thirds
who kept their first estate.
291
But will the time come in the endless duration of the future,
when our first parents will fulfill that command which was given
to them while they were yet children of immortality? In other
words will the time ever come when Adam and Eve will become
immortal and carry out the command that was given to them in the
days of their first immortality? I answer, yes; without this, the
command of God never could be, in all respects, fulfilled. Though
there should be hundreds of thousands of millions, or more, of
the descendants of those mortal beings come here upon the earth,
the command is not fully complied with; though he may have
begotten sons and daughters, Cain, Abel, Seth and many others for
some nine hundred years and upwards, yet all the sons and
daughters he begat while he was mortal here upon the earth did
not, in all respects, fulfill the command given to him while an
immortal being. That has to be fulfilled after Adam and Eve are
resurrected from the grave. Have they yet been resurrected? I
think so. There were a great many that were resurrected at the
time of the resurrection of Christ. Christ was the first fruits
of the resurrection, and then there were a great many Saints who
came forth out of their graves and were resurrected, and
permitted to enter into the celestial glory and dwell at his
right hand. Among the number, I have no doubt but what our first
parents Adam and Eve, were permitted to come forth and enter into
celestial glory; and I have no doubt but what they have been
fulfilling the commandment given to them before they fell. Nearly
two thousand years have passed since the first resurrection of
the Saints. I cannot believe that Adam and Eve, during these
nineteen centuries, have been in idleness. I cannot believe that
they alone constitute their whole family; but I believe that
during this time they have been fulfilling literally the
commandment that was given to them in the morn of creation and as
immortal beings have brought forth immortal sons and daughters
since their resurrection. Thus the commandment of the Most High
was not made void, but is in process of fulfillment.
292
But let us enquire still further concerning this matter; for this
seems to open up another field before our minds. The children of
immortality are obliged to multiply, in order to fulfill this
commandment. Hence, there is more contained in the Gospel in all
its fulness and glory than what this world ever dreamt of. The
Christian world, so called, have not looked forth unto the great
future; they have not recognized the great law which God ordained
for immortal beings to bring forth their species; for if our
first parents must do this, in order to obey the commandment that
was given before the fall, so must their children, or else ever
be transgressors, one or the other. Their children, I say, never
can fulfill the object of the commandment, that was given to
immortal beings, unless they, as immortal beings, so multiply
their species; and for this reason, we find incorporated in the
Gospel that Paul preached this great saying, "Nevertheless,
neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without
the man, in the Lord." What! Can I, can you, can the inhabitants
of the earth really not be in the Lord, and yet not be united
together in the holy covenant of marriage the male with the
female? so paul says. It is a very curious kind of saying,
however, in the case of this generation, who have lost the
knowledge of God through the apostasy of their fathers. They have
all the time supposed that they could enter into a fulness of the
glory of the celestial world without being united in the bonds of
eternal union. But it is not so; it was not so in the beginning.
The very first marriage that was ever known in this creation, was
not a marriage between the children of mortality, but was a
marriage consummated by divine authority, by divine power. It was
a marriage between two immortal beings. No other marriage could
be so important, so essentially necessary, to the inhabitants of
this creation, as the first one celebrated in the beginning. What
do you think, Christians of the nineteenth century, who belong to
the various denominations?--what are your views in regard to
marriage? Your looks inform us. Your articles of faith inform us.
The disciplines that you have, for the government of your
churches, inform us that when marriage is performed among you, it
is between two mortal beings, and they are only married till
death shall separate and part them. Oh! how different from the
first marriage on record between two immortal personages, whose
days, inasmuch as they keep the commandments of God, were never
to end, but their lives were to be endless or eternal. The
Latter-day Saints have a different form of marriage from these
sectarians. We have a marriage in our church, between the male
and female, which reaches forward to the endless ages of
eternity; we do not consider a marriage of very great importance,
unless it takes hold of eternity. We do not believe in these
marriages which are to remain in force barely while this mortal
thread of existence continues; we do not believe in a marriage
that must be broken up, dissolved and divorced by that tyrant
called death. Death has nothing to do with dissolving
marriages--I mean those marriages that are performed according to
the mind and will of God. Death may come in and separate the two
for a short season, but it does not dissolve the marriage ties.
If Eve dies before her husband, Adam, she is not divorced from
him, neither is he divorced from her, but she considers, while
dwelling in a celestial paradise, that she has legally and
lawfully a husband in the flesh on the earth. Adam, if he still
continues to live on the earth, while Eve has taken her flight to
the eternal world, considers that he has a wife in heaven, though
separated for a short time from her. She still is his wife, and
will be his, until he himself shall fall into the grave, and even
that does not dissolve the marriage tie. The great redemption
wrought out through the only begotten Son--the great redemption
that reclaims Adam and Eve from their graves, restores them also
from this short period of separation that has taken place by
reason of death; it restores them again to each other's society,
as husband and wife; and they will remain in that relationship
while eternity shall endure.
292
But here arises another question,--one of the greatest importance
to the children of men of all generations, and that is, are there
any marriages that God will recognize which he is not the author
of? In other words, supposing that two persons in the Roman
Catholic church, in the greek church, in any Protestant church,
or two persons that do not belong to any religious denomination,
are married by a minister, by a justice of the peace, by any
person professing to have authority among men, to celebrate the
marriage ceremony--have they any claim upon each other when death
separates them? According to their own covenants they do not. The
minister only married them till death should them part. When
death comes along and separates these two persons their marriage
covenant has expired; it has run out, it is at an end, But
inquires one, will not the Lord permit them to live together as
husband and wife, after the resurrection? Why should he? If he
had joined them together, according to the marriage ceremony that
was administered to the first pair of immortality, then they
could claim each other, after the resurrection; but inasmuch as
the ceremony was performed by an uninspired man, not sent of God,
and having no power to seal on earth that it should be sealed in
heaven, of course their marriage covenant expires, that is the
eternal end of their association. Now, the Latter-day Saints are
not willing to go according to the tradition of the sectarian
denominations of the earth; but we desire this great, this
important ceremony to be performed so that it may be enduring, so
that it never shall have an end, but last while eternal ages
shall last.
292
How came we to obtain any knowledge upon this subject? Not of our
own wisdom, not by searching the scriptures of truth. If God had
not revealed himself, had not given instructions upon this
important point, we should be in ignorance, the same as all the
rest of the world; and our marriages, like them, would only be
for time.
293
Another important question arises right here, in relation to
those marriages administered without authority; it is this. Many
of you Latter-day Saints when you embraced this Gospel in Great
Britain, in Scandinavia, in various parts of the United States,
and among the various nations--were men having families, wives
and children; you were married by the laws of the respective
nations among whom you dwelt; you were married till death should
separate you; you were not married for eternity. When you came up
here to this land you began to inquire more fully into the nature
of the marriage covenant. You found that there should be an
eternal covenant, and eternal union. The question then arises,
will your former marriage be sufficient? Not at all. You would
have no wife in the morning of the resurrection, no children that
would be yours legally and lawfully. Why? Because your marriage
was not legal, only legal so far as the laws of the land were
concerned, only legal according to the traditions of men. What
should you do, then, in order that you may be legally married, in
order that your marriage may stand the test in the judgment day,
in order that you may have claim upon your families after the
resurrection? You should have the ceremony performed again. Every
couple that was married abroad, among the nations, must be
re-married, not by man's authority, but by divine authority. Your
covenants should be eternal, and sealed by divine authority, and
then you will have a claim upon each other. But what about your
children, that were begotten while you were yet among the
nations? Can you claim them in the morning of the resurrection?
No: you cannot, unless they are sealed to you by proper
authority--your sons and your daughters must be sealed to you, by
one having authority from God; otherwise you have no claim upon
them. Why? Because they were begotten under a marriage with which
the Lord had nothing to do, only to suffer it; he suffered it for
a wise purpose, that the human species might not be destroyed, or
come to an end upon the earth; but as for commanding them he had
nothing to do with that; consequently, not only your husbands and
wives have to be re-married, by divine authority, but all of your
children, that were born to you, under the old marriage, must be
sealed to you in order that you may claim them in the morning of
the resurrection.
294
But this opens up another field, I am talking to some who have a
second wife. You lost your first wife, did you not, and you
re-married according to the laws of the nations? What about these
two wives? one living and the other dead; perhaps the dead one
was just as good as the living; perhaps the person that died,
before you gathered here to these mountains, was morally as good
as any Latter-day Saint, lived up to all the light and knowledge
which she was in possession of, yet she was not married to you by
divine authority--what of her? Must she stand aside in the
resurrection? and the second wife, because she happens to live
and to receive the Gospel, and to gather up from among the
nations, into the mountains, where the authority to administer
these ordinances is revealed--must she supplant the first one
that happened to fall into her grave before she heard these
things? Must the first one remain without her family, without her
children, according to the order that exists in the eternal
world, while the second one enjoys all these things because she
happened to live a little longer? What do you think about it? Are
there no provisions made for the first wife that has fallen
asleep just as much as there is for the second? for God is
without respect of persons, so far as people are honest and
obedient; and though people may fail to receive the fulness of
the blessings, pertaining to the Gospel, because it might not be
sent to them and they fall asleep, yet God was not so
short-sighted, in laying of the plan of salvation, that he made
no provisions for them. He did make provisions for them; and in
what way? That the living shall act for the dead; this is the
provision. Hence, we read concerning one of the sacred and holy
ordinances, called baptism, that the saints in the Corinthian
church, in ancient times, were baptised for those that were dead.
What was the object of this? The object was that eternal
blessings might be bestowed upon those who were dead, because of
the actions of the living in their behalf, providing that the
dead would receive what was done for them by the living. The same
great Being that ordained the principle of baptism for and in
behalf of the dead, also ordained eternal union through other
sacred ordinances referring to the man and the woman, not only
for the living but also for the dead, that they might be
benefited not only by the actions of the living in baptism, but
also by the acts of the living in relation to the marriage
covenant; one is just as consistent as the other. If there is any
great principle that has a bearing upon the eternal welfare of
the human family, any great ordinance necessary to be attended to
that will give them a right and title to eternal blessings, it
matters not whether it be baptism, or the laying on of hands, or
any other ordinance which God has instituted, it will be
recognized in the eternal heavens. Well did the Apostle say,
"Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without
the man in the Lord." He understood the principle.
295
But shall we carry this one step further? I have spoken of these
two women, one dying without hearing the Gospel, the other having
all the privileges of the Gospel, pertaining to every blessing
relating to eternity. Now if the living can act for the dead, by
proxy, in other words, if the Lord our God gives a commandment,
to his living Saints, to administer in all of these ordinances
for and in behalf of the dead, then the dead will have claim upon
these sealing powers and ordinances, the same as though they were
living. But, says one, I see one difficulty here. What is it?
Why, if these two women come forth in the resurrection, and these
ordinances are recognized in heaven, the man would have two wives
at once in the eternal world, and that would shock our
consciences very much! Well, the Lord is not particularly anxious
that your consciences should not be shocked. He is not going to
swerve from the principles of eternal truth in order that your
consciences or traditions may not be in the least degree
disturbed. He is not going to vary from this law, he ordained
from before the foundation of the world, in order to suit your's
or anybody else's conscience. But, says one, that would be
preaching up plurality, for those that are brought forth in the
eternal world. Two women would go into the same family, and be
wives for all eternity; and as you have said that the Lord
commanded this multiplication to take place, when they were
immortal beings, then, of course, both of these wives would raise
up posterity in all ages of eternity, being immortal personages,
and thus fulfil the great and first commandment. Now, says one,
these are the consequences that grow out of the doctrines you are
teaching. I admit they are; perhaps you may be willing to admit
the truth of this, so far as eternity is concerned, and those
that have left here without hearing the Gospel. But let me ask a
question here--Is it any more right for two women to claim the
same husband, after they come forth from the grave, than it is
for two women, here in time living on this earth, to claim a man
as their husband? If one is right, the other is right also; and
if the latter is not right, then the first doctrine that I have
named is not right.
295
But I have not got through with this subject. There are other
points to be considered. I have only spoken of two women. Now,
says one, here is a woman who survives her husband and marries a
second husband. The second husband receives the Gospel and comes
into the Church; the first husband died without ever hearing it.
What are you going to do with him? Do you suppose that God, in
laying down the great plan of salvation would forget to make any
laws, provisions, or conditions, in regard to these matters? Not
at all. He has ordained that every man who is worthy shall have a
family of his own; but he never did ordain, neither before the
foundation of the world nor during any of the dispensations that
have existed on the earth, that a woman should have two husbands
living at the same time. He did ordain that a man should have two
or more wives, and did acknowledge it, sanction it, did bless
those that entered into his order of marriage in ancient times;
but we have no account of his ever approbating the contrary.
Well, Inquires one, what will become of this good man that
happened to be in this condition? There are provisions ordained
from before the foundation of the world, which take into
consideration all these cases; namely, that all the human family
who have died without the law or between the dispensations, when
there was no divine authority on the earth, shall have a proper
chance, by the living acting for the dead; and as there are
innumerable females who have died and who never had wives,
provisions are made for them all providing that they embrace, in
the spirit world the great plan of salvation in all its fulness.
296
We might say much more upon this subject. We might set forth
before this congregation a case something like this: Here is a
young man. He goes forth into the community, and seeks out a
wife. He goes before those holding divine authority--power to
bind on earth, and it shall be bound in heaven--and he is married
to her for time and all eternity. By and bye she dies. Perhaps
she may have had one or two children, perhaps she may not have
had any children, as the case may be. She dies, leaves her
husband still in his youth. Must this youth, this good man, the
man that has kept the commandments of God and been obedient to
the Gospel of the Son of God--must he remain all the days of his
life, perhaps 50 or 60 years longer, without having the privilege
of taking another wife, his first wife having died? Oh, says one,
the law does not forbid, when a man's wife dies, his taking
another. Suppose he takes another, what then? If he could have
only one wife after the resurrection from the dead, what would
his second wife do? Would she not be apt to say, "No, sir, you
have a wife, she is in her grave, she was married to you for time
and all eternity, now I desire a husband for all eternity myself.
Is there any provision made for me if I go in as the second
wife?" Why, yes. The provision is that both may be sealed to him
for time and all eternity and not violate the law of God.
296
All these principles that I have treated upon, pertaining to
eternal marriage, the very moment that they are admitted to be
true, it brings in plurality of marriage, and if plurality of
marriage is not true or in other words, if a man has no divine
right to marry two wives or more in this world, the marriage for
eternity is not true, and your faith is all vain, and all the
sealing ordinances and powers, pertaining to marriages for
eternity are vain, worthless, good for nothing; for as sure as
one is true the other also must be true. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Wilford Woodruff, August 1st, 1880
Wilford Woodruff, August 1st, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, at Logan, Sunday Morning,
August 1st, 1880.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
REVELATION, PROPHESYING, PREDICTIONS OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD, ETC.
297
It is a common saying with us, that the Lord has set his hand to
build up his kingdom; but, notwithstanding, it is a true and a
very interesting one. Let us turn our minds which way we will, as
men of God, as Elders in Israel, if we enjoy any portion of the
Spirit of the Lord, we cannot help seeing the hand of the Lord in
his works in these mountains and in the earth. It is a difficult
matter, many times, for men of the world to understand the
literal fulfilment of revelation; in fact, some of our leading
men, men of wisdom, men who have enjoyed a good portion of the
Spirit of the Lord--it has been difficult for them to understand
the fulfilment of prophecy. In conversation with persons with
regard to the affairs of our nation, I remember President Young
telling them that there would be a division in our nation between
the North and South. "But," said they, "that cannot be; the
stability of our government is of too durable a nature to even
permit of any such thing." This is the way that our leading men
felt before the rebellion; this is the way, as a general thing,
that leading men feel to-day. They cannot comprehend, it is not
in their hearts to believe in the fulfilment of prophecy; they
cannot understand how it is that any power or wisdom that God can
exercise, can bring to pass the prophecies that remain to be
fulfilled. We had examples of this, as I have said. But the
crisis came; a four years' war was waged which laid in the grave
a million and a half of the strength of our nation, and, as I
have often said, and which I believe is true, cost them a debt
which they will never live to pay. They could not comprehend this
until it was over. It is so with our nation to-day; they cannot
comprehend, notwithstanding the mighty evidence that is rolling
before them like the waves of the sea, one event after another in
their fulfilment; but they cannot realize how the Lord can make
use of the elements known to mankind to bring about the
destruction of a nation like ours. When Brother John Morgan was
speaking, I was reminded of a certain spirit that arose in the
hearts of men a few years go, incited through the oppression of
capital against labor. A few men rose up in Pittsburgh and other
places in Pennsylvania, and in three days destroyed some twenty
million dollars worth of railroad property. When this element
once rises, what power has law, what power have the officers of
the law or the government to control it? It cannot be controlled
by human power. As Latter-day Saints, we can in a measure
understand, when we come to reflect that God rules and overrules
and can do anything he has a mind to with regard to the
fulfilment of these events. I believe the Bible; I believe the
Book of Mormon; I believe the Doctrine and Covenants, and I
believe that the predictions they contain will in their
fulfilment roll upon our heads, and upon the heads of this
nation, and upon the heads of the people of Zion, and the
judgment of God, that have been proclaimed in the hearing of the
people for the last fifty years, through the mouth of Joseph
Smith and of Brigham Young and the apostles and the elders of
Israel, by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost--not one jot or
tittle of what has been declared will fall to be ground
unfulfilled, and the Latter-day Saints ought to be prepared for
them. I know many of these things look dark when men look upon
them with the natural vision, and as a consequence doubt and
unbelief follow; but when you look upon them with your mind
enlightened by the Spirit of God, the spirit of inspiration and
revelation, we then are able to understand them, and how easily
it is for God to bring to pass the predictions of his servants.
298
The Lord, in a revelation given to Orson Hyde and William
McClellan in the early days of the Church, in sending them out to
preach the Gospel, told them that when they preached they should
speak as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and that if they
did not have the Holy Spirit to direct them, they were told not
to teach. "And," said the Lord, "when you do speak as you are
moved upon by the Holy Ghost, your words are the words of God,
they are scripture, and they are the mind of the Lord to the
people." (Sec. 68.) Many have an idea that it is something very
strange for men now-a-days to have revelation, and that nobody
should have revelation excepting Brother Taylor. Here, my
brethren and sisters, you are upholding the quorum of the Twelve
twice a year in General Conference, besides doing so at your
quarterly conference, as prophets, seers and revelators, and you
pray for them twice a day, and perhaps oftener, and should it be
anything very strange if they should receive a revelation? How
strange, indeed! There are in this Church some six thousand
seventies, and four thousand high priests, and for thousand
elders, who hold the Melchizedek priesthood, which is after the
order of the Son of God, besides many thousands of priests
holding the Aaronic priesthood, and I would like to ask, if it
was wrong to desire revelation? What business have we with this
priesthood, if we have not power to receive revelation? What is
the priesthood given for? If we do not have revelation, it is
because we do not live as we should live, because we do not
magnify our priesthood as we ought to; if we did we would not be
without revelation, none would be barren or unfruitful. We have
one man who holds the keys of the kingdom of God upon the earth,
and it is his business to give the word of the Lord for the
guidance of the Church. But here we have apostles and men of God,
holding the holy priesthood, acting in behalf of the Church in
different parts of this Territory, and also in different parts of
the earth; and we have men, say, acting as Church agents in
Europe, part of whose business it is to charter ships for the
transit across the ocean of tens of thousands of the people of
God; is it the right of such men to have revelation from the Lord
to guide them in their operations? Yes, it is; and no man should
undertake to act in positions affecting the interests of Zion,
unless he lives so as to be guided and directed by revelations of
God. And every man who presides over a temple should live day by
day in the revelations of Jesus Christ. And every seventy, and
every high priest, and every man bearing the holy priesthood
should live in that way to get revelation to guide and direct him
in his labors. This idea that no man has any right to call upon
God and receive revelation is wrong, and it has been wrong
whenever it has existed in any age of the world. As was said of
old, when a complaint was made concerning certain of the elders
prophesying in the Camp of Israel, so say I: "I would to God that
all were prophets;" because the spirit of prophecy is the
testimony of Jesus.
299
With regard to prophesying, I wish to say, that we have a great
many times the revelations of God given unto us through his
spirit, when we do not comprehend what revelation is. How many of
you have had the still small voice of the spirit whisper things
to you, and when you have followed the dictations of that spirit
it has become in you a principle of revelation. I would not be
here to-day if I had not listened to the whisperings of that
still small voice which has guided me in my journeyings; I never
could have passed through the dangerous scenes and incidents of
my life had I not followed the whisperings of the spirit of the
Lord to me. And with regard to our preaching I will say, that as
apostles of God and as men appointed to lead and guide Israel, we
have a great many things presented to our minds that at the time
appear to be beyond our comprehension. Brother Heber C. Kimball,
for instance, was a natural prophet; he would at times give
utterance to things when preaching under the influence of the
holy Spirit that would frighten himself, and has many times been
known to say after he had finished preaching, "What have I said?"
I am reminded of a circumstance which occurred in the early
settlement of Utah, at a time when we were all in very destitute
circumstances, without the shadow of any reasonable hope for
seeing better times. At such a time Brother Kimball in preaching
one day told the congregation that many months would not pass
before we would be able to buy goods in Salt Lake City as cheaply
as they could be bought in New York City. When Brother Kimball
had said this he actually felt frightened for he could not see
how it could come to pass, but it was spoken under the influence
of the Holy Ghost, and therefore it was revelation. I was
thinking to-day of a time many years ago, when President Young
and several brethren of the Twelve, were in Logan; it was a time
when a railroad up to this region was not even dreamed of, the
time when Brothers Ezra T. Benson and Peter Maughan presided
here; when at a meeting President Young called upon me to talk to
the people assembled. The night before, however, we had been met
by a long line of children and young people, from three up to
twenty years of age; they had come out to meet the prophet, and
presented a fine sight. While talking to the people I felt led to
speak to the children and young people; and I told them that I
wanted them to remember the visit which the president was making
them because the day would come when they were grown up, when
they would talk to one another and say, that on such a day
President Young and party visited us, and we were told then that
we should see the day when a temple should be built in this
place, from the top of which we would be able to survey the
country around which would be occupied by ten thousand of our
people; and you will say that this was told to us when brother
Benson and Brother Maughan presided here. We never thought of
building a temple here at that time, it had never entered into
the heart of man to do so. Brother Benson and Maughan have been
for some years now in the spirit world. To-day you are engaged
building a temple which will be completed and dedicated; and when
this shall be done these young people will have the opportunity
of going to the top of the building and will then see what I
promised to you in those early days.
299
I mention this to show you how things are presented to our minds
and given utterance to in our public teachings about which, at
the time, we have little or no idea.
300
When in the western country, many years ago, before we came to
the Rocky Mountains, I had a dream. I dreamed of being in these
mountains, and of seeing a large fine looking temple erected in
one of these valleys which was built of cut granite stone, I saw
that temple dedicated, and I attended the dedicatory services,
and I saw a good many men that are living to-day in the midst of
this people. And I saw them called of God and sent forth unto the
United States and to Babylon, or what is called the Christian
world, to bind up the law and seal up the testimony against the
nations of the earth, because they had rejected the testimony of
Jesus, and of the establishment of the kingdom of God upon the
earth. When the foundation of that temple was laid I thought of
my dream and a great many times since. And whenever President
Young held a council of the brethren of the Twelve and talked of
building the temple of adobe or brick, which was done I would say
to myself, "No, you will never do it;" because I had seen it in
my dream built of some other material. I mention these things to
show you that things are manifested to the Latter-day Saints
sometimes which we do not know anything about, only as they are
given by the Spirit of God.
300
I will say to Israel who are here to-day, we should take hold of
this work in earnest and build this temple and redeem the dead as
well as the living; and have faith in God believing that this is
the work of God which will roll on to its fulfilment in the
earth. God will not disappoint you in these the last days; he
will not disappoint the wicked, he will not disappoint the devils
in hell, nor the angels of God in the heaven will not be
disappointed with regard to the fulfilment of the revelations;
whatever may be the unbelief of this generation it will make no
difference with regard to the fulfilment of the revelations of
God and the predictions of his servants.
300
When in the Tabernacle at Salt Lake City on the 24th of July, in
looking upon the assembled multitude and in contemplating the
magnitude and grandeur of the procession, I said to myself "What
can be the feelings of the world?" What can be the feelings of
our enemies who are laboring to "break up Mormonism" and who have
for these many years past indulged in the fond expectation, and
have even gone so far as to predict year after year that in a few
years more "Mormonism" will be done away. The world do not know
what to do with "Mormonism;" the heads of our own nation and the
kings of the earth are alike undecided, with regard to this
handful of people that are growing up in these mountains. They
see our union and the work already accomplished by us; they see
the elements of prosperity and power manifested in this people,
and although they do not say it themselves it is a fact, the
spirit of fear to a degree is taking hold of them, they are
afraid that the "Mormons" tell the truth when they say the God of
heaven has set his hand again for the last time to establish his
rule and government in the earth, which is destined to become a
great kingdom and fill the whole earth. The great men of the
earth are not ignorant of the existence of this people; they are
studying our history, and they are watching the result of our
labors. Although we are located in the interior of this mountain
country, and so recently considered without the pale of
civilization, the Latter-day Saints are not hid from view, their
light is not under a bushel, but they are already known and
talked of throughout all Christendom; and this Zion will continue
to grow and no power will hinder it. Let us prepare ourselves and
keep the faith, obey the commandments of God and exercise faith
in these things; and let our prayers ascend into the ears of the
God of Sabaoth day and night, for the fulfilment of these
revelations and prophecies.
301
The Lamanites will fulfill all that God has said about them, and
the Jews will fulfill and realize all that has been said
respecting them and all that has been promised and predicted upon
their heads by their father Jacob and by the prophets. It was
foretold by the prophet Moses that they should be driven and
despised by their enemies, and that they should be cursed of God,
and that his curse should follow them until Christ came; and that
they would reject him, and then they would be scattered as corn
is sifted in a seive, etc. But hear it all Israel, after your
sorrow and pain and distress and after the days of your
tribulation, your great Eloheim will stretch out his hand and
gather you from every nation wherever you are driven, and he will
bring you home to your own land, and you shall rebuild, your
temple and city, and you shall be delivered by Shiloh when he
comes. That will be fulfilled; and all that God has said with
regard to the ten tribes of Israel, strange as it may appear,
will come to pass. They will, as has been said concerning them,
smite the rock, and the mountains of ice will flow before them,
and a great highway will be cast up, and their enemies will
become a prey to them; and their records, and their choice
treasures they will bring with them to Zion. These things are as
true as God lives.
301
When I contemplate the condition of our nation, and see that
wickedness and abominations are increasing, so much so that the
whole heavens groan and weep over the abominations of this nation
and the nations of the earth, I ask myself the question, can the
American nation escape? The answer comes, No; its destruction, as
well as the destruction of the world, is sure; just as sure as
the Lord cut off and destroyed the two great and prosperous
nations that once inhabited this continent of North and South
America, because of their wickedness, so will he them destroy,
and sooner or later they will reap the fruits of their own wicked
acts, and be numbered among the past.
301
I cannot help it; I would to God they would repent, that their
eyes might be opened to see their condition; but the devils has
power over them; he rules the children of men, he holds Babylon
in his own hand, and leads the people whithersoever he will.
There are changes awaiting us, they are even nigh at our very
doors, and I know it by the revelations of Jesus Christ; I know
it by the visions of heaven; I know it by the administrations of
angels, and I know it by the inspiration of heaven, that is given
to all men who seek the Lord; and the hand of God will not stay
these things. We have no time to lose.
301
I pray God's blessing upon the men working on the temple, and his
blessing upon the Saints, that their hearts may be inclined to
build them. If you knew and understood the feelings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, and those of his brethren associated with
him, and the feelings of the millions of the human family who are
shut up in their prison houses we would not tire, we would labor
with all our might until the building was finished and dedicated,
and then we would labor for the redemption of our dead. Ask
Bishop Hunter if he ever expects to meet with his friends and
associate with those who have passed away, unless he redeems them
in the flesh, and he will tell you, no. He could not mingle with
them if he did not redeem them in the flesh. I know the same,
too.
302
I pray God to bless you, and to pour out his spirit upon my
brethren of the quorum of the Twelve, that we may walk in the
light and be guided aright in all our ministrations. And I tell
you again; God will not disappoint you; this kingdom will never
go backward, neither will it ever be given into the hands of
another people; but it will rest upon the shoulders of our sons
and daughters when Christ comes in the clouds of heaven. We have
no time to throw away, or spend in the foolish things of the
flesh; what time is at our disposal should be used in building up
the Zion of God, and in preparing ourselves and our families for
the things that await us. Oh, I wish many times that the vail was
lifted off the face of the Latter-day Saints; I wish we could see
and know the things of God as they do who are laboring for the
salvation of the human family who are in the spirit world; for if
this were so, this whole people, with very few, if any,
exceptions, would lose all interest in the riches of the world,
and instead thereof their whole desires and labors would be
directed to redeem their dead, to perform faithfully the work and
mission given us on earth; so that when we ourselves should pass
behind the vail and meet with Joseph and the ancient apostles,
and others who are watching over us and who are deeply interested
in our labors, we might feel satisfied in having done our duty.
302
This is how I feel, this is my faith. I read the Bible, the Book
of Mormon and the Book of Covenants, and I look for everything
contained in them to be fulfilled. We are making history day by
day, and we are fulfilling the events which they predicted would
transpire in the latter days. Isaiah, when he saw in vision this
people in the mountains, exclaims:
302
"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into
singing, O mountains; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and
will have mercy on his afflicted.
302
"But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath
forgotten me.
302
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she could not have
compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will
I not forget thee."
302
In the own due time of the Lord all things spoken by the prophets
will be literally fulfilled.
302
I pray God to help us to do our duty and to help us to fell
interested in our labors in the flesh. And as closing remark,
seeing that this is election time, I will say, do not, my
brethren, allow the spirit of contention and dissension to creep
in among you. I am ashamed of some of our people who, instead of
using their powers and influence in endeavoring to unite the
people, go to work and raise strife, and the result is that in
some of our cities and opposition ticket is gotten up, and our
own people in these places divide one against the other. I say,
shame on the elder or man holding the priesthood, the authority
delegated to him by high heaven, who will do this thing; the
heavens are displeased with such a man, and unless he repents he
will certainly be found numbered with those who are arrayed
against God and his kingdom on the earth. We have the whole world
against us, besides many evil spirits to contend with, and we
certainly should not divide one against another.
302
May God bless Israel, is my prayer, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, September 19, 1880
Orson Pratt, September 19, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
Sept. 19th, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
A DOUBLE BIRTHDAY--THE AUTHORITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
303
It is with peculiar feelings that I arise to address this
congregation who are assembled this afternoon. An event in regard
to myself has this day happened that generally only happens once
in the course of a man's life. Fifty years ago to-day I was
baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hence, it might be said that it is in reality a year of jubilee,
so far as I am concerned--I mean that the past year, which is the
fiftieth year of my membership in the Church, closing with
to-day, has been, indeed and in truth, a year of Jubilee.
303
There is another thing, connected with these fifty years in the
Church, that is also pleasing to your humble servant. Sixty-nine
years ago today I was born into this world, making this day a
double birthday to myself. How very thankful I ought to be for
this great privilege which has been bestowed upon me. The hearing
of the fulness of the everlasting Gospel, yielding obedience to
the same, and entering into the Church and kingdom of God, in my
early youth, certainly is a blessing that is worthy of all thanks
and praise to my Father who is in heaven, who granted this
privilege to me in my youth. There were many scores of
millions--yes, hundreds of millions of the inhabitants of our
globe that did not enjoy this privilege.
305
It seems that the Lord our God, some fifty years ago and a little
upwards, saw proper to organize his kingdom, to establish it on
the earth by the ministration of holy angels, and by the
revelations of his Spirit, and by sending down authority from the
heavens to minister here on the earth, and by bringing forth that
great and precious record, the Book of Mormon, and causing the
same to be printed for the benefit of all mankind. How great a
privilege conferred on me, to come to the understanding of the
contents of that book when I was but nineteen years of age! How
great a privilege to live in a day and age of the world when God
has again revealed himself to the children of men! There have
been many periods of time since the creation in which the
heavens, in an especial manner, have been favorable to the
children of men, by sending communications and revelations from
on high. But a long time had intervened, during which no such
privilege had been granted to mortal man. So far as the nations
of the Eastern Hemisphere were concerned, upwards of seventeen
centuries had passed away, during which they were left in
darkness, having no legally authorized minister, no one that
could legally baptize, or administer the Lord's Supper, or build
the Church of God, or administer in any of the ordinances of his
Gospel; that was a long time for the nations to be left in
darkness. So far as our Western Hemisphere is concerned, they
were not left quite as long a period without information from the
heavens. Some fourteen hundred years and upwards had passed away,
on this Western continent, during which the people were left in
darkness; hence, the whole earth for fourteen centuries, at
least, had no Gospel preached by divine authority, no Church of
the living God in any quarter thereof--so far as we are
acquainted. It is true, that during these fourteen centuries the
nations had a book that contained the history of the Gospel as it
was preached in ancient times--a book called the Bible. But a
book containing the history of the Gospel is one thing, and the
power and authority to administer the ordinances of the Gospel is
another thing; they are entirely distinct. A book, itself,
authorizes no man, under the whole heavens, to build up the
Church of Christ; it authorizes no man to preach the Gospel. No
man ever receives divine authority by means of an ancient book
that was given to prophets and inspired men centuries before he
was born. We never knew of the Lord's calling men by ancient
books. If the Lord calls any one in this day, it is by a new
revelation, not a revelation given 1800 years ago. How
inconsistent it would be to suppose that a man is now called to
sit in the presidential chair of the United States, because we
have the history that Washington once sat in that chair. Would
that authorize any person, among the scores of millions of the
population of these States, to go and take possession of that
chair, and undertake to administer in the office of a president
over this great people? The thing would be so ridiculously
absurd, that the people would rise up universally and condemn any
such imposition. So in regard to the things of God. God is a God
of order. And if mankind have an order in relation to authority
to administer in governmental affairs, how much more the Lord?
Has he not as much wisdom as his creatures? Is the Lord so much
beneath his own creation that he would prefer illegality to
legality? that he would let any one assume the authority and
power without calling him to an account in the great judgment
day? "But," inquires one, "how do you know, Mr. Pratt, but what
the Lord has called some one during the many centuries that you
say the people have lived in darkness? How do you know but what
he has authorized servants and ministers, to proclaim his Gospel
among the children of men?" Now this is a very important point. I
do not blame those who have not considered this subject, in
putting such a question. It is perfectly reasonable that they
should inquire how a person may know what grounds we have for
supposing that there has been no one commissioned with divine
authority, during the fourteen centuries that have rolled over
the heads of the people, until the Lord sent his angel, upwards
of fifty years ago, and restored the authority. There are various
reasons that can be advanced to prove that the earth has been
destitute of any such authority. One reason is, that among the
three or four hundred millions of Christendom, or those who
profess to be the followers of Christ, we find one universal
belief among them, and they have acted upon that belief, namely:
that God gives no new revelation to the inhabitants of the earth
during their day. That is enough for me; it is all the evidence
that I would want, although there is an abundance of other
evidence; but that is sufficient for me to know that God never
sent them. "But," enquires one, "may not a person be sent of the
Lord, be divinely commissioned, and yet no revelation be given in
his day?" I answer, impossible, impossible! "But," your may still
further inquire, "may not others who received divine revelation
in ancient times, have communicated that authority to their
contemporaries who outlived them? And may not those
contemporaries, thus receiving divine authority, have conferred
it upon others still younger, and they upon others? And thus, may
not the authority have been handed down by a regular succession
of ordination, from the days of the apostles to our own period of
time?" I will say that would be possible, just the same as the
Church of God, in the first century of the Christian era,
delivered the authority to preach and administer ordinances from
one to another, among the various nations of the earth; it was
continued along during the whole of that century--just as easily
it could have continued, the second century, and the third, and
each succeeding century down to our own time.
307
Here, then, arises another question--may not the authority have
thus been transferred? I answer--where has there been an unbroken
succession of that same authority that was administered in the
first century? I will tell you where the succession was broken.
In the very period that new revelation ceased to be given to the
human family, no further succession could be continued. It would
be impossible for any person to be ordained with divine
authority, for instance to the apostleship, unless there was some
person that had authority, and had really obtained divine
intelligence, by new revelation, from the heavens, that such
authority should be conferred upon some other person. When did
divine revelation cease? Where shall we go for testimony upon
this subject? So far as the inhabitants of the eastern portions
of our globe were concerned, divine authority ceased about the
close of the first century of the Christian era. Why did it
cease? Because we have no account of any new revelation having
been given after the close of that century; and when new
revelation ceased, divine callings ceased; divine authority
ceased; persons ceased to confer that authority in succession;
because, for this obvious reason, they, without new revelation,
did not know whom to call; they did not know who should be
authorized to receive the apostleship, or any other calling.
Every person, during the first century of the Christian era, who
was ordained with authority and power to administer in the
ordinances of the Gospel, was ordained by the spirit of prophecy
and revelation. Timothy was a young man, compared with many of
the apostles. He only received the calling bestowed upon him
through the laying on of the hands of the servants of God, or of
those who were authorized, by new revelation, to administer and
to confer authority upon him. Thus it is written in this good
book (the Bible) that Paul, who was authorized as an apostle,
called Timothy by virtue of the spirit of revelation and
prophecy. "Neglect not," said Paul, "the gift that is in thee,
which was given thee by prophecy with the laying of the hands of
the presbytery." And when we speak of missions, in those early
periods of Christianity no person assumed to go on a mission
among the inhabitants of the earth, unless he was sent, unless he
was set apart. Even as great a man as the Apostle Paul had no
authority to go forth as a missionary, only by the laying on of
the hands of the persons who administered to him. Hence, it is
written in the Acts of the Apostles, that the Holy Ghost said
unto certain prophets that were in the Church at Antioch,
"Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them," Here is a new revelation. Saul could not be
separated and set apart to any work of the ministry, only as the
Lord called him; and that calling was made known to the prophets
that were in the Church at Antioch. If peradventure, a man had
been called by the spirit of revelation and prophecy, and set
apart by the laying of the hands of a prophet or apostle, to be
an especial minister to the nations of the earth, there would
arise still another great question to be solved, in regard to
whether that man, thus set apart, could fulfil the object of his
mission without new revelation? I say that I would be utterly
impossible. No man can fill a mission acceptably before the
heavens, unless God should give to him revelation, from time to
time, to direct him in all his missionary labors. We have
abundant testimony in the New Testament concerning this matter.
Even when some of the very greatest revelators that we have any
record of, undertook to do things of their own accord, they were
led directly different from their own judgments, in regard to
their missionary labors. Paul had, at a certain time, a great
desire to visit a certain place; such desire arose from his own
natural judgment; but the Holy Ghost forbade him. Here it
required a new revelation to know whether his own inclinations
should be followed or not. Again, we find that the revelations of
the Most High were very necessary, in the case of the travels of
these missionaries, among the inhabitants of the earth, Philip
had done a great work in the city of Samaria. He had succeeded in
convincing large numbers, concerning Jesus, and had baptized
them, and organized a great church in the city of Samaria. One
would have thought, that after having performed labors of such
magnitude, he would be required to stay among that people, and
administer to them; but no; the Lord gave a new revelation to the
man Philip. He said, "Arise and go toward the south, unto the way
that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert." In
other words, "leave your present field of labor; you can do more
good somewhere else." Now, a man left to his own judgment,
without new revelation, would not want to go somewhere else; his
own inclinations would be to stay where so many had received his
testimony. But no; the Spirit of God thought differently. "Arise
Philip, go unto the south country." He was not told what he
should do in the South country, but he started off according to
the new revelation. And after journeying a short distance, he saw
a chariot before him, probably driving along at a slow pace, and
it required another revelation. The old one that he got awhile
before, requiring him to go to the south, he had already begun to
fulfil. But while he yet journeyed, he did not know his further
duty; and if God had not given him new revelations, he would have
gone forth blindly in his missionary labor. But another
revelation came, "Go near and join thyself to his chariot." He
therefore obeyed, and when he arrived at the chariot, he found a
man reading not the new Testament, but the law and the prophets.
Philip, being wrought upon by the Holy Ghost, said unto this man,
"Understandest thou what thou readest?" "How can I," said the man
in the chariot, except some man should guide me?" And Philip
began to explain unto him the things that he happened to be
reading from the prophecies of Isaiah, concerning Jesus, and
Philip was invited into the chariot. They rode along until they
came to where there was water of sufficient depth to attend to
baptism, for it seems that Philip had converted, or, in other
words, had proved by his arguments that Jesus was the very
Christ, and the man desired baptism and the chariot stood still,
and Philip went down into the water and baptized him. Now Philip
had no authority to confirm by the laying on hands, as is
evident, in the case of those who were baptized in the great city
of Samaria. There was great rejoicing there because Philip had
baptized them, but none had received the Holy Ghost, till another
authority, higher than that of Philip, came and laid hands upon
them for the reception of the Holy Ghost; having baptized these
people, he could go no further; he could not administer the
blessing of the Holy Ghost; and hence, having fulfilled the
object of the two revelations on this subject, the Lord had
another place for him. He did not go there of his own accord, but
it required a very powerful manifestation to get him away from
that water; the scriptures testify that "the spirit of the Lord
caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went
on his way rejoicing." Have you ever heard anything of the kind
in these days, where men, in fulfilling their missions, have been
caught away to some other place? "But they that wait upon the
Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with the
wings of eagles," says the Prophet Isaiah. Philip must have been
borne, as it were upon eagle's wings. Now if a person--a man
light enough, I mean--could get on an eagle's wings and be
carried through the air, it would be a very good representation
of some of those that wait upon the Lord.
308
I mention these various circumstances--and might mention scores
of others--to show, that without the Spirit of the living God, to
impart revelations, no man could administer to his fellow man, no
man would have the authority to administer. This brings me back
to the statement I have already made. You recollect the question
is, can it be proved, or is there any evidence that there has
been any man called to the ministry among all the nations during
the long period to which I have referred? We take their own
testimony. They say that there has been no revelation since the
first century of the Christian era. Who says so? The whole
Catholic church to begin with, and the Greek Church, another
branch of the Christian church so called, and then the
Protestants that protested against those two branches, and came
out from among them, have continued the same false traditions,
that no new revelation is needed--that the last revelation which
was intended for the human family, was given towards the close of
the first century of the Christian era. They do not seem to know
how such an expression, if admitted, cuts them off from all
authority and power which are divine; they do not seem to know
that they cannot possibly be ordained by proper authority, unless
God speaks again; they do not seem to know that the writings of
men who are dead and gone, centuries ago, do not authorize them
to preach the Gospel, nor give them any divine authority to
administer its ordinances. Hence you see the impossibility of
there being a regular succession from generation to generation,
because of the want of new revelation. A great many other
testimonies might be brought to prove this fact, but this one is
sufficient. "Well then," says one, if your arguments be true, if
your belief be correct, there has been no Christian church on the
earth for many generations. We can come to no other conclusion;
there is no half-way business about it. We come to testify that
there has been no church on the earth that God has recognized as
his church for the last fourteen centuries, at least; and among
the European nations and the nations of Asia and Africa there has
been none since the close of the second century of the Christian
era. What a woeful condition it is for the inhabitants of the
earth to be in. We would be in the same condition that they are,
if God had not condescended again to give new revelation; and
this brings me to the subject of the Book of Mormon.
310
Fifty-three years will have passed away, next Wednesday morning,
the 22nd day of September, since the gold plates of the Book of
Mormon were delivered into the hands of a boy, by the name of
Joseph Smith, a farmer's boy, an illiterate boy, uneducated in
the higher branches of learning, uneducated in regard to what is
contained in the Old and New Testament, uneducated in the dogmas
and creeds of men, uneducated in all branches of science, except
it be some of the first principles, the rudiments of education,
as taught in the common schools of the State of New York. I say,
fifty three years have almost expired since this great, this
marvelous, this wonderful event happened; since an angel of God
delivered sacred records into the hands of an illiterate, common
youth, not yet twenty-two years of age. Such was the beginning,
as it were, of a great revelation. I will not say the precise
time of the beginning; for God prior to this time, had given
revelation to this youth, on many occasions. The first one that
he gave to him was in the spring of 1820, before Joseph Smith was
of the age of fifteen. Then a wonderful revelation was given to
him, the first one he ever received. In a great and glorious open
vision, in answer to his prayers, there was the manifestation of
two of the great personages in the heavens--not angels, not
messengers, but two persons that hold the keys of authority over
all the creations of the universe. Who were they? God the Eternal
Father and his Son Jesus Christ, through whom God the Father made
the worlds! These glorious personages descended from heaven; two
personages whose countenances outshone the sun at noonday; two
personages clothed with a pillar of light round about them,
descended, stood before this lad, and revealed themselves to him.
He saw their countenances; he saw the glory of their personages;
he heard the glorious words that proceeded from the Father, as he
pointed to his Son and said, to Joseph, "This is my beloved Son
in whom I am well pleased." This was a new revelation; something
different from what had been made manifest for a great many
centuries, according to the declarations of the articles and
creeds of men. How often I have read the declaration of King
James' translator of the Bible, wherein King James is represented
as the head of the church, and wherein the Bible, as translated
by those that were chosen and appointed for that purpose, was
intended for the light and benefit of the children of men; and
for fear that mankind would cavil on the subject these uninspired
men, the translators, in connection with those who were in their
council, concluded to tell the people that this was the whole
canon of scripture; in other words, we have translated sixty-six
books, and they are compiled, or about to be compiled and printed
for the benefit of mankind; and these sixty-six books of the Old
and New Testament are the only books that Christians should
receive, the only revelation that they should have to guide them
in all their future lives. The people were just simple enough to
believe what they said,--just simple enough to take it for
granted, because learned men, that were not inspired of God, had
made this unqualified, unproved declaration. Now, "we, the Church
of England, must get up, besides these 66 books, some 'Articles
of Faith'--some thirty-nine Articles we will invent. We have got
no prophets among us to write these Articles,--no inspired
revelator sent from God; and therefore, we will originate out of
our own hearts something that will prevent the people from
receiving any new revelation. We will cunningly tell them that
these 66 books, called the Bible, contain all the revelation that
God ever gave to man." What further have you to say in your
thirty-nine articles? "We say that every person that does not
limit and confine his faith to the sixty-six books of the Old and
New Testament, or if he undertakes to receive any other
revelation, he is to be expelled from our church. That is what is
said--not directly, but indirectly. In other words, every person
who pretends to be a prophet, he is not to be a person considered
worthy of belonging to our church." Has any other church but the
Church of England adopted these false, soul-destroying delusions?
Yes, a great many others. They have invented articles--not
exactly thirty-nine, but articles of faith, creeds they are
called in some instances, and disciplines in others, and so on.
What are the objects of these? They are not revelation; God had
nothing to do with giving them, men wrote them out of their own
uninspired hearts, but they were all very careful to take up the
ideas inculcated in the days of King James, namely, that the
sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament were to be their
rule of faith, and be their guide and nothing else was to be
received as inspired. Oh, how blind! If they did but know it
these very declarations in these articles and creeds would cut
them off from all authority. But they were just simple enough to
receive such a false doctrine; just simple enough to accept their
want of authority before God; and thus by their own
acknowledgement, by their own printed works they prove to the
whole world that God did not establish their churches, that God
did not establish among them the ancient order of things; for the
ancient church of the living God was never destitute of the
spirit of revelation.
311
If the Lord had left us in this condition, we would have been
wandering in darkness to this day. The people who are here
assembled this afternoon, would be no better off than the
Protestant denominations, no better off than the Greek and Roman
Catholic Churches that have existed from generation to
generation, during many long centuries of apostacy. But God
having looked upon the darkness that covered the earth, and the
minds of the people, having looked upon the people that were
honest in heart, and seeing the dilemma in which they were
placed--without inspiration, without any knowledge that comes
from heaven in their day, without any one who has the right and
the authority from heaven to baptize--concluded to fulfill that
which was predicted by the ancient apostles, namely to send an
angel again to the inhabitants of the earth. It was a long time
for the earth to be left without angels. Perhaps some of you may
inquire, "Why did the Lord leave the people so long? Why did so
many generations pass away, and no Church of Christ on the earth,
no prophets, no revelators, etc.?" It was because of the apostasy
of the people; and then after the apostasy commenced, near the
close of the first century, they killed off the apostles,
prophets and revelators--killed off the Saints who embraced the
true Gospel, and the world became so exceedingly wicked and
corrupt that the Lord did not see proper to send them any other
message. But perhaps you may inquire, must all those people who
have lived so many generations ago, go down to an endless
perdition in the eternal worlds, because no one had authority on
the earth to administer Gospel ordinances to them? No; the Lord
is more just than this. Every man and every woman that has not
had the privilege of hearing the Gospel in this life, preached by
one holding divine authority, will have the opportunity of
hearing it in the world to come; so that there is no partiality,
so far as the preaching of the Gospel is concerned. But, says
one, there is a little partiality, it seems to me; for some have
the privilege of hearing the Gospel in this life, instead of
waiting till the next. But the Lord in looking upon the various
generations upon the earth, judges after this wise: that when a
people become so darkened, through their own apostacy, through
their own wickedness, through their shedding the blood of
righteous men, the Lord sees proper, because of this, to make
them wait. If the true authority had been revealed, during the
time of the administration of these corrupt men, the Gospel would
have been banished again from the earth. For instance, if God had
sent the angel in the second century of the Christian era, to
renew his church on the earth, what would have been the
consequence? There would have been no place upon all the face of
the globe, where the people would have suffered such a church to
exist. If he had sent the angel in the third century, or in the
fourth, or in any of the centuries intervening, before religious
liberty was established, the consequence would have been the
shedding of the blood of apostles, prophets and saints again, and
in order that they might not bring upon themselves this great
condemnation the Lord saw that it was far better to postpone the
sending of the angel, until he should prepare, among the
political governments of the earth, a nation where the church
could exist, and have a little degree of safety. And even our
nation, the best nation on the earth, having the wisest laws,
laws that are calculated, if put into execution, to protect all
religious denominations, laws founded upon justice and principles
of equity--even in our nation, it has been just as much as the
Lord could do, without destroying the agency of man to get his
Church once more established on the earth. See what persecution
has attended it! See what hatred! See the Saints fleeing before
infuriated mobs; men, women and children, murdered; prophets,
patriarchs, apostles and revelators martyred. The Saints could
scarcely find a resting place for the soles of their feet, after
all the preparation that was made by the establishment of a great
and free government. No wonder, then, that the Lord did not begin
it two or three centuries go; no wonder that he did not begin it
in the days when Catholicism and the Greek church had universal
sway over the eastern continent. The Church of the living God, if
it had been established then, would have been immediately rooted
out from the earth; and great would have been the condemnation
resting upon the nations if such had been the case. But now it
lives. Circumstances have changed, and though the saints have
been driven from their homes, and from their farms, though they
have been persecuted, and the lives of many of the Saints
destroyed, and their prophets put to death, yet, notwithstanding
all this the Lord has preserved his Church, until the present
time. Fifty years have rolled away, and upwards since the Lord
commenced this great work.
313
Now, then, a few words on the future. Years are to come, as
Brother Angus Cannon said to me while sitting upon the seat this
morning. He came to me, and I mentioned to him that this last
year was my fiftieth in the Church--in other words--that I had
been in the Church fifty years. A peculiar kind of answer was
made by Brother Cannon. Said he, "Brother Pratt, I hope you may
have millions of days or anniversaries of your birthday." I
thanked him very much. Well, now, let me begin to speak upon this
subject. God has promised eternal life to his children. "That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal
life." Now, I can see a consistency in the good wishes of Brother
Cannon, upon this subject. I hope for eternal life, I have had
this hope for the last fifty years. If I obey the commandments of
heaven, if I receive his sayings, and abide in his word, I hope
never to die, as it is promised in the New Testament. But, says
one, did not Jesus die? and he kept all of his Father's sayings.
Did not the apostles die? and they kept the Father's words. And
were not all the ancient Saints subject to death? And they kept
the sayings of the Lord. Yes, they suffered what is termed the
death of the body. There is, however, quite a difference between
the death of the outward tabernacle, and the death of the spirit.
In other words, the spirit that God has placed within the
tabernacle will live forever, and those who have the opportunity
of dwelling in the next world, in light, in glory and in a
fullness of happiness, get what is termed eternal life; there is
no end to it. Consequently it cannot be expressed fully in the
language of brother Cannon that millions of such anniversaries
might be enjoyed. But there is something still greater in the
expression of eternal life, than that of a few millions of years.
It is something that has no end. It may have a beginning. A
person may begin to exist in this fleshly tabernacle as I
commenced my existence here on this earth sixty-nine years ago to
day. That was the beginning of my existence here in this world;
but there is such a thing as a person having a beginning to his
existence in the flesh, and yet have no end. Those persons that
were translated in the twinkling of an eye in ancient days did
not have a separation of body and spirit. They were changed; they
were, by the power of Almighty God, wrought upon instantaneously;
they were changed from mortality to immortality; but still retain
their flesh and bones. Now, I would ask, is there any end to
their immortal tabernacles when thus changed? There is a
beginning but no end. Their spirits are combined with their
bodies forever. I have this hope. You Latter-day Saints have the
same hope, so far as eternal life is concerned. You expect it,
you pray for it, you desire to have a life that is endless;
figures are unable to express the endless duration of ages that
are to come. Eternal life is said to be the greatest gift of God
unto the human family. There are many gifts of God, but this is
the greatest of all. In the first place, God has given his Son to
die for the human family. What a great gift! If it had not been
for this gift of our Heavenly Father to the inhabitants of our
fallen world, the consequence would have been that we should have
had eternal death. What are we to understand by the term eternal
death, supposing that there had been no atonement made? What is
the meaning of the term? Could you multiply figures enough if you
were to take the figures that are now in use and extend them in a
line--extend them in a series so that the figures themselves
would be as numerous as the particles of the globe--would that
express eternal life? or would it express the duration of eternal
death, provided there had been no atonement? No; it cannot be
expressed. Hence the atonement of our Savior, which is the gift
of God to the fallen inhabitants of this creation, lies at the
foundation of all the other gifts given unto the children of men.
It is because of this gift that we are permitted to repent of our
sins. How could there have been an individual upon all the face
of the globe who could have repented, provided there had been no
atonement? Hence you see that repentance is the gift of God,
purchased by the atonement. Again, could baptism have been a holy
ordinance if it had no saying power in it? Could it have been for
the remission of sins, had it not been for the blood of the
atonement? No. Baptism, then, is a gift to the children of men as
well as repentance. Would the laying on of hands have had any
effect upon any person of the human family, in bestowing the gift
of the Holy Ghost had there been no atonement? No. Then that is
also a gift--the gift of God to man, that his servants should lay
their hands upon baptized believers, and that they should be
baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Could we have been
permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper with any effect
whatever? No. Then it is also a gift of God unto man. And thus we
may go through all the ordinances, that God ordained from before
the foundation of the world unto the present time, and all of
them can be called the gifts of God unto man on conditions, and
some of them without conditions. The atonement came without any
condition on the part of man. It was without repentance, without
faith on the part of man. The atonement was something given
through the pure love of God to fallen man, without any acts of
good works on the part of man. There are some of the blessings,
then, that God has ordained for the fallen inhabitants of our
globe which come independent of our works, and this is one of
which I have been speaking. Would there have been any light or
intelligence or goodness or happiness, to be partaken of by
fallen man, if it had not been for the atonement? None at all;
there could have been no righteousness. But then, all the other
gifts that we receive are through works, and by faith and works
combined, and it is because of the distinction between these two
separate gifts that many of the inhabitants of the earth have
erred. Some of them profess to believe that they can obtain all
the gifts of God without works, because of some of the sayings of
the ancient apostles; while others consider that work must be
combined with faith. Now both of these ideas are true when taken
in their true light. Eternal life is among all those gifts that
are promised of God; such as the gift of repentance, baptism,
laying on of hands, etc. All these are not to be compared with
the greatness of the gift called eternal life. I hope that all
the Latter-day Saints under the sound of my voice may attain to
this, the greatest of all the gifts of God.
314
Now, I wish, before taking my seat to bear my testimony before
the people here assembled. I do know by the power of God, by the
shedding forth of the Holy Ghost upon my heart, by the
revelations of the spirit, by the many manifestations of the
goodness of God to me, I do know that God has sent his angel from
heaven. I do know that he has raised up the great latter-day
kingdom predicted by Daniel. I do know that he has called
apostles and prophets; that he has sent forth his servants
divinely commissioned, with power from on high, to declare to the
nations of the earth the great and last message of mercy unto the
inhabitants thereof, to prepare all those that are willing to be
prepared, for the great day when the heavens shall be opened, and
all the heavenly hosts shall descend with power and with great
glory, to reign here on the earth. I do know that God by his
power has gathered together his people from the various nations
of the earth, and established them here in these mountains for a
little season, for an especial purpose. And what is that purpose?
To prepare you while dwelling here in these mountains,
territories and regions, that you may receive the blessings
ordained for you in a future time, which time is not far distant.
I do know that this people will return and will possess the land
that God has promised to them, even in Missouri, and in Kansas,
and in the regions round about. I do know that God will build up
in Jackson County, Missouri, a great, and wonderful, and
beautiful city, that shall be called "the Perfection of Beauty,"
the New Jerusalem. I do know that God will light up the
habitations of that city by his power, by his glory, by a cloud
in the day time, and by a pillar of fire in the night. I do know
that when the people shall gather together in their religious
assemblies, as you are here gathered this afternoon, that God
will light up your assemblies, by his divine power even in the
night time, making your habitations, where you meet, glorious in
the extreme. I do know that God will fulfil all that which he has
spoken, by the mouths of his holy prophets, since the world
began, pertaining to this last dispensation of the fulness of
times, which will come to pass in their times, and in their
seasons, and that this dispensation will be far more glorious,
than all the other dispensations combined together, before
everything shall be completed, for the bursting heavens to reveal
the Son of God, and all those that are with him. These things,
and scores of other things that I might name, I know will be
fulfilled in their times and in their seasons, and that all who
are faithful will be made partakers of these blessings. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Wilford Woodruff, September 19, 1880
Wilford Woodruff, September 19, 1880
REMARKS BY
ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF.
315
It is not my purpose at all to detain this congregation, but
before dismissing I feel that I would like to say a few words. We
are not in the habit of flattering any man, but I want to say a
few words concerning Brother Pratt. If there is any man dead or
alive who has dwelt longer in this church and kingdom than he has
I do not know him. If there is any man that has travelled more
miles in preaching the Gospel of Christ, in bearing testimony of
the kingdom of God on the earth, I do not know who he is. When
Brother Pratt embraced this Gospel he was a boy--in one sense of
the word illiterate and unlearned, the same as Joseph Smith and
the most of us. Whatever knowledge Brother Pratt has obtained,
either of the learning of the world or of the kingdom of God, he
has obtained it by diligence and labor since he embraced this
Gospel. I have been associated with Brother Pratt myself for 47
years. I have travelled with him by sea and by land, in foreign
countries and at home, and I never saw a man in my life that I
know of that has spent as few moments idly as he has. I have
never seen a storm at sea so heavy--even when shipping seas over
the bow, side and stern--but what he would read his book.
Whenever the breakers became too heavy he would simply shut up
the book until they were over. If there is a man on this
continent who is more at home in the starry heavens, in the
astronomical world than Brother Pratt I do not know who he is. If
there is a man more deeply versed in mathematics than Brother
Pratt, I do not know who he is. There may be many men equal to
him in these things, but if there are, I do not know them. How
has he obtained his knowledge? He has obtained it since he
embraced this work. He has improved his time. Brother Pratt is
the only living man to-day that was in the first quorum of the
Twelve in its first organization, and I am pleased to listen to
his testimony of the Gospel of Christ; for I want to say to
Brother Pratt and to all other men we all have to acknowledge
this; Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, the Apostles, and all men in
this Church and kingdom, if there is anything to us, if there is
anything about us, if we have any knowledge, or any power, or any
influence, we have to give God the honor of it. It is not of
ourselves. Joseph Smith always acknowledged this, as have all men
in this Church and Kingdom. We have been called from the plow,
from the plane, from the hammer--ignorant, illiterate boys, and
thrust into the vineyard; and all the power we have, or ever had,
in building up the Kingdom, we have to acknowledge it as coming
from the hand of God. Brother Pratt was one of the earliest men
who shouldered his knapsack and traveled through the American
continent to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to this nation.
Frequently he would suffer from ague all day and go along and
preach his sermon at night. These are experiences that he and
others have passed through in the early rise of this Church, and
I feel to thank God that we can still hear his voice and the
voice of others who have been long in this Church and kingdom. I
hope the Lord will preserve his life until he is satisfied with
it. He has lifted up his voice long and loud, according to the
commandment of God to him, in bearing record of this Gospel and
kingdom to the nations of the earth. I was struck, in
contemplating our own experience, with some of the remarks he has
made to-day with regard to the Apostle Philip--how our own
experience has agreed with that of the ancient apostle. How many
times have we been called by revelation to go to the right and
left, here, there and the other place, contrary to our
expectation?
315
I will here relate what took place in my own experience. I was in
Staffordshire in the year 1840. I was in the town of Stanley and
held a meeting in the City Hall. I had a week's appointments out
in that town. Before I rose to speak to the people, the Spirit of
the Lord said to me, "this is the last meeting you will hold with
this people for many days." I told the congregation when I arose
what the Spirit of the Lord had manifested to me. They were as
much surprised as I was. I did not know what the Lord wanted, but
I saw the purpose of God afterwards. The Spirit of the Lord said
to me, "Go south." I traveled eighty miles; went into the south
of England. As soon as I arrived, I met John Benbow. It was
clearly made manifest to me why I had been called thither. I had
left a good field, where I was baptizing every night in the week.
When I got to this place, I found a people--some 600 of them--who
had broken off from the Wesleyan Methodists and formed themselves
into a sect called the United Brethren. I found that they were
praying for light and truth and that they had gone about as far
as they could go. I saw that the Lord had sent me to them. I went
to work amongst them and ultimately baptized their
superintendent, forty preachers and some 600 members; I baptized
every member of that denomination, but one. Altogether some 1800
were baptized in that field of labor. I suppose some of those
then baptized may be in this congregation to-day. I name these
things to show how we have to be governed and controlled by the
revelations of God day by day. Without this we can do nothing.
Many of our brethren who were with us at that time and who came
to this valley, have passed behind the vail. Eight of the quorum
of the Twelve who were in the flesh and most of them with the
pioneers, to-day are in the spirit world. We are passing away.
316
I know as Brother Pratt has said, that this is the kingdom of
God. Israel is being gathered together. The revelations of God
are being fulfilled, and nothing will be left unfulfilled.
Therefore, as Saints of the living God, let us be faithful to our
testimony. We have the kingdom of God. We are called of God by
inspiration and commandment to warn this generation to preach the
Gospel, to gather the people, to build up Zion, to build temples,
to redeem the living and the dead, and to carry on the great work
which is laid upon our shoulders; and may God enable us to
accomplish these things for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Wilford Woodruff, October 10th, 1880
Wilford Woodruff, October 10th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, October 10th, 1880.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST PRESIDENCY.--RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
SAINTS, ETC.
316
There are many times when I feel a great desire to speak to the
people because I have things in my heart that I would like to
say. I cannot say at the present time however, that I have any
great desire to speak, still I will bear my testimony and express
a few thoughts in my reflections that are upon me to-day.
316
I am happy and greatly pleased in what I have witnessed, and I
feel that the heavens are pleased with our proceedings this day.
I feel that they are right. The kingdom of God is onward; it is
not backward. It is wisdom that we perform what we have done
to-day.
317
The act of organizing the council of the first presidency of the
church and kingdom of God, I have regarded as a most solemn
scene, to see this mighty host of priesthood who are assembled in
this house vote in such unanimity, and to see this vast
congregation rise in a body with uplifted hands to heaven, it is
like the rushing of many waters--there is power in it; there is
power with this people; there is power with the priesthood and in
the ordinances of the house of God. And what we have done to day
will have its effect, it will have its effect in the heavens and
on the earth. The responsibility that we bear as elders of
Israel, before the heavens and before the earth and before each
other, is very great. We are called of God; we have been chosen,
we have been ordained as men who have been called to bear the
priesthood and to attend to the ordinances of the house of God,
to preach the Gospel, to warn this generation, to build up Zion,
to redeem the earth, to erect temples unto the name of the Most
High God, to redeem the living and the dead, and to carry out
those great purposes which have been fore-ordained before the
world was. It is a great calling, it is a great responsibility:
and I feel that we, as servants of God and as elders of Israel,
that we should try in our minds to comprehend these things.
317
I reflect a good deal with regard to our position, as was
described to us to-day by Brother Pratt. It has been my faith and
belief from the time that I was made acquainted with the Gospel
that no greater prophet than Joseph Smith ever lived on the face
of the earth save Jesus Christ. He was raised up to stand at the
head of this great dispensation--the greatest of all
dispensations God has ever given to man. He remarked on several
occasions when conversing with his brethren: "brethren you do not
know me, you do not know who I am." As I remarked at our
priesthood meeting on Friday evening, I have heard him in my
early days while conversing with the brethren, say, (at the same
time smiting himself upon the breast) "I would to God that I
could unbosom my feelings in the house of my friends." Joseph
Smith was ordained before he came here, the same as Jeremiah was.
Said the Lord unto him, "Before you were begotten I knew you"
etc.
317
So do I believe with regard to this people, so do I believe with
regard to the apostles, the high priests, seventies and the
elders of Israel bearing the holy priesthood, I believe they were
ordained before they came here; and I believe the God of Israel
has raised them up, and has watched over them from their youth,
and has carried them through all the scenes of life both seen and
unseen, and has prepared them as instruments in his hands to take
this kingdom and bear it off. If this be so, what manner of men
ought we to be? If anything under the heavens should humble men
before the Lord and before one another, it should be the fact
that we have been called of God.
317
I believe the eyes of the heavenly hosts are over this people; I
believe they are watching the elders of Israel, the prophets and
apostles and men who are called to bear off this kingdom. I
believe they watch over us all with great interest.
318
I will here make a remark concerning my own feelings. After the
death of Joseph Smith I saw and conversed with him many times in
my dreams in the night season. On one occasion he and his brother
Hyrum met me when on the sea going on a mission to England. I had
Dan Jones with me. He received his mission from Joseph Smith
before his death; and the prophet talked freely to me about the
mission I was then going to perform. And he also talked to me
with regard to the mission of the Twelve Apostles in the flesh,
and he laid before me the work they had to perform; and he also
spoke of the reward they would receive after death. And there
were many other things he laid before me in his interview on that
occasion. And when I awoke many of the things he had told me were
taken from me, I could not comprehend them. I have had many
interviews with Brother Joseph until the last 15 or 20 years of
my life; I have not seen him for that length of time. But during
my travels in the southern country last winter I had many
interviews with President Young, and with Heber C. Kimball, and
Geo. A. Smith, and Jedediah M. Grant, and many others who are
dead. They attended our conference, they attended our meetings.
And on one occasion, I saw Brother Brigham and Brother Heber ride
in carriage ahead of the carriage in which I rode when I was on
my way to attend conference; and they were dressed in the most
priestly robes. When we arrived at our destination I asked Prest.
Young if he would preach to us. He said, "No, I have finished my
testimony in the flesh I shall not talk to this people any more.
But (said he) I have come to see you; I have come to watch over
you, and to see what the people are doing. Then (said he) I want
you to teach the people--and I want you to follow this counsel
yourself--that they must labor and so live as to obtain the Holy
Spirit, for without this you can not build up the kingdom;
without the spirit of God you are in danger of walking in the
dark, and in danger of failing to accomplish your calling as
apostles and as elders in the church and kingdom of God. And,
said he, Brother Joseph taught me this principle." And I will
here say, I have heard him refer to that while he was living. But
what I was going to say in this: the thought came to me that
Brother Joseph had left the work of watching over this church and
kingdom to others, and that he had gone ahead, and that he had
left this work to men who have lived and labored with us since he
left us. This idea manifested itself to me, that such men advance
in the spirit world. And I believe myself that these men who have
died and gone into the spirit world had this mission left with
them, that is, a certain portion of them, to watch over the
Latter-day Saints.
319
I feel myself as though we are blessed of the Lord, and that we
ought to be satisfied. I feel that we should humble ourselves
before God, that we should labor to magnify our callings, and
honor this priesthood which we received before we came here while
we live out the few days appointed to man in the flesh. And I do
hope and pray God that we may magnify our priesthood and calling
while we tarry here, so that when we get through our earthly
mission and go into the spirit world, we may meet with Brothers
Joseph and Brigham and Heber and the rest of the faithful men
whom we knew and labored with while in the flesh, as well as
Father Adam, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the
prophets and apostles who have had their day and their time and
their generation, and who have finished their work here below and
gone home to glory. Do you not think they are interested about
us? I tell you they are. And I desire when I die, and my spirit
goes into the spirit world, to meet these men and to go where
they are; and I wish to live in that way and manner so as to be
worthy of this blessing. And when I say this of myself I wish it
to apply to all Israel. It will not pay us apostatize; neither
will it pay us to sin, it costs ten thousand times more than it
is worth from beginning to end. Therefore, let us be true and
faithful to God. And inasmuch as we have voted today to sustain
the presidency of this church and kingdom, let our prayers ascend
night and morning into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, in behalf
of the men who now stand at our head, and also in behalf of the
apostles and in behalf of all the priesthood of God in their
place and station. And inasmuch as we do this we will grow, we
will advance, the Spirit of God will be poured out upon us which
will reveal unto us the mind and the will of God concerning us.
And Zion will continue to increase in power on the earth, and
eventually accomplish all for which it is designed, which is my
prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Orson
Pratt, August 1st, 1880
Orson Pratt, August 1st, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER ORSON PRATT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning,
August 1st, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS--HEAVEN AND EARTH TO PASS AWAY--NOT
ANNIHILATED--HEAVEN
AND EARTH NOT CREATED FROM NOTHING--MATERIALS ETERNAL--MATERIALS
UNDER THE
DOMINION OF LAWS--CENTRAL AND ORBITAL FORCES--COMPOUND AND
ELEMENTARY
SUBSTANCES--EARTH IN THE BEGINNING--NO MORTALITY, THEN KNOWN, ON
THIS
CREATION--THE FALL--THE EARTH'S BAPTISM IN WATER--ITS BAPTISM IN
FIRE--ITS
BAPTISM BY THE SPIRIT--ITS JUSTIFICATION--ITS SANCTIFICATION--ITS
PURIFICATION--ITS THOUSAND YEARS' REST, ETC.
319
I will call the attention of the congregation to a few passages
of Scripture, which will be found in the 20th and 21st chapters
of the Revelations, given to St. John. In the 20th chapter we
find these words:--
319
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and heaven fled away: and there was found no
place for them.
320
"And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God; and the
books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book
of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
320
"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works.
320
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, and whomsoever was not found written in the book of
life were cast into the lake of fire."
320
In the 21st chapter, commencing with the 1st verse, we read these
words:--
320
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
320
"And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
320
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and
be their God.
320
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
320
"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things
new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful.
320
"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of
the fountain of the water of life freely.
320
"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his
God, and he shall be my son."
320
It is a great and important undertaking to rise up before a
congregation of the children of men, and endeavor to declare the
words of eternal life to them. No man living can do this
acceptably in the sight of God, unless God is with him, by the
power of his spirit and by the inspiration thereof. I often feel
my own weakness and imperfection as a man, when endeavoring to do
a work of this nature. I oftentimes feel to ask myself the
question--what am I, and how can I perform the work which the
Lord requires at my hand, unless he assists me? Sometimes I
almost feel to shrink; but then I know, from past experience,
that God has assisted me, and I have every reason to believe that
he will continue so to do, inasmuch as I am humble and exercise
faith in him, and strive to do his will.
320
These words written in the 20th and 21st, chapters of the
Revelations, given to St. John on the Isle of Patmos, occurred to
my mind, a few moments before I rose to my feet; for it is the
practice of most of the elders of this church, to take no thought
before hand, what they shall say, and it is very seldom that the
officers of the church endeavor to plan out in their own minds
any particular form of discourse, but sometimes the spirit of the
Lord may suggest certain passages of scripture, and then that
same spirit may dictate and direct, in regard to the form of
words that shall be used in delineating the ideas contained in
those texts.
321
We are told in the words which I have read, that there is a
period of time yet in the future, wherein this earth upon which
we stand, where we have our being, and from which we derive our
sustenance, will pass away; and the heavens that are over our
heads will also pass away; at the time this great event shall
happen, we are informed that a great white throne shall appear;
that a certain personage will sit thereon, and that so great will
be his glory, and so great the power attending him, that the
earth itself will flee away from before his presence, and the
heavens, the literal heavens that are over our heads--probably
meaning the heavens that pertain to this creation--will pass
away; the atmosphere and those things included in the atmosphere;
and the earth itself, the solid portions thereof, and the liquid
portions, will all pass away, before the face of him that sits
upon this throne. This is believed not only by the Latter-day
Saints, but by all Christian denominations, with very few
exceptions. They believe that the heaven and the earth will, at
some future period have a great change wrought upon them. They
expect that they will pass away but I believe that most of them
consider that the earth will become annihilated; that the very
materials of which it is composed will be reduced to nothing. I
think that used to be, when I was a boy, a tenet of the sectarian
world; it used to be their idea, that the earth was, in the
beginning, made out of nothing by the word of God, and that it
would be reduced to nothing when it passed away.
321
But I have not time to dwell upon the idea of the Christian
world, and their views, concerning this matter; I shall touch
upon those things according to the ideas and the faith of the
people called Latter-day Saints. We do not believe that the earth
was made out of nothing, like the modern Christian idea; we have
no such belief; for we do not find any such declaration contained
anywhere in the scripture. We do not take it for granted, because
they have incorporated these things in their modern theology, in
their doctrines, in their disciplines, in their church articles,
in their creeds--we do not receive it on this testimony; but we
search to see what the scriptures of truth have said upon this
subject; and when we have searched them, we find there is no
indications whatever, that the earth was made out of nothing, or
that it sprang into existence, where there was nothing on which
to work.
323
We read in the first chapter of Genesis that God created the
heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void,
but there is nothing in this passage that informs us that he made
the earth out of nothing. Our view is that the elements out of
which this and all other worlds were made existed from all
eternity; they never had any beginning. There are a few
individuals on the earth that make no profession of
religion--some call them materialists--who believe this same
principle; and in doing so, they have got one truth incorporated
among their ideas, though they do not believe in God. The
materials of this creation, according to our view, and that which
God has revealed to us, in this last dispensation, have existed
from all eternity. These materials have been, from all eternity,
subject to the command of the great Jehovah; they are under his
jurisdiction; he has power to control them; he gave them laws;
they act according to these laws; and they have been governed by
laws, so far as we have any knowledge, and so far as our creation
is concerned, for indefinite ages past; and we have every reason
to believe that they have been under the dominion of law, so long
as there has been a Supreme Being. And you might ask how long is
that? We answer, that he is co-eternal in his existence, with the
material of creation;--one existed as long as the other; and
neither of them had any beginning. There may have been an endless
cycle of organizations and disorganizations among the materials
of nature, governed for a certain period of time, for a wise
purpose, according to wise and just and holy laws, adapted to
their condition, and to bring about the great purposes of the
great Jehovah. We find that everything, at present, so far as we
have any knowledge and understanding to discern the workings of
nature, seems to be under the dominion of law. The earth rolls in
its destined orbit according to laws. The force by which it is
supposed to have been projected, is according to a certain law.
the great central force by which it is governed, or to use a
modern word "attracted," is according to a certain law. The
projectile force, so called, is adapted to the central force; and
it has rolled in its destined path, ever since its present
organization or for some 6000 years, and how much longer it has
rolled in that path or orbit, we do not know. It had a beginning
in its present organization, as Moses clearly gives us an idea.
But in organizing this world the Lord did not call it into
existence from nothing, but called the eternal elements that were
spread abroad in space and commanded them to come together,
according to certain laws; and the earth was formed and placed in
its proper position, in the midst of many other creations which
roll around the great central orb,--the sun. It was no small
work; it required the power of an Almighty Creator to organize a
world like this, to adapt it, in its organization, to the
principle of life, which, more or less, pervades all of its
materials, causing them to fulfil various laws, ordained in
relation to their action, obeying what are called chemical laws,
in forming the numerous compounds of which our earth is composed.
The solid portions, the liquid portions, and the aerial
positions, were all formed chemically by the power of the
Almighty,--I mean the compounds which constitute those
portions,--and when we come to reduce these compounds to their
elements, we find upwards of sixty elementary principles, from
which, being joined together according to chemical laws, all the
numerous compounds are formed. Now, these laws in all their
operations, are laws given by the Divine Being. He it is that
causes them to operate. Light, heat, electricity, and every
substance combined with the materials of our globe, are all under
the dominion of numerous laws; and the results that are brought
about, or the good that is bestowed upon the inhabitants of the
earth, upon the animal creation, giving them life, happiness, and
peace--have all been brought about by the wise ordination of
these laws, exhibited through all the elements of this creation.
I say it required an Almighty power to so wisely organize these
elements; and when they were organized it required great wisdom
and judgment to produce the orbital motion of the earth. The
ascertained velocity that the earth has in its orbit, as it flies
in its destined course around the sun, is between eighteen and
nineteen miles per second. It not only requires great power to
organize the elements into a world, but it requires infinite
wisdom to organize the elements into flesh as at present in the
animal creation, including man, to give life to the beings which
dwell in these tabernacles.
323
This world, however, is not now as it was in the beginning, that
is when I speak of the beginning, I have reference to the
beginning of the earth, in its present organization; I do not
have reference to the beginning of duration, for it had no
beginning; I do not have reference to the beginning of an endless
past, but I have reference to the beginning relative to our
little globe. In the beginning of our creation, the earth was
very fair, quite different from what it is now. There were no
children of mortality upon it, no animals that were mortal upon
it, no birds, nothing wherein we observe life in this creation
existed in its mortal state; but everything that had life was
immortal; every bird, fish, fowl, insect, creeping thing, cattle,
and man--all were immortal. The earth had no curse resting upon
it; the earth itself was immortal, and would have continued in
all its glory, as it issued from the hand of the Creator to the
present time, without any curse, had it not been for the
transgression of our first parents. That was the introduction of
mortality, of pain and sorrow, misery and wretchedness, not only
upon man, but upon all creation that then existed; everything was
brought under the dominion of the curse. The curse came upon
man--that being who could stand in the presence of God and
converse with him face to face--the seeds of mortality were sown
in his immortal body;--a change came and his whole system was
affected thereby. The seeds of death were placed within the
tabernacle of man, within the tabernacle of the lion, of the ox,
and every beast of the field, and every fish of the sea, and
every fowl of the air. A very great change then came over this
creation. First, it was spiritual in all its blessings and
fullness of life and glory. Then it was reduced to a temporal
condition, wherein misery and wretchedness existed.
324
Another great change happened nearly two thousand years after the
earth was made. It was baptized by water. A great flow of water
came, the great deep was broken up, the windows of heaven were
opened from on high, and the waters prevailed upon the face of
the earth, sweeping away all wickedness and transgression--a
similitude of baptism for the remission of sins. God requires the
children of men to be baptized. What for? For the remission of
sins. So he required our globe to be baptized by a flow of
waters, and all of its sins were washed away, not one sin
remaining. You were baptized, Latter-day Saints, for the
remission of your sins, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ,
repenting of your sin with all your heart, going down and being
buried beneath the liquid grave, you came forth as new creatures.
So says the New Testament; you buried the old man with all of his
wicked deeds, and came forth out of the liquid element born anew.
So the earth in a measure was renewed, not fully, no more then we
are renewed fully by baptism; we are not made immortal, when we
come out of the waters of baptism; we still retain the effects of
the fall, so far as mortality is concerned. So does the earth;
the earth retains the effects of sin and transgression that came
upon its face. But notwithstanding it retains these effects so
far as mortality is concerned, yet it was cleansed in a measure
from this transgression. But alas! this earth has again become
corrupted. We are required, after being baptized for the
remission of our sins, to sin no more, to live holy and perfect
lives, so far as we possibly can, and to keep the commandments of
God in all things, and to walk in newness of life, and this to
the end of our days. The earth has not been permitted to rest
during the period of four thousand years and upwards since its
baptism. Wickedness again has accumulated upon its face. The
inhabitants of the earth have corrupted and defiled the earth by
their transgression. By and by another great change will come. As
the earth was cleansed from its transgression by baptism in
water, so it must again be cleansed, before it is made immortal.
It must be cleansed by an element that is stronger and more
purifying than that of water, namely, the element of fire. Fire
must prevail over all the face of this earth. What for? For the
purpose of cleansing the earth from its transgressions, the same
as the Latter-day Saints expect to be cleansed and purified more
fully than by baptism in water--by the baptism of fire and the
Holy Ghost. This is the promise to all that will repent of their
sins and be baptized for the remission of the same, that they
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is another
baptism, more effectual, more cleansing, more purifying in its
nature, sanctifying the inner man and the outward man, and making
him a new creature. So this earth in due time must be baptized
with fire first, and then the Holy Ghost. Fire will cleanse all
the proud and they that do wickedly from its face--all persons
that are corrupt, all sinful persons, all disobedient persons,
all who do not keep the commandments of God; it will cleanse the
earth by burning them as stubble, fulfilling the words of the
prophet Malachi, in the last chapter, which reads thus: "For,
behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the
proud, yea, and all 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."
328
It seems, then, that this earth has to undergo a process very
similar to that of the redeemed man. It has to obey all the great
sacred ordinances of the Gospel, so far as its first principles
are concerned; the earth has to undergo a cleansing process,
first by water, a similitude of water baptism, and then by the
Holy Ghost, a similitude of baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost
which you receive by the laying on of the hands of those who have
authority. Does this make man immortal? No; man still retains his
mortality, even after he is baptized with fire and with the Holy
Ghost--his body is subject still to death. It may be burned at
the stake; it may pass away as the earth will pass away; not
annihilated, not one particle of our earthly tabernacles shall be
struck out of existence; but the elements may be separated
asunder, they may mingle perhaps with other elements--all this
may take place, even after we have been sanctified and purified
by the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost. So with our earth,
when it is renewed by the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, when he shall descend, as Paul says, in flaming fire.
What effect will that have? It will have the effect that is
spoken of by Malachi, all the proud, including every wicked man,
every wicked woman, will be swept away like stubble before the
devouring flame. It will be thus when Jesus descends in the
clouds of glory. The elements will be cleansed, the same as you
receive a cleansing by the Holy Ghost. You are made new
creatures. So the earth will be made new, and great knowledge
will be imparted to the inhabitants thereof, as predicted in the
11th chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah. The knowledge of God will
then cover the earth as the waters cover the mighty deep. There
will be no place of ignorance, no place of darkness, no place for
those that will not serve God. Why? Because Jesus, the Great
Creator, and also the Great Redeemer, will be himself on the
earth, and his holy angels will be on the earth, and all the
resurrected Saints that have died in former dispensations will
all come forth, and they will be on the earth. What a happy earth
this creation will be, when this purifying process shall come,
and the earth be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters
cover the great deep! What a change! Travel, then, from one end
of the earth to another, you can find no wicked man, no drunken
man, no man to blaspheme the name of the Great Creator, no one to
lay hold on his neighbor's goods, and steal them, no one to
commit whoredoms--for all who commit whoredoms will be thrust
down to hell, saith the Lord God Almighty, and all persons who
commit sin will be speedily visited by the judgments of the
Almighty! But, inquires one, can they sin? Yes; their agency will
still be left. We read in the 65th chapter of Isaiah that then
"There will be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man
that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die an hundred
years old; but the sinner being an hundred old shall be
accursed." Children will grow up without sin unto salvation, as a
general thing, and in order to show how swift the judgments will
come upon the people, after Jesus comes and stands upon the Mount
of Olives, and all the Saints with him, we have only to refer to
the last chapter of Zachariah, where it is stated, "that every
one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem,
shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord
of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be
that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto
Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, even unto them
shall be no rain." From this it appears that people who refuse to
come up to the land of Jerusalem, to worship God and to keep the
feast of tabernacles, are to be immediately visited with famine.
They shall have no rain, and that will stir them up, during the
Millennium, to repent of their sins; but if the Egyptians do not
come up from year to year to Jerusalem, they shall be visited
with a great plague. What kind of a plague? The plague will be so
severe in its operations, says the prophet Zachariah, that "their
flesh shall consume away, while they stand upon their fact, and
their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue
shall consume away in their mouth." Thus you see that swift
judgment will come upon those that are rebellious, after Jesus
descends. This shows that mortality still continues, that people
are subject to plagues, subject to pain, and subject to be
afflicted with famine, for the want of rain. But by and by, when
Jesus has been here in person a thousand years, and all the
ancient Saints that have been resurrected, and the modern Saints
also, after they have lived upon the earth for the space of a
thousand years, it seems that Satan is to be loosed out of his
prison, and permitted to go forth and tempt. Whom shall he tempt?
Those whom Jesus has brought from heaven? No, they are beyond
temptation. Whom will he tempt? Those that are yet mortal--the
innumerable inhabitants of the earth who have multiplied and
spread forth, and become almost as numerous as the sands upon the
sea shore. He will tempt them. He will go out into the four
quarters of the earth, and gather together all that he can
overcome, and bring them up against the camp of the Saints and
the beloved city. He thinks that he will fight and overcome the
camp of the Saints. They will be camped beside the beloved city;
for all the Saints will then be gathered, just the same as you
are now gathered from the four quarters of the earth, to escape
the various judgments that are coming, and finally the judgment
of fire. So will the Saints be gathered together to the new
Jerusalem, and round about old Jerusalem, and Satan will gather
up his hosts, that have apostatized from the truth, and he will
marshal them round about the city, and fire will descend from God
out of heaven, and devour that portion of the army of Satan that
is still mortal. The elements of their bodies will be separated;
they will be consumed, the same as the wicked will have been
consumed over a thousand years before that, and this will be
another great change. But the earth is not yet immortal, not yet
in its glorified state, as it was before man fell. Then, after
Satan's army is devoured, and after Satan is cast into hell, and
all over whom he has power--then all the inhabitants of the earth
will be judged; this great white throne that I have been reading
about, will appear; the great and final judgment will come; and
when this white throne appears, the earth itself and the literal,
temporal heavens that are overhead will flee away, and there will
be found no place for them. What does this mean? Does it mean
that the elements themselves will be annihilated? or is there no
place for the earth in its organized form; for the elements will
pass away, be scattered in space over millions and millions of
miles, just the same as our bodies after we have been sanctified
and purified, may be burned as martyrs at the stake and the
elements of our bodies passed into the atmosphere and into the
surrounding country. So will the earth pass away in like manner.
But by and by the same voice, the same power that calls forth our
bodies from the sleeping tomb, that unites bone to its bone,
sinews and skin and muscles, and the various compartments of the
system, that breathes the breath of life into them, that makes
them immortal, even so will the Lord God, in due time, speak by
his power and call the scattered elements of this creation from
their dispersion, bring them together again, and organize them
into a new heaven and a new earth. Will there be one particle of
the earth lost? No every particle that now is combined with the
heaven and the earth will still exist. Will it be modelled after
the present model? No. It may have the same shape and form that
it now has, the same as our bodies when they are brought forth
out of the grave will have a form something after the present
form. Every hair of the head will be restored, every part will be
restored to its proper form, not after the form of mortality, to
sicken again, to have pain and to die; but though the body is
restored to the same image, so far as the outlines are concerned,
yet it is immortal, no more subject to pain, or sorrow, but is
restored to perfect happiness and to bodies that will endure
while eternity endures. So it will be with the earth. A great
many of our scientific men consider that the earth has never had
a beginning as an organized body, but they look back many
millions and millions of years, when they suppose that such and
such an event brought about such and such a cause; and they say,
(the infidel portion of them) that the earth will never have an
end. Well, now, they are right so far as the materials are
concerned, but they are entirely out of the way so far as the
great revolutions I have named are concerned, and so far as the
annihilation of the earth is concerned. The earth never will have
an end, so far as the materials are concerned. The earth after it
is made anew, resurrected from its old materials, will continue
forever, and will be the abiding place of all the righteous,
throughout all the future ages of eternity. Hence, we read that
John, after the earth fled away, saw a new heaven and a new
earth; but the new one was much altered. There was no more sea.
There must be a great alteration when the sea, the elements that
compose the water, the oxygen and hydrogen, and the various
elements that enter into the constitution of sea water, shall be
otherwise combined. Will there be a new set of geologist in those
days, who will figure as they do in our days, and say such and
such events exist, and they must have existed from all eternity,
or they must have been brought about by such and such changes;
that is, will the geologists be as limited in their views as the
present ones are? But the geologists that shall live ten thousand
years hence, or even two thousand years hence, when this great
change shall have come over the earth, will be able to
philosophize clearly; for they will be full of knowledge,
understanding and comprehension, and they will be able to
understand something about the process of world-making, creating
worlds, the changes that come upon worlds, and the final change
when worlds are made anew and immortal, and their philosophy,
their ideas and their system of geology will be correct and can
be depended upon. Why? Because they were there; they saw the
changes, they were present when the changes were made, and they
have not forgotten all these things, and they will know them, and
understand them after the final change comes. There will,
however, be a change which some of the mortal inhabitants of this
earth will forget. Isaiah says, in the 65th chapter: "For behold,
I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be
remembered, nor come into mind." Now, that has reference to the
creation that will be renewed, at the beginning of the
millennium. People will not remember. Our children that will be
born during the millennium will not remember all the wickedness
and corruption that existed in the days of their fathers. It will
not come into their minds, unless God puts it there; but when
they become immortal, after the thousand years have ended, then I
think they will comprehend the process by which this world was
made. But, inquires one, how will they know it? They will know it
because they were all present when it was made. You understand
it, Latter-day Saints; you and I were there when this world was
made. We have forgotten it, but we will remember it when we wake
up in eternity, with all the fulness of knowledge that will be
given after everything is made anew. Well, inquires one, what
will be the occupation of this people, after descending upon the
new earth? After Jesus has been on the earth a thousand years,
God himself is to be on the new earth. What is he to do? He is to
"wipe away all tears; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the
former things are passed away." We will be there if we are
righteous enough, if we keep the commandments of God. If we will
endure to the end, we will have an inheritance in this world when
it is resurrected and made anew. Moreover, it says there will be
no more death. What! a world without death? A world thickly
populated as this creation will be? What a joyful creation! The
tree of life will be on the earth in the midst of that city that
will descend on the earth, and whoever eats of the fruit of that
tree will live forever, just the same as the tree of life was
placed upon the earth before Adam transgressed. Any one eating of
the fruit of that tree could not die, for the decree of the Lord
had gone forth, and his word must be fulfilled.
329
There are some few things to which I wish now especially to call
your attention, in relation to this new earth of which I am
speaking. I said that the saints would receive an inheritance
upon it. I would ask you, my brethren, upon what principle they
receive an inheritance upon the new earth? It is by securing it
through a promise here in this life. If you can secure 40, or 80,
or 160, or 640 acres of land by promise here in this life--I do
not mean the promise of mortal men, I would not give much for
their promise concerning any blessing after death comes; but if
you can get a promise from him who has a right to promise, (for
the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof,) that you shall
inherit the earth for an everlasting possession, then it will be
given to you. But, says one, supposing I do not get any promise?
I do not know, then, that you will have a claim on a solitary
foot of it. Abraham got the promise, not after he was dead, but
here in this life. The Lord, because of his faith, made him a
promise, and told him to go out from his own country to a land he
had never seen; and after getting there, the Lord said unto him,
"Now, Abraham, walk through this land in the length and breadth
of it; to these will I give it, and to thy seed." For how long?
For an everlasting possession. Abraham did not care about having
a deed for time only, did not care about getting a few acres just
merely for a little while, and then have it taken from him, and
he have no claim upon it afterwards. Did Abraham inherit it on
this earth? Did his seed, Isaac, or his grandson, Jacob, to whom
the promises were confirmed and renewed--did they get any of it
while they lived? No. The prophet Stephen, who was murdered for
the Christian religion, has recorded in the New Testament,
speaking of this promise made to Abraham, that the Lord "gave him
none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on."
What! Stephen, are you not mistaken? You lived several thousand
years after Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were in their graves--do you
mean to say that the Lord did not even give them as much as a
foot? What did he do for them, Stephen? He made them a promise
that they should have it, and their seed after them; for an
everlasting inheritance. Oh, then, they are still to have it, are
they, for an everlasting inheritance, by virtue of the promise
made in this mortal state? Who are Abraham's seed? All that do
the works of Abraham--all that are baptized into Christ. They are
Abraham's seed according to the promise. What promise? The
promise that he and his seed should have the land of Palestine,
east and north-east of the Mediterranean Sea, for an everlasting
possession. Now all who have received the same covenants, obeyed
the same Gospel, obeyed the new and everlasting covenant, have
the promise in connection with Abraham's seed.
329
Has the earth been parcelled out to anybody else except Abraham
and his seed? Yes. The Lord brought a nation to this great
western hemisphere, called jaredites, from the Tower of Babel.
When He brought them here they were a righteous people, and he
made promises to them; and among the promises given was the
promise that this great western hemisphere should be given to
them, and to those that were worthy besides them, for an
everlasting possession. We Gentiles have come here; we have got
upon the land of these Jaredites, and we think we are very rich
if we have got 640 acres, or perhaps ten times that amount of
land. Says one man, "I have got my deed from the Land office; I
am the owner." But, hold on; there is the original owner; that
you know nothing of, that came here from the tower of Babel, that
had all this western hemisphere promised to him and the righteous
of his seed for an everlasting possession. What will become of
your 640 acres then? What will become of your farms when these
resurrected men shall come forth and show their deeds. Perhaps
you may think they did not keep any records in those day. But let
me tell you they had records of deeds; and all these things are
spoken of and testified of in the great books that are kept in
the eternal world, and it will be found that they are the
inheritors before us, that is before the Gentiles that came over
here four hundred years ago and upwards. But what about the
Nephites that came here about six hundred years before Christ.
When they got here, the first thing the Lord did was to confirm
his promise unto them. He told them it was their inheritance for
an everlasting possession. Hold on, says one, that would take
away the right of the Jaredites. Oh, no. The Lord, in making this
promise, did not do it according to the deed-makers of this day;
he did not follow after the pattern of men. The records that he
makes on the books in eternity are records made upon principles
in accordance with celestial law, not in accordance with Gentile
laws, nor our notions of things. The notion, or idea, that the
Lord had was that this continent, North and South America, should
be inhabited by the righteous who will be resurrected from the
dead, and who lived here on this continent.
331
Latter-day Saints, do you not feel a little concerned? Has any
promise been made to you, or are you left out while the Nephites
and Jaredites gobble up all the land, and leave you to go around
the streets begging? Hear what the Lord, our God, had to say,
through the Prophet Joseph, concerning you, on the 2nd day of
January, 1831. I was present when the Lord gave this revelation,
in the midst of a conference, to his servant Joseph. I will
repeat the words: "And I will hold forth and deign to give unto
you" (speaking to the Latter-day Saints assembled in conference,
and to all that should become Saints) "greater riches, even a
land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which
there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh. And I will give it
unto you for the land of your inheritance. And this shall be my
covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your
inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever,
while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in
eternity, no more to pass away." The same promise you see; very
different from the promise of men; you will possess it again in
eternity, no more to pass away. He did not reveal to us the
central portion of our land of promise on that conference day,
but told us it should be revealed at a future time. Hence, in
that same year he appointed his servant Joseph and some twenty or
thirty of the elders to go from Kirtland. Ohio, westward through
the State of Ohio, State of Indiana, State of Illinois, State of
Missouri, to the western boundaries thereof. There he pointed out
by revelation--which you will find recorded in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants--the central portion of our inheritance,
where the great temple should be built upon which a cloud of
glory should rest, and told us that that was the land of promise,
in time and in eternity, the same as the promise made to the
ancient Saints of God. We are not in possession of it at the
present time. It cannot, however, be said concerning us, as it
was said by Stephen concerning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He said
he gave those old ancient men not so much as to set their foot
on. But it happens we paid for some of that land, and we got our
deeds at the Land Office, and we claim this at the hands of our
God, and ask him, if we do not get it right now, this year, or
ten years' hence, we will ask our Father to give us that land
after the resurrection, at any rate. But will we inhabit any of
it in time? Oh, yes. We will build a great city in Missouri. We
will also build a great temple unto the Lord our God, in that
city, and the temple block and place where it is to stand is
already known. It was laid out in the year 1831, and the corner
stone laid, and we will build a temple there, and build it after
the pattern that the Lord gave to his servant Joseph, the
Prophet, and also according to the pattern that he shall
hereafter show, if the pattern is not already given in full. I
will tell you another thing that will happen in our promised
land, after that temple is built: there will a cloud of glory
rest upon that temple by day, the same as the cloud rested upon
the tabernacle of Moses, that was carried in the wilderness. Not
only that, but also a flaming fire will rest upon the temple by
night, covering the whole temple; and if you go inside of the
temple, the glory of God will be seen there as it was anciently;
for the Lord will not only be a glory and a defense on the
outside of that wonderful building, but he will also be a glory
and a power in the inside thereof, and it shall come to pass that
every man and every woman who is pure in heart, who shall go
inside of that temple, will see the Lord. Now, how great a
blessing it will be to see the Lord of Hosts as we see one
another in the flesh. That will take place, but not till after
the temple is built. Moreover, you will not only be favored with
this great privilege, but Isaiah tells us that "the Lord will
create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her
assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a
flaming fire by night." When you hold your meeting in the day
time, you shall be sheltered by a cloud, and when you hold your
meetings in the night time, instead of lighting up your lamps
with common oil, or with gas, or anything of this kind, you will
have no need of any artificial light, for the Lord God will be
the light thereof, and his glory will be there, and you will see
it and you will hear his voice. Have you not read in this book
called the Bible, about the Lord suddenly coming to his temple?
Read the 3rd chapter of Malachi: "Behold, I will send my
messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord
whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple. * * * And he
shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall
purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver, that
they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." That
same fire will rest upon the abodes of those that come into that
temple, and they will be filled with fire and the Holy Ghost.
They will be purged of all iniquity, and every ordinance that
will be administered in that temple will be administered by holy
hands, and you will understand and know the meaning thereof. The
Lord will reveal these things in their day; he will reveal
everything that is needful, so that the knowledge of God may rest
upon you, and that there may be no darkness with you. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / Henry
W. Naisbitt, August 29, 1880
Henry W. Naisbitt, August 29, 1880
DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
August 29, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE INCREASE AND FUTURE OF THE SAINTS--TRUE EDUCATION, ETC.
331
I stand here to-day, as you are all aware, to speak of those
things which pertain to the faith that we have received, of that
order which we call the Gospel of the Son of God, that order
which the world entitles "Mormonism" a system which contains
within itself many elements which are strange to mankind, but
which are very powerful in their character and calculated in
their progress and growth to arrest the attention of the human
family. With all the faults, weaknesses and traditions which
encumber the people who dwell in these mountains, I believe the
universal testimony is, that they are entitled to credit for
earnestness, for industry, for honesty, and for many results
which have grown out of these characteristics. One source of
territorial, or state, or national greatness consists in a proper
understanding of the purposes for which men dwell upon the earth,
upon their ideas in regard to family organization, social ethics,
or those principles which bind man to man and family to family,
and make of a nation a grand united whole.
332
The Latter-day Saints it is well known are strong advocates of
marriage. They believe that every man and every woman should
enter into that relationship. They believe in the divinity of
that first command, that the human race were destined to multiply
and replenish the earth. Consequently, wherever any large
assembly of the Latter-day Saints are brought together, there you
will find a very large proportion of those who are young in
years. The theories which are held by some philosophers, by some
men and women who enter the marriage state, find no place among
the Latter-day Saints. The universal faith among them is that
children are "an heritage from the Lord;" that "happy is the man
who hath his quiver full of them," in contradistinction to an
increasing tendency elsewhere, to believe that there should be a
limit to the number of children which a man should possess, and
that wheresoever they may be considered undesirable, from the
claims of society, from the disposition to follow the fashions of
the age, from a feeling that self-gratification is the highest
destiny of the human family, that there the family increase
should be curtailed. Among the Latter-day Saints those ideas have
not obtained a foothold. Although they have come from the outside
world, gathered from the nations of the earth and measurably
partaken of the influences which prevail there, yet they have not
so far done violence to the instincts which God has planted
within them as to practice the theories of the parties to whom I
have alluded. And in all our assemblies, as I have said before,
in this tabernacle as an illustration, in our ward meetings and
in all our settlements and colonies, there is substantial
testimony to be found of the fact that in this obedience to the
law of primitive times, to the law of the constitution of human
nature, and to the law as revealed to us in this "dispensation of
the fullness of times," the Latter-day Saints have paid marked
and decided attention.
333
This increase of population brings with it many thoughts; it is
the father or parent of much reflection to those who grasp the
situation. I recollect many a time in my travels east, when
gentlemen in the great cities of this country made reflections in
regard to our emigration from the different portions of the
earth, I have said: "Yes, we have quite an emigration; the
gathering is a fixed fact, fundamental in the economy of this
Gospel." But outside of this gathering there is another one,
which fails to arrest the attention of the world because it comes
in a less ostentatious manner, and that is the wonderful home
increase of that people dwelling in the mountains. And whenever
tourists visit here, if they travel outside the limits of this
city, if they visit our settlements in the length and breadth
thereof, they cannot fail to be struck with the rapid
multiplication of those who have thus gathered from the nations
of the earth. When we inform the world that in a population of
150,000 souls there can be found in the neighborhood of 50,000 in
attendance upon our schools; when we realize the immense number
under the age of maturity, it would require a mathematician to
tell what will speedily be the increase if the present policy is
pursued. In a few generations to come, if this characteristic
continues to manifest itself proportionately, there will be a
continual necessity for spreading forth, Utah will become too
small for her spreading population, and in all the adjacent
Territories and States, those who have been drawn together under
her institutions, who have accepted her faith and believe in her
destiny,--those will be found measurably carrying out the ideas
which to-day permeate our society in a local capacity.
333
In considering this element growing up in our midst, we may form
some idea in regard to the future of the people who dwell here. I
believe there is an ancient proverb which says that "the stream
cannot rise higher than its fountain," that "as men sow so shall
they also reap;" and whatever we may have anticipated when
illuminated with the spirit of prophecy, whatever our private
ideas may be in regard to the glory and the greatness that shall
rest upon the people, one thing is sure, that it depends upon the
growth, development and characteristics which are imprinted and
made manifest in the posterity of the Latter-day Saints.
333
Education is one of the "catch words" of this generation. It is
considered to be one of the mightiest levers for the future
prosperity of the United States; but opinions in regard to what
constitutes education are as various almost as the individuals
who are questioned. With a very large number, education is
supposed to consist in the ability to read and write, and in the
understanding of the geographical character of the country in
which the student lives. It is considered to be comprehended in
the rules of arithmetic and in the various branches of an
advanced or classical education, as it is called, where the youth
of the country graduate, and are then called scholars. But I
apprehend this style of education may be given with a generous
and extended hand to every son and daughter of this republic, and
yet when you come to analyze the whole you will find that the
mass of the people thus trained are, as a rule, absolutely
deficient in the great and grand element which constitutes the
higher form of education and of human culture.
335
There is in the scholastic institutions of the United States
something of a disposition to eradicate from them everything
which savors of religious training. It has been sought in many
places to exclude the Bible as a text book, or a book to be used
in any form whatever, much more the idea of including any form of
religious faith or practice. Rather has there been an idea in the
mind of most Americans that it was fundamental in the
constitution and genius of the country that there should be an
eternal separation between what is considered and called
religious and secular things. Yet, when we reflect upon the
wonderful organization we have and that we see around us, when we
reflect upon the faculties and endowments which men possess, can
we not see that this very idea of "church and state," or
religious and secular faculty, is interwoven and is the very
fabric of humanity, placed there by God himself, and that there
is a disposition under the religious sentiment to draw sustenance
and support, comfort and solace from the conceptions which
pertain to divinity; and growing out from this fundament
religious idea or sentiment and established thereupon can come
alone all the highest attributes that we look for in the future,
a time when man shall find all his powers and functions
harmoniously developed. And it is just as impossible to separate
this great constitutional principle which exists in the human
organization as it is to divide or break asunder anything which
is formed, created, or intended to be formed, created or intended
to be adopted by the great ruler of the universe. Man possesses
his religious faculties, no matter how dormant they may be, no
matter how wrapt up by superstition, or blinded by the ignorance
and misconceptions of the teachers who have moulded him. God has
planted in the human organization those attributes which seek
communion with the divine. And it is upon righteous conceptions
of man's origin that his future will depend. If the young men of
any community have no correct ideas in regard to this; if they
believe that they are but the product of chance: if they are
impregnated with the thought that they are simply in a transitory
condition and that they may "eat and drink, for to-morrow we
die," if these are the thoughts which entertain, all their
actions will correspond with these thoughts, they will not reach
out, nor after the higher attributes which belong to humanity,
they will be filled with selfishness, with a disposition to
gratify their own passions, even if they have to accomplish this
at the sacrifice of the feelings and interests of those with whom
they come in contact. But if the youth of our country realize
that they are the sons and daughters of the living God; if they
realize and comprehend the fact that before they dwelt upon the
earth they enjoyed a pre-existence, that their spirits dwelt in
the eternities, and had a home there, had associations there, and
that they comprehended something of the purposes for which they
should come and tabernacle in the flesh, then we may be sure that
such thoughts and feelings will have their influence upon the
entire course of their after life. If the youth of a community
are thus trained, if they comprehend the relationship which they
sustain, to the great ruler of the universe if they have faith in
God and have received of the fact that God lives, that he holds
in his hand the destinies of the human family, that he hath
provided rewards for virtue and penalties for vice--if they
comprehend these things, their actions in life will be shaped by
these ennobling thoughts. But if the education which the youth of
a country receives is devoid of training for the religious
sentiment, if the grand revelations of the ancient times which
God has given through "his servants the prophets," are set on one
side, and if instead thereof education is supposed to consist of
arithmetic and the kindred branches of that science, of political
knowledge and all that goes to make up what is called a scholar,
leaving out the cultivation of other attributes which God has
implanted in man,--if that is the kind of education imparted,
then of necessity it will, at some period of time in the history
of that country, bring about religious death, and as a
consequence the bonds of society would become loosened, men would
live for themselves instead of living for each other, and they
would become simply as "the beasts that perish," ignoring the
past and caring nothing at all for the future. Hence I believe
that this education and training is an important matter as
pertaining to the youth of a country, that it should not be a
Sabbath exercise only, but that at home, at the family circle,
and in the common day school there should be as much attention
given to the religious faculties as there should be given to
intellectual and mental culture about which we talk so much, and
for which we erect so many schools. And it is also to be remarked
that according to the conceptions of the people on religious
matters, so also will be their conceptions in regard to morality.
Morality is the outgrowth of religion. It is the fruitage of the
tree of life in regard to men's ideas of God, of the past, and of
the future. Without the cultivation and spirit of true religion,
the moral faculties are very likely to be perverted, warped and
misdirected. If the idea of brotherhood finds no place in the
education of our youth, they will be disposed to take advantage
of their brethren, take advantage in trade, speculation, etc.,
and society would thus become so individualized, that men would
become a race of Ishmaelites, "every men's hand against his
brother."
336
I believe that among the people who inhabit these mountains that
this idea of brotherhood--the brotherhood of the human
family--forms a very prominent feature in their education. I
think our youth are taught that they should not live for
themselves alone, but rather that in living for others they can
and do best subserve their own interests. And we have examples of
this in many directions, most notable among which is the
missionary system which obtains among the Latter-day Saints. Have
we not seen in our experience in this Territory, some 300 to 400
men called at once to go forth and preach the Gospel, to leave
their homes and families, their friends and business, and travel
to the nations of the earth to propagate the religious ideas
which they had received. We have known those men sent throughout
the United States, to every section of Europe, to Australia, to
the Islands of the sea, to China and to India, and such has been
the devotion of those who were thus called, that in the course of
three or four weeks, every man had left the scenes and
associations that were dear to him, and through the midst of
difficulties and trials have finally found themselves in these
widely divergent points of the compass, to which they had been
called by the voice of the people and by the authority presiding
over them. And when they have gone to these different nations
they have gone in the spirit of brotherhood, they have looked
upon the human family as their brethren and their sisters. They
have gone in the capacity of saviors, and they have carried with
them those principles which are the foundation of that
civilization which the Almighty intends to establish on the face
of the earth. They have not gone to preach that which would
narrow the views of mankind; they have not gone to teach that
which would introduce a spirit of selfishness or of anything
degrading, but have gone carrying with them the principle of
universal brotherhood which, when put into practice, will cement
and bind society together in such a manner, that should any power
touch the interests of one they would inevitably touch the
interests of the whole. And it has been by the faith which they
have exhibited, by the earnestness with which they have labored,
by the blessings of God and the power of this spirit which
accompanied them, that they have been able to gather from among
the nations the best elements of their society, and transplant
them into these valleys of the mountains, then weld them into a
comparatively united people--a people measurably animated by one
thought, one impulse, one faith, believing in one God, and
putting into practice one order--a people who are looking for one
result, and that is the regeneration and redemption of all those
who place themselves beneath the influence of those ideas and
ordinances which have been advanced. This is the tree which has
been planted, and the seed which has been sown, and the result
can be best calculated by those who have given most attention to
that which has been taught.
337
This idea creeps out in almost every direction. I have given this
illustration, of the missionary effort which has sent its
thousands and tens of thousands from this community--even when it
was much smaller in numbers than it is at present--around the
habitable globe. There is also another phase of this same spirit
which the Latter-day Saints have exhibited, they have not only
sent and are sending these men on missions, and sustaining them
by their means, by their faith and prayers, but in obedience to
the spirit of gathering they have given great assistance to those
who were unable to gather of themselves. Indeed, in the history
of the past have we not seen the time when the authorities of the
Church have called for from 200 to 600 teams to journey to the
Missouri River to transport the poor and the meek of the earth
across those dreary plains--where the railroad now makes its
welcome music--and they have landed thousands in this way in the
midst of these mountains and introduced them to the new order of
civilization which has been inspired by the spirit of the living
God. In addition to all this they have taken from these valleys,
and laid up at convenient points on the route, provisions enough
to sustain those thousands while thus traveling for three or four
months across the plains, they have also provided at such times a
strong mounted body guard of the youth of the territory to
protect the emigrants from the assaults of the Indians, so that
they might perform their journey in safety. And they have gone
still further: they have not only brought those thousands from
the boundaries of civilization, and from the training and
education of the systems and governments of the old world, but
they have colonized all these valleys, and it is those thousands
who constitute to-day the cities, towns, and villages of Utah.
Not only have they been placed in these settlements but they have
been taught the rudiments and the advanced principles of
self-sustenance and of positive independence. The thousands and
tens of thousands of Utah are beyond the depths of poverty that
you find exhibited in the old world. The poverty which is known
to exist there, the strikes which occur in the ranks of labor in
the old world, the difficulties which belong to even in so
blessed country as the United States, find no place among the
people who dwell in these valleys. The majority of those who have
thus come in strangers, who have been thus surrounded by new
conditions, and subjected to new influences, have produced good
results. Travel wherever you will throughout this territory and
you will find the majority of people live in their own homes;
they pay no rent to anybody; they are not, when poor and
unemployed, subject to be turned out into the public streets;
they are not, when old age creeps upon them, likely to be thrust
into the union, or poor house as it is called, where the husband
is separated from the wife and the wife from the husband, thereby
giving practical force to the new reading of the marriage
ceremony as suggested by some of the radicals of the old world,
that that service should read, not as it does at present, but
"till death or poverty do us part"--they are not subject to these
conditions, but a man and woman have the privilege of living
together, the man with the wife of his youth; they see their
posterity grow up in thrift and peace, and when "the weary wheels
of life stand still" they law themselves down in hope of a
glorious resurrection unto eternal life!
338
There is also another feature which is worthy of remark in this
territory. Can it not be safely said that the mortality of the
people thus gathered together bears a marked contrast to that
which exists elsewhere? Can it not be said that the influence of
industry, of peace, and of good order, has had a good effect upon
the masses in many directions. The mental pressure which excites
elsewhere sends tens of thousands to suicide or drives them into
houses built for those suffering from insanity, does not exist in
the midst of the Latter-day Saints. Mentally, the people of this
territory are pretty evenly balanced; one of the results of their
faith in God, is that it enables them to contend manfully and
patiently with difficulties instead of yielding to the
circumstances thrust upon them, and thus they become valiant in
the battle of life; they are not afraid of obstacles, or danger,
or duties which may surround them; they believe that it is best
to work, to fight and overcome, instead of cowardly taking into
their hands the opportunity of depriving themselves of living
upon the earth and filling a suicide's grave. The faith of the
Gospel teaches them that life is a school, that it is an honor
and works out future glory to submit to its discipline, to
overcome its difficulties, to solve its problems and to fill its
purposes, so that all the attributes of their manhood may be
cultured and developed. This springs from the fundamental idea
which the people of this territory have received and which they
have accepted in their faith, and whatever social, commercial,
political, or other class of difficulties may arise, and even
though surrounded by the fire of persecution, they will still
exercise this faith in God, and believe that from all apparent
evil he will bring forth good. Does not the mental balance which
this people exhibit, this absence of that tendency toward suicide
and lunacy--which exists in all the nations of the earth by
virtue of the pressure which society brings to bear upon the
characteristics of men--does not the fact that this pressure is
unknown among the people of Utah, (or at least if not unknown,
nearly so) stand as an evidence of the better character of the
institutions under which they live? On the other hand they are
giving to their posterity all that the world calls education. Not
that they consider it the primary object and end of life, but
they do consider it useful to their children in enabling them to
fulfil some of the responsibilities of manhood, to attend to the
business duties and affairs of life, and for this they are
building school-houses, for this they employ teachers and erect
academies, and in this way they have spent in poverty as much,
comparatively speaking, as will bear a pleasant contrast with any
part of this country, of which they are a part. And while they
have endeavored to carry out this joint style of education--that
is, the cultivation of the highest attributes, which consist of
faith in God, faith that we can commune with him, faith in the
Scriptures handed down to us by the ancient servants of God,
faith that by the introduction of the Gospel and the practice of
its principles will be laid the foundation of a higher
civilization, calculated in its nature to supercede all other
forms with which man may have been acquainted in the ages that
are past--yet for all this, politically they do not feel obliged
to be either democrats or republicans, whigs or nationalists, but
rather feel to cultivate all the qualities of patriotism and
citizenship, developing these to the highest possible perfection.
But even in connection with a system which aims at these results,
a system which has set before its believers so elevated a
platform, there will occasionally in individuals be comparative
failure. But wherever men are possessed of this faith, it is
simply a question of time as to its ultimate success, and the day
is not far distant when those who hold this faith will not be
confined to Utah and the adjacent territory, they will not be
held in bondage and vassalage, and have appointed over them men
in whose election they have no voice, but they will stand
qualified with all that of excellence they desire, and have the
privilege of being free and full American citizens.
339
I said awhile ago that there had been a good deal of talking and
a good deal of writing in regard to a bugbear called the union of
Church and State. But it is folly to talk or write against a
thing which God has incorporated into the very fabric of man's
being; and it would be a good deal better now for the nation in
which we live if the ranks of political parties were less
divided, were more imbued with a sense of honor, virtue, purity,
and the spirit of brotherhood. This would remove from them a
great many of the evils with which they are afflicted: it would
help to strengthen their efforts for the good of the nation--in
every way--if they, in the spirit of the Christian faith, went
forth to receive the suffrages of their fellow men, and then take
with them into the halls of Congress the same spirit, there to
labor with just conceptions of justice and brotherhood, realizing
that "God hath made of one blood all the nations of the earth."
If our political parties were animated by this spirit, would not
the name of America stand higher than has ever yet been dreamed
of by those who entered her counsels or sat to administer her
affairs. I am an advocate for the system which has been
established in Utah Territory, because I have studied it, I have
seen its influences, I have marked its power over the lives of
those who have been obedient and subservient to it, and I know
myself that it is calculated to develop the best features of our
humanity, to unite the human family together, to bring heaven to
earth, to bring men into communion with the angels, and to hasten
the day when not only the angels, but Jesus shall come to the
earth and reign, and when the thousands of those who have been
prepared under the influence and institutions of Zion shall have
the privilege of associating with "the Church of the first-born;
and the spirits of just men made perfect." This I know to be the
power and spirit, the end and aim, the final triumph of the
Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I feel proud that
thousands in Utah have consecrated all that they possess to the
establishment of this divine system which you can read of in the
history of the past, and which has again been revealed in our day
through the ministration of angels to the Prophet Joseph on the
eastern shores of the continent of North America. I know also
that in the progress of this work it will not only take hold of
the poor and meek of the earth, but the day is not far distant
when it will take hold of many of the more thoughtful and
cultivated among men; and while we may look back through the
history of the past and think there never were statesmen like
Washington and others who have left their names on the records of
fame, yet, my brethren and sisters, the Gospel tells us that
these were only the precursors of many in the future who in
intellect and culture shall stand unfolded in all that harmony
and glory which belongs to the eternities.
339
I know the Latter-day Saints understand these things, and in the
spirit thereof they are seeking to cultivate their faith in God,
seeking to consecrate their time, talent and ability to the
building up of Zion upon the earth; and to those who are
strangers in their midst who are not acquainted with their
programme, not acquainted with the ambition which prompts and
inspires the Latter-day Saints--to such we say these are the
ideas by which we are actuated. They know they are workers for
God, they are laborers in the great field of human progress, and
they are using that which they have received from the heavens,
believing that divine purposes are best served by divine
education and divine culture, and when these are operating, all
the facilities about which men boast, sink into comparative
insignificance in contrast with that higher education which
belongs to and grows out of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
339
I ask our friends who turn in with us occasionally, to give us
credit for this earnestness of purpose, and although they may not
see as we see, although they may consider the Latter-day Saints
mad, yet they must admit that "there is method in their madness."
The results which are now seen are but the drops before the
shower, the little progress now made is but the shadow of that
which shall be seen when they shall return to the land of the
rising sun, for then in every State of the Union will be found
wonderful colonies of the Latter-day Saints, wielding power and
influence under the administration and institutions of Zion,
working as they work now for the elevation and progress and
redemption of the human family.
339
May God give us wisdom "to work while it is day," to labor
diligently in the duties to which we have been called, and when
we have done this, may we be saved in the celestial kingdom of
our God, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, January 2, 1881
John Taylor, January 2, 1881
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Sunday Afternoon, Jan 2d, 1881.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE ETERNITIES BEFORE THE SAINTS--THE SUBLIMITY OF THE GOSPEL,
ETC.
341
I am pleased to have another opportunity of meeting with you on
this the first Sabbath of the New Year; and I will add to all the
faithful, ten thousand more of them. For we, as Latter-day
Saints, do not consider that our existence ends with time, as we
generally term it, but that it reaches into eternity. And that
while we are here in a state of probation to fulfil the various
duties devolving upon us, as Saints of the living God; while we
come into the world and exist in it for a time and then leave it,
we have hopes and aspirations beyond the grave, and anticipate
that, as ages and cycles shall pass along and generation succeeds
generation, if we are true to our trust and live our religion,
keeping the commandments of God and fulfilling the various
covenants devolving upon us to attend to, that we shall associate
with the just in the eternities to come! therefore we are living,
and hoping, and expecting, and planning, and contriving and
operating for the accomplishment of this object. We do not look
upon the affairs of this life as those alone in which humanity is
interested. We have been taught differently by those who have had
communication with the Lord, and to whom he has revealed his
will. We have been taught differently by the holy priesthood that
we have in our midst; we have been taught differently by the Holy
Spirit which we have received in God's appointed way, according
to his law; which spirit has enlightened our minds and given unto
us an evidence and a testimony similar to that which we heard
Brother Smith speak of that he knew this work to be of God. How
did he know it? Through obedience to the law of God, by the
reception of the Holy Ghost and through the union and communion
that exists between God and his children upon the earth. This is
a principle of certainty and testimony, and an evidence that we
all have the privilege of enjoying for ourselves, and of knowing
that God lives; of knowing that this is the Church of Jesus
Christ and the kingdom of God; and of knowing also that God lives
and that he is our Father, and that we are his children; and of
further knowing that, "when this earthly house of our tabernacle
is dissolved," we can feel like one of old, that "we have a
building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens," waiting for us, and not for us only but for all who
love the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Were it
not for this hope, were it not for this spirit, were it not for
this intelligence that has been communicated unto us by the light
of revelation and by the manifestation of the Spirit of God,
through the revelations of God to man in these the last days, by
the opening of the heavens, by the administration of holy angels,
and by the revelations of the will of God to man; were it not for
this we should not have been here to day; this congregation would
not have been assembled here as they are; the Latter-day Saints
would not have been in this territory; nor would they have been
anywhere else; for it is because God has seen fit in the fullness
of times, according to the testimony given by the holy prophets,
who have prophesied since the world was, according to the designs
and eternal purposes of God pertaining to the inhabitants of the
earth--those who now live, those who have lived and those who
will live; were it not for the purposes of God pertaining to
these things, and the communications of his will to us, we could
not be, as I before stated, in the position we now occupy, But
God having designed to accomplish his work in the interests of
the people of the world, in this day and age, in the interest of
the myriads who have passed out of the world, in the interest of
the living and the dead, he has commenced his work for the
salvation, for the redemption and for the exaltation of the human
family, and hence things are as we see them among us to-day.
342
When we talk about the theories of men, they are matters of very
little importance; when we reflect upon their ideas or views,
they are really unimportant, but when we talk about the law of
God, the plans of Jehovah and his designs pertaining to the world
in which we live and its inhabitants, and to the inhabitants that
have lived, and to all humanity, then we touch upon a subject
that is grand, noble and sublime; one that enters into the
recesses of the heart and that touches every fibre, and that
causes our hopes and aspirations to reach within the vail, where
Christ our forerunner has gone, and we feel convinced that there
is an eternal fitness in all the laws, in all the truths, in all
the ordinances, and in everything that God has revealed for the
salvation and exaltation of the human family. We are here, and
how did we come here? What was it that brought us here? Some
hardly know; and then there are a great many who do understand
this thing very well. We are here because we listened to the
eternal truths of the Gospel, and that Gospel could not have been
known unless it had been revealed. For no man nor any set of men,
to-day, understand those principles which are calculated to exalt
men in the celestial kingdom of God, nor could they comprehend
them unless God had revealed them. And when we hear of the folly,
the raving and ranting of ignorant men who know not God nor his
laws, who would presume to dictate to Jehovah, who would teach
something that they know nothing about; but being without
revelation, are fitly represented in the Scriptures as "Knowing
nothing but what they know naturally as brute beasts, made to be
taken and destroyed." For instance, we have our cattle, our sheep
and other animals which we raise and provide food for and feed
and fatten them. What for? For the knife. How could we do it if
they knew what we were doing it for? I do not think they would
get very fat. Still, one of the old prophets, in speaking of
these men who are without revelation says, "They know nothing but
what they know naturally as brute beasts." we certainly do not
wish such men for our instructors.
343
Many men at the present day will tell us that they will believe
nothing but what they can see with their eyes, handle with their
hands and comprehend with their judgments. And what are they
prepared for? I might here ask, What does man in reality know of
God and of his laws, or of the proper fitness of things? What
does he know about that vitality that he himself is in possession
of, or that which any other animal is in possession of? He knows
nothing pertaining to it, nor can he impart it. When we talk
about the wisdom of man, how far does it go? We learn a few of
the laws of nature. Who gave these laws? Who originated or
organized them? Who placed these eternal laws in nature? Who made
the solar system, for instance, to move with that accuracy and
punctuality according to exact rules and laws? Who made any
portion of that system, gave it its original force or sustains it
in its motion? Who planted in matter its exact and various laws?
Can any of the learned and the wise of this day and age make
anything of that kind or anything approaching to it? Who gives
life and vitality to man? Does man give it? We are told that
"there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty
giveth it understanding," but without that what are we, although
our organization may be complete in all its parts, yet without
the spirit the body is lifeless, motionless and inanimate. What
are we? At best but little specs in motion moving about in the
world puffed up, in many instances, with things we profess to
know, when really we know nothing only as God communicates it,
and can understand nothing only as he makes it manifest. Can all
the philosophers of to-day make a grain of wheat and give
vitality to it, much less a world? Or can they make a simple
blade of grass? It is not a big thing to ask a wise man to do,
especially those who desire to ignore God in his works, but can
the wisest of our philosophers do it? No, nor can they discover
the secrets of life, nor the impulses which act upon all nature
in all the varied operations. Who governs the planetary system?
The great God, the same who causes our earth as well as other
systems to revolve upon their axes, and provides for them, and
has measured and given them their times and seasons, and their
laws. Who is it that causes the blood to flow through our veins?
He that has given and does give intelligence to man. Can anybody
point out any of those vital principles and show that they
originated independently of God? No, they cannot. And so it is
through all creation, no matter what you touch pertaining to
nature. When man discovers a law of nature either in the mineral,
the animal, the vegetable or any other kingdom, he will find that
it is governed by strict eternal and unchangeable and undeviating
laws? And when men discover that, what do they find out?
Something which God has placed there, something that has always
existed. We talk sometimes about the great discoveries we have
made. We will refer to gas, for instance; some of us can remember
very well when there was no such thing known among us as gas for
lighting purposes. Who originated the elements of which it is
composed? The great God; and that principle always existed. We
speak about electricity and the uses to which it can be applied.
Who originated that principle? "O, it was found out a few years
ago and we found it very useful in communicating one with
another; through its use we can send a message today from one
part of the world to another, and can be in communication really
with the world." Well, we think we have done something very
remarkable, in discovering something of that kind, and it really
is a great discovery; but then that principle always existed,
ever since the world was framed; the only thing that we can boast
of is that we have discovered a certain principle which we did
not know of before; and there are ten thousand other principles
beyond, which we have not yet discovered; but when we do discover
them we shall find them to be the same eternal laws of God. I am
reminded sometimes of a little infant. You look at the body; it
comes into the world; it has its common faculties. By and by it
makes a discovery it finds out that it has a hand, and it looks
at it as much as to say, It is a very curious thing, and it is a
remarkable discovery that I have made. Why, it always had a hand,
but the baby did not always know it.
344
It has been remarked here by Bro. Penrose that all things are
governed by law. This is so whether in the material world, or
whether--I was going to say--in the immaterial world, but we do
not know of such a thing; I will say therefore, the spiritual
world, if you please. We are very singularly constituted, forming
a combination of body and spirit. We learn a little about the
bodies of men, but do we know about the spirits? We know from
history of some things which have taken place in the past, but
what do we know about things pertaining to the future? Who can
comprehend God or his ways? One of old in speaking upon this
subject says, "It is high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper
than hell; what canst thou understand?" There are some prominent
features which God has revealed to us; and there are ten
thousands of principles which he has not revealed. Those
principles that he has revealed to us, like everything else
pertaining to the works and the designs of God, bring a degree of
certainty, assurance intelligence and satisfaction that nothing
earthly can impart. The Saints themselves, do not, in many
instances, understand the "whys" and the "wherefores" pertaining
to these matters. We are taught to obey certain laws; we are
taught to repent of our sins, and to have hands laid upon our
heads for the reception of the Holy Ghost. Here is a law that God
has appointed, just the same as he has regulated these other
systems of which I speak, and with which we are more or less
familiar. We have electricity floating around us in every
direction. In order to make it subserve our desires we have to
use it according to certain laws. At present we have to string up
wire properly connecting it and use a battery and a machine made
for the purpose, in order to convey our thoughts to others at a
distance; and without first paying due regard to these or other
appliances that perhaps might be substituted, we could not
communicate. When you comply with the law governing this matter,
that is, when you erect the poles, string the wire, make your
battery and have the machine and the circuit complete, you may
then convey your thoughts correctly over the wire by the means of
electricity to others at a distance. You know they have been
correctly sent because you can receive your answer back; and if
necessary, have the message you sent repeated. Now the same
principle is true in regard to the other things. And do the
persons who operate the telegraph machine always understand all
about the philosophy of it? No, but very few of them
comparatively. Yet they learn to operate while somebody else does
the thinking and prepares the machine and appliances for them for
the purpose of introducing this mode of communicating. Now then,
look at the principle that looks to many very simple associated
with that way which God has ordained and appointed for man to
become acquainted with him, and to be introduced to him and to
his laws. How is it? Why the elder goes forth to preach, and what
is he told to preach? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance
and baptism for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands
for the reception of the Holy Ghost. Now these look to many as
being very simple things, very simple; yet they are things which
God has ordained, they are his laws, they were in former times,
they are in this time. We cannot violate these and receive the
blessings, and no other people can; I do not care who they are,
they cannot do it. Let us go back to our experience. There are
hundreds of your present who have received the spirit of the
living God; how did you receive it? You say, an elder came along,
and we heard him preach; he told me to believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ and to repent of my sins, and that he was authorized to
baptize me for the remission of my sins, and he told me that if I
did this that hands should then be laid upon my head and I should
receive the Holy Ghost. This is the doctrine you heard. Then you
had faith in God; you repented of your sins, your follies and
wickedness, and you covenanted to fear God and keep his
commandments, and to observe his laws. The elder then went forth
and led you into the water, and he said, "Being commissioned of
Jesus Christ I baptize you for the remission of your sins in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen."
He then buried you in the water and raised and brought you out of
it. After he did this, he laid his hands upon your head, and by
the same authority he confirmed you a member of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and said, "Receive ye the Holy
Ghost."
345
Now that is a very peculiar operation when you come to think upon
it. Why is it thus? A man goes forth who has authority given him
of Jesus Christ, he baptized you for the remission of your sins
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
There is something very peculiar about it. It looks very simple;
but if that man had no such authority, then he was an impostor;
and if the man or men who ordained that elder conferring on him
this priesthood, had not the authority to do so, then he or they
were impostors; and if God had not given revelation instructing
Joseph Smith in relation to these things, how they were to be
done, then Joseph Smith himself was an impostor, as well as the
apostles and all men professing authority. These are self-evident
facts. We as a people do not profess to have received any
authority from any other source, from any man or set of men, or
any church or any organization existing; and if God has not
revealed it, then the whole thing is a falsehood and fiction, and
there is nothing to it. Here is a picture [pointing to the
ceiling] of the angel Moroni appearing unto joseph Smith,
revealing to him among other things the plates from which the
Book of Mormon was translated. We have another here [pointing to
John the Baptist conferring upon Joseph smith and Oliver Cowdery
the Aaronic priesthood], and still another, representing Peter,
James and John conferring upon Joseph Smith the Melchizedek
priesthood. Very well. Are these things true? There are thousands
of Latter-day Saints who will tell you they know it. We will come
to these things by and by. But if these things were not so, then
our faith is in vain, then we are dark and benighted as others
are, then the things we believe in are a phantom and can avail us
nothing, either pertaining to this world or the world to come;
then the building of these temples amounts to nothing, if these
things are a fiction, and everything we have done and are engaged
in amounts to nothing. But if they are true, then there is
nothing of so great importance to the world of mankind and to us,
as the revelation of these truths to man in these last days, and
pertaining also to our association therewith.
346
Now, when an elder lays his hands upon a man and confirms upon
him the Holy Ghost, he tells him to receive it by virtue of the
authority conferred upon him. What authority? Why God restored
the authority of the holy priesthood by those who held the keys
of that priesthood and who administer in time and in eternity,
who hold that priesthood upon the earth, and who now hold it in
the heavens. They came here to impart it to men, and did restore
it to men. Very well, that being the case, man was again placed
in communion with his God; not left any longer to guess and
suppose and surmise and to think, but to know. For instance, I
have myself been thousands of miles and hundreds of thousands to
preach this Gospel; would I have gone if I had not known it to be
true? No, I would not. There is nothing very pleasing in going
forth to an unbelieving world to meet the errors and the
prejudices of ages, and to oppose the false theories of men, to
introduce the principles that are opposed and repudiated by the
carnal mind, and by the corrupt everywhere; there is nothing very
pleasant or inviting to be traduced and to have your name cast
out as evil, no matter how honorable you may be, this has been
the lot of the elders of this Church and is their lot to-day, by
men who know not of what they speak, by men who are bigoted,
superstitious and ignorant; men who comprehend not God nor his
laws; but we know it, and I know the truths of which I speak, and
bear testimony to it before you. If others do not know it, I
cannot help it; I have obeyed the method appointed to receive
these things, as you have had to do, to be initiated into the
Church and kingdom, according to the laws which God has ordained.
What I have done, then, all others in this Church have done; and
the elders of Israel have been actuated by the same impulses,
have obeyed the same doctrines and ordinances, and have
administered the same ordinances to others. They are influenced
by the same spirit, and they realized and knew for themselves of
the things which they promulgated and taught. Is this confined to
elders alone! No. To the apostles and presidents? No. To the
seventies or high priests or elders, bishops, priests, teachers
or deacons? No. This is a thing which pertains to all; all who
are Latter-day Saints, all who have complied with the
requirements and who have thus placed themselves in the condition
to receive this knowledge; and you men who are before and around
me to-day are witnesses of the truth of that which I say, because
you yourselves did receive the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God
which imparted to you a knowledge of the principles of the Gospel
and placed you in communion with God your heavenly Father. And
this Spirit has borne witness to our spirits as it has been said
by one of old, "that we are the children of God, and if children,
then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ." We
sometimes treat these things rather lightly, scarcely
comprehending what we are doing; and I often think that our
elders themselves hardly realize the significance of the
situation they occupy when they say to him that believes, repents
and is baptised, "Receive thou the Holy Ghost." Is there a thing
of more importance that we can think of any where than this which
so many of us treat so lightly. The idea of a man, human and
fallible, pronouncing the reception of the Holy Ghost upon his
fellow man, and his fellow receiving that heavenly treasure, is
one of the greatest manifestations of the faithfulness of God, in
sanctioning the acts of his elders that it is possible for us to
conceive of. He has said that through these ordinances he would
confer the Holy Ghost; he has also fulfilled it, as the thousands
who hear me to-day can bear record. Here is the thing that
operated upon you and which was the means of bringing you here to
this place, from many of the nations of the earth.
347
Some people find fault with us about these things. I have said
frequently to men that I cannot help my faith and I am sure you
cannot help it; no man living can control my faith, for I have
received a portion of the Spirit of the Lord and I know it; and
if you have received a portion of that same Spirit you know it,
and you cannot un-know it--it is impossible, you cannot un-know
it, unless you sin against God and as the apostle said, grieve
the Spirit by which you were sealed; then it withdraws from you,
then you will not know much about it, no more than some do who
take this course against us. The apostle said, "Grieve not the
Spirit of God by which you are sealed to the day of redemption;"
do not grieve it, do not sin against God, do not violate his
laws, do not corrupt yourselves; do not corrupt your bodies, for
are they not, as one has said, "the temples of the living God?"
Do not allow your spirits to be contaminated and led astray from
correct principles, but cleave unto God in all humility,
fidelity, faithfulness; observing his laws and keeping his
commandments. Why, then, let me ask, are you here? You are here
because the elders of Israel visited the place where you lived in
this nation, or in nations afar off, preaching the principles of
the everlasting Gospel which had been restored; and you believed
their testimony, and obeyed the Gospel, and received a knowledge
of its divinity, and because of this you came here; and hence the
elders, the apostles, the presidents, and all the various peoples
and members being touched by the spark of that fire that dwells
in the bosom of God, being enlightened by that Holy Spirit which
is promised to those who obey his law, you left your homes, your
fiends, your associations, and came here to mingle with the
Saints of the Most High, to unite with them and to assist in
carrying out those purposes that God designs pertaining to the
human family. Now in all this Joseph Smith and those associated
with him--Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, Hyrum Smith, Sidney
Rigdon and others,--understood these principles; they commenced
this work not of their own free will, and, yes, of their own free
will, too; but they did not originate them. God originated them
and they were instrumental in his hands in introducing them.
These men having been ordained themselves, ordained others who
went forth to proclaim that word of truth which they had
received. And why did you come here? Because you received that
testimony and believed it and obeyed it and received the Holy
Ghost, and associated with those who believed the same
principles. There was something that propelled you forward, you
hardly knew why or how, but you were desirous to come to Zion.
Why? Because you are living in the dispensation of the fulness of
times, when God will gather together all things in one, and the
keys of the gathering dispensation had been introduced; and
because you had received of that spirit, and you never felt easy
until you got here. Well, how was that? What operated upon you?
The Spirit of God. Was it a something that was craving after
wealth and position and power and aggrandizement, to have a great
and honorable name? No, it was as you first were taught and as
you afterwards comprehended, it was how to learn to save
yourselves, to save your progenitors, to save your posterity; it
was that you might obtain a knowledge of the laws of life,
fulfill the measure of your creation, and that while you felt as
a man among men upon the earth, you might, by and by, through
obedience to pure principles, stand among the Gods as a God, in
the eternal worlds, and be exalted through the power of the
Gospel. This is why you came here, and are coming here, and being
here, we brought our bodies with us. We have to eat and drink, we
need clothing. The curse has not been removed from the earth yet,
therefore we have "to eat our bread by the sweat of our brow." We
have to do in regard to these matters as others do; and being
here, what then? Why a number of people make what may be termed a
community. We are living on land, and that land, in a territorial
capacity is part and parcel of the United States, and as a
territory of the United States, we necessarily form an integral
part of the United States; being men, and having bodies as other
men, independent of our general feelings, thoughts, actions and
sentiments, we have to live and move, to eat, to drink, to occupy
farms, houses, cities, and lands; and to perform all the varied
duties of citizens, associated with the body politic. What next?
We have our religious duties to perform, and that is to fear God
an to observe his laws.
348
What else? We build temples. What for? To administer the
ordinances of God. What ordinances? Those that God has revealed,
and those that the world know nothing about; and if they had the
temples already built for them to-day they would not know any
more what to do with them than that pitcher does; nor would we
unless God had revealed it. Now we are going on quietly to attend
to our duties, building our temples and administering in them.
Here is Brother John L. Smith--how long Brother Smith have you
been administering in the Temple at St. George? [Brother Smith:
Four years, sir.] And for whom? For himself? Yes, a little, not
much however, principally for others. For the welfare of whom?
The living. Who else? Of the dead; that we may fulfil certain
duties that God has called us to perform, to help in the
accomplishment of his designs and purposes. And that as God has
been pleased to restore to the earth the keys which Elijah held,
who conferred his power upon others to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the
fathers, that the fathers who existed upon the earth in
generations gone past, and we who are now in existence and our
children that are following after us, might be cemented and
united together by eternal bonds which God has pointed out. That
there might be an alliance and cooperation between those in the
heavens and those on the earth; that there might be a welding,
uniting, cementing principle; in which the priesthood in the
heavens and on the earth are united, to carry out the great
designs of our heavenly Father in the salvation and redemption of
the living and the dead, and that we might operate for them on
the earth while they are operating for us in the heavens. For it
is written, that "They without us cannot be made perfect,"
neither can we become perfect without them. We, then, are
operating in our part, and they in theirs; we on the earth, they
in the heavens and with God they are operating, and with Jesus
Christ, who is the mediator of the new covenant, and with the
ancient prophets and apostles of God, who lived before who
administered in time and in eternity, holding the everlasting
priesthood, and who are all interested in the welfare of the
world and the exaltation of man.
348
Well, now, what shall we do? Shall we go on with it? We will try
to, the Lord being our helper. Some people say we are very
wicked. Well, I do not think we are as good as we ought to be by
a long way, but I do think we are very much better than they are.
This is my opinion, with all our follies and all our weaknesses,
and all our infirmities. And--well, I would not like to say what
I know about them. God knows it. We will let that go. The Lord
will judge men by their acts, and he will judge us and all others
by our acts.
349
Now, we have a territorial form of government. I will come to
that again. What shall we do? Observe the laws of men? I think
that is a very easy thing to do. There is nothing very hard about
that; if they will not interfere with us in religious matters,
there is nothing very hard about keeping the laws of the land.
Will we pay taxes? Yes. Will be loyal to the government? Yes.
Will we sustain all good, honorable men that are rulers? Yes, and
pray God to inspire them with wisdom, that they may be led in the
right path. Will we fight with them and quarrel with them, and
say hard words about them and misrepresent them as they do us?
No, we will not. It would try me very much sometimes to have to
tell the plain and unpalatable truth about them, of things which,
without falsehood, I can say, I know for myself. Still, will they
try to interfere with us? Yes. Who? All kinds of foolish people,
ignorant, narrow-minded, degraded, wallowing in iniquity and
besmeared with corruption of every kind; and yet they talk to us
about our impurities. They have reason to talk a little, but not
much. We are not what we should be by a long way; we ought to be
a great deal better than we are. I pray that God may enable us to
be so.
350
Well, we do not interfere with them. Whose religion do we
interfere with? Nobody's. I hope you do not, I know I do not; if
they are satisfied with it, I am satisfied that they should have
it. I believe in every man using the free exercise of his
judgment and conscience, leaving the balance with God I will tell
people the truth; if they obey it, all right, if not, certainly I
will not prosecute them or persecute them because of their views.
But on the contrary, if anybody were to interfere in any way with
the religious faith of any one, I care not how foolish it might
be, I would be among the first to stand forth in the defense of
him whose rights were assailed; not because I believed in his
religion at all; but because my sense of justice and equal rights
would impel me to this action; for if I claim those rights myself
I ought to respect them in others, holding as I do that it is the
right of all men to believe in and worship as they please. And
while there are thousands of highminded honorable men in this
great nation who believe in and sustain the principles of freedom
and equal rights, there are very many foolish, inconsiderate men,
who would recklessly tear down the temple of freedom erected by
the fathers of this nation, and ruthlessly proscribe, prosecute
and persecute all who cannot subscribe to their narrow erratic,
unsupported ideas. But will you not conform to their ideas? No, I
will not, the Lord being my helper, and then the people will not
God being their helper. The Lord has revealed unto us the truth,
and we know it, and we will stand by it and maintain it from this
time forth, God being our helper; and all who believe in that say
aye [the congregation said aye]. That is the feeling of the
Latter-day Saints I know. But will we interfere with anybody? No!
no! we will not. With their politics? Not much. For while we are
interested in the welfare of the nation, we care very little
about the present political issues. We think that a great and
magnanimous nation, however, could well afford to let us alone,
and would feel like endorsing General Grant's axiom, "Let us have
peace. But then if people will interfere with us while we are
pursuing the even tenor of our way, we will defend and protect
ourselves from their assaults as best we may, and then we will
commit them to God. We have not started this work, God commenced
it, not us, and we are simply endeavoring to carry out his will
and law. Will we do it? With the Lord's help we will. Will we
fight against authority? No. Will we oppose the principles of
this government? No. We will sustain them. But if people will act
foolishly we cannot help it. If this nation can stand the results
of the violation of constitutional principles, we can. If they
tear down the bulwarks of freedom and with impunity trample under
foot the rights of men we cannot help it. If it is our turn,
to-day, to suffer wrong, it will be somebody else's to-morrow,
national retrogressions are not often arrested. It behooves
statesmen to pause in their career. The floodgates once opened
who shall stay the torrent? We of all men would save the ship of
state and would say to these national patricides avaunt! But if
they will act foolishly and continue to do so until they subvert
the principles of liberty, and thus destroy one of the best
governments ever instituted on earth, then if forsaken by all
else, the elders of this Church will rally round the
Constitution, lift up the standard of freedom, which is being
trodden under foot and bedrabbled by demagogues, and proclaim
liberty to the world; equal rights, liberty and equality; freedom
of conscience and of worship to all men everywhere. That is not a
prophecy of mine; it is a prophecy of Joseph Smith's, and I
believe it very strongly. Will we oppose them? No. Let them go on
in their own way and we will pray to God to turn the designs of
wicked men, and if they will not repent and turn from their evil
deeds, pray to him that they may be taken in their own trap, be
caught in their own snare, and fall into the pit which they dig
for us. Can you pray with a good conscience that this may befall
them? Certainly. If men dig a pit for others they should not find
fault if they fall into it themselves. And as sure as God lives
they will do it, if they persevere in their iniquity, and as sure
as we stand faithful to the principles of truth, God will stand
by us, and the wrath of man will be made to praise him, and the
remainder he will restrain; and they cannot help themselves. For
both they and we are in the hands of God, and they can go no
further than he permits them, neither can we. And we will try, as
the friends of this nation and of humanity, to do right, and to
sustain all correct principles, in the maintenance of justice and
equal rights to all; cultivating peace, respecting law,
sustaining our institutions, and praying that right, justice and
equity may prevail throughout the land; and that the hands of all
honorable men may be strengthened to preserve inviolable the
God-given institutions of this great nation. Let us also try to
fulfil all of our duties as fathers, and our duties as mothers,
our duties as children and our duties as citizens of the United
States, our duties as Presidents, our duties as Apostles, our
duties as High Priests, our duties as Seventies, our duties as
Elders and our duties as Priests, Teachers and Deacons, and our
duties as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Let us humble ourselves before the Lord, live in the
light of the Spirit of God, that the Holy Spirit which we have
received may be in us "as a light that shines brighter and
brighter until the perfect day." And if we are faithful, God will
stand by Israel; he will preserve his elect; he will listen to
our prayers: and we will go to work by his help to build up Zion
and establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth; and we and our
posterity will never cease doing it until the "kingdom of this
world shall become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and he
shall rule forever and forever;" and then throughout the endless
ages of eternity among the Gods in the eternal worlds we will
join in singing, "blessing and glory and honor and power and
might and majesty and dominion be ascribed to him that sitteth
upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever." Even so. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Charles W. Penrose, January 2, 1881
Charles W. Penrose, January 2, 1881
DISCOURSE BY ELDER CHAS. W. PENROSE,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, Sunday Afternoon,
January 2nd, 1881.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE GOSPEL,--A PRACTICAL AND COMPREHENSIVE RELIGION, AND THE
MEANS OF ETERNAL EXALTATION.
351
I can endorse heartily the remarks that have been made to us by
Brother John L. Smith, and old acquaintance whom I am pleased to
see. I feel gratified to know that he is still laboring for
Israel, that his heart is in the right placed, and that his
desires are, as they always have been so far as I have been
acquainted with him, to serve God, to keep his commandments, and
teach men so.
351
When Jesus was on the earth he said, "Whosoever therefore shall
break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever
shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven." I believe it is the object and desire of all
our brethren who are called to occupy responsible positions in
the midst of the people to carry out this saying of Jesus--that
is, to keep his commandments themselves and to teach others to do
the same. This desire, at any rate, should animate every one who
is called to be a servant of God. It is not enough to believe in
the Gospel; it is not enough to have faith in the work that God
Almighty has commenced on the earth; it is not enough to have a
testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that angels
have come from heaven, restored the Gospel and brought back the
ancient priesthood, that God has commenced the great latter-day
work spoken of by all the ancient prophets and that we are called
to assist in that work--a mere testimony that this is the case is
not enough. We are called to be workers of righteousness. And we
are not only called to do what is right, but also to aid in
establishing righteousness on the earth by teaching others to
follow our example.
352
The religion which we have received is a practical religion. It
offers something for us to do all the time. There is no need for
us at any time to stand still, we are called to be active workers
in the cause of God. Every man and every woman who has received
the Gospel and been baptized into the Church is expected to take
an active part in this work; not to leave it to those who are
called upon to preside in the various wards and stakes and over
the Church of God, but each one of us has an individual interest
in this Church (or ought to have) and should manifest it by a
desire to do something that the work of our God may roll forward
in the earth.
352
We have had made plain to our understanding some few of the first
principles of salvation, and these have been made clear to our
minds not merely as objects of faith, but as something for us to
lay hold of, as a guide to our feet, as a light to our path, and
as an incentive to action. We are called to be Saints not only in
the Assembly Hall, or in the Tabernacle, or in the place of
prayer, but in every condition of life, and to bring into
practice those things that God has made known to us to influence
us in all that we do, that we might be a different people from
the great mass of mankind, striving after the condition of
sainthood--that is, to become holy in the Lord, to be sanctified
in all our being to the service of the Almighty and the
establishment of his kingdom and government on the earth. That is
what we are here for, in these valleys of the mountains.
352
There is an idea in the world concerning religious affairs that
they are mere matters of sentiment, something to think about,
something to pray about, something to sing about, something to
exalt the feelings. This is all very good so far as it goes, but
it is only a small part of religion. Religion is not a mere
matter of emotion or of sentiment, or of feeling. True religion
is something to guide us, to make us better, to teach us in every
respect. True religion will teach us how to use properly every
power with which our great Creator has endowed us. True religion
not only affects the spiritual part of our being, the internal
part of man or woman, but affects the whole nature, spiritual,
mental and physical. It comes here on the earth and is fitted to
our condition where we live and while we live. It is adapted to
us to-day. It not only unfolds to us something of the future and
elevates that standard of beauty and perfection before us, that
we expect some time to arrive at, but it unfolds to us our duty
to-day and tells us how to act in every movement of our lives and
in every condition in which we may be situated; in fact, there is
no place that we may be called upon to occupy, or in which we may
find ourselves, where our religion ought not to influence us in
what we should do. Not only does our religion come to us to
influence us in our acts, in our bodies as well as our spirits,
but it also comes to us to direct us in our thoughts, that we may
be able to turn our minds in the proper channel, so that we may
think good thoughts and not evil, that we may have good desires
and not evil, and that we may become so sanctified in our natures
that the spirit and influence which comes direct from God our
Heavenly Father, who dwells in the bosom of eternity, may descend
into our souls and have free and uninterrupted access thereto,
and that we may become Saints, individually and collectively, a
royal generation, a peculiar people, zealous of good works. This
is the kind of religion we have received.
353
When we heard the Gospel and believed in Christ and in God the
Father, and went forth repenting of our sins and were baptized
for the remission of sins, and received the Holy Ghost by the
laying on of hands, this was the beginning of our religion, these
were the preliminary steps in the path that leads to the presence
of God. When we came into the Church, having put off the old man
with his deeds, we were supposed to have put on Christ, to
pattern after him in all our acts, to seek for his spirit, to be
guided by his example, so that by and by we might become as he is
and fit to stand where he stands--in the presence of God, and
abide there. Some people who are in the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, as well as some people outside the church,
have an idea that salvation consists in belonging to a certain
sect or party or in having a certain condition of mind. They do
not grasp the idea that exaltation is only brought about through
a natural process--the putting away of that which is evil and
laying hold of that which is good; the putting away of that which
is wrong and taking hold of that which is right: departing from
the ways of the world and walking in the ways of God. We need to
understand this fully and clearly, my brethren and sisters. You
and I will not be saved in the presence of God with an exaltation
like that which is held out to us simply because we are called
Latter-day Saints, or because we have complied with a certain
form of religion, or even because we have gone into sacred places
and received holy ordinances whereby we might be washed and
cleansed and made anew and anointed unto righteousness. We shall
not be brought up into the presence of our Father to abide there
and participate in his glory simply because of these things. If
we ever get there to stay, it will be because we are fitted to be
there, because we are prepared to abide his glory, to stand in
his presence and rejoice with him and aid him in his glorious
works in the midst of the universe. We will stay there because we
are like him and fit to be where he is. If it is found that we
are not like him, that we are not of his spirit, not actuated by
the same motives that animate his bosom, not governed by the same
laws, we shall not be able to abide his presence and cannot stay
there. If we do stay there, it will be because we are fit to be
there in the nature of things because natures correspond with
his, our spirits harmonizing with his, or acts being controlled
by the same motives and governed by the same laws as those by
which he governs himself, and not merely because we have adopted
a certain creed, not merely because we have bowed to a certain
form, not merely because we have submitted to certain ordinances
and ceremonies.
354
All these ordinances and ceremonies instituted by the Almighty
and comprehended in that which is called the Gospel are
necessary. There is no such thing as non-essential ordinances;
every one of them is essential. Exaltation cannot be arrived at
without them. But exaltation does not consist of the mere
compliance to certain forms and ceremonies that the Almighty has
instituted and placed in his Church. There is something more
required, something superior to all this. What is it? It is the
spirit that comes from our father to dictate us in every act, to
make us righteous and holy unto the Lord, and to sanctify us and
bring us into complete subjection to and harmony with the laws
that govern the celestial kingdom. There is no real happiness
either in this world or the world to come except through
obedience to proper law. That is the only way that happiness can
be obtained. We ought to understand this and teach it to our
children. There is a spirit growing in the world which leads
mankind to throw off restraint, to cast aside laws and
regulations, which leads people to become "a law unto
themselves." This is the teaching of "spiritualism," that peeping
and muttering system. The expounders of that faith--if it may be
called a faith--teach the doctrine of mankind becoming a law unto
themselves--no forms, no ceremonies, no regulations--each one
independent for himself and herself. Now, while we sing
sometimes:
354
"Know this that every soul is free,
To choose his life and what he'll be;"
and while we acknowledge,
"For this eternal truth is given,
That God will force no man to heaven."
354
Yet on the other hand, we recognize the fact that there is a law
given to all things in the economy of God in the heavens above
and in the earth beneath. "All kingdoms have a law given." So we
are told here in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. We learn
from that Book that, "there are many kingdoms; for there is no
space in which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in
which there is no space, either a greater or lesser kingdom. And
unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are
certain bounds also and conditions." Every kingdom that is
governed by law is preserved by law and sanctified by the same,
no matter in what part of the universe it may be and those who
abide the laws of that kingdom and that condition in which they
find themselves, gain happiness and are preserved and sanctified
and become exalted thereby. Now, although these laws are given of
God, they do not interfere with the volition of man. Every man
has his free agency. Light and truth are placed before us, truth
and error are here, and we can choose the one and refuse the
other, or refuse the one and choose the other, just as it was
with our first parents in the garden of Eden. The history of the
fall is placed before us that we might understand this great
principle of agency; the tree of life and the tree of death, the
tree of light and the tree of darkness. The Lord has said to us
in substance, "I have placed before you truth and error, choose
which you will receive. You can receive the light or the
darkness, you can receive the truth or the error as you please;
but by and by you must give an account of your acts." We find
ourselves here on this planet that God has created for us, a
branch of his great family, and he has given us certain
principles to govern ourselves by. He does not force them upon
us. God will force no man to heaven or to hell; but if we choose
we can lay hold of these principles and be governed thereby, and
by doing that we will be improved in our nature in proportion to
our reception of light and truth, and exaltation will come to us
on this principle and no other.
355
This spirit of so-called independence, or "liberty," as some
persons misuse the term, is spreading throughout the world. It
has its influence among us. There is to a certain extent in our
midst a desire and disposition to throw off the restraint that
comes from the heads of families, the influence that parents
exercise over children, to rebel against the laws of the
community in which we live, to resist the restriction that comes
from the laws of the land, and from the laws of the Church--the
laws of God. This spirit exists to a great extent in the world,
and is bound to have more or less effect upon us here in the
mountains, because, although we are in some degree separated from
the world, yet we are also connected with the world, and must
expect, as a part of the human family, that some among us will be
more or less affected by this spirit. Now, we ought to get this
idea clearly upon our minds and upon the minds of our children.
We ought to understand the necessity of yielding obedience to
proper laws. We ought to learn to understand the laws that
pertain to our bodies so that they may be kept healthy. And we
should become fully acquainted with the laws that govern our
Church. Every principle that God has revealed should be clear to
our minds, and in order to understand them we should read the
books given to us, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants. These ought to direct us in our every day
lives. Then when we come to meeting and hear our brethren speak
the word of the Lord, we should try to treasure up in our hearts
the words of life, put them into practice, and also teach the
same to our children; for it is on this principle that we will
become prepared to go into the presence of God by and by, and not
merely because we are called Saints, not merely because we have
been ordained to some office in the priesthood, not merely
because we may have been put into some position to preside or
direct our fellows. This will not exalt us, but the practice of
what is right and true will exalt us. In fact every person in
doing what is good and right is naturally bettered thereby, and
every individual in doing what is evil is degraded thereby. All
our acts are known by the powers on high whom we cannot see. They
understand us, although we may think no one sees what we do. Yet
though no one should see us, if no one but ourselves knows our
acts, if we do what is evil and debasing we are that much the
worse for it; if we do that which is right and good we are that
much the better for it. And if we practice righteousness and
teach men, so we will become great in the kingdom of heaven on
natural principles.
356
We should all live according to the laws of God, to the best of
our ability--although we are beset with many weaknesses and
infirmities and faults, many of which have been transmitted to us
from our forefathers away back for ages and are concentrated in
us who live in the latter-days. But so far as we have power and
ability, we are required to battle with and overcome our inherent
failings, and if we take hold of the principles of righteousness,
in the very act of doing that we are bettered, and if we continue
in this path we will go on from grace to grace, from light to
light, from purity to purity, from holiness to holiness, "till we
all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ." We must be clothed with his light, and
be filled with his fullness, and be fit to stand in this presence
and dwell with the Father. And this is the promise: "To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." There is
no need for us at any time to be in the dark concerning our
duties. We need not be in the dark concerning any act we desire
to perform, if we will go to the Father and say, "Father, make
thy will known to me. Enable me to walk in thy light to do that
which is pleasing to thee; enable me to overcome all that is
contrary to thy law." If we live in this kind of spirit, there
will always be a voice whispering in our souls telling us that
which is right and wrong, and our progress will be onward and
upward in the straight and narrow path that leadeth unto the
eternal continuation of the lives.
356
Now, by and by, when we come into the presence of God to be
judged we will be valued for what we are, not for what men have
called us, not for what we have appeared to be to one another,
but we will stand just as we are, with all of our spots and
blemishes. If we are clean and white and pure when we appear in
the presence of our Heavenly Father, and in the presence of the
hosts around him, we shall be seen as such; if we are foul and
evil, no matter how fair we have appeared to men, we will be
comprehended as we are, we will "see as we are seen and known as
we are known." We shall not be able to hide our imperfections
from one another. We shall be weighed in the balance, and if we
are found wanting we cannot receive a fullness of glory. But,
says some one, I have had certain blessings pronounced upon my
head, I have been promised and exaltation in the presence of God;
I have been promised thrones, principalities, powers and
dominions, and are not the promises of God to be fulfilled? Yes;
but every promise is made on certain conditions, and unless we
comply with these conditions God cannot, in consonance with
eternal justice, bestow those blessings upon us, no mater what
may have been promised upon our heads. We are told that those who
will not sanctify themselves by the law of the celestial kingdom
cannot receive a celestial glory. Now, what glory will you and I
have? Just exactly that glory we are fitted to have and no other.
This is only just, and God must be just or he would cease to be
God. Yet God will force no man or woman to keep the law of light
and truth; but unless we live the laws of righteousness and obey
the law of the celestial kingdom we cannot in the nature of
things receive and abide a celestial glory. Then our chief
business is to find out the law of God, and do that which is
right and true and good. We should watch well the path of our
feet and avoid everything that is evil; for that which is evil
naturally contaminates and debases, and that which is good
naturally purifies and exalts. We should all the time strive for
the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we may be in harmony with
those who are placed over us, and that we may train our desires
and our acts so as to be in consonance with the mind and will of
God.
356
Now, the Lord has made known to us a few things. We should make
it our business to carry these things out, and we shall find the
value of them by and by if we do not sense them to-day; for as I
said just now when we are in the act of performing that which is
right we become purified in our character, and more fit to abide
the glory of our Father, while the less we do what is right the
further we will be away from that purity which is necessary for
dwelling in his presence. We expect to gain a celestial glory.
That is what you and I started out to win. We are not satisfied,
as our sectarian friends are, to sing:
356
"I want to be an angel, and with the angels stand."
357
That is not what you and I are aiming at. We are after a glory
superior to that. We read that the Saints shall judge the angels,
Who are the angels? They are ministering spirits to those that
are worthy of "a far more and exceeding and eternal weight of
glory." That is what you and I have started out to gain, to
obtain a celestial glory, to obtain a celestial crown, and we
shall be satisfied with nothing else than that. How shall we
obtain it? We shall obtain it in no other way than by abiding the
laws that pertain to the celestial kingdom. Let us, them, find
out the laws of the celestial kingdom as fast as we can and
practice them, and if we make this the business of our lives we
will find the Lord very near to us, we will find it easy to
approach him and learn of his ways. We can have the still small
voice to make glad our souls and open out our understandings. We
should live in this spirit, my brethren and sisters, so that we
may enjoy happiness and peace to-day as well as the prospect of
having eternal happiness and peace in the world to come.
357
I pray God, in the name of Jesus Christ, to stamp these truths
upon our hearts, so that we may be able to order our lives by the
laws of truth and righteousness, individually and as a people;
that we may live for the Lord and for the truth, and for one
another--not for selfish objects, but for the glory of God and
the salvation of our race.
357
I feel thankful this afternoon to be in the congregation of the
Saints, to be numbered among the people of the Most High God, and
to take part in the religion that God Almighty has revealed in
this day and age of the world. I know this is the work of God. I
know this by the witness of the eternal spirit in my soul. I know
the peace it brings when I act in consonance with its laws. My
desire is to live as becomes a Saint of God; to live as a servant
of the Most High; to incorporate in my being the principles that
will make men and women holy and pure, for I know that they make
men and women great. I desire to live these principles, and as
far as I have ability to teach them to others, for I know that in
them is joy and happiness, power and might--power to the spirit
and might to the body. The power of God belongs to and is with
this Church. It enters into our whole being, spiritual and
physical. This work is good for the body and for the soul, and if
we live according to the dictations of the Holy Spirit, we will
be happier, stronger and mightier in all our being, and when we
come up in the presence of the Father, having been purified and
our robes made white through the blood of the Lamb and our
faithfulness to the cause of truth, we will be able to abide the
presence of the Great Eternal without shame.
357
May the blessing of God rest upon us, and may we be saved in the
celestial kingdom of our Father, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, August 8th, 1880
John Taylor, August 8th, 1880
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Paris, Bear Lake, Sunday Morning, August 8th, 1880.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE ORDER AND DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.
358
[It will be perceived that it is a long time since this discourse
was delivered, and at a time when the Twelve Apostles were acting
as First Presidency of the Church.]
358
I arise this morning to make a few remarks to you as I may be led
and dictated by the Spirit of God. I am sorry that we have not
more time to spend with you, but having a conference to attend at
Manti, Sanpete, on next Saturday and Sunday, which is quite a
long way from here, and in the meantime having business to attend
to at home, we shall be obliged, in order to make connections
with the train at Logan, to leave this placed at the close of
this meeting. I should, and so would my brethren with me, have
been very much pleased to have visited you at your several
settlements, but owing to these circumstances it will be
impracticable to do so.
359
There are a few items to which I wish to call your attention.
Yesterday we heard a very interesting discourse from Brother Snow
in which he compared the climate, etc., of your valley with that
of Southern Utah; and the remarks made will doubtless have the
effect to dispel a good deal of the restlessness which I
understand many have manifested because of the severity of your
winters. And I would further remark in relation to these matters,
that this is the Zion of our God; that we are gathered here not
for the purpose of seeking to do our own wills or to carry out
our own designs, our own ideas or theories; but to be subject to
the law of God, to the order of God and to the priesthood of God;
and that our greatest safety and happiness, under all
circumstances, is in rendering strict obedience to His law, and
to the counsels that may be given from time to time through the
Holy priesthood. We are to-day a kingdom of priests holding to a
very great extent the holy priesthood; and it is essential that
we submit ourselves to the laws of that priesthood and be
governed by them in all of our actions. The Seventies, for
instance--that is, those who understand themselves--expect to be
on hand at any time to go to all the world and preach the Gospel
to every creature. That would be no more than their duty, which
is in keeping with the command of God to them. And as to whether
they live in hot or cold countries is really a matter of very
little importance to them, their calling being to preach the
Gospel to every creature the world over. Then the High Priests
have certain duties to perform, and if they are in an organized
condition, as the people of this Stake are, for instance, their
duties are to prepare themselves for certain events that may
transpire and to be learning to preside. For the duties of the
Melchizedek or High Priesthood have been in all ages of the world
to preside. So says the Doctrine and Covenants, extracts from
which I may read to you. But it is not because a man is a High
Priest that he should necessarily preside until he is called to
fulfil some of the duties and responsibilities devolving upon
that Priesthood. And it is the duty of a President of the High
Priests to get the members of his quorum under him together and
to instruct them as to the duties of the presidency, so that in
the event of any being called, say, to occupy the office of one
of the Twelve Apostles who are High Priests, they would be
prepared to enter upon such duty; or that in case they should be
called to preside over a Stake, they would be prepared to enter
upon the duties of that office; or if they should be called to be
Counselors to the President of the Stake, they could act wisely
and efficiently in that position; of if they should be called
upon to be High Counselors, they would know how to act
righteously and equitably in all cases, that they might be called
upon to adjudicate. And then if they should be called to be
Bishops or Bishop's Counselors, as the case may be, they should
be prepared to occupy these or any other offices that they might
be called to officiate in. High Priests have those duties
devolving upon them just as much as it devolves upon the
Seventies to go to the nations to preach, and there is no such
thing in the programme as sitting and "singing ourselves away to
everlasting bliss," or, if we are called to fill an office we
should not feel at liberty to neglect its responsibilities and
sit down and do nothing. The idea is that we are to magnify our
office and calling, no matter what its duties may be.
359
Then, there are certain duties devolving upon the Bishops, and
also upon the Presidents of Stakes. And, then, the Twelve,
wherever they may be located, have also their particular duties,
and especially is this the case in the present organization of
the Church; the Twelve occupying the position of the First
Presidency. I wish, for your information, to offer some few ideas
on some of these leading points that you may understand something
of the nature of the duties and responsibilities that devolve
upon us to attend to.
360
It is not correct to suppose that the whole duty of carrying this
kingdom devolves upon the Twelve or the First Presidency, as the
case may be, or upon the Presidents of the Stakes, or upon he
High Priests, or upon the Seventies, or upon the Bishops, or upon
any other officer in the Church and Kingdom of God; that to the
contrary, all of us have our several duties to perform. And I may
go farther in regard to the duties of men, and also in regard to
those of women, all have their duties to perform before God. The
organization of this Church and Kingdom is for the express
purpose of putting every man in his place, and it is then
expected that every man in that place will magnify his office and
calling. For through the ordinances of the Gospel and the
operations of the priesthood the blessings of God are manifested,
and without the ordinances we cannot enjoy the fulness of these
blessings among us, Latter-day Saints, nor could the Saints in
any age of the world among any people that ever existed.
360
We are of the household of faith, the children of God. We are
gathered together for the express purpose of being taught in the
laws of life, so that we may comprehend the position that we
occupy, and the duties and responsibilities which devolve upon
us. And as I have before stated, we are not here simply to carry
out our own designs or to suit our own feelings or wishes, or to
aggrandize ourselves. Beyond this earth as it now is, beyond
time, in the eternities that are to come we have a work to
perform and we have to prepare in part for it while we are upon
this earth; and God has called us together for this purpose. The
whole world is wallowing in iniquity, corruption, wickedness and
evil; and it is for us, in the first place, to rid ourselves of
everything of that kind, and to feel that we are the children of
God, that He is our Father, and that we are under His law, and
that we have to be subject to His commands; and that He has
ordained and organized and set apart a Priesthood for this
purpose. And what is that Priesthood? It is the rule and
government of God; whether on the earth or in the heavens; and is
the means by which God has operated in all the ages of the world.
There is an order in this, every man in his place, the First
Presidency, or Twelve, as the case may be, in their place, the
Presidents of Stakes in their places, the High Council in their
places, the High Priesthood in their place, the Seventies in
their place, the Elders in their place, the Presiding Bishop,
with his Counselors, in his place, and the other Bishops in their
place, and the Priests, Teachers and Deacons in their place, and
every one feeling that they are the servants of the living God,
and that they are clothed upon with the Holy Priesthood, and that
they have a duty to perform in His kingdom--that they stand
ready, at all times, to carry out anything that God may dictate
through His regularly constituted authority in regard to
themselves, their families, their neighborhoods wherein they
live, or in the Church or the world, that their duty is to spread
the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to gather the people, to
build temples, and to accomplish anything and everything that God
requires, and that when we have built temples it is our duty to
administer in them, that we may be the children of God, saviors
upon Mount Zion, and be the blessed of the Lord of Hosts and our
offspring with us. This is the position we occupy here upon the
earth.
360
Now, I will read to you from the Doctrine and Covenants. In
speaking of Priesthood we are told that, "There remains
hereafter, in the due time of the Lord, other Bishops to be set
apart, in the Church, to minister even according to the first.
Wherefore they shall be High Priests who are worthy, and they
shall be appointed by the First Presidency of the Melchizedek
Priesthood, except they be literal descendants of Aaron. If they
be the literal descendants of Aaron they have a legal right to
the Bishopric, if they are the first-born among the sons of
Aaron; for the first-born holds the right of the Presidency over
this Priesthood and the keys and the authority of the same.
361
"No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of
this Priesthood, except he is a literal descendant of Aaron.
361
"But as a High Priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority
to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the
office of a Bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be
found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this
power by the hands of the Presidency of the Melchizedek
Priesthood.
361
"And a literal descendant of Aaron also must be designated by
this Presidency and found worthy, and appointed and ordained
under the hands of this Presidency; otherwise they are not
legally authorized to officiate in their Priesthood."
361
"But by virtue of the decree concerning their right to the
Priesthood descending from father to son, they may claim their
appointment if at any time they can prove their lineage or
ascertain it by revelation from the Lord, under the hands of the
above named Presidency."
361
This is speaking more particularly in regard to the Bishops. I
have not time, to-day, to enter into many details pertaining to
this; but will simply draw your attention to one point, which is
this: If we had among us a literal descendant of Aaron, who was
the firstborn, he would have a right to the keys, or presiding
authority of the Bishopric. But then he would have to be set
apart and directed by the First Presidency, no matter what his or
their claims might be, or how clear their proofs. The same would
have to be acknowledged by the First Presidency. These claims of
descent from Aaron would have to be acknowledged by the First
Presidency, and, further, the claimant would have to be set apart
to his Bishopric by them, the same as in the case of a High
Priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood called to fill the same
office. Thus, in either case, as a literal descendant of Aaron,
or as a High Priest, the right to officiate is held first by
authority of the Priesthood, and by appointment and ordination as
above stated.
362
And, then, here is another thing I desire briefly to mention. A
Bishop of this kind, holding the keys of this Priesthood, must be
set apart by the First Presidency, and, should occasion arise,
must also be tried by the First Presidency. This, however, does
not apply to all Bishops, for there are a variety of Bishops, as
for instance Bishop Partridge, who presided over the Land of
Zion, and whose duty was to purchase land and divide it among the
people, as their inheritances, and to take charge of the temporal
affairs of the Church, not only in Zion but throughout all the
western country, and also to sit as a common judge in Israel, and
to preside in the capacity of Bishop, not to act as President
over a district of country that was then called Zion, but as a
general Bishop. George Miller was afterward appointed to the same
Bishopric. Newel K. Whitney was appointed also as a general
Bishop, and presided over Kirtland and all the churches in the
eastern country. The calling of these men, you will perceive, was
very different from that of a Bishop over one of the Wards of a
Stake, for he can only preside over his own Ward; outside of that
he has no jurisdiction. While the calling of the former was
general, that of the latter is local. And there were Bishops'
agents appointed formerly. There was Sidney Gilbert; he was a
Bishop's agent appointed to assist Bishop Partridge in his
duties; and Bishop Whitney also had his assistants or agents to
assist him in his administrations, the one presiding as Bishop
over the affairs of the Church in the west, the other presiding
over the affairs of the Church in the east. But neither of them
was presiding Bishop of the Church at that time. But you will
find that afterwards George Miller was appointed to the same
Bishopric that Edward Partridge held; and that Vinson Knight was
appointed to the Presidency over the Bishopric, with Samuel H.
Smith and Shadrach Roundy as his counselors.
362
I speak of these things to throw out some general ideas; and you
will have to examine the Doctrine and Covenants for yourselves,
and this will give to you the key how to arrive at the truth in
relation to these principles.
362
Now, these general Bishops had to be appointed by the First
Presidency; they had to be tried by the First Presidency as well
as the Presiding Bishop, because they were general Bishops, and
were appointed by the First Presidency. But Stake Bishops stand
in another capacity. They have a presidency over them, and
although it is proper for them (the Stake Presidency) to consult
with the First Presidency of the Church, yet they preside over
them, as well as over the affairs of their Stake. There is one
thing associated with this matter that I will mention here, which
is this. While you have a High Council in your Stake, and a
presidency of your Stake, you also have Brother Charles C. Rich
residing here, who is one of the First Council of the Church. And
if I were a President of this Stake I should always confer with
him about any matters of importance pertaining to the interests
of the Church in the Stake over which I presided. Because the
Twelve now hold the right of Presidency; and as he is one of the
Twelve, it would consider it quite a privilege, if I was a
president here, to apply to him for council in all matters
pertaining to the interests of the Stake.
363
Now, I speak of this for your information, and by so doing you
will avoid a great deal of trouble that you might otherwise fall
into. Because Brother Rich is not only an Apostle, but you, in
connection with the other Stakes, have voted for him as one of
the First Presidency, and therefore he would be the proper person
to counsel in any matters of that kind. And then, if there should
be anything not exactly clear to him, it would be his privilege
to apply to his quorum to obtain their mind in regard to it; and
when this course is adopted everything moves on harmoniously.
Now, for instance, here is Brother Erastus Snow, he and Brother
Brigham Young, under the counsel and direction of the First
Presidency, will shortly take a mission into the southern
portions of the Church, in Colorado and Arizona, and, perhaps, in
New Mexico, to look after the interests of the community there.
Over the settlements throughout those regions of country there
are Presidents, and these Presidents preside over Stakes where
Stakes are organized. Brother Snow informs me there are two
Stakes. He and Brother Brigham go clothed upon with the authority
of the First Presidency to regulate, to set in order, and counsel
in all matters pertaining to the interests of that people.
Wherever they may go, no matter who presides, we should expect
them to regard their counsel, and to be governed by them in all
of their acts. Because the Twelve cannot go everywhere as a body,
and the interests of the Church are being extended, and we are
growing larger all the time; and Zion will continue to grow until
the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God
and his Christ, and that as a matter of course means that if this
is the kingdom of God and the Priesthood is the representation of
that kingdom, the proper authorities of the holy Priesthood,
wherever they go to represent the Priesthood, must be respected
in their position; and as these brethren represent the First
Presidency where they are going, they must be respected and their
counsels adhered to as such.
363
Now if that would be proper for Brother Snow and Brother Brigham,
it would also be proper for Brother Rich, for they all hold the
same authority; and we expect them to represent to us things as
they are, that we may be enabled to counsel and direct--and they
always do counsel with us, and are glad to get our counsel. On
the other hand, for instance, I am President of the Twelve
Apostles, and by that means President of the Church at present.
Well, say that Brother Rich or any member of the Quorum of the
Twelve comes along, having something to offer or lay before the
Council, I would say, such a man is an Apostle of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and I have a right to listen to his counsel or to
whatever he has got to say, and at the same time pay due
deference to it. For I am glad to have the counsel of my
brethren, and they are always pleased to receive mine. That is
the kind of feeling existing among us, and this same feeling
should exist everywhere throughout the whole Church. It is not
for a member of the High Council to say, "I am one of the
prominent men, and I am going to show you how things are done
here; and furthermore, I have my own ideas about things, and am
going to try to carry them out." It will not do for a president
to say that; but it would be more in accordance with our calling
for us to say, "O God, thou art our Father, and we are thy
children. We are engaged in thy service; wilt thou, O Lord, show
unto us thy will, that we may do it?" Not our own will; we do not
want to do our will nor carry out our purposes, nor do anything
for our personal aggrandizement, nor for that of our friends or
anybody else; but to do that which is right and just and
equitable before God and the holy angels and all honorable men.
And then when we have done that, we do not ask any odds of the
turbulent or dissatisfied, who are crying, good Lord and good
devil, not knowing whose hands they may fall into. We do not care
about their ideas; but we do care about having the smiles and
approbation of our Heavenly Father and of all good men, so that
when we get through and are called upon for an account of our
stewardship, we may say, O God, we have done, so far as thou hast
given us ability, the work thou hast placed in our hands. And
then every member of the priesthood ought to feel just the same;
not like some of our unruly horses when they get the bits in
their mouths and run off, because they make a good deal of
trouble for themselves and other people too. We should ever seek
to operate together and be one according to the laws of the Holy
Priesthood.
364
I now want to show something about this Priesthood, and will
again read: "As a High Prist of the Melchizedek Priesthood has
authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may
officiate in the office of Bishop where no literal descendant of
Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and
ordained unto this power by the hands of the presidency of the
Melchizedek priesthood." There is where it comes in, and this
applies primarily to the presiding Bishop; but I would say that
it applies in a more extended view to High Priests who are
ordained and set apart as Bishops, in the several Stakes of Zion,
and who thus come under the supervision of those presidents of
Stakes, and stand in the same relationship to them that the First
Bishops did to the First Presidency of the Church. The First
Presidency at that time presided over the Stake in Kirtland, over
the High Council, over the Bishops and over all the organizations
of the Stake, and were really the presidents of that Stake. But
it will be seen that while they were presidents of the Stake and
occupied the same position that presidents now do over the
Stakes, they were at the same time presidents of the Church in
all the world, whilst the authority of our present presidents of
Stakes is confined to the limits of their several Stakes. And
thus there is perfect order in all these things in relation to
these matters.
364
I again quote: "There are in the Church two Priesthoods, namely,
the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood."
Now I will make a statement or two about this. What is the
Levitical Priesthood? There were in the days of Moses a tribe of
the children of Israel set apart to officiate in some of the
lesser duties of the Aaronic Priesthood, and their office was
called the Levitical Priesthood. You High Priests, you Seventies
and Bishops can examine these things from your Bible, and what
the Bible does not tell you the Book of Covenants will, and you
ought to be acquainted with this matter, it is your duty to
investigate these things, to search in the records, to examine
the revelations of God and make yourselves acquainted with
principle, and laws, and governments, and all things calculated
to promote the welfare of humanity.
364
"The office of an Elder comes under the Priesthood of
Melchizedek. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of
presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in
the Church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual
things."
364
"Well," say you, "I thought that; that has been my idea, the
Bishops should have all the temporal things to attend to." We
will read a little further. It is by taking up little odd texts
that mistakes are often made and incorrect ideas conveyed. We
must take the whole thing to ascertain what is intended, and
rightly divine the word of truth.
364
"The Presidency of the High Priesthood, after the order of
Melchizedek, have a right to officiate in all the offices in the
Church."
364
Now, will you show me an office, or calling, or duty, or
responsibility, temporal or spiritual, that does not come under
this statement? From this I think this Presidency have something
to do with the Bishops and temporal things as well as with the
Melchizedek Priesthood and spiritual things, and with all things
pertaining to the interests and welfare of Zion. That is the way
I understand these matters. I could enter very elaborately into
these questions, but I do not purpose to do so, there not being
time. But this is the position they occupy.
365
"High Priests after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, have
a right to officiate in their own standing, under the direction
of the Presidency, in administering spiritual things; and also in
the office of an Elder, Priest (of the Levitical order) Teacher,
Deacon and member," etc.
365
This shows really, in as few words as the matter could be
conveyed to your understanding, the way that God has appointed
for the governing of those affairs in His Church and Kingdom,
without entering elaborately into detail.
365
When we have a Stake organization, as you have here, the
Presidency of the Stake presides over all Bishops, High Councils,
and all authorities of the Stake. The several Bishops preside
over their respective wards and manage their affairs, under the
direction of the Stake Presidency, who in their office and
calling are responsible to the First Presidency of the Church.
The Bishops are also under the direction of presiding Bishop
Hunter in all affairs connected with the temporal interests of
the Church. And Bishop Hunter is under the direction of the First
Presidency, the Aaronic Priesthood being an appendage to the
Melchizedek Priesthood. It is however, the special duty of the
Aaronic Priesthood to attend to temporal matters; but then the
First Presidency presides over all Bishops, all Presidents, all
authorities, and lastly God presides over all.
365
Now we are sometimes fond, that is, some of us are, of talking
about our authority. It is a thing I care very little about. I
tell you what I want to do if I can: I want to know the will of
God so that I may do it; and I do not want to dictate or domineer
or exercise arbitrary control. Then again, all men ought to be
under proper control to the Presidency and Priesthood presiding
over them. If I were a Bishop I should want to know what the
President of my Stake desired, and I should confer with him; and
if there was anything in which Bishop Hunter was interested, I
should want to know his mind.
365
I will read a little further with regard to this subject of
priesthood:
365
"How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay
the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop
the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up
stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge
from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints. Behold there
are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this
world, and aspire to the honors of men."
366
Now, I wish you to take particular notice of this, you Elders,
you High Priests, you Seventies, and you Priests, Teachers and
Deacons, and all men holding the Priesthood; "That they do not
learn this one lesson--that the rights of the Priesthood are
inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the
powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the
principles of righteousness;" and not upon any other principle.
And when anybody steps aside from that and acts upon a principle
of unrighteousness, the result will be as is stated in the
context, namely: "That they may be conferred upon us, it is true;
but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride,
our vain ambition, or to exercise control, or dominion, or
compulsion, upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree
of unrighteousness, behold the heavens withdraw themselves, the
Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to
the Priesthood, or authority of that man." That is the result of
wrong doing; that is the result of perverting the authority that
God has conferred upon us to our personal ends and to gratify our
own ambition. "Behold! ere he is aware, he is left unto himself
to kick against the pricks, to persecute the Saints, and to fight
against God." Can they thwart the purposes of God? No. They are
as harmless as babies. He that sits in the heavens laughs at
them, and all men holding the Priesthood of the Son of God, care
nothing about their fulminations and the efforts they make to
hinder the progress of truth in the earth, for all they can do,
we know, will be overruled for our good. They are going the
downward road that leads to death, and by and by they will have
their reward. We would like to see it otherwise, but we cannot,
that is one of the things they have to see to themselves; it
belongs to us to be true to God and to our Priesthood, and all
will be well with us.
366
Again, we quote, "We have learned by sad experience that it is
the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get
a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin
to exercise unrighteous dominion. Hence many are called, but few
are chosen. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained
by virtue of the Priesthood only by persuasion, by long
suffering, by gentleness and meekness and by love unfeigned; by
kindness and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the
soul, without hypocrisy, and without guile, reproving betimes
with sharpness when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then
showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou
has reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy, that he may
know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cord of death.
Let they bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to
the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts
unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence
of God, and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy
soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy
constant companion, and thy sceptre an unchanging sceptre of
righteousness and truth, and thy dominion shall be an everlasting
dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee
for ever and ever."
366
What a beautiful state of things God presents to us! Shall we try
to live it? or shall we take our own way and pursue our own
course? These things are beautiful when we reflect upon them. We
all know they are true, and they are principles which recommend
themselves to our hearts. Let us try then and live them.
367
There are other orders of the Priesthood; we have Elders, and
they have their duties to perform, which I do not propose to talk
about now. And we have our Priests, Teachers and Deacons, all of
whom hold important positions, and all should seek to magnify
their calling. And what should they do? I will tell you a
circumstance that took place with me upwards of forty years ago.
I was living in Canada at the time, and was a traveling Elder. I
presided over a number of the churches in that district of
country. A difficulty existed in a branch of the church, and
steps were taken to have the matter brought before me for
settlement. I though very seriously about it, and thought it a
very insignificant affair. Because we ought to soar above such
things, and walk on a higher plane, for we are the children of
God and should be willing to suffer wrong rather than do wrong;
to yield a good deal to our brethren for the sake of peace and
quietness, and to secure and promote good feelings among the
Saints. At that time I did not have the experience I now have,
and yet I do not know that I could do anything better than I did
then. Before going to the trial I bowed before the Lord, and
sought wisdom from him to conduct the affair aright, for I had
the welfare of the people at heart. When we had assembled I
opened the meeting with prayer, and then called upon a number of
those present to pray; they did so, and the Spirit of God rested
upon us. I could perceive that a good feeling existed in the
hearts of those who had come to present their grievances, and I
told them to bring forward their case. But they said they had not
anything to bring forward. The feelings and spirit they had been
in possession of had left them, the Spirit of God had obliterated
these feelings out of their hearts, and they knew it was right
for them to forgive one another.
367
You Priests, Teachers and Deacons, seek unto the Lord, and he
will bless you. And you, my brethren, when the Teachers visit
you, do not think that you are High Priests and that they are
only Teachers hardly worthy of your attention. They are your
Teachers, and you should reverence them. And if you expect to be
honored in your calling, you must honor them in theirs. When the
Teachers come to visit me I am pleased to see them; and I call
together the members of my family that may be in the house at the
time, to hear what they have to say to us. And I tell them to
talk freely and plainly to us, to myself, my wives and children;
in other words, to do their duty as Teachers, and then I will
help them to carry out their instructions. This is how I feel
towards our Teachers. The eye can not say to the ear, we have no
need of thee; neither the head to the feet, I have no need of
thee, for if one of the members suffer all the other members
suffer with it; and if one member rejoice, all the other members
partake of the same feeling. Consequently I feel in duty bound to
attend to these things.
368
We have here our Relief Societies, and they have done a good
work. And people are desirous to know something of these
organizations. I was in Nauvoo at the time the Relief Society was
organized by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and I was present on the
occasion. At a late meeting of the Society held in Salt Lake City
I was present, and I read from a record called the Book of the
Law of the Lord, the minutes of that meeting. At that meeting the
Prophet called Sister Emma to be an elect lady. That means that
she was called to a certain work; and that was in fulfillment of
a certain revelation concerning her. She was elected to preside
over the Relief Society, and she was ordained to expound the
Scriptures. In compliance with Brother Joseph's request I set her
apart, and also ordained Sister Whitney, wife of Bishop Newel K.
Whitney, and Sister Cleveland, wife of Judge Cleveland, to be her
counselors. Some of the sisters have thought that these sisters
mentioned were, in this ordination, ordained to the priesthood.
And for the information of all interested in this subject I will
say, it is not the calling of these sisters to hold the
Priesthood, only in connection with their husbands, they being
one with their husbands. Sister Emma was elected to expound the
Scriptures, and to preside over the Relief Society; then Sisters
Whitney and Cleveland were ordained to the same office, and I
think Sister Eliza R. Snow to be secretary. A short time ago I
attended a meeting in Salt Lake City, where Sister Snow and
Sister Whitney were set apart. I happened to be the only member
of the Twelve in town at the time, the other members of the
Quorum being unavoidably absent. I went to this meeting and set
apart Sister Whitney and Sister Snow who were two of those I set
apart some forty years ago, in Nauvoo. And after I had done so,
they reminded me of the coincidence. At this meeting, however,
Sister Snow was set apart to preside over the Relief Societies in
the land of Zion, and Sister Whitney her counselor, with Sister
Zina D. Young, her other counselor. I speak of this for the
information of the Sisters, although I presume they may have read
of it in their paper, the Exponent.
368
With regard to those Societies, I will say, they have done a good
work and are a great assistance to our Bishops, as well as being
peculiarly adapted to console, bless, and encourage those of
their sisters who need their care, and also to visit the sick, as
well as to counsel and instruct the younger women in the things
pertaining to their calling as children and Saints of the Most
High. I am happy to say that we have a great many honorable and
noble women engaged in these labors of love, and the Lord blesses
them in their labors, and I bless them in the name of the Lord.
And I say to our sisters, continue to be diligent and faithful in
seeking the well being and happiness of your sex, instruct and
train your own daughters in the fear of God, and teach your
sisters to do likewise, that we may be the blessed of the Lord
and our offspring with us.
368
Our young people's Improvement Associations are very creditable
institutions, and the fruits of the labors of those engaged in
this work are already manifesting themselves. I feel in my heart
to say, God bless the young men and young women of Israel; let it
be the desire of your hearts to imitate the virtues of your
parents and of all good men and women, keeping your bodies and
spirits pure before God and man.
368
Then, we have our Sunday Schools, and many of our brethren and
sisters in this direction are doing a good work. I would advise
the superintendents of Sunday Schools to endeavor to collect the
best talent they can to teach and instruct our children. What
greater or more honorable work can we be engaged in than in
teaching the children the principles of salvation? You that are
diligent and that give your hearts to these things God will
bless, and the day will come when the youth of Israel will rise
up and call you blessed.
369
Then with regard to our common schools let us try to instruct our
youth as best we can, and get the best of teachers, men and women
of intelligence and education who are not only moral, but good
Latter-day Saints; men and women who are not only capable of
imparting to our children the rudiments of education, but who are
also capable of teaching them the laws of God as he has revealed
them for our guidance. And when you get good teachers you should
appreciate them, and you should co-operate with them in their
endeavors to teach our youth; and then see that they are properly
remunerated for their services.
369
Some people talk about the great ignorance of the "Mormons." In
regard to education we are the peers of the United States. We, it
is true, do not possess such notable academies and universities
as may be found in the great centers of our nation, but official
figures show our educational status to be above that of the
average of the United States. And I may add, that our grade of
literacy if higher than that of the nation. When we take into
consideration the fact that we have not received one penny from
any outside source, while the leading institutions of learning
have realized millions, yes scores of millions of dollars to
enable them to educate their youth. This is something that we
have a right to be proud of. Then let us continue to encourage
education; and let our trustees be alive to supply the school
houses with all the necessary charts and books; let them not feel
niggardly in regard to these things. And above all, let
everything we do conspire to advance the interests of the Church
and Kingdom of God upon the earth.
369
I feel like saying, God bless you, my brethren and sisters. And
God bless Brother Budge, who is doing a good work in England, and
who, by the way, will be back among you very shortly. And God
bless Brother Hart and Brother Osmond, and the High Council, and
the Bishops and their counselors, and may God bless the Elders
and the Seventies, and the High Priests, together with the Relief
Societies and Mutual Improvement Associations; and may God bless
all men who love Israel, and who are desirous to keep the
commandments of God; and the Lord help us to be true to our
religion, and true to our God, and true to our integrity, that we
may be saved ultimately in the Celestial Kingdom of God. I ask it
in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 /
Erastus Snow, August 8, 1880
Erastus Snow, August 8, 1880
ELDER ERASTUS SNOW
Then made the following Remarks:
369
I feel that we have had a feast of fat things this morning; that
the remarks made by President Taylor have been replete with
genuine truths, and full of instruction and counsel, and that
blessing will abide with all those who permit these instructions
to find place in their hearts and understandings.
370
While President Taylor was treating upon the order of the
Priesthood, the history of which has been given in the Bible
through Moses, and also in certain revelations given unto this
Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith, he awakened a train of
reflection that carried the mind back from the time of Moses to
that of Abraham, Noah, Enoch and Adam. Adam was the first man
appointed of God as the ruler of the earth; to him it was said,
thou shalt have dominion over the earth and over the things
therein. And as he began to multiply and replenish the earth, and
as his children and their families increased in the land, there
was a right of dominion given; it was called the birth right, and
it belongs to the first-born of the sons. And this seems to have
been an order existing in the heavens even before Adam. For it is
written of Jesus, the Lamb of God, that he was the first-born of
many brethren. Moreover, his rights of dominion as the first-born
continued with him because he loved righteousness and hated
iniquity; therefore was he anointed with the oil of gladness
above his fellows. But notwithstanding his birthright, had he not
loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and exercised his rights
and his dominion in connection with the powers of heaven and the
principles of righteousness, he would not have been chosen nor
have received this anointing with the oil of gladness above his
fellows. But because he did exercise it rightly and pleased his
Father, he was chosen, as was his right to have been, or, I will
say, his privilege rather, because he honored his birthright,
and, therefore, he was anointed above his fellows, and became the
Chief Apostle, the High Priest of our profession, the Son, the
mediator Between us and the Father.
370
The same principle fell upon Adam's children; and hence Cain,
being the first-born of his father's family, according to the
Bible account, might have been the head of this Priesthood, under
his father, holding the right by birth; but instead of exercising
his birthright on the principles of righteousness, and in accord
with the powers of heaven, he was befogged and understood not his
true position; and his offering was not accepted. But Abel, his
younger brother, who was meek and lowly of heart, and who sought
the inspiration of the Spirit, was led to bring as his offering
the firstlings of his flock, which were a true representation of
the Lamb of God; and besides, the offering was made in the true
spirit of his ministry and priesthood, therefore it pleased the
Father, and he accepted it. Then when Cain found that his
offering was not accepted, and his brother, Abel's was accepted,
Satan tempted him, and entered into him and led him into the way
of all apostates,--he became possessed with the spirit of murder.
I mention it as the first apostacy of which we have record after
the fall of man, through it Cain lost his privilege as
first-born, and the blessing fell on one more worthy, and the
rights of the priesthood passed to the next son of Adam, which
according to Bible record was Seth, who magnified the Priesthood,
honored his birth-right, and held the blessing of the Priesthood,
which was sealed upon him by his father; and from him it
descended upon the righteous of his posterity.
370
There are many instances, from that time forward, of which the
scriptures speak of this birthright continuing among the
descendants of Seth, until it came to Noah and his sons, of which
sons Shem received the blessings pertaining to the priesthood.
Abraham came through Shem, and the Savior came through this
lineage; and through this blessing of Noah upon Shem, the
Priesthood continued through his seed; while the offspring of Ham
inherited a curse, and it was because, as a revelation teaches,
some of the blood of Cain became mingled with that of Ham's
family, and hence they inherited that curse.
371
Now we will pass by the places in the Bible which speak of this
birthright until we came to Isaac, the son of Abraham, and to
Jacob, the son of Isaac, who bought the birth right of his
brother Esau. From the story that is told of Rebekah helping her
son Jacob to get the first blessing from his father Isaac, on
purpose to secure the birthright from his brother Esau, many
would be inclined to think that deceit, dishonesty and
unrighteous means were employed to secure it, and they perhaps
wonder why it should be so. This was really not the case; it is
only made to appear so in the eyes of those who do not understand
the dealings of God with man, and the workings of the Holy Spirit
to bring about His purpose. There was neither unrighteousness in
Rebekah nor in Jacob in this matter; but on the contrary, there
was the wisdom of the Almighty, showing fort his providences in
guiding them in such a manner as to bring about his purposes,
influencing Esau to transfer his birth right to Jacob, that He
might ratify and confirm it upon the head of Jacob; knowing as He
did that Jacob and his seed were, and would be, more deserving of
the birthright, and would magnify it in its true spirit. While
Esau did not sense nor appreciate his condition and birthright;
he did not respect it as he should have done, neither did he
hearken to the counsels of his father and mother. On the
contrary, he went his own way with a stubborn will, and followed
his own passions and inclinations and took to wife one of the
daughters of the Canaanites whom the Lord had not blessed; and he
therefore rendered himself unacceptable to God and to his father
and mother. He gave himself to wild pursuits--to hunting, and to
following the ways of the Canaanites, and displeased the Lord and
his parents, and was not worthy of this right of seniority. The
Lord therefore saw fit to take it from him, and the mother was
moved upon to help the younger son to bring about the purpose of
the Lord, in securing to himself the blessing through the
legitimate channel of the Priesthood. And as you know, his father
was induced to bless him and confirm this blessing upon him.
371
Now, whilst all these instances in Scriptures recognize the right
called the birthright, that has descended from the beginning, the
same principle is exhibited in all those instances set forth in
the revelation read by President Taylor--that none can hold these
rights of the Priesthood except in connection with the powers of
heaven, and cannot be exercised only on the principles of
righteousness; and all who fail to exercise these rights on the
principles of righteousness and in connection with the power of
heaven subject to its counsels and directions and laws, forfeit
their birthright, and the right passes to another.
372
We have another instance of this kind in Reuben, the eldest of
the twelve sons of Jacob. We find that the birthright passed from
him. He committed a transgression which offended the Lord and
offended his father, and it was of such a character that it could
not be passed over with impunity; and the birthright was taken
from him and given to the sons of Joseph. We find it explained in
Chronicles, that because Reuben defiled his father's bed, the
birthright was taken from him and given to the sons of Joseph;
and the Priesthood was reckoned after that lineage, though Judah
prevailed above his brethren to this extent. That through him
came the Chief Ruler of Israel, while unto Ephraim, the son of
Joseph, was given the keys of the Priesthood--or those rights
that apply to the birthright. Of the two sons of Joseph--Ephraim
and Manassah, the Lord said, Manassah shall be great, but Ephraim
shall be greater than he; and he shall become a multitude in the
earth. And when the patriarch was blessing Joseph's two sons,
though he was blind, he was careful to cross his hands in
blessing the boys. Joseph observing what his father was doing,
informed him that he was putting his right hand on the head of
the younger boy, but the old man replied, I know it, my son. The
Spirit of the Lord prompted him to do as he did--to confer the
greater blessing upon Ephraim, the younger brother. It was for
this reason that God spake through the mouth of Jeremiah
concerning the gathering of Israel: "I am a father to Israel, and
Ephraim is my first-born." That is according to his purposes. He
acknowledged and re-confirmed this birthright upon Ephraim the
younger of the two sons of Joseph, when he referred to the
dispensation of the fullness of times and the ushering in of its
great work--when the Lord should set his hand to gather His
people, and be a father to Israel, even to Ephraim His firstborn.
372
Now, the Levitical Priesthood referred to was not a new
Priesthood. We do not understand it to be an order of the
Priesthood instituted at the time Israel was in the wilderness of
Sinai, but that it had been from the beginning a part of the Holy
Priesthood, and appendage, or a subdivision, or branch of the
same Priesthood. The rights of this descended from father to son,
among the first-born, unless the first-born failed to appreciate
it and exercise it in righteousness. In that event it passed to
one of the others.
372
We see the same principle set forth when the Lord commanded Moses
to take the tribe of Levi and set them apart to be Priests. He
told them the reason. Now, said He, I have claimed the first-born
of all the families of Israel as my own. When I sent forth my
angel to smite the first-born of the sons of Egypt, I caused mine
angel to pass by the families of Israel, that he smite not their
first-born. In remembrance of this He instituted the ordinance
called the Passover, to preserve in the minds of the Israelites,
the occasion when the Lord passed over their first-born, while
the first-born of the sons of Egypt He caused to be slain. For
this reason, He said, I have consecrated the first-born as mine
own; and now, said He to Moses, I will take from the tribes of
Israel the house of Levi, and you shall consecrate them to
officiate, etc. This principle has continued from the beginning.
We see it exemplified in the calling of the Lamb of God, who was
the first born among many brethren, and was in all things
obedient to his Father; who loved righteousness and hated
iniquity, and was therefore chosen and anointed with the oil of
gladness above his fellows. So in after years, those who in like
manner exercised their birthright in connection with the powers
of heaven, and on the principles of virtue, integrity and
righteousness had these rights confirmed upon him. But in no
case, when acting unrighteously, were they chosen to receive the
confirmation of the ordinances of the Priesthood. In the days of
Eli, who permitted his sons, who were heirs of the Priesthood, to
set bad examples and work iniquities in Israel, God held the
father responsible for their course, and He destroyed both Eli
and his sons, and raised up another in his place.
372
The article read in your hearing from the Doctrine and Covenants,
shows most clearly that the rights and blessings and keys of this
Priesthood can only be held and exercised in connection with the
powers of heaven and on the principles of righteousness. It is
most beautiful to contemplate. It is like apples of gold in
pictures of silver.
372
And that God may enable us to preserve these thing in our hearts;
and that we may attain to all that He has prepared for us, is my
earnest prayer, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 21 / John
Taylor, October 7th, 1879
John Taylor, October 7th, 1879
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR
Delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City,
Tuesday Afternoon, October 7th, 1879.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
OPPOSITION TO THE WORK OF GOD, ETC.
373
[Owing to press of important business the publication of this
discourse has been delayed. Its contents will be found as
valuable today as when it was delivered.--ED-D.E.N.]
373
I will state to the Conference that we have no financial account
to present, because we do not get our returns from the various
Stakes until the close of each year; in consequence of this we
find it impracticable to present a satisfactory account to the
General Conference oftener than once a year.
373
The Lord has given us a certain work to accomplish; and the
feelings or ideas of men in the world in relation to this work
have but little to do with us. We are gathered here for the
express purpose of building up the Church and Kingdom of God upon
the earth. We are endeavoring to do this--that is, a great many
of the people are, to the very best of their ability; and we
consider ourselves responsible to God for the action we take and
for the course we pursue in relation to the fulfilment of His
purposes. We think that in building Temples, sending the Gospel
to the nations of the earth and prosecuting our other labors that
we are carrying out the word and will, and the commands of God.
Yet it not unfrequently happens, that when we are doing our very
best to promote correct principles among ourselves, as well as to
spread them abroad, even to all nations, that we meet with
determined and unrelenting opposition. This we cannot help. We do
not seek it, but we do not fear it.
374
There has existed a principle of antagonism ever since the dawn
of creation, namely, the powers of God have been opposed by the
powers of the Evil One. Satan and wicked men have operated to
subvert the plans and designs of Jehovah. And if we have a little
of such opposition to contend with in our day, there is nothing
new in it. The martyr Stephen when arraigned before "the Council"
to answer to a charge of blasphemy, said, "Which of the prophets
have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which
showed before of the coming of the just One; of whom ye have been
now the betrayers and murderers." We have always expected that
there would be a spirit of antagonism to the Church and Kingdom
of God, and our Elders have been telling us, more or less, during
the last fifty years that this feeling still existed and, indeed,
every now and then, we have occasion to believe them; or, to use
an old saying, "The devil is not dead yet;" and he uses his
influence now, as in former days, to oppose the principles that
God has revealed.
374
We are gathered here from many nations in order that God may
plant among us the principles and laws of eternal lives; that we
may operate in the Priesthood with the holy men who held it in
former ages, and with God the Father, and with Jesus the
Mediator, and with the holy angels in the interests of mankind,
not only in things pertaining to ourselves individually, but in
those that concern the whole world; not only to the people that
now live, but also to those who have lived; for the plans of God
reach back into eternity and forward into eternity, and we are
being taught and instructed through the holy Melchizedek
Priesthood, which holds now, as in past ages, the keys of the
mysteries of the revelations of God. It is our privilege to
operate through this order, with men who have held the same keys
and possessed the same powers and have had the same communication
with God, and who have looked forward to the time, with joyful
anticipation, that we now live in, namely, to the dispensation of
the fulness of times. For this purpose we are gathered together,
for this purpose we are building Temples according to the order
and revelations of God--for until He revealed these things to us
we knew nothing about them. And the world of mankind to-day know
nothing about Temples and their uses. If we were to build Temples
for them according to the order of God, they would not know how
to administer in them; neither could we know had the Lord not
revealed to us how to do it, which he did through the Prophet
Joseph. We are acting upon this revealed knowledge to-day,
seeking to carry out the will, the designs and the purposes of
God, in the interest of common humanity, not for a few people
only, not for the people of the United States only, nor for those
of two or three nations, but for the people of the whole world.
And the hearts of the people are being drawn after these
principles; or, in other words, the hearts of the children are
being turned towards the fathers, as well as the hearts of the
fathers towards the children.
375
The spirit that is being manifested in the various Stakes of Zion
is very creditable in this respect to the Latter-day Saints. And
we purpose, God being our helper, and the devil not hindering us,
to go on with our work, to build our Temples and to administer in
them and to act as the friends of God upon the earth. And if we
are not His friends, He has none, for there is no people
anywhere, except the Latter-day Saints, who will listen to His
laws--and as they say sometimes, "it's a tight squeeze" for us to
do it. The question is, Shall we falter in our calculations; I
think not; but I think we will say, as the ancient servant of God
said to a man who was seeking to hinder the progress of the
building of a Temple to the Lord of Hosts: "I am doing a great
work; hinder me not." We are doing a great work, and we would say
to our outside friends and to people generally who are not
conversant with our affairs, will you be so kind as to let us
alone and hinder us not; so that we may go on with our labor of
love in the common interests of humanity and in our efforts to
promote the welfare of the world at large. This is one thing we
have to do, and we will try to do it, the Lord being our helper.
375
Then another thing we are called upon to do is to preach the
Gospel to every creature throughout the world. "Why, the people
will oppose you?" That they always did. But Jesus said, and I
will say by way of repeating His words--for they are as true
to-day as they were in His day--"Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad,
for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you." Therefore we need not be
troubled about it. When we first started out in this work we
never looked for anything else, and we have not looked in vain
either; we have found an abundance of it, and we have commenced
to regard it as a natural thing. But we must not forget that we
owe a duty to the world. The Lord has given to us the light of
eternity; and we are commanded not to conceal our light under a
bushel, but on the contrary we should let it shine forth as a
city set upon a hill that cannot be hid. We need not try to get
into an out-of-the-way corner from the gaze of the public eye,
for we cannot. We thought we had wandered a long way from
civilization when we came here; but, according to the remarks of
the speakers this morning, a certain degree of it has followed
us, and we are not quite out of it yet. But there are some things
we can do. We will let them pursue their course, and we will ask
them, if they will be so good and so kind as to let us worship
God according to the dictates of our consciences. This is not a
very great boon to ask of anybody. Still we do ask that we may be
permitted, in this land of liberty, in this land which we call
the home of the brave and the land of the free; the asylum of the
oppressed of all nations, we ask that we may have the simple
privilege of worshiping God according to the dictates of our own
consciences. Then, while they are trying to injure us, we will
try to do them good. We will teach them good principles at home,
and we will send the Gospel abroad. And the kind of men we want
as bearers of this Gospel message are men who have faith in God;
men who have faith in their religion; men who honor their
Priesthood; men in whom the people who know them have faith and
in whom God has confidence, and not some poor unfortunate beings
who are wanted to leave a place because they cannot live in it;
but we want men full of the Holy Ghost and the power of God that
they may go forth weeping bearing precious seed and sowing the
seeds of eternal life, and then returning with gladness, bringing
their sheaves with them. These are the kind of men we want. We do
not want the names of men of the former class presented to us to
go on missions; if they are and we find it out, we shall not send
them; for such men cannot go with our fellowship and good
feeling. Men who bear the words of life among the nations, ought
to be men of honor, integrity, virtue and purity; and this being
the command of God to us, we shall try and carry it out.
376
Some imagine that we have almost got through with our work; when
the truth of the matter is, we have hardly commenced yet. Here is
Brother Joseph Young, who represents the Seventies,--Brother
Joseph, how many Seventies are there enrolled? [Brother Young
replied that there were 5,320]. I am told that there are 5,320
Seventies; we expect to call upon a great many of these men to go
abroad and proclaim the fulness of the Gospel. We received a
small order lately--you know, we talk business sometimes--for
forty missionaries to go and labor in one place; they did not
send the money to pay their fares; but then, we have the
missionaries, and we will trust in God for our pay and we shall
get it if we are found doing His will and carrying out His
purposes.
376
Again, another duty we have to do is to preserve the order of God
among ourselves. And here is a great responsibility resting upon
the Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, and upon the
Bishops and their Counselors, and upon all men holding authority
in the Church and Kingdom of God, and upon the Twelve specially,
to see that the order of God is carried out, and that iniquity
does not exist among the Saints of the Most High God.
376
We talk sometimes about the outside world, and we sometimes
indulge in casting reflections upon them--and there is plenty of
room for it, no doubt; but then, what of ourselves? What do we
do? Do not our own members keep some of the very saloons we talk
about? And do not we engage in this business because we are
afraid somebody else will? Why, that is the argument of the
thief. He says, "If I do not steal, somebody else will," But,
besides, say these brethren, "We want to get a living." But
before I would live in that way, I would die and make an end of
it; I would not be mixed up with such concerns nor have any hand
in them, but pursue another and more honorable course to get a
living than in seeking to put the cup to the mouth of the
drunkard and in leading our youth and others who may be inclined
that way, in the path that leads to death. What else do we do?
Why some of us Elders, and some of us High Priests and Seventies,
frequent these places and get drunk and disgrace ourselves and
our families, and the people with whom we are associated. And
what else do we do? We are commanded to remember the Sabbath day
to keep it holy; and yet we find that our trains leave this city
every Sabbath, until the weather gets too cold to bathe, carrying
many of our people, who indulge in all kinds of amusements and
thus violate the Sabbath, which we are commanded to keep holy,
which many respectable Gentiles would never think of doing. And
yet your are Latter-day Saints are you? You are a good people,
and you will talk about the gift of the Holy Ghost and the Spirit
of God being in you, while you are violating some of the plainest
everyday principles of the Gospel of Christ.